Audiobooks – Lyndsey Hall

Review: One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

Hi book friends! I’ve got another incredible fantasy pick for you today, I know I’m a little late getting to this one, but goodness am I glad I finally picked it up! And now my copy of book two has arrived, I’ll promptly be diving back into the world of the Shepherd King. If you’re yet to have the pleasure of meeting Elspeth, Ravyn and The Nightmare, this review is for you.

TL;DR It’s a darkly lush gothic fantasy with one of the coolest magic systems I’ve come across in years, and fairy tale vibes, but like, the Brothers Grimm versions…

Blurb

ELSPETH NEEDS A MONSTER. THE MONSTER MIGHT BE HER.

An ancient, mercurial spirit is trapped inside Elspeth Spindle’s head – she calls him the Nightmare. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, she is thrust into a world of shadow and deception. Together, they embark on a dangerous quest to cure the town of Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. 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.

For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a gothic fantasy romance about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom.

Title: One Dark Window

Author: Rachel Gillig

Link: https://www.amazon.com/One-Dark-Window-Rachel-Gillig-ebook/dp/B09QCCH9N7/

Format: Audiobook

Review: 5 stars

I knew I was going to love One Dark Window before I even opened the cover, the blurb absolutely sold it to me – a girl with a monster inside her mind? Highwaymen? Dark magic? And romance? Yes please! I ordered the paperback of book two as soon as I finished and now I’m desperate to pick it up (just as soon as I finish writing this review!).

One Dark Window is like Renegade Nell meets Wuthering Heights with added tarot cards and a thick fog separating them from the rest of the world, similar to the Fold in Shadow and Bone. There’s even an evil entity living in the misty woods that kills anyone who ventures too near without a talisman (rabbit’s foot, etc.). It was very atmospheric and the writing was descriptive but still fast-paced, which I loved.

The magic system was ingenious and yet so simple, using different cards from a special pack, called Providence Cards, created by the legendary Shepherd King. Each card has a different design and allows the user to access a different type of magic – but nothing comes for free, even magic.

Elspeth was the type of female main character I absolutely adore, still feminine but oh so capable, cunning and clever. Even when the Nightmare inside her mind wasn’t taking over her body and giving her enhanced abilities, she was still a brilliant protagonist with as much agency as an unwed young woman in a gothic novel can possibly have.

She’s been hiding her affliction from the physicians and Destriers (the King’s best cavalrymen, tasked with eradicating magic-wielders and anyone who succumbs to the infection that causes magical abilities) since she was nine years old. Magic, other than from the Providence Cards, has been outlawed by the Rowan King, so Elspeth is in a lot of danger if anyone finds out about the Nightmare…

Enter Ravyn Yew, mysterious and handsome nephew to the king, and Elspeth’s worst enemy. Because he’s the Captain of the Destriers, and he’s taken a special interest in our girl, for reasons known only to himself. And as the tension between them builds and their secrets start to come to light, Elspeth realises he may not be the biggest threat she faces. Because the Nightmare is growing stronger, and it’s only a matter of time until it overpowers her completely.

The romance in One Dark Window was *chef’s kiss*, Ravyn is a true gentleman, and a bit of a rogue when he wants to be. I’m looking forward to seeing the romance between them grow in book two, after all the longing stares and accidental touches, and that one scene (iykyk), it’s the least we deserve!

The world building in this book was absolutely incredible, Gillig has thought of everything and I was gripped by the explanation behind the Providence Cards, the Shepherd King and the mist. If you’re also a big fan of a detailed backstory, then you’ll definitely enjoy this about One Dark Window, there’s so much to the world, its history and magic system, and I really enjoyed learning about it all.

I’m dying to read Two Twisted Crowns and find out what happens next for Elspeth! I gave One Dark Window 5 stars, I listened to the audio book and burned through it in a few days, but my copy of book two is a paperback because I recently cancelled my Audible membership due to having too many audiobooks and not enough time. Obviously I regretted that immediately, but we move.

If you love gothic fantasy, historical novels and dark fairy tale-esque books, then this series is definitely for you!

I’m currently working on a gothic romantic fantasy called The Rose and the Serpent, so it was great for research. I can only hope that my next book will be anywhere near as atmospheric, captivating and swoony as this one! One can dream…

Lyndsey

My reading and writing goals for 2024

Okay, I just checked and I haven’t done one of these posts since 2019! Five whole years. That’s crazy (although the correlation with my son being born doesn’t escape me). But I thought it might be nice to put some goals for reading and writing in 2024 down here, if only so I can look back at them in another five years time.

I’ll give you a quick recap of how 2023 went for me, and then we’ll get on to the fun stuff!

I read the grand sum of 16 books in 2023. Even for me (a very slow reader) that’s quite low, I usually listen to a fair number of audio books, which means I can get through at least a couple of books a month, but at the beginning of 2023 I changed jobs and my commute was cut down to just about ten minutes each way. That, combined with the fact my son is now fully aware of what I’m listening to while driving, cooking and cleaning, has made it difficult to get through many listens in the last 12 months. As a result, I only got through 4 audiobooks last year. However, my darling husband bought me some wireless ear buds for Christmas, so I’m hoping to be able to listen much more in 2024, whether it’s SJM while making dinner or Fourth Wing while folding laundry.

In 2023, I read 5 thrillers, one non-fiction and ten fantasy novels. I also beta read a few books and short stories, all fantasy.

I wrote roughly 60k words in 2023 – 10k for The Wyvern and the Woodwitch, my story in Enchanted Flames, and 50k for The Silver Prince, my book in the Once Upon a Prince series. Despite being a lower reading and writing year, 2023 has been my biggest year career-wise so far. The Silver Prince release went so mind-bogglingly well, it’s my biggest release so far by about 5 times. So, all in all last year was still an enormous success for me and a huge step in my publishing journey, and I’m so happy with everything I achieved.

That pretty much sums up my past twelve months. It’s been a really big year for work, family and self-care, but I’m planning for 2024 to have a stronger focus on books and publishing, so let’s see what I’m hoping to achieve…

12 months, 48 books on my physical, ebook and audio book TBR

I plan to read four books a month on average, with a blend of paperbacks, ebooks and audio books. I really need to start working through my physical TBR, so I won’t be borrowing any books from the library this year (I’ll always be a huge library fan and advocate though!).

I’ve started putting a spreadsheet together to track my reading a little more neatly than on Goodreads, with columns for my planned TBR, genre, format and the dates I read each book. I’ll keep a note of my ratings and some thoughts, and I’ll try to leave a quick review for each one, on Amazon and Goodreads.

I haven’t listed all 48 books yet, I’m a bit of a mood reader and want to leave a bit of wiggle room, but at the moment I’ve got YA thrillers, Adult thrillers, YA fantasy, Adult fantasy, MG and Non-fiction books on the list. My first read of the year is A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, and I’m really enjoying it, so I think I’ll read a few other YA thrillers at the beginning of the year, as well as finishing House of Sky and Breath before House of Flame and Shadow is released at the end of January.

365 days of writing, plotting and editing in 2024

I published one novel and one short story in an anthology in 2023, and my stretch goal is to double that. I’d love to write, edit and publish two novels, my short story for Enchanted Skies, and another short for my email subscribers. All in all, that might amount to roughly 160k words, but that’s just an estimate, I don’t have a specific word goal.

My planned WIPs include a sequel to The Silver Prince called The Golden Princess, giving Issy’s younger sister Livia her very own happy ending. That won’t release until the end of 2024, when TSP is out of its contract and I can rerelease them both together with new covers. My other novel length WIP is a historical fantasy for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper that I’ve had in my mind for years now and can’t wait to write. I’d like to get that one out by the summer, but I also have When Skies Darken to draft and edit, and then I’d love to write something festive to release next Christmas just for my email subs. A short tie in story set in the world of The Fair Chronicles.

And those are my writing and publishing goals for the next twelve months. A quick note on the how, what and when – my aim is to write 500 words per day or spend some time either marketing my books or studying/learning every day. And I’ve also decided to read for 2 hours for every hour I spend watching tv or gaming. That should hopefully help me to get to my goals by next December!

What are you reading and/or writing goals for the next twelve months?

Happy new year book friends, I hope 2024 is filled with calm, joy, and lots of great books!

Lyndsey

Fairytale Retellings: Twelve Dancing Princesses

Hello lovely readers, how’s the most romantic month of the year going for you? If you’re looking for a sweet, romantic fantasy book to keep you company on these cold winter nights, then look no further.

If you’re a fan of fairytale retellings then you might already have a favourite version of the Twelve Dancing Princesses tale, but there may be one or two on this list that you haven’t come across before. Some are loyal to the original, with just a little added embellishment, and others are combined with another fairytale or take us on a whole new adventure inspired by the traditional version.

Here we go, as always, click on the covers for more details and to buy the books…

The Silver Prince by Lyndsey Hall (that’s me!)

A soldier who conjures shadows.
A princess cursed to dance.
A mystery none can solve.

The people of the Silver Isle are brutes. Savages who live in darkness for half the year. They are not to be trusted, or so Princess Isadora has been raised to believe. As Crown Princess of the Golden Isle, she is the shining light of her kingdom. But Issy is hiding a dark curse that cannot be broken. And all who attempt it end up dead…

Anders is a son of the Silver Isle, a soldier afflicted with shadow magic. This alone carries a death sentence when he steps off a ship into the port capital of the Golden Isle and finds himself in the dungeons beneath the Gilded Palace.

Now his life hangs in the balance. Can he solve the mystery of the curse and earn his freedom? Or is he doomed either way?

In the glittering, royal city of Orovia, danger doesn’t lurk in the shadows, it hides in the light. Can a Golden Princess and a Silver Prince work together to uncover the truth before it’s too late? And will their fragile alliance be enough to unite their rival kingdoms?

The Silver Prince, a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling, is book 7 of Once Upon a Prince, a multi-author series of clean fairy tale retellings. Each standalone story features a swoony prince fighting for his happily ever after.

A Dance of Silver and Shadow by Melanie Cellier

I just finished listening to the audio book of A Dance of Silver and Shadow by Melanie Cellier, and I loved the swoony, slowburn romance and how the author hinted at wider worldbuilding (it fits into a larger series of retellings but can absolutely be read as standalone, like I did). This one reads like a classic fairytale, but I really enjoyed the nods to The Selection and even The Hunger Games, the contest/tournament theme gives this book some great tension and I was rooting for the main character, Lily, but loved all the twists and turns that lead to the final resolution. It’s a little different to the original, but the overall feel and atmosphere was 100% fairytale, so check this one out if you like the classics but also love to be surprised by the ending!

Pirouette by Kenley Davidson

This is actually my next audio book and I’m really excited to start it, the blurb sounds fantastic – I mean, forbidden magic? A devilishly charming foreigner? Ill-matched companions? If that doesn’t sound like a fun fantasy romp then I don’t know what does! I’ll share a review when I’m finished, but I’ve heard from friends that this is their favourite iteration of the fairytale and they’ve read it several times, so I’m expecting to love every second of it!

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

I really enjoyed this Gothic, ghost story version of Twelve Dancing Princesses, the creepy horror vibes were right up my street. This is probably the most unique adaptation of the original tale I’ve come across, and I liked how unusual and creative it was. There were gods and goddesses, tricksters, a religion deeply entrenched in the ocean (hence the salt in the title), little girls who can see ghosts, a strange madness, and so many twists your mind will be a pretzel by the time you finish reading. If you like really unique takes on classic fairytales, with incredible world building, and you don’t mind a bit of horror (which, if you’re a fan of the original Brothers Grimm versions, you won’t), then this one is definitely for you.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses by K.M. Shea

I have the first few books in this series, but as this one is book ten I haven’t quite reached it yet! It does say it can be read as a standalone, so I might skip ahead to it, as the blurb sounds absolutely incredible. Instead of a princess, the female main character is the soldier, and she teams up with the King of the Elves to break the curse that forces his people to dance every night. It’s full of banter and magic and ELVES, so it gets a big yes from me.

Silent Melody by Alice Ivinya

Silent Melody is actually a Pied Piper of Hamlin retelling, but it’s mashed up with the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and it’s one of my favourite books by Ivinya so I wanted to include it in case any of you are fans of mash ups. Adelaide is profoundly deaf, so the Piper’s music has no effect on her, but she follows him into the mountains and discovers a magical realm with a castle where princesses are enchanted to dance every night. It’s a beautiful tale with a sweet, enemies to lovers romance, and is another great version of this story!

Dance of Wishes by K.A. Last

This one is short but sweet, at just 59 pages, but it’s another great take on the original. A mage is brought in by Princess Adelina’s father, the King, to enchant her so that she might find a suitor. Plus, there’s a surprise twist that keeps things fresh!

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

This might be my favourite version that I’ve read so far, it’s fairly traditional but with so much added depth. It begins in the soldier, Galen’s POV, which I loved, and we discovered the truth about the curse/enchantment along with him. The whole concept of the fae king villain was really interesting and well-thought out, and I liked the way magic and religion were at odds and how that played out. The world building was great, the twists and climax were exciting, and I just really enjoyed this one.

Kingdom of Dance by Deborah Grace White

This one is on my TBR after Pirouette, so I’m hoping to get to it next month if not sooner. It’s another one that’s part of a larger series, but can all be read as standalones, and this one has – wait for it – DRAGONS! So obviously it’s going to be great. There’s a Lieutenant Obsidian (fantastic name) who has some mysterious magic that he hates, colour me intrigued. And lots of intrigue and excitement before we get our HEA (happy-ever-after), which all makes for a book I know I’m going to love!

Which one do you think sounds like your cup of tea?

Happy reading!

Lyndsey