Review by Booklist Review
Prominent citizens of Citaceleste are disappearing, and, based on the threatening letters she's receiving, Ophelia may be next. Not that she has time to worry about that since she's caught the rather daunting notice of the Pole Family Spirit, who has named her Miss Vice-Storyteller and demands a new tale every night. Then there's her recalcitrant and distant fiancé, who seems only interested in her for her gift (reading objects). As the plot intensifies, so does Ophelia's resolve to solve these mysteries including that of the man she's soon to marry. Volume 2 in the Mirror Visitor Quartet, following A Winter's Promise (2018), is rich with insights into Ophelia's growth, teasers about fiancé Thorn's true feelings and intentions, and new developments such as the intermittent fragment chapters that drop hints about the nature and creation of the family spirits. The translated tale retains the charm of its original French and has the slightest flavor of a steampunk novel, appropriate given the Victorian feel, and the mix of tech and magic. Teen and adult readers alike will gobble it up and yearn for the next one.--Cindy Welch Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Dabos's follow-up to A Winter's Promise finds protagonist Ophelia-a mirror-hopper who can divine objects' histories via touch-still on an interplanetary shard called the Pole. She is awaiting her arranged marriage to Thorn, after which the couple will inherit each other's abilities. Thorn hopes that combining his phenomenal memory with Ophelia's gift will help him "read" an ancient, untranslatable book that has captured the interest of the Pole's ancestral spirit, Farouk, who has the power to revoke Thorn's bastard status and grant him nobility. Duplicitous aristocrats already consider Ophelia a threat, forcing her to join Farouk's court in exchange for protection, but the impending wedding triggers anonymous death threats demanding a breakup. Meanwhile, guests of the Pole's impenetrable embassy, Clairdelune, start vanishing, while mysterious flashbacks explore the genesis of Earth's planetary shards and their ruling immortal Spirits. Escalating stakes ratchet tension while a somewhat leisurely pace allows readers to savor Dabos's spectacular settings, exquisitely rendered characters, and the ever-evolving relationships that bind them. Ages 14-up. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Illusions, treachery, and abductions abound as Ophelia's perilous adventure continues.With the true reason behind Thorn's proposal revealed at last and the cruel extent to which the Pole's nobility is willing to go to gain and keep power now starkly clear, Ophelia is in more danger than ever and must seek protection from the ark's mercurial family spirit, Farouk. But every favor in the Pole comes at a cost, especially when it is a favor from an immortal with a singular obsession. Ophelia, with her talent as a reader of objects, is thrust unwillingly and precariously into the center of the court even as other prominent nobles begin to disappear under suspicious (even impossible) circumstances. When she receives anonymous threats demanding that she abandon her impending marriage and leave the Pole lest she die, Ophelia must decide whom she can possibly trust in a world whose schemes and illusions go centuries deep. The author continues her masterful architecture in this second installment as the arks, the family relationships, and the characters' histories all gain greater depth and dimension. The "fragments" that comprise the mythology punctuating the narrative have shifted from intermittent mystery to fundamental memory underpinning the entire world history. Ophelia remains refreshingly awkward and clumsy, and, though unlabeled, she continues to offer a mirror to asexual spectrum readers. Major characters default to white.With this deeper tumble into the web, more intricate the weave becomes. (Fantasy. 14-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
