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purple_adora's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Death
aseel_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Minor: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence
izgetsbetter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Not gonna lie, she’s the absolute worst! The author really tried to emphasize how “quirky” she was and how much she wasn’t “like other girls”. It’s pretty gross. And what’s worse is that she doesn’t really develop.... like at all. She was annoying from start to finish. In the end, I preferred the “antagonists” over her.
Even though she annoys me to no end, I will most likely read the rest of the series. Wish me luck!
Graphic: Physical abuse and Violence
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Sexism
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Child death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
izzlepizzleupinthisshizzle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Minor: Toxic relationship and Death
bookspaperink's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Animal death
wayward_sara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Moderate: Drug use, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Animal death and Death
spearly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A Winter's Promise is the fantastical first novel in The Mirror Visitor series, and takes place in a magical, post-rupture society, where the world is split into Arks. Or MC Ophelia is from an ark called Anima, and has the power to read the history of objects through touch, as well as travel short distances through mirrors. The story begins with an unexpected arranged marriage between her and gentleman named Thorn, who is from another Ark called The Pole.
There are very few books I have read that read to me like poetry, and yet, I was absorbed in every word. Dabos does an incredible job with her world-building, without inundating the beginning of the story with detail after detail. Rather, she drops us into the middle of world and lets it share itself chapter after chapter.
Likewise, I was no less impressed with Dabos' characterization. Everyone felt so distinct, so complex, so real, and Ophelia was an incredible character to follow throughout this journey. A lot of YA fantasy series have some sort of 16 year-old Mary-Sue character who knows nothing and yet is still somehow the key to saving the world. Not Ophelia. I mean, yes, she's powerful, but she is so unremarkable in many ways. She even
Thorn, Ophelia's fiancé is a puzzle, that's for certain. I couldn't get a read on him, even when it seemed his true intentions were revealed (
That said,
The only reason this isn't a 5 star for me is the pacing. As quickly as it went by, I still felt like nothing much has happened in the first novel. By some other reviews I've read, it seems it picks up in book 2!
I can see why this series might have been one i passed over when it came out 8 years ago, but I feel like I'm appreciating it a lot more than my teenage self would have. I'm glad to know I still have 2.5 books (I'm halfway through [book:The Missing of Clairdelune|41953346]). It's truly unlike anything I've read before!
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
dalawis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Murder, Death, and Child death
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3. 5 stars
I had high hopes for this book after seeing it on booktok, and while I enjoyed it, it didn't completely live up to those expectations. The world-building was a bit heavy-handed, but I really liked how the setting felt like a book version of a Studio Ghibli movie. It was a bit confusing trying to follow the details of the Arks, families, and magic system, but ultimately it created an interesting universe. The characters also weren't always likable, but Dabos did a good job (almost too good!) creating tension so that I never knew who to trust. Ophelia is not like most YA protagonists; not only is she mostly very quiet and thoughtful, but she barely used her powers throughout the book. I honestly didn't know that this book was originally written in French until about a third of the way through, when I looked it up because the writing style and word choice was often a bit odd. I'm not sure if that's due to the translator or if it's Dabos' writing style, but it definitely added to the tone of the book.
Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just my judgement of how happy the ending is because I always wish someone would tell me that before I read books):
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, and Physical abuse
Minor: Death, Incest, Miscarriage, and Murder
aunteaandbiscuits's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Bullying
Minor: Animal cruelty, Car accident, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Sexism, Blood, and Alcoholism