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A Winter's Promise

(La Passe-Miroir #1)

Christelle Dabos,

Hildegarde Serle (Translator)

4.19 · Rating details · 18,274 ratings · 2,560 reviews

Long ago, following a cataclysm called The Rupture, the world was shattered into many floating celestial islands. Known now as Arks, each has developed in distinct ways; each seems to possess its own unique relationship to time, such that nowadays vastly different worlds exist, together but apart. And over all of the Arks the spirit of an omnipotent ancestor abides.

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Kindle Edition, 468 pages

Published September 27th 2018 by Europa Editions (first published June 6th 2013)

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· 18,274 ratings · 2,560 reviews

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Feb 15, 2019 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) rated it liked it · review of another edition

(2.5?) That was... something.

I have very conflicted thoughts about this book. The world building was interesting and so was the magic system but I had lots of issues with the book. For a matriarchal society seems pretty backward.

Girl who's not like other ones because... she has glasses!! She is send to a different part of the world where she will have to marry someone she doesn't want to.

Interesting world and magic system but not explained enough. It could be due to us seeing it all through the ...more

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Jul 11, 2016 Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: what-a-jerk, young-adult, annoying-mc, in-a-minority-here, fantasy, french-literature, cringeworthy, slut-shaming, 2016-reads, you-ve-got-to-be-kidding-me

EDIT : a quick foreword because I'm t i r e d, and look at me! I'm writing in bold font, what a monster *shivers*

1) I've never attacked the author. My review is solely focused on the book and the book only. Goodreads offers me the opportunity, as a reader, to give my honest opinion. I... took it. It's that simple.

2) The use of profanity is a stylistic choice. Sometimes I curse, others I don't and (surprise surprise) I'm actually able to interact in a different way. After finishing this novel ...more

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Sep 22, 2018 Kylie D rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: seasonal-challenges, arc, sci-fi-fantasy

A novel that takes place in a world so similar, yet different, to our own. God has gotten angry and smashed the world into little pieces. It sees Ophelia travel to a distant ark, as these fragments of the world are now called, for an arranged marriage to Thorn, the Pole ark's treasurer.

Ophelia has certain gifts, just by touching an object she can read the feelings and mindset of people who have previously touched that object, and she also has the ability to travel through mirrors. Yet others ...more

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Sep 25, 2018 Umut Rados rated it liked it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed the book. The world was so imaginative and creative. I truly loved the setting. It was also simple enough that made it even easier to grasp and enjoy. Probably Ophelia was the best part of this book for me. It was a powerful character development, and a very likeable heroine. She was very pragmatic in the way she approached the events. There was lots of court politics and relationship management. Dabos managed to create a strong intrigue. I kept turning the pages to learn why on ...more

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Jan 10, 2019 Spencer Orey rated it really liked it

Really interesting world filed with torturous court intrigue, and a real teaser of an ending. The arks are cool, and there are very evocative lines about more interesting things to see that we don't get to in this book. Some descriptions will stick with me, especially about the use of illusions and what's really underneath them.

I called the ending a tease, but to me it was really more of a dud. I wanted more to happen at the end than just strange alliances. Okay I actually wanted more to happen ...more

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Oct 01, 2018 April (Aprilius Maximus) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf, 2018

DNF'd on page 185/491.

Thank you so much to Text Publishing Australia for sending a copy of this to me! Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it. The first chapter was so promising, with so much atmosphere and it had it's own distinct, magical vibe that made me think I was going to love this book! However, as I kept reading, I kept encountering more and more problems. For example, on page 49, "A nanny pushed a pram while blushing at the admiring whistles of workmen up scaffolding." Ughhhhh why ...more

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Jul 24, 2017 Sophia. rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: twilightesque, useless-and-ineffective, deja-vu, too-many-repetitions, eye-rolls-and-frowning, unbelievable, confusing, could-have-been-better, annoying-narrator

If you read a lot of Y.A. literature, this book will seem vaguely familiar to you. Thats because it just borrows a bunch of ideas from the most popular books out there. Harry Potter, Shadow and Bone (for a clueless girl thrown into a royal court), Vampire Diaries, too (Ambassador Archibald is a carbon copy of Adrian Ivashkov, or more accurately, a less charismatic version of him), and so many more I cant be bothered to remember. The whole story is just a washed-out copy of those books.

Everyone If you read a lot of Y.A. literature, this book will seem vaguely familiar to you. That’s because it just borrows a bunch of ideas from the most popular books out there. Harry Potter, Shadow and Bone (for a clueless girl thrown into a royal court), Vampire Diaries, too (Ambassador Archibald is a carbon copy of Adrian Ivashkov, or more accurately, a less charismatic version of him), and so many more I can’t be bothered to remember. The whole story is just a washed-out copy of those books.

Everyone is super flat and one-dimensional. The bad guys are very mean, the good guys are very kind. It’s obvious that Ophélie and Thorn are going to end up loving each other. But you know what? I couldn’t bring myself to care, because Thorn doesn’t feel real. He’s too “cold” to be genuine. Can you seriously imagine someone like him? Nobody felt real. They’re just caricatures. The dialogues were awkward, nobody talks like that either. And could anyone really picture what the Family Spirits looked like? These descriptions were terrible.

The writing was really clumsy. The first chapters were very good (probably because they were carefully edited and polished) but that’s about it. Sometimes I even couldn’t understand what Ophélie was feeling or trying to say. I just had to stop to read the sentences over and over again and they still didn’t make any sense. A couple of times I actually went back and re-read the previous page to try to understand where she was coming from ! She would jump to conclusions that had strictly no correlation to what she was saying beforehand, or her feelings (especially when Thorn was concerned) were just hard to follow because she would change her mind every other page.

Also, sooo many repetitions. Here’s how it is: the author gives a defining trait to each character. And she doesn’t want you to forget those assigned traits so she kindly reminds you every.single.time.they.talk. Berenilde is gorgeous and has tattoos. Ophélie has “heavy dark curls” (how many times does she say those exact words??) The aunt has "horse-like teeth". All of these are repeated a hundred times throughout the book, the most important one being….. Thorn is tall, y’all. I am not kidding, every single time Ophélie looked at him, she HAD to say something about how much of a giant he is, how tall his legs are, how gigantic he is, how small she is compared to how tall he is, because he is a giant, and when she borrows his coat it's so huge because he's so tall and she's so small, and how she gets dizzy just looking at him because she’s so short and he’s so freakishly tall, because, you know, he’s a giant and he’s skinny but did you know that he is also very tall?.... I GET IT! It got exasperating.

It’s the same for Ophélie though. The author learned her lesson from reading so many YA books: readers don’t like perfect, Mary Sue characters. Fine. But honestly Ophélie is so flawed that it’s laughable. She has zero redeeming qualities. None. She’s clumsly to the point of foolishness, she's not pretty, she’s socially awkward, she isn't funny, sassy or sarcastic, she’s not interesting in the least, she’s not smart, she’s not a fast-learner, she’s always sneezing, falling, or being passive and clueless as to what is going on around her. She doesn’t care about her hair and has poor personal hygiene (she doesn’t bathe for a week and that’s fine by her), she doesn’t care about being feminine and/or trying to improve her appearance because that’s for slutty girls like her sister (rolls eyes), she doesn’t care about her clothes (she wears mismatched shoes and grandmother’s clothes etc.), she doesn’t care about guys, and she’s sick throughout the entire book. Meaning she has a cold during the entire storyline. Is that supposed to make her relatable? I have never, ever read a book where so many of the heroine’s interactions with other characters are punctuated by regulars “Ophélie stopped talking to sneeze. She blew her nose three times.” She's a complete tool. Even Bella Swan was more lively. That’s saying something. Come on, get a grip girl! I felt nothing towards her but annoyance. Yet, everyone is just obsessed with her and she seems to be the key to saving everyone. ROLLS EYES.

Also, she’s so annoying because she consistently made poor decisions and refused what her allies advised her to do. When Berenilde tortures her and Thorn asks her about it, she chooses not to tell him, for reasons that are eerily similar to Harry Potter’s when he was being tortured by Dolores Umbridge. Although in Ophélie’s case, it's just stupid and doesn’t make any sense. He could help you, you idiot!

And the mission! So they're a group planning to infiltrate the royal court by disguising their true identities, which will obviously require fake names and very careful planning. The stakes are high, they're risking their lives if they're discovered. Days before they effectively penetrate the court, Ophélie disobeys direct orders of staying put because she's an idiot, and her stupid wandering around leads her to getting lost, obviously, because she's a tool. She ends up running into a prince from the actual court THEY ARE TRYING TO INFILTRATE and she's thick enough to babble away valuable information. THEN, when she gets back, she never mentions to her teammates that she’s met Archibald, NOT ONCE, even though he is bound to recognize her for who she really is when they do infiltrate! Her silence literally jeopardized everyone and the entire mission altogether! Does she have a good reason for doing that and acting like a complete cretin? No. But does she at least feel guilty and realize that her complete foolishness put everyone in deadly danger? Also no.

And when Berenilde specifically tells her “Listen, this is important, Gustave is going to approach you with an offer, tell me at once when he does” what does she do when Gustave indeed approaches her? NOTHING. Does she warn Berenilde? OF COURSE NOT. I swear she’s dumber than a goat.

And I know her marriage was arranged but since she had no other option than to just, well, roll with it, I got annoyed at how she refused to try and work with Thorn. You’re bound to the guy. You have no choice so why not try to make the best of it? He’s not THAT bad. He watches out for you. Stop being so immature and try to make this situation that you’ve been given a better one.

Ugh. The overall reading experience felt very childish. The world building was okay, but I liked Anima better than the Pole. Honestly my two-stars are for the scarf, because that was freaking cute. Forget about the rest. The whole book is just so goddamn dull. ...more

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Sep 08, 2019 Lucy Langford rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4****

That was really interesting and a rather unusual fantasy book to what I usually read! Long ago there was a cataclysm called The Rupture and the world split its lands into celestial floating islands, known as Arks. Over each, the spirit of an immortal ancestor abides- they ere said to be the survivors of the rupture. Due to the Rupture, each Ark has strict rules regarding marriage and reproduction. In addition, each Ark is known for its own power- each one unique and different.

Ophelia is an 4****

That was really interesting and a rather unusual fantasy book to what I usually read! Long ago there was a cataclysm called The Rupture and the world split its lands into celestial floating islands, known as Arks. Over each, the spirit of an immortal ancestor abides- they ere said to be the survivors of the rupture. Due to the Rupture, each Ark has strict rules regarding marriage and reproduction. In addition, each Ark is known for its own power- each one unique and different.

Ophelia is an Anima with the specific gift of being able to read the emotions, thoughts, and scenes of objects belonging to past owners. She is extremely powerful at this, being one of the few who were actually trained to develop their power further. She also has the ability to be able to travel through mirrors. Ophelia is head-strong but soft spoken and loves her job in a museum here she can read the past items if she wishes to. Unlike her family members, she is not interested in appearances and couldn't care less about marriage or reproducing.

However, her simple life is soon upturned when she is told she HAS to marry a man from a far off, not-well-known land. As declining the marriage would mean banishment and family shame, Ophelia has to leave behind her family and much loved museum to the cold ark known as the Pole and follow her fiancee to the Citaceleste, the Capital. Here things are not as they seem and Ophelia is unable to trust anybody.

Armed with her quiet bravery, her curiosity and listening skills, Ophelia is able to uncover the truth and a larger political purpose to her marriage is at play. Ophelia is treated dreadfully by those in the Citaceleste however she does meet very few she can trust. The people of this place are manipulative and proud, and their customs are completely different to what Ophelia is use to. She is unlucky in the sense that she clearly does not feel comfortable and does not belong there and mean/terrible things seem to be directed to toward her.

Ophelia was a great character, despite myself thinking that she needs to say something-speak her mind, we do have a character who has a quiet form of bravery and endures much pain. It was interesting to read how the author created a world where the social norms seem quite different from my own. You couldn't help but feel sorry for Ophelia as she is faced with an arranged marriage that she just doesn't want, and she is at odds with the other women in her family and those from the Pole who only seem to care for appearances and social standing.

This book as probably more of a 3.5*** rounded up. This book is not constant action, but instead, rather introspective from Ophelia's POV. This focused more on the world building and understanding the powers and manipulations of others, so some parts of the book did seem to drag. However, overall I did enjoy this novel and I am going to read the second book to find out what happens next.

...more

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Oct 14, 2018 Melissa (Mel’s Bookshelf) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-ya

4.25 Stars.
I really enjoyed this YA debut novel by French author Christelle Dabos. It has won numerous awards in Europe so it was no surprise that it has recently finally been translated into English. I don't read many translated books and was excited to give this one a go! I have read some wonderful reviews about the French version. I wanted to see what sort of atmosphere it had. It did not disappoint!

In a unique universe, the world has been smashed up into different "arks". Ophelia is a young ...more

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Nov 20, 2018 Ellie (faerieontheshelf) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, recieved-for-review, translated-into-english

Holy hell this book has some of the most unique worldbuilding Ive seen for absolutely ages - its like Howls Moving Castle x Pride & Prejudice x Versailles under the guise of a somewhat-historical-feeling steampunk fantasy - and its fascinating.

Full review to come!!

*

- Buddy read with lovely Jasmin! - ...more

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Sep 11, 2018 Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction-young-adult, imo-monsters-unique, imo-suspenseful, reviewed, series-book-1, stars-5, g-a-magic, imo-worthy-love-interest, imo-neat-premise, g-t-another-world

Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

Long ago, a cataclysm shattered the world into many floating celestial islands. These Arks, have each developed in distinct ways, possessing its own unique relationship to time. Beneath her worn scarf and thick glasses, Ophelia hides the ability to read and communicate with the souls of objects, and the power to travel through mirrors. Her peaceful existence on the Ark of Anima is disrupted when she is promised in marriage to Thorn, from the ...more

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Oct 29, 2018 Tatiana marked it as dnf · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, fantasy, foreign-lands, 2, starred-2018, 2019

Don't get the logic of comparing this book to N.K. Jemisin's in the blurb. To me, the style was more reminiscent of Inkheart.

Not my thing.

P.S. Sampling and abandoning is great! Everyone should do more of it, IMO.

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Jun 11, 2018 Irene△⃒⃘➰ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cover-love, read-in-2018

4.5/5
Even if the story is nothing too elaborated I loved every single page of this book!! Loved the characters, the world is absolutely amazing and dynamics too!! I cant wait to have the next one is my hands, unfortunately it hasnt been translated yet😭 ...more

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Nov 24, 2018 Alice-Elizabeth (marriedtobooks) added it

Shelves: did-not-finish, alice-reads-adult-fiction, read-in-2018

DNF at page 113!

I'm not having much luck with my reading recently, A Winter's Promise was disappointing for me personally as I had high hopes for a new, popular fantasy read. I know this is translated from the original French but the writing itself felt quite info-dumpy. I really struggled to visualise the worlds and characters which as a visual reader/writer, was an issue. The part that ultimately made me decide to DNF was a remark made about the main character's weight. This was said in a way ...more

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Dec 10, 2018 Beatrice in Bookland rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf

DNF @20%

I cant for the life of me keep reading this.
Ophelias clumsiness is beyond embarrassing, how on earth can you break three objects in less than one minute or fall while standing still? How has she survived for 16 years - or whatever her age is? Seriously, how. Plus, there's a scene where Ophelia says that she has not washed - for no valid reason - for a week and that she doesn't care. I can't even comment on this, how gross is that???

I dont even know what to say about Thorn, hes an asshole ...more

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May 16, 2019 The Artisan Geek rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: bookcase, favourites

16/5/19
I bought this book back in March when I was visiting my sister, I had been eyeing it for some time because of the cover and MY GOSH! I am so so happy that I had a go at it, because this was SUCH a lovely fantasy!! This is going straight to my favourites shelf. I will be reviewing this book on my Youtube soon!! :)

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Mar 04, 2019 ☯~☽~•Patricia Mainard•~☾~☯ rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book!!

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Feb 19, 2019 Esmée rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, owned-favourites, owned-read, on-my-shelf, fantasy, 2019-tbr

This book was gorgeously written and very original. I cant wait for the next book! ...more

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Jul 09, 2018 Text Publishing added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, ya, translated, fantasy, mystery, kid-and-teens, translation

'Highly original and intricately imagined, this is world-building on an epic scale.'
The Bookseller UK

The Mirror Visitor stands on the same shelf as Harry Potter.
Elle

As mesmerising as a waking dream, A Winters Promise is certain to ensnare you in its unique, dizzyingly magical world of treachery, illusion, and intrigue.
Margaret Rogerson, author of An Enchantment of Ravens

A fantastic epic, definitely, but also a coming-of-age novel, this first volume makes a strong impression. A novelist is born.
...more

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Aug 07, 2018 Jessica Woodbury rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, ya, sci-fi-fantasy, in-translation

I was intrigued by this book, Europa Editions publishing a YA Fantasy series was an interesting surprise, but then I held off reading it for a long time. I don't actually *like* much YA Fantasy and I have a hard time committing to a series. In the end, though, I really enjoyed this and it was a nice antidote to a bit of a reading slump where nothing was really doing it for me, which is a high compliment indeed.

Worldbuilding in Fantasy is a real tightrope walk, you have to create a complex world I was intrigued by this book, Europa Editions publishing a YA Fantasy series was an interesting surprise, but then I held off reading it for a long time. I don't actually *like* much YA Fantasy and I have a hard time committing to a series. In the end, though, I really enjoyed this and it was a nice antidote to a bit of a reading slump where nothing was really doing it for me, which is a high compliment indeed.

Worldbuilding in Fantasy is a real tightrope walk, you have to create a complex world but you also have to be able to tell the characters' story without constantly explaining that complex world. The strange future Dabos creates with floating "ark" cities each with their own elaborate societies walked that line very well for me. Our protagonist Ophelia is sent to the Pole, and much of the joy of the book is getting to explore that strange world through her eyes. The extravagant world of the Pole is topsy-turvy, where you cannot believe what you see or what anyone tells you. Even when you feel a little more rooted in understanding the world, you never lose that precarious feeling that anything could change at any moment and that no one is quite what they seem. That's what this book does best and it's what I enjoyed the most.

The writing style reminded me more of the older books I read growing up, classic more than contemporary prose. I appreciated that this wasn't a book with a Very Special Protagonist, while Ophelia does have her unusual talents, they don't give her any special status at home or in her new world. Her entry into the wild and dramatic story she finds herself in appears to be mostly random (though who knows what we will learn in subsequent books in the series). She is not beautiful, nor is she the kind of person who thinks she is not beautiful but will actually become so after a makeover. She is sickly and clumsy, but as she is our protagonist she is of course stubborn and headstrong. (Take all this with whatever grains of salt you need to as I am not a regular YA Fantasy reader, so I'm not the best person to comment on how this is true to or varies from the genre in its current state.)

This book managed to throw twist after twist at me without leaving me feeling manipulated or annoyed, which is largely a result of the rules Dabos has built into the narrative. We expect these turns and we know another could be around any corner. While I'm not someone who commits to fantasy series (or really any series) very easily, I finished this book ready to pick up the second one immediately. Europa has officially got me addicted to a quartet for a second time. ...more

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Dec 14, 2018 Kayla rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Man that went downhill quickly.

It started out a 4 star, but ended up being up horrible.

I'll admit, the first fifty or so pages were amazing, and I wished it had stayed on that track, because the second they got to Citaceleste, things were BAD.

At first I really liked ophelia. I thought she was the right mix of smart and quirky and stubborn to make her akin to the protagonists of the middle grade books I used to read voraciously. The first fifty or so pages were similar to the Mysterious ...more

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Oct 05, 2018 Tammy rated it it was ok

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The nitty-gritty: Lots of potential, but unfortunately, this story was too problematic for my taste.

Well, I think you can tell by my rating that A Winters Promise just didnt work for me. I had high hopes for this book, which is apparently a huge success in the authors native country of France, and has just been translated into English and ...more

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Jan 18, 2020 Jessica Enriquez rated it really liked it

This book is so confusing, and yet so interesting.

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Jul 06, 2019 Laurie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Like a steampunk Howl's Moving Castle meets Pride & Prejudice. But also completely unique (one of the most original fantasies since Laini Taylor's work). Fabulous. Highly recommended.

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Aug 14, 2019 Kathleen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Best French Fantasy Novel and Best French Young Adult Novel 2014. Dabos fantasy series is filled with magic, illusion, and intrigue. Ophelia has certain giftsshe can experience an objects history through touch (i.e., a reader) and she can travel through mirrors. She enjoyed her work as a museum curator before her family arranged for her to be married to Thorn. She has to travel to a different Ark [arks are a series of floating islands that formed when the world broke apart].

Ophelia is thrust ...more

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May 16, 2019 Mara rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: physical-owned, arc

2.5 stars -- the ending of this bumped this from a 2 star, as I am sufficiently intrigued to keep reading. The struggle for me in this book is the conflict between the writing/tone and the content. The writing makes this much more of a middle grade than a YA (thought it might be a translation issue at first, but reading reviews from those who read in the original French, I don't think it's just the translation). The content, however, is more mature, and it left me feeling dissatisfied for most ...more

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Feb 21, 2019 Helena rated it liked it

Shelves: series-i-won-t-continue, buddy-reads

2.5
Imagine being tied up and having the best cake ever sitting in front of you but only being fed a spoonful once in a few hours. That's EXACTLY what it felt like reading this book.

Let's start on the positive note:
-I loved the idea of the magic system, I loved the differences between the arks and the fact that most of it was kind of misterious so that we had to pay attention in order to understand them
-Ophelia's great-uncle and her brother Hector were such nice characters, it made me so sad 2.5
Imagine being tied up and having the best cake ever sitting in front of you but only being fed a spoonful once in a few hours. That's EXACTLY what it felt like reading this book.

Let's start on the positive note:
-I loved the idea of the magic system, I loved the differences between the arks and the fact that most of it was kind of misterious so that we had to pay attention in order to understand them
-Ophelia's great-uncle and her brother Hector were such nice characters, it made me so sad when she had to leave without saying goodbye to them
-Descriptions, even though sometimes excesive, were nice and easy to imagine
And that would be it. In 500 pages, these are the only redeeming qualities I could think of.

Now, since this is a fairly long book and almost nothing happens, it'd be easy to point out all the flaws but ain't nobody got the time. So here are a few I found most annoying:
-The story is stretched thin. By 60ish% mark NOTHING was happening. I don't mind a slow paced book but this doesn't have enough content to be one, we could've been introduced to so much more which could potentially improve the impression
-Ophelia. I honestly don't know if I like her or absolutely despise her. She seems more like a caricature than an actual character. It looks like the author tried too hard not to make her the "perfect female protagonist" to the point that everything seemed like an exaggeration. She's strong and smart at the beginning but twenty pages later, she's totally submissive to the will of her future husband and, not only that, she also apperantly forgets how to use a brain. And at the end, all of a sudden, she remembers who she was and is a badass again. Why?
-Random plot twists at most random times. Honestly, most of them made no sense. At some point I just learned to accept them for whatever reason and continue on but that doesn't mean I wasn't pissed because some of them.
-The whole Pole ark reminds me of a very bad telenovela. Is anyone sane? Is anyone not overly dramatic? Is anyone a decent person? Find out in the next episode of "Pole's court".

I really hoped this would be a book for me, especially because I loved the magic part. I might try to pick up the second book once it's translated but my expectations aren't very high. ...more

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Feb 15, 2019 Mary-ellen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this YA fantasy by Christelle Dabos. The English language version of the first book in the series only became available late last year. I picked it up because I liked the cover and it sounded interesting. Im so glad I did.

The world-building is fabulous. The world has been smashed to pieces and now consists of a number of floating Arks. Each Ark seems to specialise in its own style of magic. Ophelia comes from Anima. She has the ability to read objects, ...more

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Dec 18, 2018 Nadine rated it liked it

A Winters Promise is a translated fantasy novel about a young girl with powers who is promised in marriage to Thorn, a man from a powerful clan in a distant land. When I first heard about this novel, I was initially intrigued by the world itself and the magic system. Im happy to report that the world building and magic system are the best parts of the novel however everything else falls flat. Hence the 3 star rating.

Dabos has created a unique world in which floating islands known as Arks all A Winter’s Promise is a translated fantasy novel about a young girl with powers who is promised in marriage to Thorn, a man from a powerful clan in a distant land. When I first heard about this novel, I was initially intrigued by the world itself and the magic system. I’m happy to report that the world building and magic system are the best parts of the novel however everything else falls flat. Hence the 3 star rating.

Dabos has created a unique world in which floating islands known as Arks all exist apart from each other and have developed in different ways. Each Ark features a different magic system and way of life that are showcased clearly by the two Arks featured in A Winter’s Promise. The main character, Ophelia, has the ability to read the history and emotion of an object and travel through mirrors. Life on her Ark is dull and uneventful. In contrast, the man she’s promised to hails from a violent Ark where a sort of telekinetic ability reigns.

Throughout the novel, each of the characters, other than Ophelia and Thorn, are exaggerated to an annoying extent. Ophelia’s family members are awful in the exaggerated way that makes it clear the main character is on her own. It’s annoying and cliché to create such a dichotomy in a group of characters in order to make the main character more pronounced.

There is a lot of miscommunication and withholding of information from the first page of the novel until the last. This kind of plot device usually works, but not for the entire novel. Ophelia is constantly not told key information that could potentially save her life or prepare her for the realities of life on the new Ark. For a lot of the novel, I felt incredibly frustrated for Ophelia and frustrated with the other characters.

The world Dabos has created is interesting and is what kept me turning the pages. I was interested in the way the Arks function, how they’ve developed independently, the power dynamics, and their respective magic systems. Dabos does not disappoint in this regard. The magic systems featured in A Winter’s Promise are simple at best, but that’s what makes them so powerful. Dabos’ introduction of Ophelia and her abilities set the stage for what’s to come later in the novel. The world building and magic system are the reason I rated the novel 3 stars instead of 2.

There are a lot of problematic messages being conveyed throughout the novel. At its core, A Winter’s Promise depicts a misogynistic culture. This type of culture isn’t confined to one Ark instead it’s at the heart of every character and interaction Ophelia has with others. She’s expected to marry someone she does not want for reasons she is not allowed to know, she’s expected to obey without question her potential husband, her thoughts and opinions are often belittled and ignored, and almost every female character is written as manipulative. I would never label A Winter’s Promise are young adult since the themes throughout are not used to make a point instead they exist without challenge.

Overall, A Winter’s Promise has the potential to be an incredible beginning to a fantasy series, but falls flat in it choice to uphold a misogynistic culture without check or balance.
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Nov 05, 2018 Roz rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2018

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About Christelle Dabos

Christelle Dabos

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Christelle Dabos est née en 1980 sur la Côte dAzur et a grandi dans un foyer empli de musique classique et dénigmes historiques. Plus imaginative que cérébrale, elle commence à gribouiller ses premiers textes sur les bancs de la faculté. Installée en Belgique, elle se destine à être bibliothécaire quand la maladie survient. Lécriture devient alors une évasion hors de la machinerie médicale, puis ...more

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“Oublier les morts, c'était un peu comme les tuer une seconde fois.” — 19 likes

“Passer les miroirs, ça demande de s'affronter soi-même. Il faut des tripes, t'sais, pour se regarder droit dans les mirettes, se voir tel qu'on est, plonger dans son propre reflet. Ceux qui se voilent la face, ceux qui se mentent à eux-mêmes, ceux qui se voient mieux qu'ils sont, ils pourront jamais. Alors crois-moi, ça ne court pas les trottoirs !” — 16 likes

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