“Reading had always been a passion, but since when were passions the only foundations of a life?”

Book title

A Winter’s Promise

Author

Christelle Dabos

Date published

06-06-2013

Date started

19-01-2022

Date finished

04-02-2022

Page count

492

Stars

Summary

Long ago, following a cataclysm called “The Rupture,” the world was shattered into many floating celestial islands. Known now as Arks, each has developed in distinct ways; each seems to possess its own unique relationship to time, such that nowadays vastly different worlds exist, together but apart. And over all of the Arks the spirit of an omnipotent ancestor abides.

Ophelia lives on Anima, an ark where objects have souls. Beneath her worn scarf and thick glasses, the young girl hides the ability to read and communicate with the souls of objects, and the power to travel through mirrors. Her peaceful existence on the Ark of Anima is disrupted when she is promised in marriage to Thorn, from the powerful Dragon clan. Ophelia must leave her family and follow her fiancée to the floating capital on the distant Ark of the Pole. Why has she been chosen? Why must she hide her true identity? Though she doesn’t know it yet, she has become a pawn in a deadly plot.

My review

So that was, a book. I think that is what I can say about it. It was a pick for our bookclub and we all agreed this book wasn’t for us. The way it was written felt like an introduction into a lot more books. But it didn’t catch me in a way that I need to read the next books. In my opinion, nothing really happened except for Ophelia being shut down every time she wants to say or do someting. I hate Thorn, I hate all the other side characters and I think the worldbuilding was set up for so much potential, it was just gone. It just wasn’t there. I read nothing about the other celestial islands and I have no idea how this world looks. I’m sorry, just didn’t like it. Why the 2 stars instead of just 1? Well, I did like this one character further along in the book and this was a character that has a lot of potential. Oh, and the worldbuilding; the world is there to shine, it just wasn’t here (yet?).

Quotes

“Going through the mirrors requires confronting yourself. You need guts, you know, to look yourself straight in the eyes, to see yourself as you are, to dive into your own reflection. Those who hide their faces, those who lie to themselves, those who see themselves better than they are, they will never be able. So believe me, it doesn’t run the sidewalks!”
“Reading had always been a passion, but since when were passions the only foundations of a life?”