Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

16 reviews

shaimanshamoon's review against another edition

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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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bag_end_library's review against another edition

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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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e_riahh's review against another edition

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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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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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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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mariavdl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.75


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niminnie's review against another edition

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

3.0


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stephaniemcuervo's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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lokes's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.25

This was… well, is was something. 
The worldbuilding was a bit sloppy, but interesting, but plot and characters? Icky. Like, really bad. 

Not only did it have tropes such as forced marriage and hints of pedophilia (as soon as the guy was always called a “man with his big hands; like a father; etc” and the woman described as “girl with small hands; being generally very young and clueless and in need of constant help”) I had a bad feeling and boy wasn’t I wrong. 

I don’t know why so many people like a book which is filled with sexism, weird stereotypes, classism, racism and basically everything you don’t want to read about when it is normalized (or rather being glorified, because you just couldn’t catch a break when reading. It just kept coming)

I do feel like I need to apologize to the person I am now that I read this book because it wasn’t pleasant and I feel like I need to unlearn all of the very harmful stuff I just read about. 

The writing style’s not bad though, I could have liked it without the weird content. 



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amazelan's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.0


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bialves's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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