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wildflower_magic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
What a captivating story! I loved the card component and it's similarities/differences to Tarot. I found the characters loveable/hateable as appropriate in the story. I loved the slow build romance but it wasn't the main focus of the book (not much spice). The magic was intriguing and I was so interested in the Nightmare. He gave Cheshire cat vibes which is my JAM. There were a few spots where descriptions were odd to me and there's a spoiler that I foun obvious and discovered in chapter 3 that the main character didn't discover until chapter 22 so I grew a little impatient waiting for her to put the pieces together. Overall I was obsessed and read most of this in one day. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Blood, Child death, and Violence
Moderate: Self harm, Police brutality, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
toastyghosty13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
i heard a lot of good things about this book and have seen it popping up on social media. i got it on sale on a whim and decided to try it out while in a reading slump recently.
the book started off a little slow for me, since there are a lot of characters introduced in a short amount of time and makes it a bit difficult to keep track of who is actually relevant.
probably about 4 chapters in this book really took off for me. it definitely brought me out of my reading slump with the world building and mysterious magic system of the providence cards. i was hooked pretty quickly from the interactions between characters and trying to figure out how the magic works along with the main character, Elspeth.
i am glad i didn’t read this book until now, only because the sequel is releasing in 2 weeks. the book ended with a bit of a cliffhanger but one that just makes me all the more excited for the next book.
i will say i found some earlier parts of romance to be very cringey, but it got way better as the book went on. im rooting for Elspeth and Ravyn to find a way to stop king rowan and get back to each other, although the shepherd king might hinder that.
after i finished this book i immediately preordered the next. i am counting down the days until it comes out, since i think it will have very good autumn vibes as it builds up to the winter solstice.
the book started off a little slow for me, since there are a lot of characters introduced in a short amount of time and makes it a bit difficult to keep track of who is actually relevant.
probably about 4 chapters in this book really took off for me. it definitely brought me out of my reading slump with the world building and mysterious magic system of the providence cards. i was hooked pretty quickly from the interactions between characters and trying to figure out how the magic works along with the main character, Elspeth.
i am glad i didn’t read this book until now, only because the sequel is releasing in 2 weeks. the book ended with a bit of a cliffhanger but one that just makes me all the more excited for the next book.
i will say i found some earlier parts of romance to be very cringey, but it got way better as the book went on. im rooting for
after i finished this book i immediately preordered the next. i am counting down the days until it comes out, since i think it will have very good autumn vibes as it builds up to the winter solstice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Death of parent
hallht98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit and Violence
Minor: Torture
sophs_mood_reading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
When men want power they will do whatever it takes to get it. This is what the shepherd king did, and now the people of blunder suffer centuries (I think) later.
We meet Elsbeth, cursed with the infection and possessed by a creepy nightmare beast/man, let’s just say life’s complicated.
For years she’s stayed hidden from those hunting the infected but then on one fateful day (courtly ball) she finds herself suddenly face to face with the man who is in charge of ridding the world of the infected (yup not great), and yes he is handsome and broody with some mysteries of his own (well hello captain).
Thus we start a tale of two sworn foes thrown together to help save their world. But of course they both have secrets they are yet to share.
I have to say I love me some ye old- timey fantasy/ magical books. We have kings, castles, curses, heroines and a broody MMC who I am sure is a spitting image of Henry Cavil 🤣.
There was a great unique magic system and it was a fun way to see the price paid for using magic and how it is wielded.
Pet peeve of course is a cliffhanger where there is no resolution to the story and you need to read the next book. But I will happily do this as it was great.
We meet Elsbeth, cursed with the infection and possessed by a creepy nightmare beast/man, let’s just say life’s complicated.
For years she’s stayed hidden from those hunting the infected but then on one fateful day (courtly ball) she finds herself suddenly face to face with the man who is in charge of ridding the world of the infected (yup not great), and yes he is handsome and broody with some mysteries of his own (well hello captain).
Thus we start a tale of two sworn foes thrown together to help save their world. But of course they both have secrets they are yet to share.
I have to say I love me some ye old- timey fantasy/ magical books. We have kings, castles, curses, heroines and a broody MMC who I am sure is a spitting image of Henry Cavil 🤣.
There was a great unique magic system and it was a fun way to see the price paid for using magic and how it is wielded.
Pet peeve of course is a cliffhanger where there is no resolution to the story and you need to read the next book. But I will happily do this as it was great.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
Minor: Abandonment and Death of parent
missgarceau's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
What a horribly cruel cliffhanger ending!!!
I recommend waiting until the series is complete tbh.
The magic system is fascinating & the lore is intriguing. It’s like a dark and twisted fairytale full of riddles & rhymes. An epic quest full of shock & horror and a sprinkle of slow-burn romance.
It’s not FTB but the spice is mild.
Idk if this is categorized as a romance, but unless there’s an HEA- I might trash it in my fury & rage! I am REELING after that ending!! Toddler tantrum level 3000!!!
Caveat emptor. Buyer beware.
I recommend waiting until the series is complete tbh.
The magic system is fascinating & the lore is intriguing. It’s like a dark and twisted fairytale full of riddles & rhymes. An epic quest full of shock & horror and a sprinkle of slow-burn romance.
It’s not FTB but the spice is mild.
Idk if this is categorized as a romance, but unless there’s an HEA- I might trash it in my fury & rage! I am REELING after that ending!! Toddler tantrum level 3000!!!
Caveat emptor. Buyer beware.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Abandonment, Body horror, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Violence, Vomit, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Torture, and Toxic relationship
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
To the quiet girls with stories in their heads. To their dreams—and their nightmares.
Nothing is free. Nothing is safe. Magic is love, but also, it is hate. It comes at a cost. You’re found, and you’re lost. Magic is love, but also, it’s hate.
That’s how the best lies are told—with just a sliver of truth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Sexual content, and Vomit
headbangerhijabi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book really does well at drawing out the intrigue. We start with Elspeth Spindle (also try saying that name aloud five times fast 😂) with her secret, and then immediately jump into the mystery of the Nightmare, who he is and how he operates, and...... i'm going to continue this in the spoiler section below 😂
I really enjoyed this book. If i could change one thing, it would be the descriptions. The world building was solid but descriptions of the world would have been nice. IIRC we don't get a full character description of Elspeth until around page 200 or so when she happens to look in a mirror. The landscape of Blunder is also a bit sparse. I think in the early chatpers we mention Elspeth going to a dock and seeing the water and then it's never brought up again.... IDK it took me a while to really get into the book so some of those early details are a bit blurry. I wish we got a bit more details about the society Elspeth lives in. It was some odd things here and there that just didn't line up. Elspeth never wears pants but at the same time she also wears her hair down and not in a bun/updo of some kind. There are some social norms that make sense but others that don't quite fit. Is this like a Medieval setting? Is this a twist on like 1800s setting? I'm not really sure, but a few sentences here and there would've fixed it. I'm one of those "Movie playing in my head" kinda readers and this lack of description made it harder for me to get the movie to settle in my mind.
I also wish there was a bit more description/information on the Cards, what they can do, and how powerful they really are. or if there was a list on the author's website. IDK it got a bit confusing after a while keeping the ones that the main cast don't regularly use straight in my head. That's why this book got a 4.5 not a 5 for me 🙂
Spoilers from here on out
Okay now for the more detailed review.
I loved Ravyn. The way they met in the woods, when he discovered her sickness and was just immediately like "Yes, I will protect you." He did start off a bit of a grump, which was fine, they all had other priorities. But then the "I was never pretending" 😭😭😭😭 and when he fronted up to Hauth!!!!! *fanning self*
Okay if I'm picking between the princes, Elm wins hands down! not that that was a hard choice. Hauth is a POS. but even still, Elm was a fun character. He's got his own suspicions and sense of humor that just worked for the character. Cocky enough to sound like a royal, but also compassionate enough to really know when and where to be serious. His fight with Hauth over the infected family on Market Day was just a perfect depiction of how you can rule without being a complete tyrant.
Speaking of the Princes, Ione. I get where she was coming from, re: women in society having to figure out their own shit. but at the same time, GIRL pick anyone who doesn't beat you, cheat on you, and try to kill your family.
Emory was an interesting character. At the beginning I thought he was just another creeper and Ravyn was the one trying to reign him in. The degeneration of his mind and his body to the infection made sense, and I understand why he was drinking himself into a coma so often, but I'm glad that Ravyn and the others never made it an excuse for his actions. They would just step in and stop him from doing too much or actively hurting anyone. Elspeth's asking him about the Nightmare at the end was interesting... and the way that the magic impacted his life so drastically compared to Ravyn or Elspeth was interesting. I hope he pulls through this. He deserves to have a bit of calm after all of this.
I liked Elspeth (difficulty of saying her name aside 😂). Reading through it, you understand why she is the way she is. you understand that she's living with this horror in her head so she's spent the last 12 years focused on keeping her head down, but when she finds a possible cure and has the chance to help not just herself but everyone else in Blunder, she takes it. And the others never force her to be something she isn't. They make sure she's capable in a situation (wearing pants instead of a dress) but at the same time they aren't expecting her to just jump to it and start sword fighting like a whole bunch of other heroines I've seen. Sword play is useful in a situation like this, but it's not the only way to fight back. Her half sisters and her step mom were bitches, I hate that Ione turned into what she did, and Jespyr was very tom-boyish but at the same time they are all showing different sides of femininity, and it's not used against them in so many words.
The Nightmare was...... weird. At times he gave off a kind of Cheshire Cat energy, talking in rhymes and making no sense, at others he was just a viscous creature bent on getting his way. Which kinda makes sense. He and the Spirit of the Woods are like old gods in a way, human affairs don't matter to them at all. You can tell his fondness for Elspeth though, he does care for her, in his own way. When it was revealed that he was the Shepard King, I honestly can say I wasn't surprised. Shocked that it was confirmed, but not surprised. It really was the only thing that made sense, and I'm glad that the foreshadowing for that was well done. Sometimes authors try to bait and switch to throw people off of the foreshadowing and it just ends up falling flat. Following through on foreshadowing works so much better.
Some of the irregularities that I noticed, were the infection and how it manifests in each person. The infection supposedly makes those with it have black blood, but several times Elspeth, Raven, and Emory and a few other infected bleed and it's described as red. At one point, Prince Hauth poisons Elspeth and she "vomits a lake of blood" but she has the infection, and Hauth doesn't see the black blood until he chases her down later on and cuts her with a knife.... Idk if it was supposed to be only certain times when her adrenaline is up that her blood turns black or if it was just an inconsistency in the writing, but yea......
I WANNA KNOW ABOUT THE GHOSTS RAVYN MEETS IN THE FIRST LOOK AT THE NEXT BOOK. OCTOBER CANNOT COME SOON ENOUGH!!!!
I really enjoyed this book. If i could change one thing, it would be the descriptions. The world building was solid but descriptions of the world would have been nice. IIRC we don't get a full character description of Elspeth until around page 200 or so when she happens to look in a mirror. The landscape of Blunder is also a bit sparse. I think in the early chatpers we mention Elspeth going to a dock and seeing the water and then it's never brought up again.... IDK it took me a while to really get into the book so some of those early details are a bit blurry. I wish we got a bit more details about the society Elspeth lives in. It was some odd things here and there that just didn't line up. Elspeth never wears pants but at the same time she also wears her hair down and not in a bun/updo of some kind. There are some social norms that make sense but others that don't quite fit. Is this like a Medieval setting? Is this a twist on like 1800s setting? I'm not really sure, but a few sentences here and there would've fixed it. I'm one of those "Movie playing in my head" kinda readers and this lack of description made it harder for me to get the movie to settle in my mind.
I also wish there was a bit more description/information on the Cards, what they can do, and how powerful they really are. or if there was a list on the author's website. IDK it got a bit confusing after a while keeping the ones that the main cast don't regularly use straight in my head. That's why this book got a 4.5 not a 5 for me 🙂
Spoilers from here on out
Okay now for the more detailed review.
I loved Ravyn. The way they met in the woods, when he discovered her sickness and was just immediately like "Yes, I will protect you." He did start off a bit of a grump, which was fine, they all had other priorities. But then the "I was never pretending" 😭😭😭😭 and when he fronted up to Hauth!!!!! *fanning self*
Okay if I'm picking between the princes, Elm wins hands down! not that that was a hard choice. Hauth is a POS. but even still, Elm was a fun character. He's got his own suspicions and sense of humor that just worked for the character. Cocky enough to sound like a royal, but also compassionate enough to really know when and where to be serious. His fight with Hauth over the infected family on Market Day was just a perfect depiction of how you can rule without being a complete tyrant.
Speaking of the Princes, Ione. I get where she was coming from, re: women in society having to figure out their own shit. but at the same time, GIRL pick anyone who doesn't beat you, cheat on you, and try to kill your family.
Emory was an interesting character. At the beginning I thought he was just another creeper and Ravyn was the one trying to reign him in. The degeneration of his mind and his body to the infection made sense, and I understand why he was drinking himself into a coma so often, but I'm glad that Ravyn and the others never made it an excuse for his actions. They would just step in and stop him from doing too much or actively hurting anyone. Elspeth's asking him about the Nightmare at the end was interesting... and the way that the magic impacted his life so drastically compared to Ravyn or Elspeth was interesting. I hope he pulls through this. He deserves to have a bit of calm after all of this.
I liked Elspeth (difficulty of saying her name aside 😂). Reading through it, you understand why she is the way she is. you understand that she's living with this horror in her head so she's spent the last 12 years focused on keeping her head down, but when she finds a possible cure and has the chance to help not just herself but everyone else in Blunder, she takes it. And the others never force her to be something she isn't. They make sure she's capable in a situation (wearing pants instead of a dress) but at the same time they aren't expecting her to just jump to it and start sword fighting like a whole bunch of other heroines I've seen. Sword play is useful in a situation like this, but it's not the only way to fight back. Her half sisters and her step mom were bitches, I hate that Ione turned into what she did, and Jespyr was very tom-boyish but at the same time they are all showing different sides of femininity, and it's not used against them in so many words.
The Nightmare was...... weird. At times he gave off a kind of Cheshire Cat energy, talking in rhymes and making no sense, at others he was just a viscous creature bent on getting his way. Which kinda makes sense. He and the Spirit of the Woods are like old gods in a way, human affairs don't matter to them at all. You can tell his fondness for Elspeth though, he does care for her, in his own way. When it was revealed that he was the Shepard King, I honestly can say I wasn't surprised. Shocked that it was confirmed, but not surprised. It really was the only thing that made sense, and I'm glad that the foreshadowing for that was well done. Sometimes authors try to bait and switch to throw people off of the foreshadowing and it just ends up falling flat. Following through on foreshadowing works so much better.
Some of the irregularities that I noticed, were the infection and how it manifests in each person. The infection supposedly makes those with it have black blood, but several times Elspeth, Raven, and Emory and a few other infected bleed and it's described as red. At one point, Prince Hauth poisons Elspeth and she "vomits a lake of blood" but she has the infection, and Hauth doesn't see the black blood until he chases her down later on and cuts her with a knife.... Idk if it was supposed to be only certain times when her adrenaline is up that her blood turns black or if it was just an inconsistency in the writing, but yea......
I WANNA KNOW ABOUT THE GHOSTS RAVYN MEETS IN THE FIRST LOOK AT THE NEXT BOOK. OCTOBER CANNOT COME SOON ENOUGH!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Vomit
Minor: Death of parent
sometimes_samantha_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It's been a long time that I had a book that had me talking out loud, kicking my feet, pacing around - in all the best ways. I need book two ASAP! It'll be a long wait til October!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Vomit, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Self harm
phantasmaboo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
One Dark Window follows the story of Elspeth, who was stricken with fever as a child and, as a result, carries a monster in her head know as The Nightmare. The Nightmare gives her strength and protection in Blunder, but with any type of magic, there is always a price.
I very much wanted to like this book, but there were some elements that caused me to lower my rating.
First, the positives. When the book was good, it was good. I thought the author did an okay job laying out the world, the rules of magic, and the type of environment we were dealing with. Also, I was easily gripped by moments in the plot and found them incredibly compelling.
However, the pace was not steady throughout. Character development and plot movement are not weaves together well so in moments where we learn more about the characters, it’s as if the whole plot has stopped.
Furthermore, there are so many threads in this book, arguably too many. Some are character related, others are plot related, but it was really hard to keep track of them all. I feel that the author wanted to create a whole ensemble of characters with good depth and their own stories, but because there were so many, it fell flat. Too many times, plot points from far earlier in the book would be reintroduced, discussed, and then quickly forgotten so that another could take its place. Overall, this left the pacing feeling very start and stop and clunky.
Still, I thought it was a decent read and I’ll probably pick up the next book when I have a chance.
I very much wanted to like this book, but there were some elements that caused me to lower my rating.
First, the positives. When the book was good, it was good. I thought the author did an okay job laying out the world, the rules of magic, and the type of environment we were dealing with. Also, I was easily gripped by moments in the plot and found them incredibly compelling.
However, the pace was not steady throughout. Character development and plot movement are not weaves together well so in moments where we learn more about the characters, it’s as if the whole plot has stopped.
Furthermore, there are so many threads in this book, arguably too many. Some are character related, others are plot related, but it was really hard to keep track of them all. I feel that the author wanted to create a whole ensemble of characters with good depth and their own stories, but because there were so many, it fell flat. Too many times, plot points from far earlier in the book would be reintroduced, discussed, and then quickly forgotten so that another could take its place. Overall, this left the pacing feeling very start and stop and clunky.
Still, I thought it was a decent read and I’ll probably pick up the next book when I have a chance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Vomit
naomi_k's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Cursing, Body horror, Blood, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Vomit, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Dysphoria
Minor: Domestic abuse and Abandonment
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