4 reasons A Winter’s Promise is a promising start to Christelle Dabos’ fantasy quartet

Although Christelle Dabos’ A Winter’s Promise is mostly comprised of setup, it’s serves as a solid beginning to her fantasy quartet.

Though Christelle Dabos’ Mirror Visitor Quartet is almost entirely published in French, the English translation of the novel was just released on Sept. 25. And while A Winter’s Promise is mostly concerned with setting up the world and characters, it’s definitely a solid beginning to a fantasy series.

The story follows Ophelia, a young girl who has spent her entire life helping her great uncle run his museum. As a descendant of Artemis, she lives on an “ark” with other family members of the goddess. She has the power to read objects and travel through mirrors, along with a tendency to turn down marriage suitors.

Ophelia has little interest in romance, something that becomes a problem when she’s promised to a man from an entirely different ark. She’s forced to leave behind the world she knows and loves in favor of a brutal northern landscape. And if she’s disinterested in the situation, it’s nothing to what her fiancé feels — Mr. Thorn is downright rude and brutish when they meet.

But Ophelia soon learns that everyone in her new home is brutal and conniving, and most of them make Thorn look positively pleasant. She’s forced to adapt to these people and their ways, but it doesn’t make her place at the court any more dangerous.

The politics alone are enough reason to read A Winter’s Promise, but the novel also leaves plenty to expand upon in future books.

Strong worldbuilding and lore

Although the lore can be overwhelming at times, the gist of it is this: Each family in Dabos’ world is descended from a god or goddess. These deities still survive, but they typically don’t have much interaction with their descendants. They do, however, pass down their magical gifts — hence, Ophelia’s interesting set of powers.

And though Ophelia’s and Thorn’s deities are mentioned quite a bit, they make few appearances in A Winter’s Promise. Despite their lack of presence, however, the plot turns out to be more intertwined with these two than it seems. And that means that readers are likely to learn more about them in the coming books — and possibly other deities as well.

A unique, but still expandable, magic system

When it comes to the magic system in A Winter’s Promise, Dabos doesn’t waste time with long-winded explanations and rules. Instead, she throws readers into her story and allows them to figure out how the magic works.

Sometimes, this approach can lead to confusion — but Dabos handles it well enough that this isn’t the case here. Both Ophelia’s and Thorn’s magic become understandable as the story unfolds. We learn about their powers by watching them use them.

This lack of structure in the magic system is a good thing for the series as a whole. With few rules laid out on the table, Dabos will be able to expand upon the magic as the story continues.

Colorful characters

The characters in A Winter’s Promise will test your patience at times, but this will only make you more interested in them. You’ll find yourself wondering whether they’re actually this insufferable, or if there’s something more lurking beneath the surface.

Most of Dabos’ characters have intentions and motives that aren’t clear from page one, so readers will have to continue the story to discover their true faces. And, like all good characters, those faces change as the story continues. Their personalities and relationships develop in interesting ways, and it makes you wonder what they’ll look like by the time the fourth book is finished.

Modifying the arranged marriage plot

For the majority of A Winter’s Promise, Ophelia and Thorn remain indifferent toward one another. And even when their feelings for each other begin to thaw, it doesn’t turn into outright passion. In fact, while it seems Thorn is impressed by her, she remains less than enthused about the situation.

Of course, the two may end up falling for one another as the series continues. But, for now, readers can be grateful that Ophelia doesn’t fall into the expected trap and become totally enamored with her new husband.

If the second novel in Dabos’ series builds off the setup from A Winter’s Promise, it will definitely be more than worth the read.