Review: The Court of Miracles (Court of Miracles #1)

The Court of Miracles (Court of Miracles #1)
by Kester Grant

Published By: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: June 4, 2020
Date Read: July 20, 2020
Genre: YA – Fantasy / Retelling
Source: Illumicrate Box
Format: Hardback
Pages: 464

From Goodreads:
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.

“We are the wretched. We belong to no one but our fathers. You and your mind may rule over things in this land but you do not rule over us.”

The Court of Miracles is one of my most anticipated releases of 2020. I am a huge fan of YA fantasy books and a huge fan of retellings. Add to this the fact that I am the most enormous musicals fan and this is a retelling of Les Miserables, I knew this would be the perfect book for me. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, as I just knew I would love it… and I did. Going into this book I had huge expectations and it did not disappoint. Right from the start I couldn’t put it down.

Kester Grant has a fantastic writing style. The Court of Miracles is so easy to read and I easily got lost in the story and sat for hours and hours on end reading. Before picking this one up I was in such a reading slump. It had been difficult for me to get into any book, but when I picked this one up I couldn’t stop reading. I was completely taken away into this historical Paris and the underground network of secret societies. I loved learning more about these secret societies and how they all linked together as part of the Court of Miracles. This book is superbly thought out and so well written.

I loved the characters in this book. Nina was a fantastic character to follow the story through. Right from the start I was just so heartbroken for her… losing her sister and then sworn into a secret society of thieves to enable her to survive at such a young age is utterly heartbreaking. She is such a kick-ass character that I loved. Nina went through such a journey and she really grew as a character throughout this book. She went from someone who was willing to sacrifice someone to save her sister, to realising that this wasn’t okay and becoming a protector of everyone. I loved that about her.

My one gripe about this book is that it’s a fantasy retelling… but there isn’t must fantasy in it. I loved this book, don’t get me wrong, but I was expecting some more fantastical elements. Other than the odd mention of something that’s not quite normal (e.g. the ghosts; the assassin’s medallion being able to put people in a trance) but for the most part it’s more a historical retelling. I was just sad to not see as many fantasy elements as I’d hoped as fantasy is my favourite genre.

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of The Court of Miracles. It strays away from the Les Miserables tale but the key elements are definitely there. And it definitely made me burst into song every now and then, much to the annoyance of my family. I really loved the characters and the secret societies and I can’t wait to find out what is going to happen next. I’m hoping there may be a bit more romance in the second book as I did miss the romance elements in this one. If you’re a reader who needs an epic romance going on in books then you may be disappointed in this one. There’s little hints here and there but it’s definitely plot driven. Lucky for me… I love a plot driven book.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves action, mystery and a little bit of murder in their books. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I loved every moment. Roll on next year so I can get my hands on book 2. In the meantime, I’ll just be over here singing songs from Les Mis.

“Sometimes we must pay a terrible price to protect the things we love.”