Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

47 reviews

shaimanshamoon's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A Winter's Promise is an enchanting start to The Mirror Visitor Quartet, filled with rich world-building, political intrigue, and a unique magic system. The protagonist, Ophelia, a quiet woman who can read objects and travel through mirrors, is forced into an arranged marriage with the cold and mysterious Thorn. As she navigates the treacherous court of the Pole, the plot unfolds with slow-burning tension, uncovering secrets and hidden agendas.

The intricate universe of floating arks is vividly imagined, and the magic system feels fresh and essential to the story. Ophelia's character development, from shy and awkward to resilient, is a highlight, while Thorn's layers unravel slowly. The pacing is deliberate, and while some may find the action lacking, the novel's focus on political maneuvering and suspense is rewarding.

Though the relationship between Ophelia and Thorn

develops at a glacial pace (wish they'd fall in love!), their

dynamic adds depth. Thorn's frequent scoffing, like the "he growled" in some
books is funny to me

Overall, A Winter's Promise is a beautifully crafted fantasy that will captivate patient readers.

Rating: 4/5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Classism

bag_end_library's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? No

4.75

Great world and character building. Was enraptured from the start. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Classism

e_riahh's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Drug use, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Blood, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Death, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Murder

chasinggrace's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

I was so excited for the premise of this book, but unfortunately I was disappointed. The first installment of this series felt like a prequel with one of the most drab main characters I’ve ever read. Her development from meek and clumsy to angry and clumsy took 490 pages, and her relationship with Thorn moved at a similarly glacial pace. This book was dedicated to Ophelia understanding court politics and having her innocence completely shed, whereas I was expecting more - more interactions with Thorn, for the main character to have a quicker mind, for SOMETHING to happen. But it’s 500 pages of her getting pushed around like a rag doll. This truly could have been condensed, and I wish it had been. 

The world is fantastic, I will say. It reminds me of a cross between Studio Ghibli and Bridgerton. 


While I’m not completely put off from the series, it’ll be awhile before I decide if I want to continue with Ophelia’s story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

a_islandcriptid's review

adventurous mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Police brutality, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol

amartin48's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was everything I asked for, I didn’t quite understand what I was asking for, but I ended up really enjoying this read! The world building is mind bending and takes a lot of focus to sort out all the pieces. Of the three main locations in this book, each are VASTLY different. I loved the test of memory and comprehension this book gave me, and it builds suspense between characters beautifully. It took me 200pgs to really get into it, but I’m excited to read the next in the trilogy! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Infertility, Physical abuse, Blood, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, Death of parent, and Classism

frazzledreader's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious relaxing tense slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Physical abuse

Minor: Child death

jstilts's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.25

The first part in a series, this book nevertheless is just about satisfying for the emotional/confidence journey it takes the lead upon (albeit slightly rushed at the end but I carries through well enough in book 2). I won't recap the plot as that would remove the tension, but this book is basically about an arranged marriage between two countries - but our lead character has been kept in the dark about how much danger this marriage will expose her to, to the point where she has to spend half the book in disguise amongst those who wish her dead. It's an interesting mix of fantasy and what could have been a period drama (almost a Jane Austen romance but one gone deliciously wrong). It probably wouldn't have been enough to be one or the other, but both genres combined lift this into a compelling tale of intrigue as she tries to survive the world she has been thrust into, and rise above the limited role she is being forced to play.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Violence, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

katclaybaugh's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was a really fun read. The world building was excellent. It broke out of a lot of the cliches of the genre. I really look forward to getting the next book in the series! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Murder, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault, Violence, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

This was all fairly mild and definitely YA appropriate.