• Author: Christelle Dabos
• Translator: Hildergarde Serle
• Series: The Mirror Visitor #1
• Genre: Fantasy
• Star Rating: 5 stars
• Gifted by Publisher: No

Plot: Long ago, following a cataclysm called ‘The Rupture’, the world was shattered into floating celestial islands, known now as Arks. Ophelia lives on Anima, an Ark where objects have souls. Beneath her worn scarf and thick glasses, Ophelia hides two powers: the ability to read the past of objects and their human owners, and the ability to travel through mirrors. When she is promised in marriage to Thorn, the young girl must leave her family and follow her fiancé to Citaceleste, the floating capital of a distant Ark. Why has she been chosen? Why must she hide her true identity?

This book has been on my bookshelf waiting to be read for what seems like forever. I knew that the stars would align for me to pick this book up when I needed it the most. And boy am I glad to have finally reached that moment.

This book perfectly captures everything I love in one book. Whimsical yet dark setting, variety of over the top but incredibly layered characters, a plot that keeps you guessing until the very end and it’s a completed series!!

The world of A Winter’s Promise is a perfect mixture between Labyrinth, Senlin Ascends and Terry Pratchett. A beautifully imaginative world that is both exuberant and magical as it is calculating and dark. I have truly never wanted to experience a fantasy world as much as I want to experience the world of this series. With every page I turned I was surprised by the splendour, the imagination, the creativity that Dabos put into her world. This book has me craving more. Not just more of Dabos’ work but more fantasy books in general. This book left me feeling excited for reading again. Perfect just before my week long holiday!

The characters in this book were so vibrant and annoying and exciting. I didn’t understand them at first and found myself in Ophelia’s shoes trying to sue everyone out and just trusting in Dabos and her vision. I loved Ophelia as a character. I loved her steadfastness, her dedication, her inner monologue all just so perfect. But what I loved about these characters is how imperfect they are. It made for such an interesting reading experience following these characters where you had literally no idea what they would do next. You didn’t know who you could trust at any given moment and I think this really highlights the complextiies of the world Dabos has created. This world is cutthroat and every man is out for themselves and this is reflected in the flippant and two-faced nature of most of these characters. 

The plot of this book evaded me for a bit. All I knew was that a young woman was betrothed to a man on a different island to her and she would have to balance court politics. What I didn’t expect was the super layered, complex mystery that we get near to the end. Most of the book is focused on understanding Ophelia as a character and the other players on this complicated chess board. The plot doesn’t truly show itself until the last 100 pages and it’s truly a testament to Dabos’ writing that I read a whole book where the focus was on the characters and their machinations rather than a solid plot. Dabos has just created a world so inviting yet terrifying and characters so entertaining that I could honestly just read a whole book them all at a tea party and still give it 5 stars. Bring on the sequel.