Scan barcode
A review by abby_gail_noel
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
5.0
4.5
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a pretty quick, easy read and the story was great from beginning to end. I also appreciated that it was geared towards adults and it was romantic without being smutty. I feel like it’s been really difficult to find books like that lately.
The only negative I had was that it felt maybe a little immature for the age group it was targeted towards. The main character is twenty years old but the book still reads like a YA novel geared towards younger teens. Don’t get me wrong, there was romance and there was violence and there were some deep topics but somehow the writing still made it feel like it was insulting my intelligence as a reader (just a bit). So, I do think the level and general maturity of writing could have been improved to better fit for readers. It could’ve have been a tad bit more moody and dark. And the stakes could have almost certainly been higher because I wasn’t feeling the urgency of the conflict as much as I should have. (i.e. one of the main conflicts being that “the mist” is overtaking Blunder all while the mist seems to be no more than a nuisance as long as people keep a charm with them)
Aside from that, I loved Elspeth’s character and I was a sucker for Ravyn and his family. I thought the relationships in the book were plentiful and complex. As for the plot, I was so pleased with everything I read. It felt really original and nostalgic at some time. At moments it had the feel of stories like Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. Not to mention, I loved all of the talk about highwaymen and magical cards.
It really was a well done fantasy book, which is more than I can say for any others I’ve read in a while. Probably why I haven’t seen anyone talking about it on BookTok. Uniqueness and originality and good characters are all things I love in a book and One Dark Window had them all.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a pretty quick, easy read and the story was great from beginning to end. I also appreciated that it was geared towards adults and it was romantic without being smutty. I feel like it’s been really difficult to find books like that lately.
The only negative I had was that it felt maybe a little immature for the age group it was targeted towards. The main character is twenty years old but the book still reads like a YA novel geared towards younger teens. Don’t get me wrong, there was romance and there was violence and there were some deep topics but somehow the writing still made it feel like it was insulting my intelligence as a reader (just a bit). So, I do think the level and general maturity of writing could have been improved to better fit for readers. It could’ve have been a tad bit more moody and dark. And the stakes could have almost certainly been higher because I wasn’t feeling the urgency of the conflict as much as I should have. (i.e. one of the main conflicts being that “the mist” is overtaking Blunder all while the mist seems to be no more than a nuisance as long as people keep a charm with them)
Aside from that, I loved Elspeth’s character and I was a sucker for Ravyn and his family. I thought the relationships in the book were plentiful and complex. As for the plot, I was so pleased with everything I read. It felt really original and nostalgic at some time. At moments it had the feel of stories like Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. Not to mention, I loved all of the talk about highwaymen and magical cards.
It really was a well done fantasy book, which is more than I can say for any others I’ve read in a while. Probably why I haven’t seen anyone talking about it on BookTok. Uniqueness and originality and good characters are all things I love in a book and One Dark Window had them all.