One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

Rating: 4/5
Spice Rating: 🌶️

One Dark Window is a completed duology set in the Kingdom of Blunder, where people have been falling ill from an infection of the Mist for the last 500 years.

This book is an excellent starting point for those looking to adventure into fantasy books without any fae or fairies. The magic system is unique, stemming from the Spirit of the Wood, a mysterious infection from the Mist, and Providence Cards. But the magic is still easy to understand, and the world-building (while present) isn’t overly extensive. It takes place in one kingdom, so no need to learn the politics or geography of multiple locations.

There is a romance present, but not so much that I would qualify this as a heavy romantasy novel. I would quantify the spice in the first book as a 1/5, with the second novel increasing to a 2/5. There are true sex scenes in the second book (not fade to black), but they aren’t graphic or drawn out.

You can borrow it on Kindle Unlimited or purchase it from Amazon, borrow it on Libby, or find it at a local bookstore or thrift shop.

Make sure to check out my other fantasy recommendations, and happy reading!

Amazon Blurb:

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.