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  • One Dark Window

  • The Shepherd King, Book 1
  • By: Rachel Gillig
  • Narrated by: Lisa Cordileone
  • Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (65 ratings)

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One Dark Window cover art

One Dark Window

By: Rachel Gillig
Narrated by: Lisa Cordileone
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Publisher's Summary

ELSPETH NEEDS A MONSTER. THE MONSTER MIGHT BE HER.

An ancient, mercurial spirit is trapped inside Elspeth Spindle's head - she calls him the Nightmare. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, she is thrust into a world of shadow and deception. Together, they embark on a dangerous quest to cure the town of Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. 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.

For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a gothic fantasy romance about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom.

©2022 Rachel Gillig (P)2022 Hachette Audio UK

Critic Reviews

'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

'An evocative tale of romance, mystery and alluring monsters, told in beautifully lush prose' Lyndall Clipstone, author of Lakesedge

'The steamy romance that emerges between Elspeth and Ravyn delights' Publishers Weekly

What listeners say about One Dark Window

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unexpected. Different. Enjoyable

I nearly returned this book after an hr of listening because the world, the cards, it was all so different that I found it hard to get into. But the reviews of the book were awesome so I persisted. I’m so glad I did. This original piece of fiction was a breath of fresh air. Unpredictable, unexpected and a good story. Well worth persisting to understand the world. A great read for anyone looking for something different.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

The unique magic system had me hooked and I loved the way the story progressed.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

Thoroughly enjoyed this. It took a little time to understand the world and the cards but once I got into it I was enthralled.
Narration was excellent too. So looking forward to reading the sequel!
Highly recommend this book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

interesting world and magic

I'm rating this a 4 simply because I think this book would be even better upon a re-listen now that I know the cards. I think the verses and there are a lot would translate better upon a second reading.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

narrator just wrecked it :(

really good story but I have so many compliance about the narrator
i normally listen to books at 0,80 to 0,90 listening speed but I couldnt listen to it at my normal speed , it honestly sounded so sloooooow and a smokey robot voice within the second chapter I turned the listening speed up to 1,15 but that was Bearly tolerable I could just take in the information with out her speaking super fast. she also had random pieces where just out of random she would speak super fast or really slow when it wasnt unnecessary for her to spell tension and reduce tension just in a normal sentence
wold love to listen to it again but with a different narrator

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Review - new favourite book

This book was one of my 23 books for 2023, and I knew as soon as I started it from the second chapter that this was going to be amazing the characters in the story, the intrigue the romance, all of it together, make an epic romance fantasy I cannot wait for the second one.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting

Enjoyed once I finally understood the unique magic system. I did have it overhyped for me unfortunately. I do look forward to listening to book 2 now that I have my head wrapped around the story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting read but didn’t like the narrator.

The narrator wasn’t great and took away from the character development. Enjoy the story though.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A nightmare calls

A good book to get me out of a book hangover. It built slowly and before I knew it had be wrapped in its grasps! In particular I enjoy the writing of the nightmare, his poems and hints. a very well constructed storyline.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Magical

Such a unique story and magic system! Great narration! 5 stars all round! A new favourite!

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