I feel like this novel is meant for a Younger auditory, I had trouble reading it because I tought it was a little simple and the writing did not please me, but it was somewhat ok,

Raised in isolation as neither servant or family Kara has never seen much beyond her lady’s chambers. However, when she receives a rare invite to dine with her ladyship’s husband, family and their guests she catches the attention of Royce Capello, a noble visiting on business. In exchange for some land he demands Kara as payment. The next day she is leaving everything she knows behind. However, Royce’s travelling party is set upon by bandits and Kara is once again taken. Kara is in despair, taken twice against her will and shoved into an unfamiliar world she seems to have no choices. Until a mirror appears and shows her three possible choices…

I love the concept of these books, it’s such a simple but interesting idea. A young woman is at crisis point with a set of choices before her each with the power to complete change the path of her life. A magic mirror appears and shows her the consequences of each choice.

What made A Girl of White Winter such a good read, was that each choice presented had its own unique highs and lows. Each future, even the ones that may seem to be awful each offer Kara something unique, be it romantic love, a family, affluence, responsibility and leadership. And, even the choices that seem like they would be perfect have their downsides. I really loved that Hendee gave us such a complete picture of each possible choice.

Each choice also brings out different aspects of Kara’s personality and allows her to progress from a sheltered and timid girl to a woman with her own strengths. And as each possible choice leads to such different consequences this book also avoids becoming repetitive. Although characters do cross over, you get a different view of each character each time meaning it never gets boring.

As to whether I guessed which path she would take? I genuinely found it difficult with this one and was eager to see what path she would take. This was just another reason why I couldn’t put this book down. Any fans of fantasy and/or young adult need to give this book a try, it’s a fantastic read and one of my favourites this year.

A Girl of White Winter had an interesting premise, but it was not executed well. I did not understand the world-building. Also, there were a few graphic scenes that made me uncomfortable reading. Still, for those who are fan of the series may find this to be a satisfying read.

Such an interesting story, but very similar to the first one. In fact, I had to keep checking to see if I'd read this one before since the beginning was so similar. Still very interesting. Hope there are more in this series.

I have loved Barb Hendee's books since the Noble Dead series, and this new addition does not disappoint. The plot device is brilliant: a young lady, through no fault of her own, finds herself in an untenable position with three very different choices looming over her: travel with a performing troupe, run away, or stay - but which to choose? Then a magical artifact, a three-faced mirror, appears before her. Each reflective pane shows her the future path that each choice will follow, thus allowing her to make her choice armed with knowledge. Once the choice is made however, all memories of the mirror's visit and the possible futures vanish along with the artifact.

Bonus kudos to the author for not leaving us with a "Lady or the Tiger" ending, as she so easily could have done. The reader gets to know the protagonist's choice, whether we agree with that choice or not. My closure-craving soul thanks her for that. (My personal favorite choice was the one the character picked, but that is beside the point.)

I highly recommend this book and series to those who enjoy fantasy, magic, and seeing events unfold from a variety of circumstances.

* Special thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

A Girl of White Winter, by author Barb Hendee, is the third installment in the authors Dark Glass series. This is a series that began with the story of a witch who was killed, and found herself trapped in a 3-way mirror. As we have learned, the 3-way mirror seeks out those facing difficult decisions. The mirror gives the chosen 3 paths. They each live out their 3 paths, and then must make a choice between the 3. There are no do overs. Once the choice is made, it can't be undone.

This is the story of Kara, a young woman who is basically an orphan who has been kept hidden by Lady Giselle. She is small, slender, pale skinned, with blonde/silver hair and crystalline blue eyes. Soon after the story begins, Kara is sold to Royce Capellos even though he is already married. However, before Royce's caravan can arrive safely at home, Kara is taken by masked men who ambushed by a man named Caine and brought to a place called the settlement. There she is given a choice, and her is where the mirror makes its first appearance.

Kara finds herself being told by a 3-way mirror that she is at the crossroads of her life, and she is here to offer 3 different paths.

~She can leave with her protector Raven and journey with his performing troupe, competing for his mercurial affections.

~She can flee the raiders’ settlement, and return to Royce’s manor, chattel among devious nobility.

~Or she can stay in the settlement, bound to firm, silent Caine, who is as gentle as he is staid and inscrutable.

Unfortunately, I have to say that A Girl in White Winter was probably the most disappointing story of the three books that have been released so far. Kara is pretty much a nobody who has been sheltered as a lady's companion for all of her life. She is cannon fodder to a noble who wants to purchase land, and ends up being sent away to live in a world she knows absolutely nothing about. Even after she makes her final choice, it seems as though she clearly made a huge mistake since she found a connection to a stranger which nobody can understand.

I didn't like the second choice Kara was given. It was wrong in so many ways that I can't even talk about for fear of spoiling something. One could say the third choice was also the most distressing because of how Kara is made to feel in the settlement. No, I won't spoil the choice she made. Of all the options she's given, only one really made any sense, and it wasn't the one she choose. One could honestly say that the first and third choices grant Kara the opportunity to actually explore who she is. Kara falls clearly into the category of men everywhere want to have her, while women everywhere want to get rid of her quickly for they fear she may intrude into their little cliches.

The positive of reading this series is that each book is a standalone with a beginning and an ending. You don't actually have to read the first 2 books in order to understand what is happening in this story. Let's hope the fourth book excels where this went lacked.

I loved the premise of this book, which I understand is an underlying premise for the entire season: the protagonist finds themselves at a crossroads of difficult choices and suddenly BLAMMO - magic mirror with a witch stuck inside appears and shows them the outcomes of their choices so they can make an informed decision. 

Kara has a run in with this mirror and now gets to choose between the men who have claimed ownership of her (ick) by seeing how they would treat her if she chose them.

I'm trigger warning this one for rape because it was unexpected and plain nasty - one of her choices leads to her being raped (no graphic details provided but her response was to get over it and sympathise with her captor), her responses after that point aren't actually all that different than those she has to the men who don't violate her.

The characters were two dimensional so you don't really get a feel for them, their motivations are pretty basic - but dammit, I wanted to enjoy this book! The idea of living out your choices before committing is so cool, so I kept going. 

The downside to writing a book in this way is that the options overlap in some areas, which allowed the author to copy and paste paragraphs of text over which is just cheating! This would have been the perfect opportunity to write the same scenes again but from the perspective of the main character with her difference experiences each time. 
What I did enjoy is that none of the main character's options were perfect, this was very realistic and she had to follow her conscience as well as her happiness on the matter. 

Problematic plot points aside, I found the writing style really enjoyable and the suspense was fantastic. I'm going to keep my eye on this series and see what the author comes up with next!

This book captured me right from the prologue! I loved the set up on this magical twist to a historical fiction novel. We all have choices to make that can take our paths in different directions and this book allows the heroine to see how one choice will impact her path in life.

It was interesting to see that no matter what path she choose it would bring hardships, but also happiness. The dilemma becomes what are you willing to sacrifice in order to have the outcome you desire. It brings up, questions of what does it truly mean to happy and can life offered different endings that can still leave you fulfilled.

I enjoyed this book and looking forward the other stories in this series.

I have to not read other books on this Series. And I was MESMERISED by The story. The Concept on its own was so fresh.
Kara is a companion to The lady for Her whole Life. She was secured for Her whole Life. The doesn't know Society or Life outside the manor. Men come There and due to some business, she was sold to one of the men as nice property. Then after some events, she is to see three paths from which she will have to choose only one.
Each of Her choices is some kind of disaster in The end, but what will happen in each of them?
To know which choice will choose and what will happen to allow yourself to read this Great read!
Can't wait to read book 4 in this Series!

I thoroughly enjoy this series, and was not disappointed at all by this book. Kara is timid, but she is able to find strength when needed. So although she is a damsel she often handles her own distress. I also liked that this time the choice was much tougher, at least for her as a person. I love that although I may not agree with her, the life she chose was a complete reflection of her personality. I can’t wait for the next book.

A Girl of White Winter by Barb Hendee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this series. This time it is Kara who has to make one of three choices. She sees each choice in a three panel mirror and each has a very different but not entirely bad result. This time thought I knew which choice she was going to take before I even saw all three. Turned out I was right. Each book has a very different setting and women who are faced with difficult decisions. Next book is already in the works making me glad that the series is still ongoing.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

A Girl of White Winter tells the tale of Kara, an orphaned girl raised in the care of a noble family. After being raised as the ward of the Lady of the House, the Lord sells Kara off to Royce Capello as part of a deal to obtain valuable lands. She's never been away from the manor before, rarely been outside, never been clothed in anything other than silk and other fancy gowns - a living doll. On the road, Royce's party is attacked by thieves and Kara is claimed by Caine, a member of an isolated sect. Upon arriving at the sect's stronghold, Kara encounters a magic mirror that shows her three paths her life can take from that point. The majority of the book is spent detailing these three paths, with a quick wrap-up at the end showing which she chooses.

I requested this book on NetGalley because I was intrigued by the concept of the mirror and the multiverse theory associated with different choices and potential outcomes. Unfortunately, for me, this book didn't live up to expectations. I found Kara's characterization inconsistent and flat, and she didn't resonate with me at all. There was a distinct lack of agency for her throughout the book. Even when she was deciding which path to choose, I felt the decisions of the men around her were more influential than her own wants and needs. She was described to have a significant phobia that was later ignored and had skills that it didn't make sense for her to have, such as being exceptionally good at chess. Ms. Hendee also landed squarely on a pet peeve of mine: a female character who is an object of sexual interest to every male in the vicinity and hated by other women because of it. The majority of the other characters in the book were also unlikable: Raven, Royce, Caine, Logan, Brida, Jade, Adina and Loraine, off the top of my head. Tristan, Trey, Alexi and Jemma were better for me, but they were such minor characters they didn't get enough page time to save this for me.

Bottom line: I'm particular about details and tropes - this one didn't fit the bill for me, but as with all fiction, your mileage may vary.

Llegamos al que pedí a Netgalley. Sí, me leí los dos anteriores de la saga porque pedí este sin ver que era el tercero. Que levante la mano el que no lo haya hecho alguna vez. El caso es que la premisa de esta novela me atraía mucho (ya la de la saga es genial, un espejo que da tres posibles futuros para la protagonista) porque siempre es interesante ver si se trata bien la psicología de alguien a quien apartan de todo lo que conoce.

En este caso, más que en los anteriores, tenemos tres historias distintas que tocan temas muy distintos. La primera es una historia de amor bastante al uso, en la que descubre algo que se le da bien y empieza a surgir la chispa del amor con la persona que le da espacio y tiempo y le permite descubrirse a sí misma. Sin embargo, esto tiene una serie de consecuencias inesperadas. Es una historia donde la protagonista descubre lo que se le da bien y lo aprovecha al máximo. La segunda es una historia donde se ve el lado débil de un machito y cómo a veces las actitudes vienen a consecuencia de otras personas en su vida. En esta, la protagonista tiene que averiguar dónde están los límites de su libertad cuando se encuentra enclaustrada en un sitio con varias personas manipuladoras y controladoras. Finalmente, la tercera historia es la búsqueda de un verdadero conocimiento del pueblo con el que vive y un cierto politiqueo en busca de la razón de ser de las leyes y de los motivos de la gente para seguirlas. Son tres historias muy diferentes que, sin embargo, mantienen a la misma protagonista con prácticamente el mismo carácter y el mismo modo de hacer las cosas. Hay pocos personajes que vuelvan entre una y otra historia (solo entre la primera y la tercera realmente) y, por tanto, a diferencia de los otros dos, creo que este es el libro más rico en personajes y en historia.

La construcción de la primera historia, con su viaje y sus actos de circo y demás tiene un estilo de narración más directo, mientras que en el segundo caso tenemos un estilo más soterrado, más dejando sin decir pero al mismo tiempo juzgando con fuerza cada uno de los aspectos de las relaciones que se dan, sin dejar de lado mostrarnos el ambiente político en el que se dan. El tercero es el caso más extraño porque tenemos una distribución equitativa entre la política, en este caso a través de conseguir ser la mujer importante que trae ideas nuevas y formas nuevas de hacer las cosas, y las relaciones familiares intentando mostrar lo mejor de ambos mundos.

En definitiva, es el mejor libro de la serie, por ahora, dando además una potencia interesante al ser tres historias con sus puntos positivos y sus puntos negativos. A veces parece que al crítica se queda un poco superficial, pero sigue alcanzando los puntos interesantes.

The idea for this series is unique—the main character in each book is presented with the outcomes of pursuing three different paths of action by a magic mirror and must then choose her fate.

One of my complaints about the first in the series was that it was very repetitive, because in each version of the future it took awhile for events to diverge. In this book, the overlapping parts of the story are much briefer, so that problem is solved.

However, the other issue I had with the first novel was that it was easy to predict which future the main character will finally choose, and that’s still the case here. Kara is essentially granted three choices in her different paths: freedom and true love, wealth and comfort, and affection and service to others. Given the way Kara is described as a person in the book, it’s obvious which of these she will choose in the end.

So, full marks for having a fresh idea, but I wish the author was able to create a little more suspense in terms of the outcome.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Really good book! I was drawn in from the first and I love the heroine! She's put through so much and has quite the adventure. Some parts were a little slow but it's worth it! Definitely check this out!

A Girl in White Winter was a great addition to this fantasy series. Each book has a similar concept, but can be read on its own. So if you haven’t read the first two books, you will not be lost.

Kara is a ward, living with her aunt and serving her quietly. She is sold by her aunt’s husband as a concubine to Royce, who takes her out of her aunt’s manor for the first time. On the way to her new home, they are attacked by a raiding party and she is kidnapped and taken to their village.

She is given a choice, she can leave with the traveling troupe and help them out or she can stay at the village. The mirror comes and she is shown three options - traveling with the troupe, running away and being found by Royce, or staying in the village.

Each choice has a different story. And each story has benefits and disadvantages for Kara. She can find true love, but at a high cost to others. She can find family, but goes through hardships. And she can find her place as a peacemaker. There is no right choice, and I was surprised at what she picked. It certainly wouldn’t have been what I would have picked. The teaser for the next book has me excited for the next in the series.

Thank you to the publisher and author for this advance copy. I reviewed this book without compensation and the opinions are my own.

I received a copy of A Girl of White Winter by Barb Hendee from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had read the other books in the Dark Glass series and really enjoyed both. Unfortunately, this novel did not catch me in that fashion, however. I found the protagonist, Kara, to be less engrossing (less enjoyable?) than the previous novels and found myself not really having a strong opinion about any of three suitors/choices. Her character was simply flat seeming, I thought.

The writing remains strong and the plot of the story - a magic mirror that lets allows the protagonist to experience life with her suitors through three scenarios, and then decide for herself which path to take - is really fantastic. I just didn't connect with these characters.

A Girl of White Winter by Barb Hendee is the third book in the Dark Glass series. This series are historical fantasy reads that have one thing in common, the main character will be shown the outcome of three different paths from one choice they need to make in order to decide what to do. Each book features an all new story and characters so they could be read as a standalone if choosing to do so.

In A Girl of White Winter we meet Kara who was born to a servant of a wealthy family and then orphaned and left in the lady’s care. She became a companion to her Lady and thought of her as family with them keeping each other’s company. One day however the Lord of the estate was in negotiation for a piece of land and he sold Kara to seal the deal.

Bought by a man named Royce and whisked away from the only life she had ever known Kara was afraid for her future. Just as she thought things couldn’t get any worse than they already were though a band of thieves attack Royce and his men and along with their property they also steal Kara away and take her back to their home where she is given her choices of paths that each hold vastly different outcomes.

Having read all three books of this series so far I do believe they get better each time. These are definitely more on the historical fiction side as the fantasy is only the seeing three outcomes before choosing but it’s certainly an interesting premise. Kara’s choices are not all sunshine and roses as a woman in that era not born to nobility wouldn’t have the greatest of lives but each choice was incredibly unique. After finishing I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what situation and choices lie ahead in the next installment.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Good story but lack of fantasy

I enjoyed this book. The three alternate futures were very well done, the story was well paced and character development was excellent. On the other hand, there really was no fantasy element to the story aside from the dark glass which I found disappointing. This is the first book of the series I've read and it was good enough for me to want to read the others.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

So Barb Hendee writes another wonderful novel.......

Again we have the three choices format as the lead gets the opportunity to live through three choices of how her life might be if she chooses one of three en in question, thanks to a magical mirror inhabited by the spirit of a witch.

This time the lead is Kara, the sheltered ward of a noble woman who's husband ends up selling Kara in exchange for some land to an awful man. When I say Kara is sheltered it's no joke as the girl hasn't left her manor house and has been hidden away from all eyes leaving her petrified of anything and everything.

On the way to her new home she is kidnapped by a band of robbers and it's when she is taken to their secret settlement that Kara's choices come into play when she finds the mirror in an old shack where she is temporarily being housed.

Three different choices and three very different men to choose from. In theory the choice should be easy but as in the previous two books these choices are far from simple and become delightfully complicated.

Barb Hendee is a wonderful writer and again she has created a lovely tale that an easy read while still being a lot of fun, full of action and complicated enough to make the brain work without making it hurt if you know what I mean.

A great read and a recommended one.