#hildegarde serle

[brightbeautifulthings]

"'I wonder if I'm not starting, a little, to love you.'"

— Christelle Dabos, The Memory of Babel

[wondereads]

Personal Review (09/18/22)

A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

Why am I reviewing this book?

I would have been really upset if I didn't like this book because the covers are gorgeous! It happened to be a political fantasy, which is right up my alley.

Plot 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Ophelia would be content to live out her days in a museum, putting her Anima skills, detecting the history of objects and traveling through mirrors, to use. Unfortunately, she is a pawn in a political marriage to another Ark. Her new husband, Thorn, is powerful but frigid, and the powers present in her new home are dangerous to say the least. She'll have to discover both a way to survive and what exactly Thorn wants with her.

It would seem, looking plainly at the way the story goes, it would be a little slow. There isn't really a grand conflict in this book, and it's all very subtle and political. However, I found it quite intriguing. It's still a little slow compared to other YA fantasies, but I think things occur and are revealed at a steady pace, keeping the audience interested, especially since the worldbuilding is so amazing.

I loved the history of this world, which seems to be Earth. Something happened that ended up splitting up the world into smaller "Arks", each ruled over by different clans. Also, thanks to Ophelia's gifts, we get to see quite a bit of history, and we're able to properly gauge what general time period it's supposed to be. There are so many mysteries to be uncovered, and it really helped hold my attention. For example, every Ark has a sort of god that their people are descended from, giving them powers. Where they came from, how the powers work, and what originally happened to the Earth are all unanswered, but not for long, considering the direction of the story.

Dabos did a good job of keeping me guessing, especially when it came to character motivations. Being unable to guess the intentions of each character did a lot for the political intrigue. I will say, there were certain points that confused me, figuring out what was supposed to be happening, but overall I think the plot was quite good.

Characters 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Ophelia goes through quite a few realizations in this book. She starts off as a soft-spoken, nervous idealist, and she faces some hard truths as the story unfolds. I really liked her as a main character; she was timid and kind, but she was also curious and didn't take kindly to being kept in the dark. I think her hands (damaged from a mirror-traveling accident) were a nice touch to represent the danger of her powers, despite them seeming all sunshine and roses. The relationship between her and Thorn was very well done. There were points at which I thought things were progressing too quickly, but there are a few twists here and there. However, the romance is... lacking in this book. In my opinion, it's refreshing to read a book with an arranged marriage where the two involved don't immediately fall for each other.

Thorn himself is somewhat of an enigma. By the end of the book, we have much better insight into his motivations, but his actual emotions, especially regarding the members of his family and Ophelia, are still confusing. It seems at some points that he oscillates between leaving Ophelia at the mercy of his aunt and going out of his way to help her. It's all explained in a clever plot twist that I think preys on Ophelia's character flaws. He's definitely someone I want to know more about in the later books!

I think the really strong relationships in this book are within the families. Ophelia is sent to this other Ark with her aunt, a larger-than- life and just overall very likable character. Her care for Ophelia shines through, and in an otherwise strange and cold land, she brings the warmth that both Ophelia and the reader need. Despite the fact that she doesn't feel entirely important to the plot as a whole, I was very attached to her. On the other hand, Thorn's aunt is someone I hated for the most part. However, I'd say she's probably the most compelling character. She is a lover of this Ark's "god", Farouk, and pregnant with his child, making her a glaring target for political machinations. She treats Ophelia horribly, but there is a depth to her that really intrigues me.

For now, the side characters are fairly one-dimensional, but I'm sure that in such a deception-heavy setting that will change soon.

Writing Style 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

This novel has been translated from French. As such, there are some discrepancies. While reading, there are some places where a sentence may seem a bit odd, and I think that's a result of the translation. Overall, I think the translator, Hildegarde Serle, did a pretty fantastic job. For the most part, I totally forgot I was reading a translated work. Still, I'm going to keep this section short since I'm commenting on the translation, not the author's writing style.

Overall 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

I love political fantasy, and this book is no exception. I will say that I can see why people might not enjoy this book. It moves fairly slowly, the romance (if you can call it that) is barely there, and most everyone outside of the main cast are just awful human beings. However, that's right up my alley. I loved the scheming that was constantly going on, even by the people closest to Ophelia, and I also loved that she's quick to adapt, even if she has her qualms about being as cold as the people around her. I'd definitely recommend this book to fellow political fantasy fans, but don't pick it up if you're expecting a romance or action-filled plot.

The Author

Christelle Dabos: French, 41-42, A Winter’s Promise is her debut novel and she has since published three other books in the series

Hildegarde Serle: also translated Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin and Reeling by Lola Lafon

The Reviewer

My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every week, and I do themed recommendations every once in a while. I take suggestions! Check out my about me post for more!

[mistwraiths]

4 stars

The Storm of Echoes is the last book in the Mirror Visitor Quartet. It is written by Christelle Dabos and translated from French by Hildegard Serle. It picks up not too long after the third book ends and this one is a dazzling, world breaking info rush to the end.

I thought perhaps we'd be going to someplace new for answers but instead we end up staying in Babel and a medical facility as well. Out of all the arks we've seen and been hinted at, Babel is my least favorite. The Pole had the whole political intrigue going on and Anima was just interesting. The LandmArk sounds fascinating. Babel was just okay. However, the medical facility is intriguing in its own if only because of what is happening with the echoes, the visions Ophelia is getting, and the landslides.

After three books, we finally get answers. I did feel like the pace kind of dragged a bit. Once again, Ophelia goes through the worst of it. Although it helps that in this book (and the third) it's entirely something she goes into by choice. Ophelia has absolutely grown as a protagonist and it's a wonderful experience. My problem was that for once we get two Thorn chapters, which isn't a bad thing, but it is something new. On top of that, we also have Victoria's chapters which always the most confusing and bizarre and the Other. It takes a long time for the answers to come forth and while some were good, others felt a little late in the game to make certain characters so important.

Thorn's and Ophelia's relationship was so well done in my opinion. It went from begrudging responsibility, to respect, to fondness, to love. I love that Ophelia is a Mess but Thorn mentally is a bigger Mess. He wants desperately to be someone's first and only CHOICE, and yet he doesn't think he's worthy of it. He hates everyone but Ophelia, and falls in love with her ferocious independence. Ophelia wants independence and freedom, and loves that Thorn gives her CHOICES. And she doesn't need him but she WANTS him. There's a slight fixation I didn't care for about Ophelia's inability to have children. But it was more of the choice being taken from her. The scenes of them together were everything.

The Horn of Plenty, the Other Side, Echoes and such are a bit hard to wrap around and can be confusing, but overall I think I've understood everything. I can tell you that I never expected it to feel more like The Dark Materials series. All these characters are flawed and not perfect, but that's what makes it good.

The ending itself was not as happy as I would like but it's open ended enough that I KNOW it'll work out! There's a lot of little nitpicking I could do but overall I think it was well done.

[brightbeautifulthings]

"May the scarf be with you all!"

— Christelle Dabos, The Memory of Babel

[brightbeautifulthings]

"'For your information, little lady, peace is a purely theoretical concept. There are, and there always will be, conflicts, whatever semblance they take. You need only go out there, dressed in your provocative uniform, to see it for yourself.'"

— Christelle Dabos, The Memory of Babel

[brightbeautifulthings]

The Storm of Echoes by Christelle Dabos, trans. Hildegarde Serle

“'A little more than that, even.'”

Year Read: 2023

Rating: 3/5

About: There are spoilers ahead for the rest of The Mirror Visitor series. In their hunt for answers on God and The Other, Ophelia and Thorn have turned their attention to the Deviations observatory in search of the Horn of Plenty. Ophelia decides to submit herself as a patient, knowing it could put her in more danger than ever. Meanwhile, minor arks and chunks of land continue to disappear as The Other gains a greater foothold. If they don't find the key to defeating him and God soon, it may mean the end of the world-- again. Trigger warnings: character death, torture, war, body horror, guns, injury.

Thoughts: This kind of fell apart by the end. Dabos excels at world-building and creating small but intricate plots in the first two books, but there are major issues with the over-arching plot of the rest of the series. My sense is that she tried to replicate that trick in the last two books with diminishing returns, when what the series really needed was either a) to stick to smaller, more manageable plots that can be wrapped up in one or two books, or, b) to dispense with the distracting minutiae of the world-building and small plots and focus fully on the over-arching story. The Storm of Echoes tries to pay attention to both and ultimately does justice to neither.

The first half of the book is exactly like the last two in setting up a series of small, elaborate obstacles for Ophelia and Thorn to reach their ultimate goals, without moving the bigger plot forward much. The second half is almost wholly focused on the problem of God/The Other, but the issue is that it's gotten so elaborate and unwieldy that half a book just isn't enough time to unravel it. Characters appear and disappear seemingly for convenience rather than development, and there were a few too many dramatic reveals where someone was apparently someone else all along. With all the identity switching, echoes, and inverses, I'll admit I got pretty confused a couple times, and I'm still not sure I had it all sorted by the end. I'm not sure Dabos did either.

While it's a bit shaky on plot, overall the series does world-building and character very well. I'm not a big world-building person, but I did very much enjoy spending time in this one, which is unlike anything else I've ever encountered. I have a lot of love for the Arks, and I would have been happy to stay focused on those without ever involving God/The Other. I also enjoyed Ophelia and Thorn's romance so much. It's a proper enemies to lovers, and I love how far they come over the course of the series. He's such a brusque, off-putting love interest, and the sides they bring out in each other are always complicated and interesting. The ending isn't quite as satisfying as I was hoping, since it leaves some things a bit open-ended, but I'll fill in the blanks as it pleases me. I'm happy to have read these, and a little more than that, even.

[brightbeautifulthings]

The Memory of Babel by Christelle Dabos, trans. Hildegarde Serle

"'For your information, little lady, peace is a purely theoretical concept. There are, and there always will be, conflicts, whatever semblance they take. You need only go out there, dressed in your provocative uniform, to see it for yourself.'"

Year Read: 2023

Rating: 3/5

About: There are spoilers ahead for A Winter's Promise and The Missing of Clairdelune. When Archibald comes to free Ophelia from Anima, she decides not to join him in his search for LandmArk but to follow a clue to Babel in the hopes of finding Thorn. But Babel's culture is as fraught as the Pole's, and God is still hunting both of them. If God reaches LandmArk first, he'll have the power to destroy all the Arks and the world as they know it. Trigger warnings: character death (on-page), fire, captivity, guns, violence, injury, ableism, oppression, bullying/hazing.

Thoughts: This is probably my least favorite in the series so far. It seems like Dabos is trying to replicate here what she did in A Winter's Promise, and while many of the features are similar, there are diminishing returns. Once again, Ophelia finds herself immersed in a new Ark and its unusual culture, and she’s trying to fit into a place with secrets and threats around every corner. Once again, things are tense between Ophelia and Thorn, and I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to ship them together or not (despite the fact that they're now technically married).

These things worked well in the first book, but they're a bit tired here. By this point, I was expecting Ophelia to retain some of her character development from the first books instead of regressing into meekness, and I expected her to understand her own husband a little better. I didn't find Babel as compelling as Anima or the Pole, nor does getting lost in its minutiae effectively serve the overarching plot all that much. I suspect readers who enjoy world-building for the sake of it will find more to like about it, but as you know, I already struggle with the fantasy genre as a whole. It's more slow-moving than even the previous novels, and I absolutely hated the chapters from Victoria's perspective. While they give us important information about what God is up to in the Thorns' absence, I take issue with gratingly simplistic child perspectives. At no point did I feel like I was reading from the perspective of a real human, child or not.

My favorite thing about it wasn't the world or even the characters this time, but one of the central themes about information. Babel is steeped in detail, but it lacks truth. Words like "war" are stricken from the lexicon, but violence still seethes underneath its peaceful, oppressive veneer, even as blatant murders are waved away as "accidents." There are a lot of interesting comments about language's ability to conceal as well as illuminate, and the way that drowning people in distracting amounts of information and detail can actually keep them from knowledge instead of strengthening it. It's not enough to carry an entire novel, but they're well-developed throughout the book. Overall, The Memory of Babel is a very long-winded way of moving the plot forward hardly at all and giving us not very much information (which is actually kind of meta, given the themes).

[brightbeautifulthings]

If she had honed her skills in the art of reading objects, it was because she had never felt as close to her own truth as when exploring that of objects. The past wasn't always beautiful to look at, but the errors of the people who had preceded her on Earth had also become her own. If Ophelia had learned one thing in life, it was that errors were indispensible for personal development.

Christelle Dabos (trans. Hildegarde Serle), The Missing of Clairdelune