The Mirror Visitor
by Christelle Dabos
Flap Copy Description:
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 Thoughts:
A Winter's Promise crossed my path quite unexpectedly. While it had initially gained little buzz in the States, this young adult novel by Christelle Dabos was recently chosen as Amazon's pick as the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy book of 2018 - I wholeheartedly agree! Hildegarde Serle translated this breakthrough book from French to English, and I must say, nothing was lost in translation. It features unique characters, settings, and vocabulary, and the plot will keep you guessing all along the way. With all the magic and imagination you'd hope for in a fantasy novel, this is a must-read! I highly recommend A Winter's Promise - The Mirror Visitor to readers aged twelve & up and anxiously await the sequel which will release in May, here in the U.S.
