One dark window by Rachel Gillig

 

399 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2022

Series: The Shepherd King (#1)

Fantasy/own

Sometimes I give in and read hyped books, and this one it totally paid off.

It was set in a rather dark world where mist surrounds the land, people get infected and killed, and they have tarot cards that give them magic.

Elspeth caught the infection but was hidden away, but then she is thrown into the midst of highwayman, card thieves, family and royalty . She must hide what she is and the darkness that is taking over her mind.

Ohh great world. A heroine I liked at once. Some evil people to hate on. And at the end even a sprinkle of romance. It also ends with such a cliffie that I NEEDED book 2 at once. Alas, I do not have it!

Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her. Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—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 Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

Together they must 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 taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.