One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

When you see a book constantly on social media you worry it may not live up to all of the hype.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig did not disappoint.

The magical system is unique, the characters compelling, and the world building is gothic and romantic.

Maiden. Monster. Martyr.

In the mist-locked town of Blunder, Providence cards hold magic, the only magic allowed.

If the mist infects you with magic, the sentence is death. 

When Elspeth touches a Nightmare card as a child, a monster enters her mind.

Her family keeps her infection a secret, but even they don’t know about the monster within her.

As an adult, she stumbles upon a secret about the Yew family.

The youngest son is infected and the only way to lift the curse is to find and unite all of the Providence cards.

Elspeth joins Ravyn and Jesper Yew, along with Prince Elm in the search for the cards.

Ravyn is the captain of the king’s guards, and Elspeth must pretend to court him to keep their real goals a secret. Who doesn’t love fake dating?

This books ends on a cliff hanger, so have the second (and final book) ready to go. I immediately picked it up. 😍😍

Gothic romance with fairy tale vibes, this book series was my favorite of the year.