5 Books Like One Dark Window for Your Next Gothic Fantasy Read
If you finished One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig and immediately wanted another book filled with eerie magic, dangerous forests, strange monsters, slow-burning tension, and an atmosphere that feels just a little wrong, this list is for you.
Part of what makes One Dark Window so memorable is that it doesn’t feel like generic fantasy romance.
Blunder is covered in mist. Magic comes with consequences. Elspeth has a monster living inside her mind. The Providence Cards are powerful but dangerous. And even when the romance develops, the dark fantasy story never disappears underneath it.
So for this list of books like One Dark Window, I looked for stories with that same combination of:
- Gothic atmosphere
- Unusual or forbidden magic
- Dark forests and isolated estates
- Monsters or supernatural beings
- Secrets and curses
- Romantic tension
- Characters who can’t completely trust what surrounds them
Here are five books to read next.
Haven’t read Rachel Gillig’s book yet? Read my full One Dark Window review first.
Books Like One Dark Window at a Glance
| Book | Author | Read It For |
|---|---|---|
| Where the Dark Stands Still | A. B. Poranek | Dark forest + dangerous magic |
| Tenderly, I Am Devoured | Lyndall Clipstone | Gothic gods + dark romance |
| Down Comes the Night | Allison Saft | Crumbling mansion + enemies |
| House of Salt and Sorrows | Erin A. Craig | Cursed family + ghosts |
| The Invocations | Krystal Sutherland | Witchcraft + demons + murder |
1. Where the Dark Stands Still by A. B. Poranek
Best for: Dark forests, dangerous magic, and morally questionable monsters
This may be one of the closest matches on the list if the eerie forest and complicated relationship with the Nightmare were what you loved about One Dark Window.
Liska has spent her life believing magic is monstrous.
Unfortunately, she has magic of her own.
Desperate to get rid of it, she enters a dangerous forest and makes a bargain with the demon who rules there.
If she can complete a year of service, he will grant her wish.
Naturally, nothing about the arrangement is as simple as it appears.
Simon & Schuster describes Where the Dark Stands Still as a dark, devastating, gothic fantasy inspired by Polish folklore, with a dangerous magical bargain, an enchanted wood, and romantic tension between a girl and a possibly misunderstood monster.
Why One Dark Window readers may like it
- Dangerous magic the heroine would rather not possess
- Dark enchanted forest
- Monster/human relationship
- Gothic atmosphere
- Bargains with consequences
- Folklore
- Slow-building romantic tension
The similarity I like most is that neither story gives you a simple division between human = good and monster = evil.
The monster may know considerably more than the heroine does.
And that usually makes things interesting.
2. Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone
Best for: Gothic romantasy, dangerous gods, and something considerably stranger
If what you loved about One Dark Window was its combination of romance, darkness, and a magic system that feels unsettling rather than whimsical, try this.
Lacrimosa Arriscane returns home after being expelled from boarding school and finds her family facing financial ruin.
Her solution is not exactly conventional.
She agrees to a marriage of convenience with Therion—a chthonic god worshipped by her isolated coastal community.
When the ritual goes wrong, Lark begins disappearing from the mortal world.
Her only hope may involve her former love Alastair and his older sister Camille.
Then the three of them begin digging into the mythology surrounding the gods.
Things get stranger from there.
Macmillan describes Tenderly, I Am Devoured as a moody, gothic romantic folk horror featuring a dangerous god, queer polyamorous romance, folklore, bargains, haunted tides, and creeping horror.
Why One Dark Window readers may like it
- Gothic atmosphere
- Dangerous supernatural entity
- Magic with a cost
- Ancient gods
- Dark folklore
- Complicated romance
- Isolation
- Creeping horror
This is probably the pick I’d recommend if you want the romantasy side of One Dark Window, but want the next book to feel completely different.
3. Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft
Best for: A crumbling mansion, forbidden romance, and gothic mystery
Wren Southerland is a healer whose emotional use of magic has cost her a place in the Queen’s Guard.
Then a mysterious lord asks her to travel to his isolated estate and cure a servant suffering from a strange illness.
Except the patient isn’t a servant.
He is Hal Cavendish, one of her kingdom’s enemies.
And Colwick Hall is exactly the kind of place where sensible people should probably leave immediately.
The mansion is crumbling.
There are strange rules.
Something sinister is happening.
And Wren and Hal increasingly realize that neither of them may make it out unless they work together.
Macmillan describes Down Comes the Night as a snow-drenched romantic fantasy about enemies trapped inside a deteriorating mansion, blending an unusual magic system, forbidden romance, mystery, and a strongly gothic atmosphere.
Why One Dark Window readers may like it
- Gothic mansion
- Enemies forced to cooperate
- Forbidden romance
- Unusual magic
- Mystery
- Dark secrets
- Creeping supernatural danger
- Slow-burn relationship
If Ravyn and Elspeth’s uneasy partnership was one of your favorite parts of One Dark Window, I’d put this high on the list.
4. House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Best for: Ghosts, family curses, and dark fairy-tale atmosphere
At Highmoor Manor, the Thaumas family seems to be cursed.
There were once twelve sisters.
Four are already dead.
The deaths have been dismissed as accidents or illness, but Annaleigh increasingly believes something much darker is happening.
Then she begins seeing ghosts.
Meanwhile, her remaining sisters are sneaking away each night to attend glittering balls where they dance until morning.
The question becomes:
Who—or what—are they dancing with?
House of Salt and Sorrows is a dark retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Author Erin A. Craig describes the novel as a story filled with magic, ghosts, gods, suspicious deaths, romance, and the long dark hallways of an isolated seaside manor.
Why One Dark Window readers may like it
- Gothic manor
- Family curse
- Ghosts
- Gods
- Fairy-tale inspiration
- Mysterious stranger
- Dark secrets
- Unreliable supernatural experiences
This is one of the strongest choices if the atmosphere was what hooked you on Rachel Gillig.
Like One Dark Window, it constantly makes you question exactly what the heroine is seeing—and whether she should trust it.
5. The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
Best for: Dark witchcraft, demons, and a supernatural murder mystery
This one moves farther away from romantasy and deeper into dark supernatural fantasy.
Three girls become connected by magic.
Zara wants to resurrect her murdered sister.
Jude made a disastrous bargain with a demon, and her soul is literally deteriorating because of it.
Emer Byrne is a witch who sells spells to desperate women.
Then the women using Emer’s magic begin turning up dead.
Someone is hunting witches.
And the three girls may be the only ones capable of stopping them.
Penguin Random House describes The Invocations as a darkly seductive witchy thriller involving demons, occult magic, supernatural murder, curses, and three young women refusing to become victims.
Why One Dark Window readers may like it
- Forbidden magic
- Demons
- Curses
- Dark academia atmosphere
- Witchcraft
- Murder mystery
- Morally complicated choices
- Magic with terrible consequences
This isn’t the pick I’d choose if the romance was your favorite part of One Dark Window.
But if your favorite thing was the feeling that using magic is always going to cost somebody something, this is exactly the kind of book I’d try next.
Which Book Should You Read After One Dark Window?
If you’re not sure where to start:
| If you loved… | Read next |
|---|---|
| The dark forest | Where the Dark Stands Still |
| Gothic romantasy | Tenderly, I Am Devoured |
| Elspeth + Ravyn’s tension | Down Comes the Night |
| The eerie atmosphere | House of Salt and Sorrows |
| Dangerous forbidden magic | The Invocations |
What Makes a Good Book Like One Dark Window?
For me, simply being a fantasy romance isn’t enough.
There are thousands of romantasy books.
One Dark Window works because several things come together at once.
The magic feels dangerous
Providence Cards aren’t just cool magical objects.
Using magic has consequences.
That immediately makes every magical choice more interesting.
The atmosphere matters
Blunder’s mist, forests, roads, castles, and darkness aren’t background decoration.
They help create the story’s constant feeling of unease.
The monster isn’t simple
The Nightmare is frightening.
He’s also funny, protective, manipulative, intelligent, and deeply tied to Elspeth.
The relationship becomes more complicated the more you understand him.
The romance doesn’t replace the fantasy
Elspeth and Ravyn matter.
But so do the Cards, the infection, the Nightmare, the Rowan family, and the fate of Blunder.
That’s the balance I looked for when choosing these recommendations.
Have You Finished the Shepherd King Duology?
If you’ve only read One Dark Window, don’t leave Blunder yet.
The story continues directly in:
I have a complete Two Twisted Crowns summary, spice level, characters & review covering Book 2 and the ending of the Shepherd King duology.
If you haven’t read it yet, avoid the spoiler section until you finish.
More Dark Fantasy Books to Read
If you’re building a darker fantasy TBR, you may also like:
10 Best Dark Romantasy Books for Gothic Fantasy Lovers
for a broader collection of dark fantasy romance,
and:
5 Gothic Fantasy Romance Books for Dark, Atmospheric Reading
if haunted houses, vampires, ghosts, old gods, and creepy settings are what you’re really after.
Those pages intentionally cover slightly different territory.
This list is specifically for readers asking:
What should I read after One Dark Window?
Is One Dark Window Gothic Fantasy?
Yes, and that gothic element is a major reason the book feels different from many popular romantasy novels.
The story uses:
- Mist
- Dark forests
- Gothic architecture
- Monsters
- Forbidden magic
- Death
- Family secrets
- Religious and political power
- Isolation
- An unsettling supernatural presence
The romance is important, but the mood is what makes the book distinctive.
That’s why the books on this list lean heavily toward atmospheric fantasy instead of simply recommending the biggest fantasy romances on BookTok.
Final Thoughts
Finishing One Dark Window leaves you with a very specific reading problem.
You don’t necessarily just want another romance.
You want something strange.
Something dark.
Something where the forest probably shouldn’t be trusted and the magical creature offering help almost certainly has an ulterior motive.
For the closest overall feel, I’d start with Where the Dark Stands Still.
For something more romance-forward and unusual, try Tenderly, I Am Devoured.
For gothic mystery, choose Down Comes the Night or House of Salt and Sorrows.
And if you’re ready to push the magic considerably darker, try The Invocations.
Then, of course, there is always more Rachel Gillig.
