A review by pencilknot
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

3.0

The girl, the King... and the monster they became.

3.5 stars

The best aspect of this book was hands-down the magic system. I loved the unique system of card magic and "infected" magic, as well as the compelling political story behind it. The pacing of the plot was very well-done, and the combat scenes were quite captivating, especially in the final few chapters. The looming threat of

Spoiler

Elspeth's degeneration

throughout the book helped make the story feel more high-stakes, and I liked the conclusion of that arc at the end of the book.

However, the two main characters weren't interesting to me. That was likely the reason why their romance progression felt rushed and lacked some chemistry. Elspeth in particular had a significant out of character moment that confused me and ruined a bit of the immersion.

Spoiler

It felt contradictory that Elspeth couldn't figure out that the Nightmare was the Shepard King as soon as she started having dreams, since she claimed that she knew The Old Book of Alders by heart. It felt like a very obvious plot point to me.

My favourite characters were actually Elm and the Nightmare, who were both much more complex and compelling. I've heard that the sequel will follow both characters in more depth, and I'm looking forward to it.