One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, 1)
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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.
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Community Reviews
This was my second time attempting to read this book, and I'm glad I made it to the end. I tried it both on audiobook and as a standard book, and ended up going with the audiobook. I feel like the voice of the narrator doesn't really fit the story, but their reading is fine. (Although, I listened on 1.5 speed.) This book didn't work for me as well as I wanted, and I'm not sure why. I feel like things picked up a bit when we got more of the supporting cast. I like the spooky misty setting and the Nightmare. I thought the world building was pretty good. Overall I had a good time, just not a great time. I never got quite as invested as I wanted to be. I might read the sequel, and I would recommend this lightly. I would also recommend For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten as a book with a sort of similar vibe.
Content Warnings:
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Murder, Death of parent, and Sexual content
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