ARC Review: The Court of Miracles (A Court of Miracles #1) by Kester Grant
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Series: A Court of Miracles #1
Author: Kester Grant
Published June 4th 2020 by Harper Voyager
Goodreads Synopsis
A diverse fantasy reimagining of Les Misérables and The Jungle Book.
In the dark days following a failed French Revolution, in the violent jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, young cat-burglar Eponine (Nina) Thenardier goes head to head with merciless royalty, and the lords of the city's criminal underworld to save the life of her adopted sister Cosette (Ettie).
Her vow will take her from the city’s dark underbelly, through a dawning revolution, to the very heart of the glittering court of Louis XVII, where she must make an impossible choice between guild, blood, betrayal and war.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
The Court of Miracles sees 19th century Paris be transformed into a glittering underworld, in which nine Lords and Ladies of various Courts rule the city. Years after the failed French Revolution, the Wretched find comfort in their individual Courts, where the word is law, and nothing that Those Who Walk By Day do, can harm them. After her elder sister is sold to the wicked Lord of the Flesh Court, Eponine (Nina) Thenardier pledges herself to the Guild of Thieves and becomes the Black Cat, capable of breaking into the most difficult of places, including the royal palaces, and stealing the crown jewels from the neck of the Dauphin, and into the notorious la Grand Chatelet prison. No matter how comfortable she gets without her Guild, she has never forgotten the cruelty that the Tiger is capable of, and will do just about everything to make sure her foster-sister, Cosette (Ettie), is safe, even if that means working with the Students in a new revolution attempt.
This book was just perfection, simple! I adore Les Miserables, and have done for years now, from reading Hugo's novel, to seeing it on the West End, on Broadway, on tour, and even the film. Anything about Les Mis will always get my attention, so obviously this was a book I knew I needed to read. Now, The Court of Miracles expertly wove together history, and fantasy, and Victor Hugo's Paris in a form that I could barely put down to eat or sleep. Nina, our main character, was everything I have always wanted Eponine to be (she's my favourite, of course), and I was in awe of how strong, and clever she was, and how throughout all that she had suffered, she still thought of her lost sister, Azelma, and her new sister, Ettie. She had many allies throughout the different parts of the books, from the Dauphin, to Enjolras St Juste, to Montparnasse, and even the Lord of the Guild of Beggars, Orso. Her sheer intelligence and ingenuity made her all the better, and I hope she flourishes even more in the next book.
How Grant managed to weave all the different elements of world building, use of source material, and history together, I will never know. Even knowing Les Mis as much as I do, I couldn't see all the twists and turns that were appearing, page after page. The plot line was epic, and seeing some of my favourite Les Mis characters in different forms, especially Gavroche, and even the inclusion of the king and queen's court, was the best thing I could've asked for, in order to finish off 2020. I've seen that this book is only the first in a trilogy, and I am desperate to see what happens next, and where Grant takes her characters.
Dates Read:
December 29-30, 2020
Rating
5 Stars
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