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A review by onthesamepage
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If I didn't know this was an adult fantasy, I would've thought it was YA. It's always hard to find that line between the two age groups, and I can't put my finger on why, exactly, this feels more like YA to me, except that the pacing, the tropes, and the relative simplicity of the world and magic feel more reminiscent of YA fantasy.
I really like the premise: Elspeth has a Nightmare trapped in her head, sharing her thoughts, and sometimes, when she's in trouble, she can call on him. Magic in this world is only allowed if it's performed by using a Providence card, but children sometimes become infected, granting them magical powers. Using those will cause some kind of degeneration, ultimately leading to madness and/or death, which is why the king has ordered all these children killed immediately upon discovery of their magic.
The Nightmare clearly has a lot of knowledge about the magic and the world, constantly teasing Elspeth with rhymes that she didn't understand, but which were clearly meant to signal specific dangers and act as a warning. Some of the rhymes are better than others, and most of them are pretty simple.
Unfortunately, this is another book where the mystery was incredibly predictable. There's also little depth to the characters or the relationships. The romance promises more than it delivers; there is a sex scene, but it's written in such a tame way, using so many vague ways to describe what was happening, that I wondered why it was included at all instead of just fading to black.
There are a lot of references to the poem The Highwayman--the main character's nickname is Bess, the love interest is a highwayman, the title of a book is lifted directly from the poem, and I even see some similarities in the plot. I like the poem, and I definitely don't mind reading a story based on it, but I do think more could've been done to make this stand out from the original.
If I didn't know this was an adult fantasy, I would've thought it was YA. It's always hard to find that line between the two age groups, and I can't put my finger on why, exactly, this feels more like YA to me, except that the pacing, the tropes, and the relative simplicity of the world and magic feel more reminiscent of YA fantasy.
I really like the premise: Elspeth has a Nightmare trapped in her head, sharing her thoughts, and sometimes, when she's in trouble, she can call on him. Magic in this world is only allowed if it's performed by using a Providence card, but children sometimes become infected, granting them magical powers. Using those will cause some kind of degeneration, ultimately leading to madness and/or death, which is why the king has ordered all these children killed immediately upon discovery of their magic.
The Nightmare clearly has a lot of knowledge about the magic and the world, constantly teasing Elspeth with rhymes that she didn't understand, but which were clearly meant to signal specific dangers and act as a warning. Some of the rhymes are better than others, and most of them are pretty simple.
Unfortunately, this is another book where the mystery was incredibly predictable. There's also little depth to the characters or the relationships. The romance promises more than it delivers; there is a sex scene, but it's written in such a tame way, using so many vague ways to describe what was happening, that I wondered why it was included at all instead of just fading to black.
There are a lot of references to the poem The Highwayman--the main character's nickname is Bess, the love interest is a highwayman, the title of a book is lifted directly from the poem, and I even see some similarities in the plot. I like the poem, and I definitely don't mind reading a story based on it, but I do think more could've been done to make this stand out from the original.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Self harm