One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (2022)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I'm not going to lie—I've been more than a little disappointed by the most "popular" fantasy books of late. But One Dark Window was a true breath of fresh air! Thank you, Ms. Gillig, for restoring my sense of bookish adventure, my faith in magic systems and FMCs, and above all else, giving me something that felt like a rare gem.

This book had been on my TBR for a while and I wish I picked it up sooner. The playing-card magic system, misty folktale-style lore, a simple backstory, oh, and the monster living in her mind (!) all contributed to a sink-your-teeth-into story I couldn't put down. I think the simplicity was phenomenal--we had a classic kingdom setting, comprehensible rules, pronounceable family names...everything was nested so well. This mist-shrouded world was wrapped up in a little bow and that simplicity was perfect.

If you're interested in a not-annoying FMC, a wonderfully snarky villain, a magic system with real costs, and a race against time, this is a delightful little gothic fantasy for you.

[SPOILERS BELOW]

[SPOILERS BELOW]

Overview:

The Kingdom of Blunder is shrouded in a deadly, encroaching magical mist created by a less-than-benevolent Spirit of the Wood. Its citizens have learned how to survive the mist's dangers through a rhyming text called the Old Book of Alders created by the OG Shepherd King after he traded with the Spirit for the magical cards. With a tyrannical king currently on the throne, our heroes are thrown into a race to collect all the cards—despite their dangers—and complete the deck to save the kingdom from being consumed by the terrifying mist.

Characters:

Elspeth:

Our FMC, Elspeth, has spent her whole life avoiding attention because she was infected with magic as a little girl (which is a death sentence in this world) and she mostly wants to stay out of people's way.

What's interesting and wonderful about Elspeth is she isn't some over-powered badass who's been training with every form of weapon known to man since she came out of the womb. Elspeth runs away from conflict. Elspeth avoids confrontation. In fact, Elspeth simply wants to be left alone, a fact I found equally hilarious and wildly refreshing. She's remarkable because she's normal (mostly). She also doesn't make stupid decisions, doesn't throw herself recklessly into avoidable problems, and tries actively to make things NOT ✨all about her✨. (Can you tell I'm sick of that trope yet?)

Anyway, the only thing that isn't normal about our wonderfully introverted Elspeth is the Nightmare living in her head. Yes, she touched the Nightmare card as a child after she was infected and absorbed him into her mind. He lurks in her head, clicking his claws, reciting rhyming lore, and mostly judging her. What I found really fascinating was how the author described this entity who moved closer and then retreated, swished his tail, curled around her thoughts. She created a setting in Elspeth's mind for this character to move around in, to inhabit. The writing in those descriptions was a masterclass.

Ravyn Yew:

The MMC, Ravyn, was pretty average to start. Broody male, predictably handsome, fights his feelings but is obviously obsessed with keeping her safe. He was relatively boring but still an important part of the story. The twist where HE is infected too? Nicely done. I hope to see more of his character arc in the second book. I didn't dislike him, but he also didn't hook me.

The Nightmare:

The Nightmare was wonderful. Snarky, sardonic, and mysterious. Elspeth has been living with him in her mind for years, yet she has found no reason to fully trust him and knows shockingly little about him. The uncertainty he created was delightful. Even though one could guess he was the spirit of the Shepherd King, I was deeply invested in learning about his backstory and (more importantly) his future goals, which may not align with poor Elspeth's best interests. We've already seen how he omits harmful information so he was a delicious character to keep the reader guessing.

The Magic System:

I've touched on this a little but the beauty of the playing-card magic system is in its simplicity. Each card had a strength to the user and also a high price to pay. We're talking one's heart, sanity, health, strength etc. Things you'd really think twice about risking. I think that made for some really interesting problems because the characters really had to weigh the risks before they used magic; you didn't get anyone who was super OP this way. I also loved the little rhymes that revealed the rules for each card at the beginning of the chapter, they weren't campy and didn't reveal too much.

Notable Scenes & Final Thoughts:

Hiding the truth is a big theme for Elspeth throughout the book. There was a scene where everyone was forced under the power of the Chalice card by ingesting what's basically deadly truth serum. One by one, the characters are forced to reveal things they'd rather keep hidden but some were able to evade better than others. I could physically feel the tension as we waited for Elspeth's turn and the anticipation was just palpable. I loved this scene so much!

Final thoughts? Highly recommend. The writing was atmospheric, the magic system was fantastic, the tone and feel of the book were so richly done I could just get lost in the world. This book felt so satisfyingly put together. I will be running to the bookstore for the final installment.