Ophelia is a "reader" who can touch an object with her bare hands and get a sense of all the past owners it has had. She works at the archives on the ark of Anima, but her life is about to change. She's been betrothed to a man from the Pole ark, and when she first meets Thorn he seems about as cold as his habitation. Thrust into a world much darker than her own, Ophelia must keep all her wits about her if she's to survive to the wedding.

I didn't really know anything about this series before plunging into it, so I set out learning about the arks (separate places that can only be reached by airship) and the various motivations of the characters we meet along with Ophelia. It's written in third person, but sticks close to Ophelia's thoughts and experiences. And like much fantasy, it's deliberately paced and unfolds rather slowly as Ophelia starts without having much agency. The ending isn't so much a cliffhanger as it is left dangling in the midst of the story, so now I find myself debating how long to wait before looking for book #2. ( )

finalmente un bel libro! ( )

Free copy received in exchange for an honest review.

The world has been broken down and what is left are its floating pieces. One of these is home to a family whose powers are related to objects. Ophelia has been chosen on account of her strong ability to read an object's past to be a bride to an unknown man living on the distant Ark of the Pole. She soon discovers that it's not just the weather on the Pole that's cold. Thrown into a never-ending battle for power between various families, she needs to find out who she can trust.

The most appealing part about this book was the world-building. The broken world setting is original and there are some hints about its mysterious origin. The magic isn't necessarily unique, but the system is. Each arc has its own type, which manifests in different ways in each individual/family.

There are not many likable characters. We mostly get to know characters from the Pole, where people grow up in a place where you either play the game or die. The author still made me at least sympathize with them, if not like them. Ophelia, as the main character, was very likable. She starts off being a bit weak-willed and naïve, but grows quite a bit through the book. Also, she is the first clumsy girl that I encountered in a book with a valid reason to be that way.

The romantic interest in this book was quite complex, as was his relationship with Ophelia. Don't expect much of a romance from the first book.

I enjoyed the beginning of the book a lot, and the ending was promising, but the middle was a big slog. I didn't hate it because it served its purpose, but it wasn't fun to read. Maybe it's on purpose to feel like the main character does because she was definitely not having a fun time.

I am certainly looking forward to the sequels. The first book mostly just established the environment and the goals of the characters, so I am hoping the second book will be more fast-paced. ( )

I love this book so much I will fight you ( )

Definitely not predictable, took some truly unexpected turns. ( )