A Winter's Promise: The Ultimate Cozy Fantasy?

I picked up “A Winter’s Promise” on a whim a few years ago. I’ve read it a few times since, if that says anything.

“A Winter’s Promise” is a young adult novel written by Christelle Dabos, originally published in French.

This novel is set in a steam-punk world made up of 21 Arks. Each Ark is ruled by a celestial, immortal deity. Given their immorality, these deities have come to a point where they can no longer remember much of their life. To combat this, each one has a book that records their life. Which will be important later, so keep this in mind. 

In the beginning we meet the novel’s protagonist, Ophelia, a girl from Anima. Anima is an Ark where objects are sentient. Ophelia herself has abilities—she can pass through mirrors and “read” objects. Basically, she is able to touch an object and see its past. She also has a sentient scarf, a very moody scarf, which is quite fun.

When we are first introduced to Ophelia, it is revealed that she has been, unknowingly, betrothed to a man from another Ark. Ophelia is quite upset about this development as she has purposely avoided marriage and is set on inheriting her great-uncle’s museum. 

The man betrothed to Ophelia is Thorn. He is from the Pole, an Ark characterized by its ice and snow. Thorn is a Dragon, a family clan that has an ability known as Claws, allowing the wielder to injure by connecting to another’s mind. Thorn is an abrasive, strategic, and a silently dangerous man and it becomes abundantly clear that this marriage, while his idea, was not what he wanted. 

Ophelia is taken to the Pole, where she lives with Thorn, Bernilde, his aunt, and her aunt, until the marriage. Through her time living with Thorn and Bernilde, Ophelia finds herself accidentally entangling herself into the politics of the Pole. This ends up unraveling the main plot of the story—Thorn needed a reader to “read” the book of the Pole’s deity, Lord Farouk. 

Overall, there is not much I can say to discredit this novel. The characters, the plot, the worlds are thought out, gritty, and just whimsical enough to work. Thorn and Ophelia are multi-faceted, with the ability to be annoying and endearing at the same time. The atmosphere of the book is captivating. You can feel the surface level danger that follows Ophelia in the Pole, you can feel the warmth of Anima, and the isolation of Bernilde’s cottage. The parts of the story—the plot, characters, and the world—are cohesive, blending seamlessly together to make it feel like you step into the novel. There really isn’t one part of the book I would say is better than the other. 

Since this book is translated, there are some things that do get lost in the English translation. Words, sentences, and descriptions don’t entirely make sense. But it is minute, never interfering with the comprehension of the plot. 

For those who like political machinations, grumpy protagonists, and sentient objects, then “A Winter’s Promise” is a great book for you. I would argue that this novel should be the guideline for a cozy fantasy. 8/10.