Dream by the Shadows

This one is pure gothic atmosphere - the Kingdom of Noctis feels like it crawled out of a fever dream and never let go. Esmer is grieving, furious, and thrown into the lair of the monster who cursed her people, and watching her assumptions about the Shadow Bringer slowly crack is the kind of slow burn that rewards patient readers. Be warned: it ends on a cliffhanger that will have you immediately hunting for book two. Best read on a dark rainy night with the lights low.