Reviews

The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant

cmdufresne's review

3.0

Had a super difficult time with this rating. Would give it a solid 3.5 if that was possible. Loved the characters, plot, dialogue, world, and would recommend and probably read again, but was constantly distracted by Les Mes. I felt like I was constantly comparing in my head which kept me from getting absorbed into the story. It took away more than it added and would have been better if the names were different and it was treated as oringal.

izzys_internet_bookshelf's review

4.0

4/5

I heard about this book from booktok and was excited to start reading it. Especially because it is set in France, like one of my favorite sci fi books, A Sky Without Stars. I enjoyed the concept of the book though the court was very interesting to say the least, and somewhat hard to follow. I had a fun time going to this books world.

sdloomer's review

4.0

This is probably 3.5/5 stars, but I'm rounding up because I'm surprised at how much I actually enjoyed this.

While I haven't read Les Miserables, I have seen the musical several times on stage and on screen, and while that isn't quite a substitute for that great piece of literature, I think the musical covers the main points of the story that is necessary to know for this book. I have been forever in the same "Eponine deserved so much better" camp as the author, and I'm pretty satisfied with this alternate retelling of her life. Also,

Spoiler

forever grateful to Ms. Grant for mashing the characters of Enjolras and Marius together so Marius could finally smooch with Eponine while still being useful. Like Enjolras. In fact, I'm pretty sure she just got rid of Marius altogether, now that I think about it. Enjolras is just so much better

.

I'm really looking forward to the second book in this trilogy (doth mine eyes deceive me or might there be some future tension between

Spoiler

Eponine, St. Juste, and the Dauphin

?

My only gripe is that Eponine doesn't feel completely characterized; almost the whole book is focused on retrieving either one of her two sisters and that is the only thing she introspects about. There isn't a whole lot of words spent on what she likes to do, or what jobs she's been on, or what other friends she's made within her guild. She's spent so much time with this guild, her family, but I know almost next to nothing about who the members are, beside their masters and lords. Aren't there other Cats? How does Nina compare with them? And speaking of time, what was with the time skips? I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how much time passed between chapters or parts and how old everyone was, but none of that was ever clear. How old are Eponine and Ettie? Montparnasse? The Dauphin? St. Juste? I'm one of those readers who like to have explicitly said ages of characters to gather an impression of the different kinds of relationships they have or will have with each other.

Anyway, I was impressed with this reimagining of Les Mis and I hope the second book is just as engaging.

leilagu's review

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

peter7's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

marieintheraw's review

4.0

With how many comparisons this book has going for it, I think how many will rate this will be determined by which element they are rooting for the most. Personally, I just wanted a historical retelling with some Les Mis vibes and this book sells on those! The fantasy elements do feel a bit lacking, but it is the first book in the series so I can forgive those. I can't wait to see where book two will take me.

I received an ecopy of this through Netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.

hoperachel's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

acciodaydreamer's review

4.0

Thank you, HarperCollins, for the early proof copy!

Summary:
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In Paris dwells the underworld of The Miracle Court with its guilds of "ghosts", thieves, assassins and more. They are the city's wretched.
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But will Nina bring The Miracle Court to the brink of war? When her sister is sold to a monster, Nina is forced to join the Thieves Guild to remain safe. But she won't give up until her sister is safe too.
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The Court of Miracles is a thrilling fantasy novel. I really enjoyed reading about Nina and her interactions with other Guilds. Love the Assassins Guild! They are so dark and mysterious.
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I also like the personification of the city. For me, it added to the book's dark and fantastical atmosphere. Although the novel is set in a real city, Paris, it still feels like an entire different world. It reminds me of V.E Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic.
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I did find the first part slow and was close to DNFing, but I'm glad I didn't! I especially liked the twist--was not expecting that at all!

mewwy's review

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

lish_aa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5