One Dark Window: 1 (Shepherd King, 1) Hardcover – Special Edition, 23 September 2025

At the heart of this world, lives Elspeth Spindle -- with the voice in her head. They have been together for 11 years; surviving, protecting, learning. There is another thing at Blunder's core -- Magic; both legal and illegal. Legal via the use of Providence Cards; Illegal due to the infection. But nothing comes free!The kingdom is being ruled by fear -- fear of the mist, the infection, the Destriers and fear of those who hold the power. Elspeth lives in fear too -- both inside and outside her mind. She longs for a normal life, where her thoughts are her own and the voice in them, also her own.But times are a-changing. Among the festivities of the power holders, there is a rebellion! They want to eviscerate the fear and rescue Blunder. Ravyn, Captain of the Destriers, Elm, second Prince of the Kingdom and Jespyer, a Destrier and Ravyn's sister : all prominent members of the rebel council (among others). Ravyn ushers Elspeth into the rebellion. She identifies with their cause and joins to aid them and herself.Elspeth and Ravyn soon realize that they each had a loose end of the string running from their heart which now stands complete in one another. But there are tasks to be completed and secrets to be unearthed. Council, Ravyn and Elspeth attempt to fight it all -- but are they powerful than the monster living in Elspeth's head? Or will they discover its Elspeth who's the monster?Part one of this Shepherd King duology is intricately woven with magic, suspense, determination, ambition and love. The twists make you squirm in your seat; gasping for more. The details so elusive that you are never satisfied with what is shared -- its as if you know, but do you? Conclusively, a brilliant premise for the next and the final installment -- Two Twisted Crowns.

I had been wanted to read this book since I added it to my tbr and finally picked up and WoW!! I blindly read it from the start and it had me intrigued and interested. Amazing atmosphere and mysterious story filled with secrets, suspense, and dangerous powers. The ending left me what??!! I can't wait to read the sequel!!

Good quality original book

This is no ordinary fantasy book a exhilarating journey from the very first page.With a fearless female lead, a brooding male protagonist, a cursed forest, ancient curses, prophecies, and a one-of-a-kind magic system, this is a story you won't want to miss.Meet Ravyn and Elspeth and immerse yourself in a world unlike any other."

wow...such a lovely gothic book. I' m loving fantasies these days. this will be one of the best books I read this year. This had a very unique plot, the storyline so different, I was intrigued. The world was already set so it took me a chapter or two to understand the concept of this book. But when I did, it sped up for me. the writing sinfully amazing like dark chocolate. Its sharp and grasping. You wont want to skip a word. Please read everything carefully for all words heavy with meaning and secrets and threats. You will be lost in the mist like the people in blunder if you do. If you love gothic romance, little hoor, some nightmare, a bit of magic you would want to experience, the characters complex, the sinister spirit of the woods, suspense, dystopia then you will love this book!

The book was a bit immature. If you are a fan of mystical books, I think you might need to re-think. This is more of a romance one and not a good one.Lines like " I may not be like other girls", "His broad shoulders" etc are pretty cringy.I liked Ione and Nightmare more. They were the only complex characters I felt in this whole book.