A Winter's Promise: Book One of The Mirror Visitor Quartet by Christelle Dabos

This new novel had me glued to the couch as I flipped pages like mad. A debut novel by a French author, A Winter's Promise begins a four-book fantasy series that vibrates with the wonder of Harry Potter's magical world and has all the dark, opaque shadows of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. Ophelia can read an object's history just by touching it, which is perfect for her job in a museum but not at all a good match for being the wife of a distant, frozen island's financial director. Or so she thinks. When Ophelia reaches her new home, she learns her fiancé is hated by just about everyone, and just about everyone would also be pleased as punch to see her hurt or dead. Ophelia is a hero for the ages, and I hope this series becomes the next big one that grabs the imaginations of young adults and adults alike. Available September 25