Reviews with content warning for Death - A Winter's Promise

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A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

57 reviews

rorikae's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

'A Winter's Promise' by Christelle Dabos is a translated YA fantasy that introduces a whimsical world with darkness just below the surface.
Ophelia is a reader, someone who has the power to read the history of an object with her fingers. Content to work in her family's museum, her life is upended when her family announces that she is to be wed to Thorn, the treasurer of Pole, a distant Ark. Ophelia is whisked away to a world she does not know that is drenched in snow and where she comes to understand that dangerous political plots boil under the surface. As she tries to understand her new home and the family she is joining, she is pulled into the politics of this society while attempting to hide her identity.
Dabos creates a unique world that she populates with a full spectrum of characters. Ophelia is an easy main character to root for, especially considering the other characters she is surrounded by, though she really comes into her own at the end of this first book. Dabos's descriptions create a lush world full of snow, excess, streets inside of buildings, and lots of mirrors. The world was instantly intriguing and one of the pieces that kept me interested throughout the book as we get to know more about Ophelia. Dabos also does a good job of bringing the reader into the same state as Ophelia, questioning the motivations of the characters that surround her as she slowly learns more about the Pole. Though the evocativeness of the writing was a high point, the writing did also wander. Dabos gives a full picture of the world sometimes to the detriment of the plot. Since this is a translated work, it is unclear to me if this is an issue with the translation or if it is true to the story in its original French as well.
I am interested in where the story goes next and will definitely be picking up the next installment. Dabos' worldbuilding is incredibly engaging and she has set up political plots and questions that I think will be explored more fully in the following books.

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serena_hien's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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chiaraaaa's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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japanasi's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

what started as a “mc is not like other girls” quickly became a page turner (look at me, reading 530 pages in two days!); court intrigues and a fascinating magic system, teenage me would have devoured this book !

there’s little romance but I’m assuming it may follow in the sequels; it’s not exactly enemies to lovers but more like “mutual dislike” or indifference to lovers, probably, it’s a slow burn in any case (and we’re talking slow here)

in some parts it didn’t feel like YA novel while in others it certainly did (yay I’m being vague on purpose)

I very much enjoyed this book, I can’t wait to read the sequel(s)!

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