The Mirror Visitor (Series) by Christelle Dabos - 8/10

In a society shaped by family allegiance, Ophelia is forced into an arranged marriage in a place as distant and cold as her fiancé and must learn who and what she can trust in this world of intrigue and illusions.

These books have magic, mystery, and court drama and explore interpersonal relationships, self-discovery, the importance of truth, and political dynamics, all in the context of fantasy.

It's hard to convey what I love about this series without giving away the direction of the story over the entire series because most of what really sets it apart is how the characters develop - but I will say that I was particularly struck by role that love and loyalty play in those transformations.

The age recommendation for this book feels a bit fluid - I can't remember there being an emphasis on an exact age of the main characters - they are probably older than high-school age (we learn in the first chapter that Ophelia has already turned down a couple proposals) and there is certainly a level of autonomy and adulting involved with the marriage and figuring out her place in society - but I think that the writing style is more aimed at the YA audience than specifically college or older adults. There are definitely mature themes and ideas - including depictions of the mistreatment of people deemed to be part of the lower classes and instances or suggestions of infidelity - but I don't think it was ever to the point of being crass (I am sensitive to these subjects, but I also read these as an adult so I may have a bit of an innate tolerance).

*I wasn't a huge fan of the finale and certain elements of the ultimate reveal were dissatisfying, but I still think it's worth the read.

**There are some elements of the story that remind me of Pride and Prejudice, so if you enjoyed that book and are open to the fantasy genre, this might be a fun read. However, the writing style and pace are nothing like Austen, so if you don't like her work, I don't think this is a red flag. It's kind of a subtle, background sort of thing, which makes it hard to describe, but it felt worth mentioning while I'm making recommendations.