A gothic Fairytale to say the least. There is some romance but that is not the focus. The focus is magic, gathering of cards to break the illness haunting in the fog, a curse by the spirit of the woods.

Sometimes, the darkness, the nightmares, the monsters are not what you think, though they can be frightening.

One Dark Window is incredibly atmospheric, with a magic system that’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and a romance that, while not the focus of the book, was deeply emotional to read. 

I cannot wait to read the second book in this duology. From how this book ended I have so many questions as to how the story is told next.

Is it from Raven’s point of view or the Nightmare/ Shepard King?

I enjoyed this book, it was fun to read about another way magic can be incorporated — it isn’t always necessarily a wand, it can be many forms. I will say, most of the characters bugged me, I found it difficult to stay focused until the end. 

I did predict that the “Nightmare” in her head was the Shepard King, I was very happy to find that I was right. I wish we could’ve gotten more of Ravyn’s and Elspeth love story.. I was shipping them from the very beginning.

The book made me very attached to Ravyn and Elspeth, the end brought a few tears. 

4.75⭐️ In this riddled story you will find nothing, and everything is as it seems. Haunted, infected, and feared, the beautiful Elspeth hides her cards close to her chest in case one looks too close and discovers her secret. The secret that she alone does not carry her secrets in her mind. As a child she got infested, and at the cusp of death, the Nightmare swooped in and saved her with its dark magic, but nothing comes without a price, especially magic. And now, as a young woman, Elspeth must face her Nightmare as she loses her mind to the monster and her heart to the man predicted she would meet on a long, lonely road. 

Don’t get me wrong; it was VERY predictable, but I liked the writing. It’s different from other romantasy books I have read in a way I can’t quite explain. I enjoyed it so much I actually bought the second book while I still had like seven chapters left because I knew I needed to know how this ends. I hope the second book will be less predictable; nevertheless, I expect it might be a bit more “entertaining” considering the ending.

This story was incredibly gripping. I very much progression and the subtle changes that you recognize in the character as the book goes on. Super excited to start two twisted crowns.