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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
The Court of Miracles was marketed as a retelling of Les Mis and The Jungle Book. The Les Mis references are obvious throughout, however, I don't understand how the Jungle Book plays into it. I haven't read the book so that could be why I didn't pick up on the references. The concept of this novel was intriguing but trying to fit the entire Les Mis plot and a criminal underground plot in a 400-page book didn't work. Les Mis spans many years and there are so many plot beats. This book was so rushed. I think it would have been better if the Les Mis plot was spread out through at least the sequel rather than the entire thing in this first book.
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Stalking, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Gore, Pedophilia, Self harm, Death of parent, War
Imagine a story of the inner workings of Parisian criminal guilds wrapped up in a loose homage to Les Misérables and Jungle Book. That is exactly what Ms. Grant has pulled off with The Court of Miracles.
Our main character, Eponine (Nina for short), is a super-talented member of the Thieves Guild and is on a mission to both save her adopted sister Cosette (Ettie) from and destroy the Flesh Guild. Ettie has caught the eye of the Tiger (not a Survivor reference) who leads the Flesh Guild, and Nina is already chapped at him because he took her actual sister into service several years back.
What follows is some serious criminal high jinks, and a broad swath of literary liberty with the characters of Hugo’s Les Mis.
This YA gem was truly a joy to read. The absolute spark between Nina and Ettie’s personalities, coupled with Nina’s preternatural ability to get in and out of the most heinous of situations, seriously drives this novel in an entertaining rollick.
There is some time-hopping that occurs, but, in a tale such as this, that is absolutely to be expected. As the years progress, we see Nina becoming more mature and far more driven to her goals. One thing I greatly respected is that Nina is not always successful in her wild gambits: something I see less and less of these days from other authors dealing with their protagonist(s). In my mind, these trip-ups help painfully carve even more facets onto Nina’s vivacious personality.
While Ms. Kester took the liberty of setting up shop in a preexisting world, she does not shy from leaving her own mark on it. All the visuals, sounds, tastes, and smells of Louis XVII’s Paris — and a lot of the seedy underbelly — are laid out like a buffet for the senses, and, truthfully, a lot of it is quite unsavory.
This is a book worth picking up. Better yet, snag the audiobook which is masterfully executed by Ajjaz Awad and John Lee.
Our main character, Eponine (Nina for short), is a super-talented member of the Thieves Guild and is on a mission to both save her adopted sister Cosette (Ettie) from and destroy the Flesh Guild. Ettie has caught the eye of the Tiger (not a Survivor reference) who leads the Flesh Guild, and Nina is already chapped at him because he took her actual sister into service several years back.
What follows is some serious criminal high jinks, and a broad swath of literary liberty with the characters of Hugo’s Les Mis.
This YA gem was truly a joy to read. The absolute spark between Nina and Ettie’s personalities, coupled with Nina’s preternatural ability to get in and out of the most heinous of situations, seriously drives this novel in an entertaining rollick.
There is some time-hopping that occurs, but, in a tale such as this, that is absolutely to be expected. As the years progress, we see Nina becoming more mature and far more driven to her goals. One thing I greatly respected is that Nina is not always successful in her wild gambits: something I see less and less of these days from other authors dealing with their protagonist(s). In my mind, these trip-ups help painfully carve even more facets onto Nina’s vivacious personality.
While Ms. Kester took the liberty of setting up shop in a preexisting world, she does not shy from leaving her own mark on it. All the visuals, sounds, tastes, and smells of Louis XVII’s Paris — and a lot of the seedy underbelly — are laid out like a buffet for the senses, and, truthfully, a lot of it is quite unsavory.
This is a book worth picking up. Better yet, snag the audiobook which is masterfully executed by Ajjaz Awad and John Lee.
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i just found it funny that basically every guy nina came into contact with instantly became obsessed with her, even after she'd betrayed them MULTIPLE times
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A punchy, original adaption of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, set in a dangerous alternate reality where hierarchical family Guilds run the Parisian underworld.
There are adaptational choices throughout the novel and Grant manages to sustain a uniqueness which ensures that this is never just a direct interpretation. Whilst there are decisions which I found frustrating (Javert as a woman scorned , Nina assaulting men by means of distraction , canonically *not straight* Enjolras having a romantic storyline with Nina when Grantaire is right there ), this world feels dangerous enough to keep you on your toes.
The upcoming sequel offers opportunity to explore some storylines further, e.g. Ettie's feelings of abandonment from her mother and le Marie's relationships with Ettie and Javert.
There are adaptational choices throughout the novel and Grant manages to sustain a uniqueness which ensures that this is never just a direct interpretation. Whilst there are decisions which I found frustrating (
The upcoming sequel offers opportunity to explore some storylines further, e.g. Ettie's feelings of abandonment from her mother and le Marie's relationships with Ettie and Javert.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, War, Classism
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Abandonment, Colonisation
adventurous
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Trafficking, Classism
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Gun violence
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I could not get into this book. Nina seemed interesting, but every time I reached for the hook it vanished and I couldn’t get pulled into the story. I didn’t like Ettie all that much, but I think that’s because Nina did all the action and Ettie just followed. I finished the book earlier and k hardly remember any of it. But it had a lot of potential.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No