Title: One Dark Window (The Shepherd King #1)
Author: Rachel Gillig
Source: Pasco County Library System
Publication Date: September 27, 2022
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

Why did I choose to read this book?

It was listed as a debut novel and I added it to my library holds list WAY back when it was first published in 2022, and it just sat there until I had time this summer (2024) to bash through some of the books I’ve been HOLDing off on (LOL) and it was one of the first books I got once I was free of the school year. It has been awhile since I’ve read a new concept fantasy novel and I was excited to dive into a new world with new rules.

What is this book about?

Okay, so this book is about choices and their consequences as well as generational trauma and removal of choice. A king a LONG time ago made a series of terrible deals with the goddess in the magic woods and now, hundreds of years later, everyone is suffering. People have magic because they are magical, and others have magic because of a “twelve days of Christmas” type item system of Providence Cards – double edged swords that grant magical powers but damage the user if they over use them. People in power hold them, some are missing, but if you can get them all together and bleed on them the mist that seeps out of the woods and kills people will dissipate.

Girl pulled into the conflict unknowingly and handsome captain of the king’s guard with a dark secret come together through a dangerous meet-cute and decide to work together to cure the kingdom, because a fantasy novel has to happen at some point once we’ve put all these pieces on the game board.

What is notable about this story?

There are a LOT of moving pieces in the world building of this book. Hats off to Rachel Gillig for whatever insane-cop-corkboard-with-strings-everywhere diagram she had to make to keep track of all the characters, magic items, lore, ancestors, curses, prominent families, trees, all of it. It all fits together perfectly and I can clearly imagine each environment I am placed in. For a new world with new rules it says a lot that I was able to nestle into it without having to keep a flowchart or outline of what was happening, why, and how.

I liked the idea that many of the characters just had to accept reality and do their best. Elspeth has a Nightmare in her head that just lives there and talks to her and gives her abilities and most of the time she resists and tells him to fuck off, but other times she’s like “okay I need help, HELP ME” and watching her transform from resisting to a symbiotic relationship as she moves deeper into the plot to save the kingdom was really interesting. There’s an important lesson in learning to accept a situation you cannot change and learning how to adapt to it.

Ravyn’s character is neat. He starts off stereotypical to other gruff, soldier type dreamboats you’d find in other fantasy novels, but he unfurls like a beautiful, interesting flower as the book goes on and I was pleasantly surprised.

Was anything not so great?

Some of the twists in the story felt like they came out of NOWHERE. Like Gillig obviously wrote herself into a corner and PLOT TWIST we barely escape or we can magically pivot to the next section. This is a symptom of debut novels that I don’t talk about much, but because the world-building is so tight I feel like it’s okay to bring up. A first novel is a place where an author is rising out of being a writer into being published and so there are probably places where they just have to throw something down to make it work or they will be stuck in a corner forever. They weren’t deus ex machina type twists that would make you roll your eyes, but it was obvious enough where I was like, oh that seems like it just appeared for convenience’s sake.

The ending was good but I don’t think it was the cliffhanger that people may have wanted it to be.

What’s the verdict?

All told this was 5 stars on Goodreads. Masterful world-building, compelling characters, and a magic system that was interesting and dangerous all come together to make a fantastic debut for Gillig. I requested the sequel in the duology from the library immediately after finishing this one. If you love fantasy, you should definitely seek this one out.

Please Support Amanda and Angry Angel Books!
Enjoying the reviews? For only $1 a month you can become a supporter of Angry Angel Books on Patreon or Ko-Fi! Help keep this website ad free and fund book purchases that usually become library donations too! If a one-time show of support is more your style, Ko-Fi supports individual donations! Thank you for your support!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/angryangelbooks
Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/angryangel_03