The Memory of Babel: Book Three of The Mirror Visitor Quartet

this series just keeps getting better and better the further into it i get!! if you're looking for a book that's his dark materials mixed with a studio ghibli film, then look no further!! the character development in this book supersedes the two books that came before this one by a long shot. if i loved thorn and ophelia before, then it's nothing compared to how i feel about them now!! the way thorn is with ophelia is Exactly the kind of romance i enjoy in any novel!! definitely adding him to my list of book boyfriends. also that boy Definitely has ocd and it's nice to see someone who has that illness like i do where he's not villainized for it or turned into some sort of freak. same with ophelia who, to me, is very autistic coded. there were so many bits in this book that i adored and omg it's so difficult trying to write this review without spoiling anything. the side characters, as usual, stand out so much!! octavio, my beloved. i hope we see more of him in the next book. i hated him at first, but this author does a very good job of making you feel the emotions about her characters that she wants you to before doing some sort of reveal that they're not at all what you're assuming them to be. i'm also very curious about victoria!! Something is going on with her, i just can't figure out what. i thought i did at one point during this book, but, as usual, the author did a great bait and switch with her character. the setting is even more akin to castle in the sky in this book with the introduction of automatons, and babel reminds me a bit of piltover and zaun in arcane!! though i would never want to live there; the authoritarianism in the babelian government reminds me far too much of what's happening in the usa at the moment except much, much worse. the linework is beautiful and so very engaging. this is the first time the book really starts to pick up and reveal what everything in the story is about, but, because the author is very good at what she does, she keeps you completely occupied until now so it doesn't ever once feel like this book series is slow to get to the main plot. there's so many things that happen in this book that set up the finale so well and i cannot wait to get to it, but i'm also not ready to leave this world quite yet. all in all, this book was amazing and definitely the best in the series so far!! i'm Very curious and excited about the last book in the series!!

The book arrived in great shape. I’m already a fan of this book series and this book did not disappoint!

This book, unfortunately, was a challenge for me to get through. From characters to setting and plot, The Memory of Babel was a slightly let down from the precedence set by the first two books. Ophelia was the same Ophelia from the previous two books that we know and love. While I found comfort in her character, I also believe that her development stagnated with the last book. Thorn, on the other hand, is a character I have never hated more nor loved more. I felt hopeful when he showed up in the story, but quickly became annoyed and exasperated with him. His stiff and cold persona masks his emotions (especially his love!). I really wish the author had included a dual perspective so that we can know what’s going on in his head. Instead we get brief moments of Ophelia interpreting his care and affection from his actions, but sometimes it seemed a little far-fetched. The ending may have resolved their relationship to a certain degree, but I did not personally feel that emotional/mental shift and it seemed abrupt. I did not care for the setting of this book as much as the previous two. Starting in Anima, Ophelia is quickly whisked away to Babel, a more dystopian like setting. I enjoyed the comfort of Anima and reveled in the ruthless Pole, but found Babel to be uninteresting. As a whole, I also did not enjoy the plot line as much as the previous two books. It’s strange, as a person of faith, to read a plot where the main characters are trying to take down a figure/being labeled as God. It was challenging because we got less time of interaction between humans and more time of Ophelia and her thoughts. The ending was a little confusing so I’m hoping the next book will resolve somethings and answer some of my questions. The previous two books had sections that were called fragments and it was clearly labeled and broke up the book. While these were sometimes confusing, I think they overall added to the story and definitely contributed to building up the tension. However the interludes in this book were not clearly labeled and caused confusion. Unlike the previous (somewhat nonsensical) fragments, these interludes were a complete side story that we only got brief glimpses of. It was a little disjointed and cause the flow to be disrupted. Each fragment got increasingly more confusing and I did not enjoy that story line by the end. I recognize the entire review was negative, but I do want to stress that I still love this series very much. I look forward to the next book’s translation being released and am hopeful for greater resolution. I think Ophelia is wonderful and am seriously impressed by the amazing world building created by the author. I ended up loving a few of the secondary characters too.

Great price for this book.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat! So much mystery to figure out, so much frustration for the characters to deal with. The ending was so beautiful I could hardly stand it. Now I can't wait to start the final book, but I'm sad at the thought that I'm 3/4 of the way through the series. I wish there were fifty more of these books!

Amazing book I love this series!

Although the third installment of the Mirror Visitor epic quartet resumes after a break of over two years, the action picks up swiftly. Ophelia is offered a chance to leave Anima—where she's been languishing, reading and snacking---to search for her husband, Thorn. Jumping on this opportunity, she soon arrives at Babel, an ark known for its strict social mores and vast library. Ophelia is soon enmeshed in the back-stabbing world of those who aspire to become 'Virtuosos', as she needs that authorization to access the secret files which she believes will tell her more about the mysterious cataclysm that shattered her world. Since Thorn is investigating on his own, it's only a matter of time before their paths cross, and she is disheartened to find him more forbidding and cold than ever. Amidst a lush backdrop of amazing world-building and vivid imagery, this installment of political intrigue, murder mystery and slow-burn romance is an immensely satisfying page-turner. I do recommend that the previous volumes be read first, as there are quite a few characters and references to previous events that won't make much sense to a reader unfamiliar with the series.

The slow burn of this series is so worth the wait! In the 3rd installment, more adventures are had, more plot unraveled, more mysteries revealed—and of course, new puzzles arise. Amidst it all, Ophelia and Thorn’s relationship reaches an improbable pinnacle. Unbelievably good.