In the first book, A Winter's Promise, we met Ophelia, a young naive woman from the Ark of Anima, with two abilities: to travel through mirrors and to read an object, more specifically the momentary thoughts of people who had held the object.
When Ophelia finds herself far from home, betrothed to a distant man named Thorn, who seems only to want her reader's ability in order to please his ancestral family Spirit, Farouk, Ophelia seems destined to a life of misery.
Yet behind Ophelia's clumsy, childlike appearance lies a determined, compassionate, clever and strong woman.
As Ophelia is drawn deeper into the political machinations of her new home, on the Ark known as Pole, she realises that illusions are ubiquitous, Thorn may not be the cold and calculating man he appears to be, and she must find a way to not only survive, but to thrive, in her new home.
When Ophelia is assigned the role of vice story-teller, by Farouk himself, her safety seems assured, yet Ophelia soon discovers she has never been in greater peril. As the date of her impending marriage to Thorn looms, Ophelia receives threatening letters and loses her ability to travel through mirrors. Ophelia realises she has begun to lose sight of the truth within herself. As Ophelia faces these truths she learns just what it will take to survive.
This book delves into the mystery of why the Arks, fragments of a previously whole planet, underwent The Rupture. Whilst this is still unresolved at the end of Book 2, Ophelia, Thorn and Farouk seem to be coming closer to understanding this. The complex relationship between Ophelia and Thorn is further developed and we come to know and understand the motivations of these key characters.
This is a tightly woven tale with strong world-building, complex characters, deadly political intrigue and a fantasy world I would love to visit. Book 2 has left me eagerly anticipating Book 3!
Title: The Missing of Clairdelune (The Mirror Visitor: Book 2)
Author: Christelle Dabos (translated by Hildegarde Serle)
Publisher: Text Publishing, $22.99
Publication Date: 21 May 2019
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781925773668
For ages: 13+
Type: Young Adult Fiction