Did we all read the same book? Because this was... not good.
In general, I feel like fantasy is a genre I can rely on. Give me an interesting premise, a half-decent execution, some badass heroes and heroines, and I'm pleased as punch. And yet, here comes One Dark Window, making me rethink my entire love for this genre. Because I'm hard pressed to point to even one thing that I truly enjoyed in here.
Let's start with our characters. Wow, were they dumb. Elspeth could barely do anything without first being told, whether it's to be quiet or to run. She and her merry band of allies make one misstep after another, including rushing into battles they shouldn't and distracting each other during crucial moments. I have a hard time believing these characters could even function, let alone save the kingdom.
Neither were they likable, especially our heroine. Elspeth is about the weakest protagonist to have ever graced a fantasy. She gets so easily offended at everything, hates every person she sees, and is constantly tearing up from hurt feelings. Boo hoo. She also seems unable to eat, losing her appetite at every meal, poor thing. But perhaps I'm too quick to judge, and what I attribute to her unlikable personality is simply because she is hangry?
The supporting characters aren't much better, and together, there is this feeling that it's a group of idiots just trampling around getting themselves into trouble. But not to worry, because the villains aren't any smarter either. At one point, one of our good guys gets into an argument with one of the bad guys, and—no joke, you guys—the argument was decided by glaring. Like the one who glared harder and longer was the victor and the other was forced to lower his gaze in shame.
Or another of my favorite scenes—one of our villains forces our merry band to play a game where everyone is compelled by magic to tell the truth, and each can have a turn asking a question of every other person. Ah, I could feel the tension in the air, for here's the moment when the truth will be revealed. And then comes the questions—who wants to marry who, who is better looking, who loves who. I tell you, I shriveled up and died a little on the inside.
The worldbuilding feels both so detailed that you suffer from information overload (why so many cards and characters?), but also not sharp enough that you really feel immersed in the universe. The way information is parsed out, one teeny tiny bit at a time, is to maximize the reveals later on, so you're often confused for no good reason in the meantime. And when the reveals finally do happen, they weren't even that surprising.
Of course, this wouldn't be a romantasy without the requisite romance and the one in here is about as bland as they come. Why were Elspeth and Ravyn attracted to each other? The book certainly doesn't make it clear. And not only that, but when they do finally come together, there is quite the ick factor because of The Nightmare in her head, watching the whole thing. Eww!
You know the scene that really cemented my disillusionment with this book though? When a character was cold (not magically cold, mind you, just cold from being outside for too long), and one of our idiots used a Scythe card to warm them up. Never mind that using magic costs the wielder irreparable damage. That I can look overlook. What I can't overlook is that the Scythe card doesn't work that way. It changes someone's emotions, not what they actually are (as the book had already explained at length). So instead of actually warming up the poor dope, they just made them think they feel warmer.
I have to draw the line somewhere, and when the magic system is written so wishy washy and without sharpness that even the author got herself confused, that's when I finally realized this book isn't going to cut it
Now, if you're wondering if you should give this a go, I suggest you read the version that everyone else read and definitely not the one that I did. Good luck.
Readaroo Rating: 2 stars
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