A Winter's Promise (La Passe-Miroir, #1)

by Christelle Dabos

Hildegarde Serle (Translator)

Lose yourself in the fantastic world of the arks and in the company of unforgettable characters in this French runaway hit, Christelle Dabos’ The Mirror Visitor quartet.

Plain-spoken, headstrong Ophelia cares little about appearances. Her ability to read the past of objects is unmatched in all of Anima and, what’s more, she possesses the ability to travel through mirrors, a skill passed down to her from previous generations. Her idyllic life is disrupted, however, when she is promised in marriage to Thorn, a taciturn and influential member of a distant clan. Ophelia must leave all she knows behind and follow her fiancé to Citaceleste, the capital of a cold, icy ark known as the Pole, where danger lurks around every corner and nobody can be trusted. There, in the presence of her inscrutable future husband, Ophelia slowly realizes that she is a pawn in a political game that will have far-reaching ramifications not only for her but for her entire world.

The World of the Arks

Long ago, following a cataclysm called the Rupture, the world was shattered into many floating celestial islands, now known as arks. Over each, the spirit of an omnipotent and immortal ancestor abides. The inhabitants of these arks each possess a unique power. Ophelia, with her ability to read the pasts of objects, must navigate this fantastic, disjointed, perilous world using her trademark tenacity and quiet strength.

• ISBN10: 1609454839
• ISBN13: 9781609454838
• Publish Date: 11 October 2018 (first published 6 June 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 18 October 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Europa Editions
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 340
• Language: English

Reviews

[booksandcats]

I loved this book so much! It is absolutely charming and the most fascinating, unique world. I loved Opehlia and her quiet strength and resilience. She is one of the strongest, most badass heroines I have met in a long time, while appearing so soft, calm and small. I love her interactions with Thorn, who I absoluetly hated at first, but the more I got to know him through Ophelias eyes, I started to adore him. They have the best chemistry for two people who are so different and both damaged in their own ways. It is such a subtle love story and I love how Christelle Dabos managed to write it in a way that showed their emotions so clearly, even when it appeared that the two of them didn't realize them yet. I also love that they weren't together at the end of this book, but rather that they are still working and building their relathionship, because that's how it works, it takes time to grow together . This reminded me a lot of Pride and Prejudice, set in a fantastical whimsical world, that I can't wait to get to know more of.

[anne]

I really enjoyed this. Looking forward to the sequel.

[Kelly]

Been persisting with this for days and can't seem to immerse myself. Besides Ophelia and her uncle, everyone is so surly. I really like the concept so will revisit this again soon.