Book Review: One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

Rachel Gillig delivers an alluring tale of magic and unexpected alliances with a dangerous quest. Packed with secrets, gothic vibes, and messy moves from powerful individuals - this was hard to put down.

Elspeth Spindle has a monster trapped in her head. She keeps to herself and avoids trouble until one day it finds her, unknowingly changing the course of her life forever. Now entangled with none other than the King's nephew, Elspeth must decide to join his secret quest to find the last few Providence Cards and rid the land of the dark magic infecting it.

I cannot believe how long I held onto this book and constantly gave in to distractions pulling my attention to other books. A positive outlook on that is I finished this the day the second book came out! Fantasy has always been my comfort genre - I've been away reading horror, thrillers, and everything else but fantasy. So picking this book up and loving it soo much made it even more special because it reminded me why I enjoy this genre. A mad dash to escape reality.

The magic in this book is spectacular and unique - Anyone can wield magic if they have a Providence card! But using magic does not come without a price - in this book, we start to see some of the repercussions of using magic with Elspeth, but I think so much is set up for more consequences to unfold in Two Twisted Crowns.

The romance in this book was lowkey just the right dose for me - rooting for the unexpected, wishing for the best, and here for all the mess (idk I just made that up and it works). As for character building - I thoroughly enjoy Elspeth - she reminds me a little of Jude from Cruel Prince. Just a bit. Determined, smart, and caring and looks out for her family.

Most of the time when I pick up YA - I can tell it's YA. I was so engrossed in the backstory of Elspeth, the Nightmare, and her family that I had forgotten entirely that this was a YA novel. I say this because when you look at dialogue, details, and even some of the world-building - I feel like these can be lacking for my tastes. Not the case here. Now this is not an epic high fantasy that has a plethora of information but I think the author did amazing at balancing the details with the genre and making it appealing for all.

The politics are still unfolding toward the end, and there are plenty of characters to hate. One Dark Window is the perfect setup for Two Twisted Crowns (I have not finished yet). I don't think the cliffhanger was too bad but I also just wanted more, so be ready with that second book.

Rating: 5 Stars

Mood: Gothic - dark vibes, unique magic, some political drama, wrapped up with a slow-burn romance