by Rachel Gillig
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.
"[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
"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
"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
This information about One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, 1) was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
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.

If you liked One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, 1), try these:
L.A. Women by Ella Berman
Two ambitious writers in 1960s LA face betrayal when one writes a novel based on the other's life.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.