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One Dark Window (The Shepherd King #1) by Rachel Gillig

"There is a sickness in the kingdom of Blunder and anyone who's found to be infected is sentenced to a painful, gruesome death. Elspeth Spindle was lucky enough to survive the fever but, her magic, the ability to absorb the powers within a Providence Card, is a secret she's kept for years. When she attends the Equinox ball at the urging of her cousin, she's suddenly entangled in a dangerous, treasonous plot to collect all twelve Providence Cards, perform a ritual and rid Blunder of the sickness and magic forever. Of course, it won't be easy, alliances will be tested, truths will be told and Elspeth will be lucky to survive with her mind and body intact."

⭐⭐⭐

Pros: It had a dark, haunted Moor, atmospheric feel/I liked the character of Elm, he was sly and witty but, of course, had a good heart. 

Cons: The idea of the Providence Cards took some getting used to and there were a lot of Cards to remember/Elspeths constant requests for the Nightmare to help her and then her horror when he does so, got very tiresome, like come on now, Elspeth, you should know what happens when you do that/Gillig had a tendency to use the same word multiple times in quick succession, IE, she used the word stone three times in one paragraph. It was kind off-putting. 

Full Review:

The kingdom of Blunder is cut off from the rest of the of the world by an insidious, all ecompassing mist. If you’re unfortunate enough to get lost in it, then you’re doomed to insanity and death. It’s why everyone keeps to the main roads and travels in pairs. There’s also a sickness that’s spread through the Kingdom, an infection that burns through you but if you survive, you’ll find that you have your own kind of magic. Unfortunately, the only kind of magic that’s acceptable in Blunder is that granted to users of Providence Cards. These are magical cards that embue their holders with certain abilities, created by the Shepherd King in his dealings with the Spirit of the Wood, who was the one that created the Mist. 

Elspeth Spindle became sick with the fever at just eleven years old. Her father threw her into a carriage and sent her off to live with her aunt and uncle in the woods, as a way to protect her or protect himself, she's still not sure. Either way, he broke all the rules by doing that, since to protect or house someone with the infection is treason. 

Elspeth survived and has managed to hide her magic for years. No one knows what her magic is and she's wary of it herself. She discovered it, when she touched the Nightmare Providence Card in her Uncles study. A dark and sinister presence invaded her mind and has been there ever since. When she’s called upon the Nightmare in her mind to help her in desperate times, she's imbued with incredible strength and speed but she tries not to call upon the Nightmare often.  

Though Elspeth has avoided court for many years, this year, when her Uncle is invited to the royal Castle, Stone for the celebration of Equinox, her Cousin, Ione, encourages her to attend. Of course, this leads to Elspeth getting entangled with the stone faced Captain of the Destriers (guardians of the King, trained to find and destroy those with the infection), Ravyn Yew and his treasonous plot to find all 12 Providence Cards and complete the ritual that will rid Blunder of the infection and magic for good. It won't be easy and Elspeth/Raven and a handful of other characters will have to step lightly and act quickly if they are to succeed. And, of course, the Nightmare in Elspeth's mind won't be kept a secret for long.  

This book had a lot going on and a handful of characters that you had to keep track of. Though it eventually settled into a good pace and a real, atmospheric, haunted Moor, feel, there was still a lot happening. I enjoyed the story, for the most part though the ending was rather predictable and, of course, had to leave room for a sequel.

I'm not sure if I'll read, Two Twisted Crowns because after awhile Elspeth/Ravyn and all the others melodrama became rather tedious. Overall though, One Dark Window was definitly an original read and I give Gillig credit for really making the Kingdom of Blunder and the Old Book of Alders, the story behind the Providence Cards and their uses truly her own.  

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