One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, 1)

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.

Rachel Gillig was born and raised on the California coast. She is a writer, with a BA 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.

"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

"A tightly written duology that manages to build a dark, twisty world, unique magic system and well-written characters ... rich and fast-paced."

―Seattle Times

“[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

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig is a dark, atmospheric fantasy set in the misty, haunted kingdom of Blunder, where magic comes at a terrible price and superstition shapes every part of life. The story follows Elspeth Spindle, a young woman who has grown up knowing she is different. As a child, she was infected by something called the Nightmare—a spirit-like, ancient monster that now lives inside her mind. Because of this, she is never truly alone; there is a voice in her head that talks to her, guides her, and sometimes tempts her. The Nightmare gives her strange protection and power, but it also frightens her, and if anyone discovered what she carries, she would be hunted as a monster. Elspeth lives quietly with her uncle, trying to stay unnoticed in a kingdom ruled by fear of corrupted magic and harsh laws meant to control it.

In Blunder, magic exists only through special objects called Providence Cards, each granting a specific ability with strict rules and serious risks. Long ago, the Shepherd King, who once ruled Blunder, made a bargain that brought these cards into the world. Since then, the cards have scattered, and their power has twisted the land. Over time, the king’s original protection turned into a curse: a thick, unnatural mist spread across Blunder, sickness followed, and people who misuse magic pay for it with their bodies, minds, or lives. The ruling family now controls access to Providence Cards and enforces brutal restrictions. Using the wrong card, or using too much magic, can mark you as dangerous or cursed. Elspeth knows all this and understands that the Nightmare inside her is tied to that old history, even if she doesn’t know exactly how.

Her quiet life begins to unravel when she gets pulled into the politics and danger surrounding the royal family and a group of rebels. One night, Elspeth crosses paths with a mysterious carriage being hunted by the king’s men and ends up helping a masked stranger escape. That stranger is Ravyn Yew, the king’s nephew, a member of the powerful Yew family and captain of a secretive group working against the current order. Ravyn and his cousins are trying to collect all twelve types of Providence Cards, believed to be the key to breaking Blunder’s curse once and for all. When Ravyn realizes Elspeth has an unusual connection to the magic in the cards, he sees that she might be vital to their mission. Against her better judgment, Elspeth is drawn into their world of hidden plots, dangerous magic, and political tension.

Elspeth’s relationship with Ravyn develops slowly, rooted first in necessity and shared risk. Ravyn is intense, controlled, and burdened by responsibility. He is loyal to his family but deeply critical of the way Blunder is ruled. He carries his own scars—emotional and magical—and is not someone who trusts easily. Elspeth, shy and wary, tries to protect her secret, but the more time she spends with Ravyn and his cousins, the more involved she becomes in their plan. They need someone who can use certain Providence Cards safely, and the Nightmare inside Elspeth gives her a unique link to those powers. As she joins their efforts to gather cards and uncover the truth about the Shepherd King, she begins to feel seen and valued in a way she never has before, even as the danger around her grows.

The Nightmare itself is one of the most compelling parts of the story. It speaks to Elspeth in a voice that is sometimes teasing, sometimes protective, sometimes ominous. It is not simply evil; it has its own history and motives, and it is deeply tied to the ancient magic of the cards and the curse on Blunder. Elspeth depends on it for survival, especially when she faces enemies or uses magic that would kill ordinary people, but she also fears losing herself to it. The question of who is in control—Elspeth or the Nightmare—runs through the entire book. As she helps Ravyn’s group, she must decide when to trust this dark presence and when to resist it, knowing that every use of its power brings consequences.

As Elspeth spends more time with Ravyn and his cousins in the Yew household, the book explores themes of found family, loyalty, and sacrifice. The Yews are bound together by blood and by shared purpose, but they are also divided by secrets and conflicting opinions about how far they should go to break the curse. Some are more ruthless, others more idealistic, and Elspeth is caught in the middle. For the first time, she is part of something bigger than herself, and that sense of belonging is both comforting and terrifying. She knows that if anyone truly understood what the Nightmare is, they might turn on her. At the same time, she cannot walk away from the chance to free Blunder from the mist and the fear that has shaped her entire life.

The story unfolds with a mix of mystery, romance, and creeping dread. Elspeth and Ravyn work together to recover Providence Cards and uncover long-buried truths about the Shepherd King’s original bargain. They learn that the curse is not just an unintended side effect; it is rooted in broken promises, failed duties, and magic twisted by grief and ambition. Old stories, legends, and half-remembered history begin to connect to the present in unsettling ways. The more they learn, the clearer it becomes that breaking the curse will require not only bravery but also heartbreaking choices. Certain cards corrupt those who hold them; certain truths can destroy families and topple power structures.

The romance between Elspeth and Ravyn grows quietly amid all this danger. It is full of hesitations and unspoken fears. Elspeth wonders whether anyone could truly love her if they knew about the Nightmare, while Ravyn struggles with the weight of his position and the knowledge that loving someone so bound to dangerous magic might put them both at risk. The book treats their relationship with tenderness, layering small moments of trust, shared vulnerability, and emotional honesty. As they learn to rely on each other, the stakes become even higher, because every threat to Blunder is now also a threat to the person they care about most.

By the time the story reaches its climax, the different threads—Elspeth’s internal struggle, Ravyn’s rebellion, the search for Providence Cards, and the mystery of the Shepherd King—are tightly intertwined. The truth about the Nightmare and its connection to the curse comes into sharper focus, forcing Elspeth to face who she really is and what she might have to sacrifice. The final part of the book raises difficult questions: How much of yourself can you give up to save others? Can a monster be a protector? Is breaking a curse worth the cost if it means losing the few good things you have?

One Dark Window ends on a tense, emotional note that leaves clear room for the sequel, while still delivering strong payoffs to the mystery and character arcs. Elspeth is changed by what she has learned and what she has done. She is no longer just a frightened girl hiding her secret; she is someone who has claimed her place in the story of Blunder, even if that story is dark and dangerous. The kingdom itself remains haunted and cursed, but now there is a path—painful and uncertain—toward possible freedom. The novel combines eerie magic, slow-burn romance, and intimate character work into a story about identity, fear, and the cost of power, showing that sometimes the thing you fear most inside yourself is also the thing that might save everyone.