A Winter’s Promise features Animist Ophelia, a young girl who has the power to travel through mirrors and to see an object’s past upon touching it. However, she is soon forced into a marriage with Thorn, a stern and apathetic man from the faraway world of the Pole. As she accompanies her fiancé to the floating city of Citaceleste, she discovers rival clans and powerful families. Knowing that Ophelia is unable to trust anyone besides her fiancé and her aunt, she comes upon the Pole’s family spirit- Lord Farouk, who is obsessed with his Book, an ancient and odd relic that Ophelia realizes she was being used to find the past for. As Ophelia navigates the dangerous world of her fiancé, she must see through the lies and manipulations in order to survive in this floating world.
WOW. I didn’t have many expectations going in but this novel surely exceeded them. The writing flowed greatly and, while I’m not for arranged or forced marriages, the protagonist is unlike those around her and is constantly looking for a way to control her own future. The events flowed smoothly and all the characters were so well done. The personalities of all the characters felt very real and different, and I adored ALMOST all of them. Also, can I take a moment to appreciate the cover art? The covers are so incredibly different from other books that I’ve seen, and you can tell there was a lot of work put into it and the rest of the books in the series. The world-building is spectacular and all the mechanics were easy to follow and unique. I don’t have anything bad to say about this novel because it was nothing like I expected. There was hardly that much romance (which I like), but the novel foreshadows a relationship with Ophelia and Thorn, which is done in a pace that doesn’t feel suffocating to the reader. Overall, this may be one of the rare 5 stars that I give a book, so hopefully the rest of the series follows.