Reviews with content warning for Death - One Dark Window

This was my second time attempting to read this book, and I'm glad I made it to the end. I tried it both on audiobook and as a standard book, and ended up going with the audiobook. I feel like the voice of the narrator doesn't really fit the story, but their reading is fine. (Although, I listened on 1.5 speed.) This book didn't work for me as well as I wanted, and I'm not sure why. I feel like things picked up a bit when we got more of the supporting cast. I like the spooky misty setting and the Nightmare. I thought the world building was pretty good. Overall I had a good time, just not a great time. I never got quite as invested as I wanted to be. I'll definitely be reading the sequel, and I would recommend this lightly. I would also recommend For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten as a book with a sort of similar vibe.

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kaylaswhitmore's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the second one! Gillig’s prose is both elevated and easy to follow, invoking something similar in feel to classic Victorian literature with a distinctly modern twist. Her pacing was great—neither slow or fast, and with just enough action to keep readers excited. However, I will say that I felt her world-building lacked a smidgen of severity. While we are often told in the first 2/3rds of the book that it is quite dangerous to be an infected person in Blunder, I think the tension could have benefitted from an earlier example of the King’s brutality (i.e. someone Elspeth knew being taken away, or her witnessing a public execution). In that regard, I do feel as if some of the stakes fell a tiny bit flat due to the lack of “showing” in comparison to “telling.” Despite that, I easily tumbled into the magic of the woods and mist and cards, and thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of Elspeth’s journey through such a tempestuous town. Excited to see how this story concludes!

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