Dabos’s follow-up to A Winter’s Promise finds protagonist Ophelia—a mirror-hopper who can divine objects’ histories via touch—still on an interplanetary shard called the Pole. She is awaiting her arranged marriage to Thorn, after which the couple will inherit each other’s abilities. Thorn hopes that combining his phenomenal memory with Ophelia’s gift will help him “read” an ancient, untranslatable book that has captured the interest of the Pole’s ancestral spirit, Farouk, who has the power to revoke Thorn’s bastard status and grant him nobility. Duplicitous aristocrats already consider Ophelia a threat, forcing her to join Farouk’s court in exchange for protection, but the impending wedding triggers anonymous death threats demanding a breakup. Meanwhile, guests of the Pole’s impenetrable embassy, Clairdelune, start vanishing, while mysterious flashbacks explore the genesis of Earth’s planetary shards and their ruling immortal Spirits. Escalating stakes ratchet tension while a somewhat leisurely pace allows readers to savor Dabos’s spectacular settings, exquisitely rendered characters, and the ever-evolving relationships that bind them. Ages 14–up.
