Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

47 reviews

marzreadz2's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Confinement, and Murder

camiclarkbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Very reminiscent of “For the Throne,” but not quite as well executed. 

The magic system is so unique and Gillig did a great job with her world building. The characters use “trees” as a curse word, which was such a fun touch for a fantasy world with a cursed forest. 

I like a vulnerable heroine, one whose strength evolves over the series, but I was really unimpressed by Elspeth.

She was constantly complaining about the Nightmare in her head (valid), but at the first whiff of trouble she was screaming for his help. And then went right back to whining about him. It could have just been the voice the narrator chose to use for Elspeth, but she was just an endlessly whiny baby.

Gillig’s debut definitely had promise—the world was interesting and grounded, the magic system was interesting, and the plot was great. But her characters (her many, many main characters) were so flat that it ultimately fell short in my eyes. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Death, Abandonment, Body horror, Bullying, Blood, Death of parent, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Chronic illness

tays_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Alcohol, Abandonment, Child death, Self harm, Cursing, Murder, Vomit, and Death of parent

Minor: Torture, Infidelity, and Fire/Fire injury

pookiee's review against another edition

adventurous tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

the first YA and fantasy book i’ve enjoyed in a loooong time.

the magic system being like TCG/cards is so unique and gives me life! def the best part of the book. and the Nightmare is like Venom.

i really like how abandonment and finding a family elsewhere are portrayed. the romance is typical but nice.

this was going to be a 5! but the book drags in the last part and doesn’t conclude, just sets up a sequel—which makes me not want to read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Blood, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Torture

Minor: Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Vomit

fromjuliereads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I loved this book. It pulled me in very quickly to the world and the story, and I liked how dark and unique it is. The magic isn't like magic systems I've encountered before. This was the second card magic book I've read and I'm learning that's a magic I quite enjoy! The addition of the folklore and stories was fantastic. And the characters? I love them. All of them. They are morally grey and complex and interesting. I cannot wait to read the sequel with that ending!!! Some very good twists.

Definitely recommend for people who like darker fantasy with interesting magic and some romance. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Blood, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Death

Minor: Death of parent, Misogyny, Abandonment, and Sexual content

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Medical trauma, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Confinement

katievallin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Abandonment, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Terminal illness, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Vomit

Minor: Body horror, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Sexism

twistykris's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

MY HEARTTTTTTTTTTTTT I LOVED THIS SO MUUUUUUUUUUUCH!! Will be in my Top 10 of the year, for sure.

The characters and world were just SO lush and immersive and the writing is so beautiful. The world was almost a character of its own, especially with the encroaching mist and the eerie forest and what lies within. I got chills down my back multiple times during this read.

I love Elspeth as a character SO much- she can be a liiiittle naive and hypocritical at times, but honestly, I love the way she spoke to the Nightmare and Ravyn, with her wit and sass. She's smart, but as she develops, starts to become aware of her own faults and judgements, which I can appreciate. And Ravyn is so elusive and secretly caring and UGH. And THE NIGHTMARE?! What an incredible character LIVING inside of Elspeth's head. It's a lil bit enemies to lovers (which I love) and I found the romance to be just so lovely, if a little rushed (in a YA sort of fashion), but it still got me kicking my feet. There's also some found family, which I absolutely adore.

I think the audiobook, narrated by Lisa Cordlieone, was fantastic. I think she nailed the characters voices and cadences, especially the Nightmare's.

Very much looking forward to Two Twisted Crowns!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Gore

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abandonment, Child abuse, and Child death

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! 

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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

natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

My first spooky adjacent read of October, One Dark Window, was a gorgeously lush and atmospheric read that gave me gothic fantasy, Guillermo Del Toro meets Tim Burton vibes — which unsurprisingly, I absolutely loved! 

I was really intrigued by the premise (a girl with a monster trapped in her head, on a quest to save her town, Blunder, from the dark magic that’s slowly begun to infect it) and enjoyed the unique, card-based magic system (and richly detailed lore) of this beautifully eerie, Sleepy Hollow-esque setting. 

The characters too, were pretty intriguing, especially Protagonist Elspeth, whose bond with the nightmarish creature inspires more confidence in her that I really enjoyed seeing. But of course, his help isn’t free and despite how much I loved their bickering, father-daughter-like dynamics, the tenuous balance of power that keeps the nightmare in check made for a nail bitingly intense experience as it slowly begins to fray. 

I did appreciate getting to delve into Elspeth’s emotional vulnerabilities though, which helped me to understand her thought processes and the hardships that led to her cautious (and dare I say skittish) nature.

I also loved the deliciously brooding, Byronic love interest (and occasional highwayman), Ravyn who connects with Elspeth in a way that no one else ever has. There’s definitely a touch of Alfred Noyes’ Highwayman about him and Gillig’s lush prose only adds to his allure, before slowly revealing the kind and protective nature he reserves only for his closest friends and family. The romance that develops between him and Elspeth is really endearing if a slow but I’m definitely rooting for these two. 

However, our rhyme obsessed, morally grey nightmare might possibly be my favourite character of them all. His dark sense of humour and brutal assessment of everyone around them was quite entertaining and after THAT cliffhanger ending I NEED to get my hands on the sequel. 

Overall, a spellbindingly wicked, dark fairytale of a read that fans Hannah Whitten or slower paced, gothic style narratives need to check out! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Sexual content

Minor: Child abuse, Abandonment, and Death