One Dark Window book guide: Characters, cards & quick review

Written By Esta Pinto

One Dark Window synopsis:

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.

One Dark Window characters.

The main character is Elspeth Spindle, our female main character, who narrates nearly the majority of the book, except for a small sliver toward the end, which is told from an omniscient POV. Ravyn Yew is the main love interest and I assume he’ll be many people’s book boyfriend (like Xaden Riorson is). We have an interesting cast of supporting characters.

Below is a list of all the One Dark Window characters that we encounter in a major, supporting or minor capacity, and if you were confused who is related to who don’t worry — I made some convenient family tree notes in brackets:

  • Elspeth Spindle

  • Ravyn Yew

  • Jespyr Yew (Ravyn’s sister)

  • Emory Yew (Ravyn’s brother)

  • Elm Rowan (aka Renelm, King Rowan’s second son and Ravyn’s cousin)

  • The Nightmare

  • Hauth Rowan (King Rowan’s first son, Elm’s brother)

  • Orithe Willow

  • Filick Willow

  • Morette Yew (Ravyn/Jespyr/Emory’s mother)

  • Fenir Yew (Ravyn/Jespyr/Emory’s father)

  • Opal Hawthorn (nee Whitebeam - Ione’s mother, Elspeth’s aunt)

  • Iris Spindle (nee Whitebeam - Elspeth’s mother)

  • Erik Spindle (Elspeth’s father)

  • Ione Hawthorn (Elspeth’s cousin)

  • Tyrn Hawthorn (Ione’s father, Elspeth’s uncle)

  • King Rowan

  • Royce Linden

  • Lyn Hawthorn (Elspeth’s cousin)

  • Aldrich Hawthorn (Elspeth’s cousin)

  • Nerium Spindle (Elspeth’s stepmother)

  • Dimia Spindle (Elspeth’s half-sister)

  • Nya Spindle (Elspeth’s half-sister)

  • Jon Thistle

  • Petyr Ivy

  • Wik Ivy

  • Lady Sylvia Pine

  • Gerta Pine

  • Farrah Pine

  • Maylene Pine

Get One Dark Window here.

One Dark Window book review.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5 stars.

Spice level: 🌶🌶
2/5, mild spice.

A creepy mist-plagued village and woods, a 500-year-old mercurial mind monster who talks in rhymes, a book within a book, and beautiful poetic writing without being too flowery. Rachel Gillig’s darkish fantasy, and slightly gothic fairytale, was an atmospheric read with elements of slow-burn romance and a small touch of spice. 

Marred by a haunted mist, Blunder is a village where magic is outlawed and comes as an infection in the night, granting magical abilities to people who survive it. FMC Elspeth Spindle survived the fever, and her family has treasonously harboured her, keeping her “infection” secret to protect her from the certain death that awaits anyone “tainted”, with the belief she has no resulting magical symptoms. 

However, no one knows there is a nightmarish ancient mercurial spirit that lurks trapped in the dark recesses of Elspeth’s mind… Protector or enemy, friend or fiend? Either way, she needs to team up with the King’s nephew to find twelve magical cards and thus free herself of the dark magic before she degenerates—because magic always comes with a price.

My thoughts: 

I was utterly enthralled and could not put down One Dark Window.

Worlds with forbidden magic aren’t anything new, and if you’re an author building such a world, it needs to be done with care and originality; otherwise, you risk getting flagged as tropey. However, I found One Dark Window gripping and innovative, where how using magic always comes with consequences, making the stakes much more fascinating and dangerous. I think, personally, it’s best to go into this book with not much knowledge and embrace the darkness. 

5 stars for pure enjoyment levels. I need Book 2, Two Twisted Crowns, ASAP! Looking forward to October 2023.

View my One Dark Window review here.

One Dark Window cards, magic and consequences, explained.

How do the Providence cards in One Dark Window work? Learn more about this innovative magic system and world-building below with this nifty recap of what magic is granted to the holder of each card when they activate it by tapping it three times, and the consequences of overusing the card.

Some elements of the below table may spoil the book if you haven’t read it, so I would advise STOPPING HERE if that’s the case.

Card name Quantity in circulation Magic granted Consequence of overuse
The Black Horse 12 Master of combat. Weakness.
The Golden Egg. 11 Great wealth. All-consuming greed.
The Prophet. 10 Glimpses of the future. Makes users helpless to change the future.
The White Eagle. 9 Courage. Fear.
The Maiden. 8 Great beauty. Chills its user's heart.
The Chalice. 7 Turns liquid into truth serum. Turns truth serum into poison.
The Well. 6 Clear sight to recognise one's enemies. Be betrayed by a friend.
The Iron Gate. 5 Blissful serenity, no matter the struggle. Steals years from one’s life.
The Scythe. 4 The power to control others. Great physical pain.
The Mirror. 3 Invisibility. Lifts the veil between worlds, exposing a world of ghosts.
The Nightmare. 2 Allows its user to speak into the minds of others. Reveals one’s deepest fears.
The Twin Alders. 1 The power to commune with the Blunder’s ancient entity, the Spirit of the Wood. No one knows. There is no record of anyone having done so.

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FAQs.

Does One Dark Window have romance?

Yes, it does have romance, even though it’s not a romance book. The romance sub-plot is a slow burn, rivals to lovers.

Is One Dark Window spicy?

There is one spicy scene in the second half of the book, although it’s relatively mild. It’s less spice than Fourth Wing.

Does One Dark Window end on a cliffhanger?

Some people will adore it, some people will claw their hair out. But yes, it ends on a giant banger of a cliffhanger. How could you do that to us, Rachel Gillig?!

Where can I check out One Dark Window fanart for Elspeth, Ravyn, Jespyr and Elm?

Rachel Gillig is not just an excellent author… she also creates incredible character art! You can also check out her Instagram, where she regularly posts One Dark Window art from herself and other talented artists. What a talent! See an example of Rachel’s art below:

Esta Pinto
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