Rachel Gillig: One Dark Window

In her debut novel one woman is the key to saving a Kingdom, but she is more than she seems:

In the mist-locked Kingdom of Blunder, Elspeth may look like a normal noble woman but she carries a secret, she has a monster inside her. Elspeth calls him Nightmare, from the Nightmare card that she touched all those years ago. Elspeth has access to the magic of the Nightmare card but all magic has a cost. When Elspeth meets the Captian of those meant to hunt her kind, Ravyn, she beleives she is done for, but what she does not expect is that he has his own plans and needs her help to gather all 12 of the Providence Cards, the key to cure the mist and sickness of the Kingdom. Elspeth knows that magic has a cost and it may just take all of her.

This is Gillig's debut novel, and what a debut. I wish that all Fantasy debuts were this good. I would not have realized that this was a debut novel other than searching to see what else Gillig had written on goodreads. I loved the magic system, Nightmar and Elspeth as the FMC.

I like that this book is a fatanys but one that is not too confusing and the magic system is unique enough to stand out. The magic system plays with the age old addage that ever time one uses magic there is a cost. I like when magic has a price, I find that this way most characters are more cautios when they use it for fear what the consequence may be or will this be the last time they are able to use it.

Elspeth is a great FMC, she is both strong but niave as well and with Elspeth we get Nightmare as well. I see Nightmare as a grandfather figure to her, as they have been together so long. He may speak in riddles to her but at the same time he is overly protective of her as well. He also keeps secerts from her, and I enjoyed finding them out along with Elspeth.

I was not entirely sold on the romance between Elspeth and Ravyn. It felt forced, like I know it a pretend courting type of thing but still felt forced and almost insta in a way. I get this is a duology and things may move faster for relationships but i just couldn’t get behind their relationship 

That ending. I dont think you can read this book and not ahve a need to pick up the second book in this series. I cannot wait to read the second book in this series

Enjoy!!!!

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