One Dark Window (The Shepherd King Book 1) by Rachel Gillig
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One Dark Window (The Shepherd King Book 1)

by

Rachel Gillig

(Author)

4.5

-

26,649 ratings


THE FANTASY BOOKTOK SENSATION!

For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a dark, lushly gothic fantasy about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom—but the monster in her head isn't the only threat lurking.

Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.

Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom she calls home—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it. Except the highwayman just so happens to be the King’s own nephew, Captain of the Destriers…and guilty of high treason.

He and Elspeth have until Solstice to gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.

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ISBN-10

0316312487

ISBN-13

978-0316312486

Print length

432 pages

Language

English

Publisher

Orbit

Publication date

September 26, 2022

Dimensions

5.55 x 1.35 x 8.3 inches

Item weight

13.1 ounces


Popular highlights in this book

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  • The Black Horse made its beholder a master of combat. The Golden Egg granted great wealth.

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  • To the quiet girls with stories in their heads. To their dreams—and their nightmares.

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Product details

ASIN :

B09DCKSR8V

File size :

4097 KB

Text-to-speech :

Enabled

Screen reader :

Supported

Enhanced typesetting :

Enabled

X-Ray :

Enabled

Word wise :

Enabled


Editorial reviews

"Thick fog, shifting alliances, and clever magic make the perfect backdrop for a sweeping romance—One Dark Window is enthralling from beginning to shocking end."―Hannah Whitten, NYT bestselling author of For the Wolf

"An enchanting tale with sharp claws and teeth—Gillig’s prose will pull you in and won’t let you sleep. Pulse-pounding, darkly whimsical, and aglow with treacherous magic, One Dark Window is everything I love in fantasy and more"―Allison Saft, author of A Far Wilder Magic

"One Dark Window is an evocative tale of romance, mystery and alluring monsters, told in beautifully lush prose. Rachel Gillig has created a story which left me entranced."―Lyndall Clipstone, author of Lakesedge

“[T]he steamy romance that emerges between Elspeth and Ravyn delights. Fans of Sarah J. Maas, Naomi Novik, and Hannah Whitten will want to check this out.”―Publishers Weekly

"A beautifully dark fairy tale of blood, rage and bitter choice, that whisked me away to mist-wreathed woods ripe with romance and menace"―Davinia Evans, author of Notorious Sorcerer

"Elspeth’s slow-burn romance with a mysterious highwayman adds depth to the story ... A finely detailed magical system enriches Gillig’s debut; fantasy readers will enjoy."―Library Journal

"Readers will be enthralled with Elspeth’s—and Nightmare’s—riveting adventure."―Booklist

"Spooky, lush...Gillig executes familiar fantasy romance tropes with flair."―Paste Magazine

"One Dark Window is a page-turner. Gillig’s lush language is somewhat reminiscent of Alix E. Harrow’s excellent portal fantasy, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, as well as Robin McKinley’s redolent fairytale retellings such as Spindle’s End, Beauty, and Deerskin ... a richly detailed and decadent world that at once feels familiar, distinctive, and wistful to the reader."―Chicago Review of Books

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Sample

Chapter One

The infection comes as a fever in the night. If you take ill, watch the veins—the tributary of blood traveling down the arms. If they remain as they ever did, you have nothing to fear. If the blood darkens to an inky black, the infection has taken hold.

The infection comes as a fever in the night.

I was nine the first time the Physicians came to the house.

My uncle and his men were away. My cousin Ione and her brothers played loudly in the kitchen, and my aunt did not hear the pounding at the door until the first man in white robes was already in the parlor.

She did not have time to hide me. I was asleep, resting like a cat in the window. When she shook me awake, her voice was thick with fear. “Go to the wood,” she whispered, unlatching the window and gently pushing me through the casement to the ground below.

I did not fall onto warm summer grass. My head struck stone and I blinked, dizzy nausea casting dark shapes across my vision, my head haloed in red, sticky warmth.

I heard them in the house, their steps heavy with sinister intent.

Get up, called the voice in my head. Get up, Elspeth.

I pulled myself to a rickety stance, desperate for the tree line just beyond the garden. Mist enveloped me, and even though I did not have my charm in my pocket, I ran toward the trees.

But the pain in my head was too great.

I fell again, blood seeping down my neck. They’re going to catch me, I cried, my mind lost to fear. They’re going to kill me.

No one’s going to hurt you, child, he snarled. Now get up!

I tried. Fiercely, I tried. But the damage to my head was too great, and after five desperate steps—the edge of the wood so close I could smell it—I fell onto the dirt in a cold, lifeless faint.

I know now what happened next was not a dream. It couldn’t have been. People don’t dream when they faint. I didn’t dream at all. But I don’t know what else to call it.

In the dream, the mist seeped into me, thick and dark. I was in my aunt’s garden, just as I had been a moment ago. I could see and hear—smell the air, feel the dirt beneath my head—but I was frozen, unable to move.

Help, I cried, my voice tiny. Help me.

Footsteps sounded in my mind, heavy and urgent. Tears slid down my cheeks. I winced but could not see, my vision blurry, like trying to see beneath seawater.

A sharp, angry pain ripped through my arms, my veins suddenly black as ink.

I screamed. I screamed until the world around me disappeared—my vision tunneling until everything had gone dark.

I woke under an alder tree, shielded by the mist and deep greenery of the wood. The pain in my veins was gone. Somehow, my head split open, I’d managed to make it to the tree line. I’d escaped the Physicians.

I was going to live.

My lungs swelled and I let loose a happy sob, my mind still fighting the ebb of panic that had threatened to overcome me.

It wasn’t until I sat up that I felt the pain in my hands. I looked down. My palms were scratched and tattered, blood soaking my fingers where my nails, now embedded with soil, had broken. Around me, the earth was upturned, the grass disturbed. Something, or someone, had flattened it.

Something, or someone, had helped me crawl to safety through the mist.

He never told me how he’d moved my body, how he’d managed to save me that day. It remains one of his many secrets, unspoken, resting listlessly in the darkness we shepherd.

Still, it was the first time I stopped fearing the Nightmare—the voice in my head, the creature with strange yellow eyes and an eerie, smooth voice. Eleven years later, and I don’t fear him at all.

Even if I should.

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About the authors

Rachel Gillig

Rachel Gillig

Rachel Gillig was born and raised on the California coast. She is a writer and a teacher, with a B.A. in Literary Theory and Criticism from UC Davis. If she is not ensconced in blankets dreaming up her next novel, Rachel is in her garden or walking with her husband, son, and their poodle, Wally.


Reviews

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

26,649 global ratings

Amanda

Amanda

5

Well worth the hype. I should've read it sooner

Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2024

Verified Purchase

This was one of those situations where I kept putting off the book because it was sooo hyped. I'm notoriously fearful about trying overly popular or talked about books. I guess I've been burned one too many times that way 😅

But this book gripped me from page one and I couldn't put it down.

I loved the world building...the danger filled atmosphere and the fear of the physicians disturbing the sleep of wayward children, like monsters under the bed.

And a never ending Nightmare, "the voice in my head, the creature with strange yellow eyes and an eerie smooth voice"

The magic system was utterly amazing. I feel like it's a difficult thing to do ....to weave a complex tale involving the rules, the give and take, and just the overall existence of an, oftentimes, intangible force. But, in this particular book, the reader is given EVERYTHING. Even the taste and smell of magic. At times I felt myself drowning in it alongside the FMC.

And let's not forget the most important elements to any good story, at least for me, the character development.

This was told in first person POV and only by the FMC, Elspeth. She was such an intriguing young girl and completely likable, if not relatable. Her fears and insecurities basically kept her sealed off from any true social interactions and romantic relationships.

The MMC, Ravyn, was the perfect dynamic. He came in with unknown motives, giving their "relationship" instant enemies to lovers vibes. I loved how his actions weren't always innocent but his intentions...his reasoning and drive were pure and often unselfish.

The plotline was perfectly executed. Their endgame was set with laser focus and the steps to achieving their goals are obviously hard earned.

I know I'm extremely late to this party but I'm excited to dive into book 2. I'm just glad that I've managed to avoid any and all spoilers up until this point.

I've quite enjoyed the little twists in the storyline and secrets revealed.

  • Engagement of convenience/ forced proximity *Enemies to lovers *Slow burn 🌶️🌶️ *Found family *Gothic setting (old castles, ruins and dark woods)
  • Magic system *World building

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6 people found this helpful

i'd rather be reading

i'd rather be reading

5

LOVED.

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2024

Verified Purchase

"Nothing is free. Nothing is safe. Magic is love, but also, it’s hate."

i'm so lucky to have dodged any and all spoilers since this book has blown up and went into it almost completely blind. i was completely enthralled from the beginning and enchanted by rachel gillig's phenomenal story.

"That’s how the best lies are told—with just enough truth to be convincing."

firstly, the poems and magic system. very unique, the use of the stanzas to reveal information throughout the story as well as the lore within the book and to explain the magic system. i've always loved when magic comes with a cost in fantasy, and this system does so in poetically creative ways counterpointing the gifts the magic gives. there is little more satisfying than when an author gives me a few stanzas of rhyme and the tempo is obvious and consistent. it just itches a scratch in my brain. it was very intriguing to have the nightmare basically only speak in his riddle-esque rhyme. he also surprisingly provided some excellent comedic relief.

"Now we must play at tea with Blunder’s bottom-feeders? You said joining these fools would be dangerous. You said nothing of torture."

"I could have died! Don’t be dramatic, the Nightmare said. People fall off horses every day."

the cast of characters is distinct and layered. ione was very intriguing to me with her journey, i never quite knew where to stand 100% with elm or ravyn. the precariousness of trust heightens the tension throughout the story and keeps the stakes raised. i've probably read too many betrayal tropes LOL so i won't go on too much about it BUT the chemistry between elspeth and ravyn was organic, well-developed, and simmering.

“What about you, Captain? Are you too nice for your own good?” He watched me, something I could not read flashing in his gray eyes. “No, Miss Spindle,” he said. “I’m not nice at all.”

it's quite a unique premise and the gothic setting with its fairy tale lore creates a creepy vibe that wonderfully helps drive the story and paint a vivid picture. the motifs of the mist, the trees, the salt, ravens, and crowns incorporate your senses as a reader to help immerse you into the book. the providence cards are easy to liken to a deck of tarot cards, which further encourage both mystical and medieval tones and imagery.

"The Hawthorn tree carries few seeds. Its branches are weary, it’s lost all its leaves. Be wary the man who bargains and thieves. He’ll offer your soul to get what he needs."

"The stone chamber—enveloped by moss and vines—stood tall at the edge of the mist. How strange it looked, alone in the ruins, unmarked but for one dark window situated on its southernmost wall."

overall, i was very impressed (and enraptured) with elspeth and the nightmare's story. i can't wait to see where book two takes me.

“The girl, the King… and the monster they became.”

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15 people found this helpful

찏미

찏미

5

Wonderful, Mystical, Dark and Beautiful

Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2024

Verified Purchase

First book and the story was luring, the characters easy to remember and the rhyming fun yet twisted. I love the different plot of this story. It's beautiful in a slightly twisted kind of way. I was worried when I first started the story. I thought that I would get lost in the whole Providence Cards concept, but no. It was easy to understand the story concepts and the powers at hand. It was even more easy due to the rhyming passages that explains powers. I swear, rhyming makes context and concepts stick so much better.😂 This book was like opening a storybook from my childhood, with all the rhyming. I smiled and teared up a bit throughout my reading. Enchanting. Thank you, Mrs. Rachel Gillig, for a wonderful read and for giving me a piece of my childhood back.

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6 people found this helpful

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