I seem to have found the trustworthy side of TikTok when it comes to recommendations because One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig is another popular TikTok book that I wasn’t expecting to love as much as I do. I’ve grown to take all recommendations with a grain of salt and given that romantasy has become a frontrunner for 2023’s newest obsession I was hesitant when opening this book. Within the first few pages I was happily proven wrong in my assumptions and felt immersed into this juicy, ominous isolated world filled with magic, intrigue and intensity.

This has the perfect balance of a dark naturalism book. Dark and eerie atmosphere shrouded in mystery, unreliable characters. Power-hungry individuals and a waning sense of morality. Morally grey characters with no clear sense of where they stand. Beautiful description and poetic language that has you lost in the beauty amid the danger. A musicality to the old texts and traditions of the story world that you cannot help but be drawn in by. These elements of the landscape and environment make the reader’s introduction into this world so easy and subsequently the fall into the depths of this tale are mindless, keeping the reader under a spell until the very last page.

We have characters that are not teenagers, yay. I have found myself more drawn towards truly young adult characters in fantasy, especially with a more serious or mature tone to the book. Characters who understand the realities of their world, their position, the limits of themselves and their communities are some of my favourite characters to read because they are still within arms-length of their childhood dreams and aspirations, the fancies of a younger perspective, the naivety of innocence and ignorance, but they are forced to grow up and know better. They are forced to see the world for what it is and they must put aside personal attachments, hopes and feelings to pursue what is right for a collective. What’s even better, we have characters who have taken that road to the journey for collective success and who find themselves slapped in the face with personal wants and needs and attachments and cannot fathom leaving this behind. They cannot bring themselves to even challenge the idea of remaining separate – they must act on the still-burning embers of their selfish wants regardless of the stakes and implications of such things. I love it. I am truly here for it.

I also love the imperfections of these characters – we have Elspeth who is a strong female character, one with complexities and a path she must take, who isn’t untouchable. She suffers. She bends and breaks and bleeds. She isn’t so strong that the attacks on her are nothing – they are very much so something. She’s strong in spite of the violence and the physical harm that comes her way. Ravyn, similarly, isn’t a perfect love interest. He’s neither morally right nor wrong, he’s not toxic but he has bad traits and he’s got priorities he must stand by but will do reckless or maybe even selfish things should he feel that his loved ones have been wronged and some good old revenge is in order. I won’t go into much more detail because I really do believe that reading these two without a full background check ill be the best way to sympathise with and connect with these characters.

I love the musicality and flow of the old language and the cards. I know I bright it up a bit earlier, but the significance of the rhyme and poetry within these artefacts within the novel cannot be understated. It carries with it the magic and power from when this story’s history lies. It carries a strong tie to that world and this one where the importance of finding the cards and even the payment of using the cards feels dire. Everything about feels velvety and smooth and honey-like, dripping little globs of perfect worldbuilding and magical realism across the pages. These more poetic pieces don’t feel overdone or separate to the rest of the novel, especially with characters speaking in that way too. If anything, it pulls the reader in bit by bit, further down into the gilded walls of this novel.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s a spectacular read for those like me who are dark fantasy fiends, grovelling for a good book to sink our teeth into. It’s great for those who like some light historical fiction settings without the facts and societal themes dragging the plot down. It’s amazing for those wanting a fairytale-like read without having the same story rehashed with different lights and faces. One Dark Window is a gem of a book and I cannot wait for its sequel, Two Twisted Crowns this Halloween – what an iconic release date for such a book as this!