Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: A Court of Miracles
Author: Kester Grant
Book Series: A Court of Miracles book 1
Diversity: French! Nothing more than that.
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For…: Les Mis Retelling, books set in France, revolution books
Publication Date: June 2, 2020
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 464
Recommended Age: 17+ drug abuse, domestic violence, violence, gore, child abuse, TW rape mention and possibly child molestation (honestly I’m unsure of Ettie’s age, she acts 10 but could be 16).
Synopsis: In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina’s life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father’s fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger–the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh–Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city’s dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice–protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.
Review: For the most part this was an interesting book. The world building was great and the pacing was well done. The book also had an interesting plot and that plot kept me intrigued in the book until the end.
However, this book is a mess. Maybe it’s because I got an early access copy and it’s been smoothed out since then but man this was a rough read. The second part of the book is where the blurb takes place. This was incredibly confusing to me because, if I hadn’t read the blurb, I would have been fine. But because I did I was just constantly confused throughout the first part. The first part is more of a backstory but that could have been told in another fashion, perhaps through flashback sequences. There was too much telling and the MC didn’t have any character development or flaws. No one else in the book really had character development either. The book really had that feeling of “I’m watching a show for the first time and it’s the midseason finale and I don’t have a clue what’s going on”. The book also felt like it just had Les Mis characters thrown in for the audience benefit. I think it could have had new characters that would have been better developed than the Les Mis ones, but that’s a loaded opinion because I generally think Les Mis has zero character development and is a fairly bad play.
Verdict: It was a mess but it’s interesting and I’m hoping book 2 is much better.
BOOK INFORMATION
The Court of Miracles (A Court of Miracles #1)
by Kester Grant
Publisher: Knopf Children’s
Release Date: June 2nd 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Retellings, Science Fiction
Synopsis:
Les Misérables meets Six of Crows in this page-turning adventure as a young thief finds herself going head to head with leaders of Paris’s criminal underground in the wake of the French Revolution.
In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina’s life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father’s fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger–the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh–Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city’s dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice–protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.
BOOK LINKS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33973264-the-court-of-miracles
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XqWqUW
iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1484298107
Bookdepository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Court-Miracles-Kester-Grant/9780008254773?ref=grid-view&qid=1586471653842&sr=1-1
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-court-of-miracles-2
Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kester_Grant_The_Court_of_Miracles?id=uuO3DwAAQBAJ
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Kester Grant is a British-Mauritian writer of color. She was born in London, grew up between the UK, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the tropical island paradise of Mauritius. As a wanton nomad she and her husband are unsure which country they currently reside in but they can generally be found surrounded by their fiendish pack of cats and dogs.
AUTHOR LINKS
Website: https://www.kestergrant.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16344312.Kester_Grant
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kester_grant
Pinterest; https://www.pinterest.es/kestergrant/
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