Les Fiancés de l'hiver

I loved the world that was created. Such mind binding phenomenons like a playground of imagination. The storyline matches the skilled description of the book. Left me wanting more and straight into book #2!

Let me start off by saying the world of this book was super intriguing. It felt like a fantastical version of the gilded age, with flying castles, court politics, living scarves, ancestral magic, enigmatic omnipotent immortals... the list goes on. There were so many fresh and interesting ideas on display here but despite all that goodness I had a hard time connecting with it as a whole. It felt like there was something lost in translation and I struggled to get a sense any of the characters beyond their basic mannerisms or quirks. On top of that, it all plays out very slowly and doesn't really pick up until the very end. I think ultimately, this kind of story just isn't for me. Despite the epic backdrop it's less fantasy adventure and more Downton Abbey which sadly, is not my jam.

Absolutley adore the whimisical and magical elements of this book! It's very Howl's Moving Castle/ Studio Ghibli in that regard. 

I warmed up to Ophelia and Thorn as the book progressed. I initially thought they were shallow and cliche. But after seeing the experiences and societal influences that shaped them I grew to appreciate them. 
The plot was intriguing, Ophelia is a fish out of water. You don't know who Ophelia can actually trust and this creates a natural tension between characters. I'll definitely continue the series!

2.5 stars

J'ai eu du mal à me lancer dans l'histoire. Après le premier chapitre, je me suis demandé dans quoi je m'étais lancé mais je suis content d'avoir continué malgré tout car l'intrigue qui s'est mise en place donne envie d'être découverte dans les tomes suivants.

------------------------------------------

I had a hard time getting into the story. After the first chapter, I wondered what I had gotten myself into but I'm happy to have continued after all because the intrigue that was put in place makes me want to discover how it ends in the following volumes.

3 stars. World building is 4/5, but character development is 2/5. Bought the paperback, but will probably only continue the series if I get them for free from Libby.

went into it completely blind and had absolutely zero emotions whilst reading it. it didn't effect my being, i am still the same person i was before i read this. fantasy is a a genre i rarely like, there are very few i have come to love and the funny thing is, the books i absolutely hold dear to my heart are fantasy. i am glad that this book did not have elf ears or tails, but it was just not my cup of tea. i really wanted to like it at the least, if not love, but it was just so mundane and so boring, that i felt like i am falling under a slump.

it could be possible that it was not the best choice to pick this up right after the count of monte cristo

one thing i loved about this book is ophelia, and that was it.

Très bonne lecture, et très jolie plume. J'ai aimé découvrir ce monde complètement fou à travers les yeux d'Ophélie. Les personnages sont bien travaillés et attachants. L'univers est vraiment unique.
J'étais captivé par les péripéties de l'héroïne et j'ai eu du mal à lâcher ce roman.

Petit défaut selon moi : j'ai eu l'impression d'être dans une caricature du fantastique, au point d'avoir un peu de mal à prendre l'histoire au sérieux, mais rien de bien méchant. A la fin du tome 1, ça me donne envie de passer sur une lecture fantasy plus adulte que de lire le tome 2. (Surtout qu'il n'a pas vraiment eu de cliffhanger à la fin)

Je donne une note de 4, car c'est objectivement un très bon livre.

i'm convinced everyone who is rating this one star is looking for attention

3,5/5

Tämä oli taas näitä välillä tykkään, välillä en kirjoja. Kirjan maailma sekä ihmiset kyvyt olivat hyvin tehtyjä ja mielenkiintoisia.

Hahmot olivat ehdottomasti jokainen hyvin rakennettuja, mutta olisin kaivannut enemmän aikaa heidän kanssaan, osa jäi liian etäisiksi ollakseen niin tärkeässä roolissa.

Joskus kirja eteni todella nopeasti ja toisinaan keskityttiin liikaa viettämään aikaa kohdissa, joita olisi voinut karsia pois. Luvut olivat sopivan mittaisia ja usein ne jäivät niin jännittävään kohtaan, että oli pakko lukea lisää.

Joka tapuksessa, koukuttava kirja ja jatko-osat luen kunhan kerkeän.

This is my favourite fantasy book so far.

L'univers est plaisant, j'ai dévoré ce livre en 2j.
Très curieuse des esprits de famille et pour une fois, pas de cliché du mariage forcé qui devient de l'amour, validé !

After an ancient cataclysm called the Rupture, the world has been split into “arks.” Ophelia is from the ark called Anima. She has the power to read the history of objects by touching them, and she can also travel through mirrors. But then, young Ophelia is set up in an impending marriage to Thorn from the icy cold ark called Pole. From there, Ophelia has to navigate a hostile court of a different clan, and figure out what's going on, and who she can trust. This is the first of four books in a best-selling series from France. I thought it had strong Alice in Wonderland vibes and while not chock-full of action, it kept me interested throughout the story.

Чисто за шарф поставила бы 5, но история не затронула.
Уверена, что история хорошая и данный комментарий сугубо моё впечатление. Для меня данная история как зима на Полюсе, холодна и как Торн в начале - отвергнутая моей душой. Мне не хватило чего-то. Первые 100 страниц тянулись как леденец - медленно, очень медленно, боясь сломать зубы... Потом благодаря аудиокнигам я закончила прочтение и была даже немного рада закончить. Данная книга, показалась мне клубком запутаных нитей, которые с каждым, вроде понятным поворотом событий, ещё больше запутывается. В конце книги я больше задумалась не о том, что там произойдет дальше, а о том как живут другие миры, осколки. Честно, мне не понравилось с каждым разом задавать больше вопросов, чем получать ответы. И даже когда мне я получала ответы, оказывается это только усугубляло положение вопросов, так...

4 stars for the unique setting.
Audio: 5/5
Plot: 4/5 (slow beginning)
Characters: 3/5 (I need more Ophelia / Thorn interactions)

This was really, really good! I loved how the fantasy was so different from stuff I've read till now. The setting and the powers were all new and unique.

I liked the characters (weird as the majority were). Ophelia was nice and not very talkative initially to the point that she didn't even voice her dislikes. But then changed when she got so fed up with everyone that decided to give an earful to Thorn and his aunt near the end was very well written.

Her interactions with Thorn in the latter half were also good. I like how she noticed all the small details.

Her powers were so unique. I liked both of them. The mirror visiting/walking part was my favourite. The dragon clans powers were more violent and the reveals were mind blowing.

I still don't understand how the family spirit part works. But enjoyed this book a lot. It was damn slow in the beginning but gets really interesting when they arrive on Claire de Lune.

4.5 stars

Ophelia is a reader. She can read the past of an object just by touching it. She keeps to herself, and she has no interest in starting a family. She just wants to be left alone.
Although arranged marriages are quite common, Ophelia has managed to dodge that bullet more than once. When she is told she will marry a man from the Pole, she thinks she can get out of this one too.
Accompanied by her aunt, she is taken to the Pole to prepare for her upcoming marriage. She only has until the summer to find a way out. That would be easier if people would stop trying to kill her.
I loved this! The characters are fantastic. The different types of magic are fascinating, and there's so much intrigue! I will definitely continue this series.

3.5

3.5 ⭐️

There is a lot of problems with this story. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. I am looking forward to her further adventures.

There's too many adjectives and adverbs.
The translation is too French. Too many unnecessarily difficult words. I have a large vocabulary in English, and I had to look up at least 10 words I had never even heard of.
And “In the clear water of Berenilde's eyes there was a kind of eddy.” What?

How everyone was telling her all the time to shut up, and how she was a worthless piece of crap, and her opinions had no meaning or interest or value... it didn't matter if she was in her matriarchal home ark or in the patriarchal future ark. Now, she is a strong female character, that much is true.
Also, I love Gail and Fox. May they marry and get a lot of children and restart the Nihilists.

Also - possible spoilers follow

He says: “I may have seemed a bit cold, earlier—”
“It's my fault,” Ophelia cut in. “Last time I behaved unpleasantly.”

“You knew him.” He'd whispered these words very stiffly. “It's not the first time that you're meeting him,” he continued. “As your real self, I mean.”
It took Ophelia a while to understand that he was talking about Archibald. She pushed back the wave of hair falling over her glasses like a curtain. “No, indeed. I'd already met him by accident.”
“The night of your getaway.”
“Yes.”
“And he knew who you were for all this time.”
“I lied to him. Not very well, I'll admit, but he never made the connection between Mime and me.”
“You might have informed me.”
“No doubt.”
“Maybe you had reasons for not telling me about this meeting?”
Ophelia's neck was aching from looking up at Thorn. She noticed, in the lamplight, that the muscles along his jaw had tightened. “I hope you're not alluding to what I think you are,” she said in a subdued voice.
“Should I deduce that he didn't dishonor you?”
Ophelia was exploding inside. Well, that really took the cake!
“No. You, on the other hand, have humiliated me more than anyone has.”
Thorn raised his eyebrows and breathed in deeply through his big nose. “You're annoyed with me because I concealed things from you? You, too, lied to me by omission. It would seem that we both got on the wrong track from the start.”

4.25 stars L'univers imaginé par l'auteure est très original et je me suis attachée à Ophélie. J'ai trouvé qu'il y avait des petites longueurs par moment, mais ça reste un très bon moment de lecture :)

Dévoré en l'espace de deux jours, ça faisait un petit temps qu'une saga n'avait pas aussi bien débuté à mes yeux. Que ce soit l'univers, la galerie de personnages, les intrigues, les pouvoirs, tout m'a séduit dans ce livre. J'avais un petit peur d'un côté trop girly par rapport au titre, j'ai été très agréablement surpris, et suis très heureux d'avoir suivi les conseils m'enjoignant à me jeter sur ce livre. Une très bonne découverte que je file poursuivre en attaquant le tome 2 !

Honnêtement, je ne saurais pas dire si ce bouquin mérite un 4 ou un 5, le 5 représentant la perfection et la perfection ne pouvant pas dépasser toute la frustration qui m'assaille à la fin du récit. Cette saga est tellement prometteuse. Elle est française, qui plus est, c'est un fait assez rare pour être précisé parce qu'on est capable, preuve en est ce livre, de faire aussi de très belles choses en matière de littérature fantastique. Le personnage d'Ophélie m'a tout de suite plu, fausse invisible au tempérament bien trempé et auquel le lecteur s'attache très vite. Ses dons de liseuse (et d'une manière générale ce concept rigolo d'attribuer des dons à des familles) sont intelligents et bien ficelés. En fait, j'adore tous ces personnages. Même Thorn. Et le fait que la relation de Thorn et Ophélie est au point mort et ne fait part pour l'instant d'aucune intrigue sentimentale ou presque me laisse sur ma fin. Je me doute que ma hâte de lire le prochain tome ne fera du coup qu'accroître, mais j'ai tout de même l'impression d'avoir goûté au dernier toast d'un plateau de mets sentimentaux assez satisfaisants et que le manque de garnison de celui-ci se ressent en bouche. Cela dit, rien que pour l'univers et l'originalité qui valent largement le détour, je ne peux pas résister et je laisse cinq bien belles étoiles.