Book: One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Reviewed by Rallie X
Rating: 4/5
I picked up this series after devouring The Knight and the Moth, and the first thing I want to say is - this book is great but having read TK&tM first I think you can really see how her writing style developed and matured for the second duology. Which is awesome! We love to see growth, especially when the starting point is already so great!
Rachel Gillig has a gift for crafting these somber, gothic fantasy settings that have their own unique feel to them. The tree-centered kingdom of Blunder ruled by a despotic family, with its magic controlled by effectively tarot cards, surrounded by a mist controlled by the Spirit of the Woods that they used to worship and is basically a death sentence to enter is such a cool setting and for me really was my favorite part of the book. That and the constant creepy nursery rhymes that pervade the culture and history of Blunder.
I adore Elspeth and her relationship with the Nightmare; the duality of a genuinely kind and thoughtful young woman and the literal monster that lives in her head was so great, I loved their dialogue and how their relationship develops through Elspeth's participation in The Plot. Which just. GAH! The story is so well crafted that it was easy to get sucked in and let it take me where it wanted to go.
Ravyn, on the other hand, felt like just another example of the same kind of protective-mysterious-gruff in a hot way-powerful sexyman MMC that is so common in this flavor of romantasy. Which is fine! He just didn't feel that exciting, even as secrets and intrigue are revealed around him.