Christelle Dabos

La memoria di Babel. L'Attraversaspecchi

In the gripping third volume of Christelle Dabos’s best-selling saga, Ophelia, the mirror-travelling heroine, finds herself in the magical city of Babel, guarding a secret that may provide a key both to the past and the future. 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 Faruk to good use. Under an assumed identity she travels to Babel, a cosmopolitan and thoroughly modern ark that is the jewel of the universe, and where automata have taken over the most humble jobs from humans. But under the surface of this pacific and orderly ark social unrest stirs, fed by the memories of a fateful purge long ago, and the inhabitants’ growing fear of being replaced altogether. Will Ophelia’s talent as a reader suffice to avoid her being lured into a deadly trap by her ever more fearful adversaries? Will she ever see Thorn, her betrothed, again?

The Memory of Babel

anya

"Well I never," he said, "that's darned interesting!" "I am not the Other," Ophelia protested. "She is not the Other," Thorn growled. "You are not the Other?" Ambrose asked, with astonishment. "She is not, en effet," Lazarus asserted, with total conviction.

“But why?” Ophelia asked, impatiently. "Why inflict that on yourself? Why force yourself to defy forces that are beyond you? And don't talk to me again of a sense of duty. You owe nothing to the world. What's the world ever done for you?" Thorn's constant frown suddenly relaxed; but not enough to remove the furrow down his forehead. "You think it's for the world that I'm doing this?"

Thorn hadn't deliberately used his claws against her that last time. He hadn't even been aware of it. 

Timidly, she raised her hand toward the shoulder, its joint rolling under the shirt with every knob rotation. She wanted all of Thorn's attention as she finally released the words so long trapped inside her: "I love you, too."

Ophelia knew that one move from her would just make things worse for her. And yet she couldn't stop her hand from shooting out to grab hold of Thorn, force himn to turn around, stop him from going any further. She never reached him. A violent pain shot through her arm like an electric shock. Winded, Ophelia only just held onto the statue of the soldier to stop herself from falling. She stared wide-eyed behind her crooked glasses, as Thorn disappeared into the night with a sinister grating of steel, and without a backward glance. He had used his claws against her. 

IM GOING TO TEAR KY HAIR OUT THIS IS BOOK THREE IF A SLOWBURN

Leaning with both fists on the table, he inflicted his most intense stare on her. "Are you really certain you have nothing to say to me?" Caught off guard, Ophelia just kept clinging to the door handle. A spark then flashed deep in Thorn’s eyes. “You know where to find me,” he said, indicating her to leave. 

Elisa Ulliana

 «Dio ha detto che non vi avrebbe perso di vista, proprio davanti a me» mormorò con voce strozzata. «Sarò pure un marito scadente, ma non permetto a nessuno, soprattutto non a lui, di molestare mia moglie. Non posso strapparvi a Dio, ma posso strappare lui da voi.» 

«Cinquantasei». Si schiarì la gola. Mai Ofelia l'aveva visto cosi intimidito, nonostante lui si sforzasse di non lasciar trapelare niente. «È il numero delle mie cicatrici».

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. 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. Will Ophelia’s talent as a reader suffice to avoid being lured into a deadly trap by her ever more fearful adversaries? Will she ever see Thorn, her betrothed, again?

Book Three of the Mirror Visitor Quartet

Lea 

Joan 

The Mirror Visitor Book 3

nany

okay this frustrates me many times but it feels so wrong to give it 3 stars sooo 4 stars for ophelie and thorn

not as engaging as the first 2 books, but i attribute that less to the writing and more to change in setting/shift to characters who were not as familiar and considerably weaker. the god main plot is…interesting and there’s a lot of deus ex machina stuff doing on but i’m still enjoying myself!

rin 🐇

Wow. This book is like pride and prejudice meets the fifth season, fantastical sci-fi written so elegantly that it feels like a period novel. Watching Ophelia come more into her own while all of the other pieces on the board continue to follow their own motivations was truly engaging and satisfying. Dabos did it again, my chest is tight reflecting now on the inner lives of Ophelia and Thorn (whose first name I would love to get at some point).

Marika

I didn’t enjoy this as much as the previous book, however I think it’s just because I wanted a happy ending and we’re still in the middle of a story, lol. A good read, I loved almost all of the new characters and I’m excited to read the next book!

Shai

sarah stevenson

such exquisite writing and storytelling. it’s hard for me to find words to describe how much i love this series!

"The Mirror Visitor stands on the same shelf as Harry Potter."--Elle 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. 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. Will her talent as a reader suffice to avoid being lured into a deadly trap by her ever more fearful adversaries? Will she ever see Thorn, her betrothed, again? "Ophelia is...the tiny-voiced powerhouse you can't take your eyes off."--The New York Times

This series is seriouslyyyyyy addicting. Genuinely so much world building (and the romance subplot is amazing). I SCREAMED when she said I love you back! Love the character building between Ophelia and Thorn, truly. Would've been 5 stars but the parts leading up to finding Thorn were a tad slow. Can't wait to read the last book!

(Bre)anne✨

TW to be added later

This series is seriouslyyyyyy addicting. Genuinely so much world building (and the romance subplot is amazing). I SCREAMED when she said I love you back! Love the character building between Ophelia and Thorn, truly. Would've been 5 stars but the parts leading up to finding Thorn were a tad slow. Can't wait to read the last book!

Annabella

Che caspio di ultima pagina è? MENOMALE CHE IL QUARTO LIBRO E' USCITO

This is my favorite book in the series so far. I love how Dabos is able to recreate entire worlds but keep in in the same story. I also feel like Ophelia had the best character development in this book. At the beginning, she is kind of whiny and self-rightous, but by the end she is so confident and strong. Also, FUCKING FINALLY with her and Thorn. I can't wait for more scenes between the two of them (there better be some good romance at some point!)

Jenna Thornton

Sara

(2.5) I'm not going to lie, I was really disappointed by this book. I absolutely LOVED the world of the first two books (I gave both 5 stars!!!) so I was super excited to jump back into this story. However, that is not what we got in this book. I understand Dabos wanting to expand her world since it's so unique but the tone of the world in this book felt completely different from the previous two, so much so that I felt this could have been a completely different series. It felt more like Erudite from Divergent than anything relating to the Arks in the previous books. I love world expansion but it still has to feel consistent with the world we already know. This did not. The story also definitely felt more like a sci-fi than a whimsical dark fantasy which definitely took away a lot of my enjoyment. The story was kind of bland and the plot twists at the end were reallyyyyyy pushing my suspension of disbelief. I loved getting to see Victoria but most of the rest of this book just felt... kind of stale. I saw a lot of the plot twists coming and the foreshadowing felt too obvious, which is disappointing because I thought the twists in the first two books were fantastic. I'm really hoping the fourth book makes up for this one because I love this world so much and I would hate to end the series feeling let down.

jordan mcnair

the slow burn FINALLY stopped slow burning

Carlota :)

WOW questa saga sta superando ogni mia aspettativa. Ofelia è sola, non ha più nessuno accanto a lei, e deve fare tutto da sola e di testa sua. Il suo cambiamento fino ad adesso mi è piaciuto tantissimo e ho amato come il suo carattere si stia sviluppando. Anche lo sviluppo del personaggio di Thorn mi è piaciuto molto, ma non entro nei particolari per non spoilerare questo meraviglioso libro.
Grazie Christelle per questa saga, ma ho tanta paura del libro finale. Spero che i personaggi non cadano in scelte banali, ma per quello che ho letto fino ad ora non ci sono rischi che lo facciano. 

Per ora il mio preferito dei 4, vedremo se il quarto saprà superarlo!

Sophie

Okay, but this was much more different than the other two.
OMG I loved it sooo much. I'm still speachless.

I started and read for 6 hours just to find out where is Thorn hiding, and then, when Ophelia found him, I couldn't help myself, but laughing so loud, my family gatherd in my room, just to find me in my bed laughing at a book. 

We had the opportunity to roam a new city, in a different Ark, and to meet new family spirits. My favourite place so far is Babel, even though that is the worst place one can live. 
Ophelia can still suprise me with her ingenuity and her strong will to live. She has a strong heart and willpower, and I admire her for that. 
It's starting to become more like a mystery mixed with fantasy, and even if I said at the begining that this series is similar to Dowton Abbey, now it's more like some Agatha Christi mixed with 1984. Every book in this series is different and I can't wait to read the last one.

Grace Elizabeth

This book is currently one of my least favorites of this series. It's not that I hated it, I just didn't love it or find myself super involved or just having to know what happens next. It kept my attention enough to finish it, just not enough to devour it. 
This book follows Ophelia and her journey to the ark of Babel where she continues to search for her missing husband Thorn. She soon is wrapped in a world of mystery, intrigue, mysterious murders, and more questions than answers. She has to navigate a world dedicated to eliminating all violence and all words, actions, and beliefs associated with it, while also trying to find out who is on a murdering spree before she is picked off. 
Once again, this book wasn't super interesting to me. I like Ophelia as a character. I like her quirks, her clumsiness, and her fierce determination, but she doesn't strike me as the sort of person I can imagine in real life. She feels kind of like a doll being manipulated by the author, rather than a character in her own right. But I do like Thorn. Yes, his strange characteristics, as well as his doll-like behavior and lack of emotion, can be quite irritating, but he kind of reminds me of a very pale version of Kaz Brekker and once I think of him like that, I like him a lot better. The plot of the book also wasn't awesome. It kind of fell flat and I wasn't drawn into it like I was in the first and second books. It felt pretty slow at times, although I definitely wanted to finish it cause I did want to see what happened. I did like the addition of certain side characters and I hope we get to see more of them in the next book (Blaise, Octavio, Elizabeth, and Professor Wolf). Overall, this wasn't my favorite book, but I also feel like if I read it again I will enjoy it a lot more. 

The third instalemnt in the internationally bestselling series which has now sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide. Book 1 in the series was named the #1 Sci-Fi/Fantasy title of the year by the editors of the Amazon Book Review.

The Mirror Visitor, Book Three

Jordan Carr

Just as amazing as the second. I could barely put it down and now I’m really behind on work for my classes but it’s totally worth it. The deeper that I delve into Ophelia’s story, the more of it that I NEED. I can’t wait to see what happens in the fourth. Truly fantastic, I loved everything about this installment and honestly I love everything about this whole series

Sofie

The tension electrifying his body immediately intensified, tightening his jaw and hardening his eyes. It was then that Ophelia realized that what she had always taken for determination was, in reality, true rage.

The Memory of Babel continues Ophelia's story 2 years after Thorn escapes his prison with her mirror visitor power. Ophelia travels to Babel in hopes of finding him, and some answers that can help them in their fight against God.

Wow, as I write these small blurbs, I'm realizing how difficult it is to explain these books. All you need to know is: it's fantasy, it's magical, it's incredibly original, and it's a slow burn romance (and I mean it... the burn is driving me absolutely NUTS and I love to hate it and hate to love it).

I regret to say that I feel... there were a few places where the english translation suffered a bit. I'm sure that in french, a language that has different connotations and historical context, the r-slur isn't something people bat an eye at, but it felt like an unnecessary addition. I would have liked to see a synonym in it's place to describe (view spoiler)[Victoria, Berenilde's now 2-year old daughter who doesn't walk or talk (hide spoiler)].

Likewise, while the pose was still enjoyable and the world-building exquisite, The Memory of Babel didn't read quite as melodious to me. I'm not sure if this was a translation issue or not. 

Ophelia just keeps getting better with every novel. Chapter after chapter, I am awed by her strength, her cunning, her loyalty. Even at times when I grew frustrated, she always stayed sure of herself. Book after book we've watched her grow from a timid, non-confrontational girl to a woman who will cross the world (or what is now considered the world after the Rupture) to find the man she loves. Even when (view spoiler)[ he's cold, unreadable, stern, seemingly indifferent, her devotion is astounding. (hide spoiler)]. Also, lets put our freaking hands together for Dabos who managed to write an exceptional heroine who's incredible powerful, at the centre of all that needs to be done in the universe, and she ISN'T A MARY SUE. THANK THE LORD.

Let's talk about Thorn for a sec, because being the sap I am, I am fu*king INVESTED in Ophelia and Thorn. I had little doubt (view spoiler)[ they would reunite, though I'm glad it happened in this book because I wouldn't have put it past Dabos to wait until the fourth and final instalment. I don't know that I've anticipated a reunion so much since Peeta and Katniss in Mockingjay, and like that reunion, I must admit, I was disappointed. Was it totally in keeping with the story? Yes. Was Thorne pretty much exactly as he's always been? Still, yes. Does that mean I can't wish for SOMETHING to light my fire?

Thorne remained as cold and impassive as ever. Honestly, in any other character like this, I would probably HATE it. I'd shake my head at our beloved Ophelia and say how can you stand it!! But somehow, someway, Thorn just... *chef's kiss*. I would pay GOOD MONEY to get a few of their interactions from his POV cause I am DYING TO SEE HIM PINE. I LOVE IT. I LIVE FOR IT. 

I would NEVER let a guy talk to me that way, but him and Ophelia just balance each other out so well, I can't help but root for them.

Also, let's give a cheers to the most AMBIGUOUS sex sex i've every f*cking read. That was art.  (hide spoiler)]

I'm on the edge of my seat for The Storm of Echoes. Seriously. I NEED IT. 

I have such a book hangover after this, my god. I need some YA, brb.

iachille

È un diesel quindi parte bene dopo un po' (tanto)

Valentina Gagliardone

** spoiler alert **
           Okay, questo è già migliore degli altri due, anche se il secondo mi ha davvero colpito per il rapporto con Faruk. 
Questo, per lo meno, inizia a delineare qual è davvero il punto finale e la trama del libro.

Francesca

fidanzati dell'inverno ★★★★★
gli scomparsi di chiardiluna ★★★★★
la memoria di babel ★★★★★

O MIO DIO!
questa è in assoluto una selle serie più belle che io abbia mai letto e ogni libro mi sorprende sempre di più.
io mi chiedo come farò ad aspettare l'uscita del quarto volume, vorrei leggerlo già ora!

Moray Lyle McIntosh

I love so many aspects of this series that it's quite frustrating that they can be hit or miss for me. I enjoyed the first well enough and then loved the second one. This one left me ambivalent again. After all the progress made in the character arcs and relationships of The Missing of Calirdelune, the Memory of Babel felt like a step backwards. Ophelia is cast out on her own after the gripping denouement of book two and spends much of her time floundering to distinguish friends from foes on a new arc and it feels rather a slog as it revisits a lot of the themes of a Winter's Promise, but with fewer interesting side characters to lift the story. After book 2 enticingly developed the storyline of the House Spirits and God, all the hard work is squandered by the slow pace and repetitive story. Hopefully the final installment will see a return to the potential of book 2.

Lina <3

Really loved this book, once again it was amazing.
I loved discovering a new part of this world, even though one of the biggest flaws of this book, is the fact that I missed the secondary characters and the pole so much (Archibald especially lol). But I liked a lot of the new ones. 
I just couldn't put this book down, the author slowly shows the big story behind everything. I loved how strong Ophelia was, she's such a good main character.
Once again the world building was amazing and loved every part of. If only there were more books exploring all the arches. 
This book and the second are my favorite in this saga :D
(Minor spoiler) I really shipped Ophelia with Octavio. Oops

Nynke Elise

I am having so much feelings regarding this book, omg. Once again Dabos' writing blew me away and once again I really want that scarf! 
Can't wait until the next book is translated, this series is more than amazing

Okay, but this was much more different than the other two.
OMG I loved it sooo much. I'm still speachless.

I started and read for 6 hours just to find out where is Thorn hiding, and then, when Ophelia found him, I couldn't help myself, but laughing so loud, my family gatherd in my room, just to find me in my bed laughing at a book.

We had the opportunity to roam a new city, in a different Ark, and to meet new family spirits. My favourite place so far is Babel, even though that is the worst place one can live.
Ophelia can still suprise me with her ingenuity and her strong will to live. She has a strong heart and willpower, and I admire her for that.
It's starting to become more like a mystery mixed with fantasy, and even if I said at the begining that this series is similar to Dowton Abbey, now it's more like some Agatha Christi mixed with 1984. Every book in this series is different and I can't wait to read the last one.


La memoria di Babel. L'Attraversaspecchi

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