Book Club - One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

In this episode of Literature on the Rocks…

We’re heading back into the misty woods of One Dark Window for our book club discussion—and this time, we brought opinions. Lots of them.

We’re diving deep into the duality of the Nightmare. Is he a villain, a misunderstood antihero, or something in between? And how much sass is too much sass for a sentient voice in your head?

We also chat about the Providence Cards—because if your magic system comes in deck form, we’re absolutely drawing a card. Was it a fresh take on fantasy, or did it feel like a shuffling of tropes? Let’s just say the group had some mixed pulls.

And finally, the big question: What card would you choose if you had the power? Would you lean toward a little personal gain or go full savior mode? Spoiler: our answers say a lot about us.

To pair with all that moral ambiguity and gothic glam, we’re serving up a mocktail version of last week’s cocktail—Dreamer’s Brew. Same broody charm, none of the booze.

Dreamer’s Brew Mocktail Recipe

Ingredients:

• Scoop vanilla ice cream

• 1 shot hot espresso (or strong decaf coffee)

• 1 oz chocolate syrup

• ½ oz peanut butter syrup (or PB powder + simple syrup)

Directions:

Add your vanilla ice cream to a glass. Pour the espresso over top, drizzle with chocolate syrup and peanut butter syrup, and stir gently. Rich, creamy, and just mysterious enough to make you wonder if the Nightmare’s watching.

Join us as we talk moral gray areas, magical card pulls, and what it means to carry something dark inside—plus a mocktail that'll have you whispering riddles into your coffee foam.