One Dark Window

This book was not even enjoyable, it reads and feels like young adult and not in a good way. The dialogue and story is incredibly cringe and the romance was also badly done. I really can't with the prose. Usually I don't read romance, but it can be done very well. This was not that. I didn't like any of the characters and I really didn't give a fuck the entire book. Sorry

4.25 stars.

Un incrocio tra Venom per il concetto e l'atmosfera di Carnival Row.

Il libro è ambientato in quel di Blunder. Purtroppo non sussiste una mappa e non viene nemmeno spiegato cos'è Blunder. Mi sembra di avere capito che sia un regno. Anche se al fine della storia, saperne di più, non avrebbe cambiato molto, mi sarebbe comunque piaciuto avere più informazioni sul setting. Un aspetto a difesa di questa decisione è che contribuisce a gettare un'aura di mistero sull'ambientazione.

E' scritto in prima persona dal punto di vista di Elspeth che, dopo aver contratto un'infezione, convive con un'entità all'interno del suo corpo, con cui dialoga (da qui, il concetto di Venom) ma sa ben poco sul suo conto.

Il sistema magico è basato su delle carte facenti parte di un mazzo (chiamate carte della provvidenza), simile al concetto dei tarocchi. Ogni carta ha un preciso potere magico ma se abusata il potere diventa l'opposto, ad esempio, se la carta fornisce a chi la usa del coraggio, in caso di abuso, fornisce paura. Il sistema magico, descritto nel dettaglio, è il punto forte di questo romanzo.
La trama è di per sé semplice, ma tutto ha un sapore misterioso-gotico, che mi è piaciuto molto, e non manca di suspense. Piccola avvertenza: il libro finisce con un cliffhanger. Nel mio caso, non è stato un grosso problema, in quanto il seguito è già uscito.

Sicuramente consigliato per il periodo di Halloween. Perfetto per una lettura di novembre, hehe :)

Credits for the template below go to Melinda

CHARACTERS

Actual rating; 4,5 stars

This book was actually so good, and I didn't expect it. This magic system is so good and totally different from others.
I can see why people call it their villain origin story.

Also, am I weird for hoping that the nightmare en Elspeth would end up together somehow? Like not him as his original self, but as in death and her? I would have loved to see that

Elspeth has a sinister monster trapped in her head. She is thrust into a mission to save her country from dark magic infecting the people and land while trying to save herself in the process.

I absolutely loved this book! Such a unique and well written story with a great magic system and solid romantic subplot. I also loved all of the core characters in the book. They were well written and added a much needed layer to the story. The relationship between Elspeth and the monster is very symbiotic for the most part and it just works with the story really well.

Cant wait for book 2!

Recensie 2023:
Deze vond ik echt heel leuk!

Vooral de magie en wereldopbouw trokken mij heel hard aan. Het voelde een beetje als een gothic sprookje, wat echt wel spek naar mijn bek is. Ik heb ook enorm genoten van hoe aspecten van de magie en wereldopbouw aan ons werden onthuld, door de fragmentjes en rijmelarijtjes aan het begin van elk hoofdstuk.

Ik las ook graag vanuit het perspectief van ons hoofdpersonages en kon me goed inleven in haar vertelstem.
Delen van het verhaal waren wel voorspelbaar met typische YA-wendingen en melodrama, maar dit stoorde mij helemaal niet. Integendeel, het voelde voor mij eerder nostalgisch en gezellig aan om bepaalde richtingen van het boek te verwachten of te kunnen voorspellen.

De schrijfstijl dreef het boek ook echt vooruit. Deze was heel meeslepend en voelde weelderig en luxueus aan. Ik had moeite om het boek aan de kant leggen.

Heel erg benieuwd naar het vervolg!

This book is one that I know I will be talking about this book for many years to come. It felt special. It was dark, suspenseful, beautiful, and sweet. There are some books that you read in your life where you know that you are going to think about the first time you read it. This is one of them for me.

The plot was something that was unique. I really loved the world building. It felt old, yet familiar. It didn’t take a lot to get into it, but it was complex enough where it was memorable. A lot of the magic is concentrated in these playing cards, each with a power that gives and takes if you take too much. At first, I will be honest… I thought the cards were lame. All I could think of was some sort of nerdy solitaire game, and I struggled to take it seriously. However, as the story unfolded, I got more into it. By the end, I wished I could have the chance to hold one of the cards. The way it is written is truly masterful and addictive.

The characters in this book are probably one of the biggest selling points. They all have their flaws and that is what makes them so magnetic. You end up rooting for them despite it all. You also get multiple points of view, and that always makes my heart happy. The romance is also one that starts slow but by the end has you rooting for them like no other. I ate it up!

Overall, I will DEFINITELY be recommending this book to everyone, and buying several copies for myself to drool over. I cannot wait for the second book!

SIDE NOTE: I will say, this book was recommended to me via Booktok as a follow up to Fourth Wing. Having now read both… I will say that is an INSANE connection to make. These books are in no way alike other than the fact they are good books (just in very different ways). This book has gothic magic, creepy monsters, and a story that grips your stomach and won’t let you go. Other than it is a “fantasy” book and it has a hundreds year-old character that telepathically talks to the main character in their mind, the books are NOT similar at all. I guess this is all to say… not all the recommendations you get online make sense so be aware.

Elspeth Spindle lives in a kingdom surrounded by mist. Anyone who enters the mist without a charm will die. The mist is spreading. Elspeth must find 12 Providence cards to save everyone. She might need to unleash the monster within if she is to succeed.

I absolutely loved this book! I'm not a romance fan, but there wasn't very much in this and the little bit was well done. I loved the Gothic vibe. Perfect for this time of year. I loved the magic of the cards. Very unique. And the characters are fantastic! Elspeth and Ravyn are my faves, but I loved Elm's attitude as well. Let's not forget the spooky forest either!

I'm really excited for the next one!

Thank you to Net Galley and Orbit for the e-arc.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The magic system is what kept me reading. Not that it's especially great, but it's built around questions and I wanted answers!

The characters on the other hand... They're fine. Elspeth was rash, and all around I felt like the characters made a lot of dumb decisions because the story needed them to. The romance was decent, but the resistance between them felt forced. I wanted the Nightmare to be more active, not just a voice, and I felt like the speed at which Elspeth's degeneration happened was way too quick.

But I did love the ending. I didn't think it was going to go there, but it did, and I liked it.

So like I said, mixed feelings.

4.5 starss (rounded up)

“there once was a girl, clever and good, who tarried in the shadow in the depths of the wood. there also was a king, a shepherd by his crook, who reigned over magic and wrote the old book. the two were together, so the two were the same. the girl, the king... and the monster they became.”

AJSBDSURBS THIS WAS SO GOOD

(and the author's a pro palestine queen!!)

“There once was a girl, clever and good, who tarried in shadow in the depths of the wood. There also was a King—a shepherd by his crook, who reigned over magic and wrote the old book. The two were together, so the two were the same: “The girl, the King... and the monster they became.”

I'm a woman with simple tastes, and what I love reading the most is: Beautifully written high fantasy, with romance, that enhances but not overshadows the plot. Bonus points if the characters are older, and we get to read a bit of spice. This doesn't sound too difficult, but It's really hard to find.

This duology though... it hits almost all my check list points, and it was absolutely amazing (particularly the second book).

Beautifully written by Rachel Gillig, we are immersed in a dark fairytale, comparable to those beautifully and twisted stories we grew up listening and reading.

Was it worth the hype? Yes it was! I loved every bit of it.
Thank you to everyone who recommended this to me!

Rating: 4.5

An interesting premise with a typical overly handsome and broody male romance interest who hasn't been interested in anyone else apart from the main character (hence the half point knock off).

The plot and the writing is very well done though, keeping interest and providing characters with their own little oddities.

Looking forward to reading the sequel.