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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
The best way to describe everything about this book is flat. The characters, plot, interactions between characters, and relationships are flat. The characters are dull, many moments during the novel are boring, and the relationships lack spark and intensity.
I went into this novel expecting to love it like a guilty pleasure. I was expecting romance and intrigue. Instead, The Glittering Court delivers a boring story with ridiculous actions and forgettable characters.
The ending of the novel is rushed and convenient. The events line up too perfectly without delay.
Overall, The Glittering Court delivers a boring story with forgettable characters and relationships. I was expecting to enjoy this novel since I loved Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, but The Glittering Court falls flat on all fronts.
I would have liked more scenes with Tamsin and Mira, but hopefully the author will have time to focus on the side characters in the sequel.
This book is about a countess, Elizabeth, who poses as her lady's maid, Adelaide, to escape a financially-motivated arranged marriage. She is taken to the Glittering Court, a finishing school where lower class women are trained to be wives of the "new nobility," in the new world.
Breakdown:
Love factor: I really liked that this didn't have a love triangle, even though there was potential. I loved Cedric and Adelaide together. They are witty and passionate. I would
World building: Here is where I think The Glittering Court missed the mark. First the setting was troubling. This felt more like historical fiction than fantasy. Maybe if the setting was more flushed out it wouldn't have felt like 19th century England and the New World/California during the gold rush. If it was to be Historical Fiction, there still needed to be some reworking of the setting, but to be fantasy there wasn't nearly enough information to establish an entire new world and society. Next the culture. I would have loved to learn more about the way the gods and angels worked because (I think) they were supposed to be important, but because I didn't know much about them they didn't seem to mater. I hope they make a bigger play in the next book and weren't just there to create tension for Cedric because they seemed really interesting. However, at 400 pages, these edits would have made the book much longer, which I wouldn't have minded, but as a first book of the series others might have and it could have hurt future book sales.
Series starter: This is the first book of a trilogy. The only way for this to be a successful trilogy (aka the only way I will read the rest of the books) is for Mead to do like LaFevers did in her His Fair Assassins trilogy and do each book from a different girls points of view. For the most part, Adelaide's story is done. What we need to know now is what secrets Mira and Tamsin are keeping. I'd like the next book to be from Tamsin and the final from Mira. If the next book is still about Adelaide, it will be super boring, and I definitely won't read them. Also, why make the other two women super mysterious in the last chapter if she isn't going to give us a peak into their minds
Overall, I would rate this book as a Sapphire (or give it three out of five stars). for this to be diamond level, there needed to be more everything. More setting, more time at the school, more relationship developing between the girls and Adelaide and Cedric, just more.
Review also found on my blog: www.moderndaywonder.com
Adelaide is a strong character, who knows what she wants. I particularly like Cedric's treatment of, and actions around her. He is a most worthy suitor.
Three and a half stars.
The concept of this book is a new one to me, although I'm sure it could be likened to a few others that are out there. I love the era it's set in, and have been only reading books set around this time at the moment. I really wasn't 100% sure of what I was getting into with this book but I'm happy of what I got.
I was a tad wary of Cedric at first, but then very quickly fell in love with him and his relationship with Adelaide.
I thought the hiding of Adelaide's birth name was a bit weird and unnecessary, but it did ad another layer of mystery, which I ultimately loved.
The book brought up so many topics that are very relevant in today's society and I thought that was amazing, even if it only gently touched on them before moving on, the focus on religion was quite unexpected, yet satisfying.
THE ROMANCE ASPECT OF THIS WAS BEAUTIFUL AND TENSE. I had no idea that it would so quickly turn to them getting engaged.
THE VILLAIN OF THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. I've never been so outraged at an antagonist before, Warren is disgusting and I'm glad he's being shipped off to possible death, but for a while there I honestly thought he wasn't going to be so horrible, that he maybe was just a bit annoyed at what happened, but he was an asshole just like his mum. I think Elias might cause some difficulties in the future, but who knows.
The western/settler aspect of the book was a shock to me, given the book's glamorous style, and was also a little strange, but interesting.
At first I thought the ending was a bit rushed, but I've since realised that it's a teaser for the next book, without a major cliffhanger, even though not know what Tamsin and Mira's secrets are is SO FRUSTRATING!!! I'd really love more explanation of Tamsin and the Icori, the reason she was with them made sense, but I want to know more. There was one part where I thought Tamsin was going to go missing again and when she did, I was so sad that I was right, albeit it wasn't for long.
It'll be interesting to see is Lady Alice makes her way over to Adoria, I thought for sure that she was going to show up at the end there.
I've only taken away one theory from this book and it's that Clara is the female pirate. She had blonde hair, right?
All in all, the writing was lovely and it was a well written book with hardly any boring bits!
Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual assault
Ungefär samtidigt som jag fick reda på att den här är en i princip fristående bok i serien, att hennes historia avslutas i den här boken, tog boken mycket längre tid att läsa. Jag tyckte om den, men det var inte så att den var svår att lägga ifrån sig. Men jag vet inte om det har med själva boken att göra, jag har nu ett tag varit sugen på att börja läsa en massa böcker på samma gång.
Dock tycker jag inte att den här boken håller samma klass som Vampire Academy. Jag hade hoppats på lite mer.
