One Dark Window

De: Rachel Gillig

Narrado por: Lisa Cordileone

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 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. Except the highwayman just so happens to be the King’s own nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…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.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"One Dark Window is an evocative tale of romance, mystery and alluring monsters, told in beautifully lush prose. Rachel Gillig has created a story which left me entranced."—Lyndall Clipstone, author of Lakesedge

“[T]he steamy romance that emerges between Elspeth and Ravyn delights. Fans of Sarah J. Maas, Naomi Novak, and Hannah Whitten will want to check this out.”—Publishers Weekly

"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

"A beautifully dark fairy tale of blood, rage and bitter choice, that whisked me away to mist-wreathed woods ripe with romance and menace"—Davinia Evans, author of Notorious Sorcerer

“HARTH” not “HERTH”

The story was five stars. Amazing. I was hooked from the beginning. The performance was very annoying. The voices for men sounded like whiny little girls, and the number of times the word “hearth” was in this book was maddening enough, but she pronounces it “herth” every time, and I wanted to quit the audio and just buy the book.
Overall a 5 star read. Would recommend reading the actual book though.

Favorite book of the year, hands down!

This was incredible. I have been in the worst reading slump of my life and this book cured it. From the eerie, gothic atmosphere to the blush-inducing romantic tension, Gillig has crafted a masterpiece. This book is a fantastic gem and I’m waiting eagerly for the next book!

The Narrator Ruined It

As an audiobook connoisseur, the narrator is hands-down the worst I’ve ever heard. I barely made it through and will not be listening to the second. I will read it on kindle instead. Mispronunciation of the word “hearth”, over-emphasis on every “T” (example: nighTmare), and limited skill with creating male voices (every supposed man sounded like a pre-pubescent boy) made this an unsatisfying listening experience.
Was the book good? I’m undecided. I think I’ll read it again, sans audio.

Intriguing Dark Gothic Fantasy but producers please help narrator

This dark gothic fantasy novel pulled me in and kept my attention. I was intrigued by the magic system, cards, and overall world including the history the author wove into the story.

There were a couple moments of annoyance with the main character and the choices they made but not enough for me to throw the book. The motivation of certain characters was believable. I will say though the publishing company cut too much. There were holes that needed to be filled, characters we needed more of. It’s like they ran out of budget and abruptly stopped the story. The romance is a slow burn and feels natural. There is one mild spice scene.

Despite all that, overall, truly enjoyed the story and am eager for the next book.

Specifically Reviewing the Narration:

It is unfortunate that the narration of the audiobook was less than. Early on the narrator chose a high pitch whiny tone for the character as a child in a particular situation. Thought it was because the character was a child but the narrator continued this in certain moment through out the book that grated my ears. Desperation and fear can be conveyed without that. There was another moment I couldn’t decipher if it was because of the narration or dialogue that I was getting annoyed. Additionally, whether it was the narrators call or the producer/editor, they had moments when guards were calling out and made them sound distant. This was unnecessary and pulled me out of the story thinking the audio was going out or there was an issue. It wasn’t executed well. Go all drama or keep it simple. Hoping book two has a little more thought.

Wonderful book, painful narration

If you’re a fan of fantasy romance that’s heavy on world-building and has an interesting magic system, I highly recommend One Dark Window. It’s been a long time since I’ve found a novel that satisfied the magical immersion craving! The plot and world are rich, and the characters, if not the most richly developed, are endearing and memorable. Gothic vibes and thrilling magic abound, and though the romance is light for much of the book, once it happens, it packs quite a punch. Quality over quantity, absolutely.

The fact that the narrator was maddeningly annoying serves as further commendation for the writing. I struggled to focus at times thanks to her diction (what is up with those ridiculously aggressive Ts? I found myself rolling my eyes…) and her inconsistent voices. At times robotic, or emotional in unfit moments, her narration often left me confused about which character was talking or if I had misheard dialogue due to her voice acting choices. (At one point a southern accent came out of nowhere and I was immediately taken out of the story.) Not to mention, just way too many mispronunciations of relatively common words. I’m usually not very picky about narration, but this was so distracting that it sorely affected my experience with an otherwise fantastic book!