Dabos was born on Cote d’Azur in 1980. She says growing up in their home there were always historical puzzles and classical music. She describes herself as a writer that is more imaginative. 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? Family and relationships – The novel is mostly focused on family and relationships, and the author explores their complexities, particularly the tension between duty and love. A Winter’s Promise is the first book in the Mirror Visitor series by accomplished fantasy author Christelle Dabos. In this debut story, readers get the chance to meet the main character of Ophelia for the first time.

The Mirror Visitor

Farouk –The head of the Farouk family and the wealthiest and strongest man with aspirations to control the Arks is Farouk. In this gripping third volume of the Christelle Dabos’s best-selling saga, Ophelia, the mirror-traveling heroine, finds herself on the ark of Babel guarding a secret that may provide a key both to the past and the future. Thorn – Ophelia’s enigmatic and commanding fiancé, he comes from the far-off Ark of the Pole and possesses a unique power to control gravity. He is from the powerful noble lineage called the House of the Dragon. Note: the one thing I did like about Ophelia is that I believe she is asexual, as she mentions more than once that she’s never felt sexual attraction before. And for that, I commend the author.Roseline –A member of the Dragon House and Thorn’s cousin, she is a haughty and disdainful woman who views Ophelia as a threat to her own position.

A Winter’s Promise: The Mirror Visitor, Book 1 A Winter’s Promise: The Mirror Visitor, Book 1

Berenilde – Thorn’s aunt, she is a calculating and ambitious woman who seeks to manipulate Ophelia to further her own agenda. does not support the purchasing of religious materials, please feel free to use our Charter Catalog! In 2013, she won the Gallimard-RTL-Télérama prize for first youth novel, for A Winter's Promise, the first volume of her Mirror Visitor quartet. [3] The title of the series ( La Passe-miroir in French) is inspired by Le Passe-muraille, a literary work by the French writer Marcel Aymé. [4] Thorn’s family sees Ophelia with mistrust and contempt when she visits the Ark of the Pole. She immediately discovers that there are dark intrigues at play, political tensions, and the fact that she was chosen specifically.

The Translator

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. All across the USA, people are showing up dead. The deaths don't appear to be connected in any way until one particular death occurs and gets the Secretary of Defense's attention. He arranges for a task force to investigate.

A WINTER’S PROMISE by Christelle Dabos – Review A WINTER’S PROMISE by Christelle Dabos – Review

After two years and seven months biding her time on Anima, her home ark, it is finally time to act, to put what she has discovered in the Book of Farouk to use. Under an assumed identity she travels to Babel, a cosmopolitan and thoroughly modern ark that is the jewel of the universe. What an interesting review. I do understand a character giving such bad pre-marital advice in a book aimed at adults who can better process the setting, the horrid characters’ actions, and stuff like that, but not for a book aimed at a younger audience.The ending of A Winter’s Promise is open-ended, but it suggests that Ophelia and Thorn will be able to overcome their challenges and find a way to be together. It also suggests that the Arks will be able to survive the danger that threatens them. About the Author-Christelle Dabos Detail Having grudgingly finished it, I am with you 100 % on every point you made. I was hoping to see more of the quiet, steely power I know Olivia has in this first book and think it’ll come out more in the second. But I’m a little too disappointed in the general writing style and characterization of the book as a whole, so most likely won’t continue with the trilogy. I need characters to feel deeply real. Lots of troublesome content, especially for a “kids” book, including implied rape, physical and mental abuse, forced marriage and torture. Now, I’ve read a lot of books, and a lot of what I read is on the darker side, so abuse and rape are nothing new to me when it comes to fiction. But one character in particular was so loathsome and dangerous, he confesses to Ophelia (and at this point he doesn’t know who she is) that he can hardly wait to “deflower Thorn’s betrothed.” Keep in mind that this entire time I am picturing Ophelia as a twelve-year-old, because that’s how she acted. (She is, in fact, seventeen or eighteen, but I just couldn’t picture her that age.)

A Winter’s Promise | Christelle Dabos | 9781787701809 | NetGalley A Winter’s Promise | Christelle Dabos | 9781787701809 | NetGalley

This program is designed for students from Pre-K to 4th Grade. There are resources that are common to both sets, and some that are designed for younger or older students. Your family can choose to do one set or another, or use a combined set for a range of ages! Find out more below on the “Materials” tab. However, soon after, she receives a surprise marriage proposal from Thorn, a prominent and well-known member of the Dragon clan from the Ark of the Pole. Despite her reservations, Ophelia must accept the proposal since the Arks have a tradition of arranging marriages based on power and ancestry. For readers of all ages, A Winter’s Promise is a fantastical story of intrigue and suspense that is becoming a worldwide cult phenomenon. La Passe-miroir ", le succès transgénérationnel de Christelle Dabos". Le Monde.fr (in French) . Retrieved 27 April 2018. A Winter’s Promise is a beautifully structured system of mirrors, reflecting in its glittering facets many other books.”— The TLS

Lose yourself in the fantastic world of the arks and in the company of unforgettable characters in this French runaway hit. Now, the commentary about the uncle, I don’t think it’s fair: what he says to Ophélie is outdated, obviously. The readers feels uncomfortable and outraged and that’s the point. We now also know what type of world she lives in. It’s a clever dialoge. (If it matters, later on he tells her he’s wrong and apologies).