Book Review: The Shepard King Series by Rachel Gillig
Recently, I became a kindle girly… After years of saying I was a “book girl” and not being interested in another tech gadget, I got one on a whim during a sale.
GAME CHANGER.
Seriously, it took my reading game to another level.
And with my Kindle, came 3 months of Kindle Unlimited. Again, another game changer.
The Shepard King Series popped up on my recommended feed and I jumped into this series completely blind. It had good reviews, had interesting cover art, and I was intrigued by the description. But beyond that, I knew nothing about the series or Rachel Gillig’s other work.
TLDR: I really enjoyed this series. If you like a unique storyline, magical world-building, romance (a bit of spice but none of the scenes are particularly descriptive or detailed),
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
This is the first book in the Shepard King series and when we first get introduced to Elspeth and the monster lurking inside of her. Out of the duology, this was my favorite. I absolutely loved the poetry throughout the book. It was excellently done.
I have read some books where the author attempts poetry and the words fall short, lack meaning, or just feel stumbled over. Not here. Rachel Gillig did such an amazing job bringing the story depth and foreshadowing through these poems at the start of each chapter.
Now let’s talk about the romance piece— it’s a bit of enemies to lovers with a bit of forced proximity tropes going on. But I do not feel like they are overdone or full of cliches. To be honest, I was so intrigued by the Providence cards, poetry, and everything else going on that the love story was second-stage.
Speaking of Providence cards, I felt like I needed a cheat sheet on what was what throughout the book. At first, I got them jumbled up and it felt a bit confusing. It wasn’t to the point that I felt I was missing any of the context or storyline but just something to be aware of. You’ll get the hang of what does what after a few chapters.
“
Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom she calls home—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 the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it. Except the highwayman just so happens to be the King’s own nephew, Captain of the Destriers…and guilty of high treason.
He and Elspeth have until Solstice to 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, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.
“
Amazon Rating: 4.5/ 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Goodreads: 4.3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The second book in the duology introduces a new point of view which I really enjoyed! I won’t share who because it leads into where the storyline goes, but just know it is good.
With the different focus of characters, the spiciness takes on a new level.. or two… But with that, I enjoyed the new romance that was introduced and the development of both characters.
Honestly, this is one of the better sequels I may have ever read. The development of not just one or two characters within the story, but many of them, plus the expert weaving of present and past plots had me engaged and eagerly reading. The magic and world continued to be unique and up until the very end, I wasn’t sure how everything was going to shake out.
In case you want a little cheat sheet for the cards and what they all do:
The Black Horse
Color: Black
Quantity: 12
Ability: master of combat, increased speed and strength
Caution: When used too long, the user becomes weak
The Golden Egg
Color: Gold
Quantity: 11
Ability: Grants wealth
Caution: When used too long the user is consumed with greed
The Prophet
Color: Gray
quantity: 10
Ability: Allows a glimpse into the future
Caution: When used too long the used is unable to change the future
The Prophet
Color: Gray
Quantity: 10
Ability: master of combat, increased speed and strength
Caution: When used too long, the user becomes weak
The White Eagle
Color: White
quantity: 9
Ability: The user is granted courage
Caution: When used too long, courage becomes fear.
The Maiden
Color: Pink
quantity: 8
Ability: Beauty and healing
Caution: When used too long, the user becomes heartless and unable to feel emotions
The Chalice
Color: Turquoise
Quantity: 7
Ability: Truth-telling serum
Caution: If someone tries to resist the truth serum or uses it too long, it turns to poison
The Well
Color: Blue
Quantity: 6
Ability: See your enemies
Caution: When used too long, the user is betrayed by a friend
The Iron Gate
Color: Moss Green
Quantity: 5
Ability: Serenity
Caution: When used too long, years will be taken off the user’s life
The Scythe
Color: Red
quantity: 4
Ability: to control others
Caution: When used too long, causes pain to the user
The Mirror
Color: Purple
quantity: 3
Ability: invisibility
Caution: When used to long, the veil of death is lifted and the user sees spirits
The Nightmare
Color: Burgundy
Quantity: 2
Ability: Able to speak into others minds
Caution: When used too long, the user hears their darkest fears within their own mind
The Twin Alders
Color: Forest Green
Quantity: 1
Ability: Able to communicate with the Spirit of the Wood
Caution: When used, the user loses all sense of time
Altogether, I thought this was a good series and I enjoyed reading it. It is often described as a “dark romance” which I wouldn’t agree with. Sure some of the writing leans more towards “dark” descriptions, but I feel like that helps give imagery to the mist of Blunder. Like literally, the place is dark. I did not feel like the story was scary or frightening as much as it just had a touch of spookiness with the setting and the initial introduction of the Nightmare.
If you’re looking for a unique romantasy read with interesting characters and world-building, I would highly recommend The Shepard King series.
May your books be long + your coffee warm
Kae