Reviews

Court Duel by Sherwood Smith

rshirtliff's review

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

thesnobbyscrutinest's review

5.0

Truly enjoyed this duology! I was almost turned off by some of the reviews saying it was YA- but the political intrigue, plot, and characters were just fantastic. Book 1 is a bit repetitive and drags- but it’s the perfect set up for Book 2. I highly recommend Reading the version with the additional content at the end from another character’s perspective.

jeslyncat's review

5.0

"Court Duel" is a twist on a classic-style--falling in love with someone you hate because of an awful misunderstanding, however, Smith adds a touch of suspense, reality, and the degrees of the world she has created.

ameenah_94's review

3.0

3.5 ⭐️

MC was still a little dense in this book. But, it was much more interesting, and her and the the ML had decent chemistry. Overall, pretty well written, decent story line, and the MC had character growth that made her a lot more tolerable.

megs_k's review

5.0

If more people recognized the difference between friendship and mere attraction, and how love must partake of both to prosper, I'd expect there'd be more happy people. ~ Sherwood Smith

seeinghowitgoes's review

4.0

What a refreshing way to end the series, finally a heroine who not only accepts her own faults but actually learns from them! It's a lovely love story after all, no big surprises just a satisfactory burn all throughout.

eldergoblin's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

geldauran's review

5.0

THIS IS THE SLOW BURN TO END ALL SLOW BURNS. A MASTERCLASS IN SLOW BURNS. SO SLOW THAT I NEEDED TO READ IT ALL AT ONCE.

brokenrecord's review

5.0

4.5 stars. This was so great!!! Much better than Crown Duel. I always am into courtly politics, so I was definitely interested in the main plot. But the most important thing was definitely Vidanric/Mel.

Spoiler

THE LETTERS!!! The ring he got her!!! How she gave a ring back and he was like "I don't think you want me to wear this" and she realized they were courting and he wore it under his gloves anyways!!! The reveal that he was the letter writer was perfect — that he was wearing the ring the whole time and that she was relieved to find out it was him and that he waited to make good on their wager until that point, when he knew she knew he had feelings for her and that she had been reciprocating even though she didn't know it was him. It was all just so good!!! All their misunderstandings and the fact that Vidanric was still into her through it all. The time he was a little cold to her but it was probably because he was trying to avoid her seeing that the letter he was writing was to her!

Basically, I just loved everything between them a whole lot, and my only complaint was that it wasn't longer. I would read an entire book about them being in love and ruling everything together.

bethrb's review

3.75

 The ending felt very rushed, but this was a lot of fun. I'm glad I finally got around to reading this series!