A Winter's Promise

 

A Winter's Promise

by Christelle Dabos

translated by Hildegarde Serle

Europa Editions

2018

 

 

A Winter's Promise is the first book in the Mirror Visitor quartet. It's a YA fantasy novel, and imaginative in a way that feels like descending into a dream. 

 
The book takes place on a ruined future Earth that has been shattered into hundreds of 'Arks,' which seem to be like habitable asteroids with breathable atmosphere, all orbiting each other and the old planetary core. This was a magical apocalypse rather than a scientific one, and so each Ark is its own little society full of people with magical powers.

 
We follow Ophelia, who can 'read' the history of objects by touching them and also travel between any two mirrors that she's previously seen her reflection in, as long as they're close enough together. Ophelia's family arranges a marriage between her and Thorn, a man from the distant Pole ark. Ophelia and her chaperone aunt get bundled off to the Pole to live with Thorn and his aunt, Bereldine, to wait out the six-month engagement before getting married.

 
The Pole turns out to be a real nest of vipers. Everything is covered in illusions that make it look beautiful and refined, but the people are all vicious and cruel, possibly including Thorn and Bereldine. Thorn insists on keeping the engagement secret for Ophelia's safety, then leaves her alone to continue his work as his Ark's treasury. As an additional precaution, supposedly, Bereldine gives Ophelia a disguise as a mute butler.

 
Ophelia gradually learns about various forms of intrigue, including an ancient book that Bereldine might want to use her to learn the history of, a plot by a jealous illusionist to cause Bereldine to miscarry the royal baby she's carrying, and various attempts by Thorn's other family members to either kill Ophelia or get her thrown in the dungeons. Ophelia befriends a couple other servants and slowly begins to learn to navigate the treacherous social world of the Pole. This volume ends with several intrigues coming to fruition, and Thorn introducing Ophelia to the court to make their engagement official.