Book Review - The Glittering Court By Richelle Mead

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: 5 April 2016

Pages: 416

Summary: As a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is made to transform poor girls into upper-class ladies capable of arranging wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally does very well in her training and even manages to make a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. Throughout The Glittering Court Adelaide is able to keep her true identity hidden from everyone except for Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy business man of the Glittering Court. When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together, they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide's deception. Complications soon arise - first, as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and later, when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor. But none proven quite as daunting as the attraction between Adelaide and Cedric, which would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts.

My thoughts: I quite enjoyed The Glittering Court. This is the first book I've read by Richelle Mead so I've nothing to really compare it with but it was highly enjoyable. The synopsis is very intriguing and I just picked this up on a whim. I thought her writing was very well done and her characters have a very authentic feel to them.

Adelaide was a good main character although she definitely wasn't my favourite, or even close to it. She was kind of snobby at the start so that threw me off because that is one of the traits I hate most in characters! It didn't take long though for that to be drawn out of her and for her to come to her senses and assess her situation. However, I do have to say that I would have loved if she was a bit more badass! 

Cedric was a great character. He was very loving and you could tell he would do anything for Adelaide. Tamsin was probably my favourite! She was a very feisty and determined girl and I would have loved the story from her perspective too. Mira was also very interesting. She was mysterious and quiet but there was a whole sub-plot going on there in the background that still needs to be explored in the second book in the series.

The Glittering Court itself was thought out brilliantly but I did think that the way time was pasting was a bit confusing. For example, after I finished one chapter I could move onto the next only to find out it skipped to months later! It just really annoyed me but it didn't take from the book much.

Overall the plot and characters were great and I loved the ending. It seems to tie most of the ends together so I'm kind of wondering what Richelle Mead could possibly make book two out of but we'll have to wait and see! If you're interested in fantasy/historical books I'd give this a go but I wouldn't be rushing to it if you have others you can read. I give it a high rating because it was a very interesting premise but it didn't make me feel much to be honest.  

Any thoughts you'd like to share? I'd love to hear your opinions on this one!