April (s.i. work is busy)'s Reviews > One Dark Window

4 ☆


"To the quiet girls with stories in their heads. To their dreams— and their nightmares." - dedication


I went into this blind and did not really didn't know what to expect. The premise of the magical system, creepy woods, mist, and the cards that house magic had me hooked from page one, even though I have been slumpy. I must say that it was helping me with that aspect.

One Dark Window is the first book in The Shepherd King series. The writing is like nothing I have read before with riddles that are pieces to a puzzle, and the world building was easy to understand and had me falling into it quickly. It is a dark, gothic fantasy, with secrets, magic, tension, banter, and a found family that had me wanting more.

In the kingdom of Blunder, the mist in the woods is the magic that is feared. It is dangerous as it infects those that it touches, therefore keeping the townspeople locked out from the rest of the world. There is an ultimate price if you are infected with magic, and that is death. Elspeth Spindle was infected with magic at a young age and has hidden it from the townspeople for the last eleven years. There are few that know of her infection, but no one knows that she is haunted by a creature in her mind called the nightmare. She doesn't trust anyone besides the nightmare. That is until she meets the captain and higwayman Ravyn Yew, who is hiding his own secrets and is seeking out 12 providence cards that can help free the town and help save her. She teams up with him, helping to locate the final cards even if it means getting caught for treason. Can she trust him entirely to reveal her whole truth? Can they find all 12 cards and save the people in time?

Elspeth Spindle is strong, intelligent, and mysterious. She has had to fight to keep her secret safe, and I was eating up the moments that it was physical, as she was aided by the nightmare to do so. I loved watching her come out of her shell piece by piece and sharing parts of herself that she never had with anyone.

"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."


Ravyn Yew is dark, broody, and protective. He does have a caring side when someone messes with the ones that are closest to him and will risk himself to keep them safe. Oh, this man had me swooning. I fell in love with him from the beginning with his touch her and die attitude, and the way that he inserts himself to protect her at all costs.

“I resisted, Elspeth, because I was already imagining how I might press my finger against your wet lips again, like I had in my room.”


This was a slow burn that built up to the romance, though there wasn't much of it. The little that there was had me smiling and swooning. There was one scene that surprised me as this is YA, but it was so good.

“It is not they who bring the reckoning, Ravyn. It is you. It is us.”


Nightmare was snarky, sarcastic, and humorous at times. I did enjoy his riddles, dark lore, and when he would insert his comments to Elspeth whether they were wanted or not. Their banter back and forth had me cackling at times. They had a kind of love and hate relationship. One minute, she wanted his help and others she wanted him to leave her be.

"I’m just the wind in the trees, the shadow, and the fright. The echo in the leaves… the nightmare in the night."


I enjoyed most of the side characters. They had a strong found family, which I will always be weak for. I can't wait to see more of Elm and Jespyr. The one that I'm not sure how I feel about as of now is Ione, but I guess we will see if she there are changes with her to come. I just simply don't trust her. I'm kind of hoping that something happens between her and Elm. As for Hauth, well, I loathe him and feel that he got what he deserved.

I'm hoping for a little more romance in the next book, but we will see with that ending. I was not expecting that crazy cliffhanger. It left me satisfied in a way but yet wanting to know what happens next. I am also happy that I waited to read this so that I can go straight into the next book.


Favorite quotes/moments

“I resisted,” Ravyn said, “because I haven’t stopped thinking about you since that first night on the forest road. And I realized at Equinox that the closer I let myself get to you, the less I’d want to be the King’s Captain—the less I’d want to pretend. And it’s dangerous for me, for my family, to stop pretending.”

“Can I kiss you?” My voice shook. “A bit late to ask, isn’t it?” “Not on your mouth, Elspeth.”

“Are you still pretending?” I said, reveling in his gaze. Ravyn gave a surprised laugh and, in front of everyone, leaned in and kissed me. “I never was,” he whispered into my lips.

"Do you trust me, Elspeth? I blinked through the blur of tears. Do I have a choice? My darling, you’ve always had a choice."

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Pre-review: First new book of the year ✨️ FINALLY jumping in on the group read with the Allure girlies 🩷