A Winter’s Promise

The world is shattered into countless parts, the so-called arks. On them live all kinds of people. Ophelia and her family live on Anima, an ark where values like family and warm-heartedness are very important. Ophelia grows up in a colorful and noisy family with many siblings. Nevertheless, she doesn't quite fit in with the family, preferring to withdraw with a book and her lively scarf or escape through mirrors and wander the corridors of the museum, where she can read the history of various objects just by touching them.

One day she is confronted with the fact that she must marry Thorn, the accountant of an entirely different ark, known everywhere for his cool, logical and dismissive manner. Ophelia must leave the only home she has ever known and go to Citaceleste. A cold ark, where there is always snow and the northern lights dance in the sky during the eternal night. But Thorn soon makes it clear that Ophelia's presence is not welcome. For Thorn's clan is notorious for its powers. With their claws, the members can inflict pain on others without even touching them. Soon Ophelia finds herself in the midst of intrigue and surrounded by people with different skills and must decide - who is friend and who is foe?

The mirror visitor series has created such a unique world as I have rarely read before. You are thrown right into the middle of Ophelia's life at the beginning and it is a wild roller coaster ride with all sorts of whimsical, yet somehow lovable characters. Especially all their little quirks like Thorn's dice or Ophelia's scarf or their powers made this interesting. The world can be a little difficult to understand at times, but once you get the hang of it, the author's imagination gives the reader great pleasure. It is one of the most enjoyable series I have read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well executed fantasy story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Europa Editions for providing me with this ARC!

I don't know why I've never read much from the steampunk genre (let alone French steampunk, from which this story is translated). Steampunk is a literary movement that mixes fantasy and science fiction. I'd reference it as uchronia, refering to the Industrial Revolution with reminders of the Victorian Era. This is how I project in my mind the colossal work of author Christelle Dabos, who managed to write a steampunk story that stands out among its own genre.

"A Winter's Promise" is the very first volume of the Mirror Visitor Quartet, showcasing the moment when Ophelia's world is turned upside down. It's tough not to say more without spoiling anything, so I won't. I read the novel in a couple of sittings, even if there wasn't as much action (so far) as I thought there would be. We do spend, however, a lot of time in Ophelia's shoes, observing, discovering and appreciating a world building of staggering beauty. If you like stories with imaginary worlds, singular architecture and flamboyant characters, this is for you.

I've also read the original book in French, but the English translation is fantastic too. There are puns that don't translate exactly the same, but the resulting feeling is the same (in my humble opinion). Great job.