The Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Starting off with Elspeth Spindle, a resident of Burden, who as a child wandered into the mist that seems to always be around the township. While in the mist Elspeth ended up contracting "the fever". It's said that people who survive the fever end up having a magical ability afterwards. From the beginning of the story Elspeth has what seems like someone/something else in her mind, she can hear a voice. More than her own thought process, but less than another person. The magic caused by the mist is something that is feared by commoners, and is something that is hunted and by the ‘physicians’ locked up and destroyed.
As I progressed into the book there is an introduction to two different sources of magic. There is magic that comes from surviving the fever, which is not completely understood. The other sources of noninfected/fever magic is provided by enchanted cards, each card has a different colour, and symbol associated with their ability, and detriment.
"Degeneration falls like leaves from a branch. Swift, or slow and steady. The infection grants great magic. Degeneration is the cost of such a gift. For many, the payment is their own sanity. For others, their lives. Degeneration falls like leaves from a branch."
Once again there is a balance when the magical cards are used, they all provide a benefit at first, but if they are 'overused' they side effects are detrimental to the user. I found the card magic a little confusing, as the story line essentially just references the card name (or the colour associated with the card) and assumes that you will remember what every card will do for the user, who it was used on, and the long lasting side effects.
The benefits of using the cards are as listed;
The Black Horse made its beholder a master of combat.
The Golden Egg granted great wealth. The Prophet offered glimpses of the future.
The White Eagle bestowed courage.
The Maiden bequeathed great beauty.
The Chalice turned liquid into truth serum.
The Well gave clear sight to recognize one's enemies.
The Iron Gate offered blissful serenity, no matter the struggle.
The Scythe gave its beholder the power to control others.
The Mirror granted invisibility.
The Nightmare allowed its user to speak into the minds of others.
The Twin Alders had the power to commune with Blunder's ancient entity, the Spirit of the Wood.
The side effects of each card being overused is also listed within the book itseIf used too long;
The Black Horse could make its holder weak.
The Golden Egg led to all-consuming greed.
The White Eagle's courage was replaced by fear.
The Prophet's foresight made its user helpless to change the future.
The Chalice's truth serum turned into poison.
The Maiden's beauty changed the user's heart.
The Well's holder would be betrayed by a friend.
The Iron Gate stole years from one's life The Scythe caused great physical pain.
The Mirror lifted the veil between worlds, exposing a world of ghosts.
The Nightmare revealed one's deepest fears.
The Twin Alders... No one knew what happened if you used the Twin Alders too long.
So far it seems the magic is a complex setup for a current duology, there are probably plans to continue to expand the series beyond the 2 books already in the works. I feel that this book was lackluster in plot as it seemed to spend a large amount of time explaining the magic, and the effects on the infected (People who have survived 'the fever')
One thing I did like that the author did was make a voice, and individualized the nightmare creature that is trapped in the main characters head. This voice allows for an easy flow of thought processes to be forwarded to the reader. It almost makes it as if the reader is able to read the thoughts of the main character with ease. With the thoughts simply appearing as a conversation between Elspeth and the Nightmare it allows for easy flow of the story without the long convoluted process of either Elspeth having to go somewhere private or making it a little confusing with the context of the conversation perhaps being mixed up, to have an ongoing observational conversation.
I found the further I managed to find myself in the book, the story seemed to drone on for me. I have found that this book reads very much as a young adult fantasy fiction, which usually has a main focus on the angsty love interest in the book. (I find that a little boring, I'm here for the adventure not the oversexualization of beautiful individuals. I'm not saying the love interest can't be a part of the book, but I am a little tired of the love story being focused on the loss of the main character's virginity I suppose.)
Unfortunately I am a little disappointed by this book. I'm not so sure as to when I began losing interest in the plot, but somewhere along the way I found that I had lost my way. I'm also not completely sure I want to find my way back. Maybe step off the path and have the salty smell of infection come and rot my mind, something akin to what happens to the infected. Maybe have the magic whisk me away to another book, another plot, another genre.
All in all, after finishing the book, I will unfortunately not be picking up a copy of the second book in the series, and will be removing it from my to be read list.
I had high hopes that I would like where The Dark Window by Rachel Gillig would take me, with an average Goodreads rating of 4.36/5. I will have to give this one 2 out of 5 stars. It's not about the author, or the genre, I think it might have just been a bad pick for me.
