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“There once was a girl,” he murmured, “clever and good, who tarried in shadow in the depths of the wood. There also was a King—a shepherd by his crook, who reigned over magic and wrote the old book. The two were together, so the two were the same: “The girl, the King… and the monster they became.”

Rachel Gillig, One Dark Window

Summary

One Dark Window is an atmospheric, eerie fantasy novel, vaguely based on Red Riding Hood (she’s both). The cover sucked me in and I spent a lovely week or two listening to the audiobook version on my commutes.

It’s set in the kingdom of Blunder, a land ruled by an invasive mist and the power of Providence cards. Our protagonist is Elspeth Spindle, a clever, quiet girl who has spent her life hidden away to avoid notice. As a child Elspeth got the infection that usually gives magic, but rather than turn her in due to magic’s outlawed nature, her father sent her to live with her aunt and uncle, tucked away in the woods. Although her family knows about the infection, she keeps her magic and the monster living in her skull a secret for over a decade.

Fast forward eleven years later, and she finds herself unwillingly at the palace’s Equinox celebration. Those without the illegal magic given by the infection rely on a finite number of cards, called Providence cards, to grant them specific forms of magic (The Chalice, the Tower, the Mirror, the Schythe, the Nightmare… you get the idea). She meets Ravyn (I have to say… this spelling drove me nuts), the beautiful¹ Captain of the Destriers, and learns of his family’s quest to gather a complete set of Providence cards so they can appease the Spirit of the Wood and banish the mist. She agrees to help, annnnnnd the rest is history. Note, this is the first in a duology and does end on a cliffhanger.

Spice 🌶️

There is almost no spice in this book. There’s one scene, and although it isn’t closed door it is pretty subtle. Heavy on the allusions.

Thoughts

I found Elspeth less grating than some FMCs. She’s a bit neurotic which makes sense in the context of her childhood and her ~companion~, but I found those traits endearing and believable rather than frustrating. It was refreshing to read a book with an alternate source of the MC’s power as well… she’s not training for combat in a courtyard, or honing magical powers. She’s grappling with an entirely different can of worms.

There is a lot of rhyming in this book, so know that going in.

The magic system is compelling– one of my favorite parts of the book, along with the odd relationship between Elspeth and the Nightmare. It’s perfect if you’re looking for a book that’s eerie with gothic fairytale vibes. Read it if you wish you were walking through mist and are feeling like confronting some duality.

Curious to hear your thoughts.

🕸️,
Em

1. They do mention a large nose several times. ↩︎