The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant Pages: 464
Published by Knopf Children's on June 2, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy & Magic, retelling, Historical Fiction
Source: eARC from Publisher
Les Misérables meets Six of Crows in this page-turning adventure as a young thief finds herself going head to head with leaders of Paris's criminal underground in the wake of the French Revolution.
In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina's life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father's fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie).
When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger--the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh--Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city's dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice--protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.
The Court of Miracles is a young adult retelling of Les Misérables and is the first book in the A Court of Miracles series by debut author Kester Grant. I don’t think I am able to conjure up the words necessary to convey how deeply I loved this book. It grabbed hold of my heart and did not let go. I am still thinking about, and I will continue to think about, obsess about, and fan-girl over this book for a long time to come. The Court of Miracles is heralded as being part Les Misérables retelling mixed in with part of Six of Crows, but honestly this book does not need to be compared to anything else. It is exceptionally brilliant all on it’s own. This is a must read book of 2020!
The Court of Miracles t is told form the point of view of Eponine or Nina, who is a really fantastic main character. The story starts out with her as a young girl around the age of 9, as her sister tries to save her by hiding her in the Court of thieves. Nina is known as the cat burglar (hence the six of crows comparison, but again I really think this story stands fantastically well on it’s own. No comparisons are needed, and I don’t think it really felt a lot like Six of Crows.) because of her smarts and her ability to sneak into small spaces easily. Nina is resourceful! I loved her and her determination to try and help her sister and to try and do the right thing at the same time. Watching Nina grow up was incredible. She starts out in this novel at just 9 and over the course of the story turns into a young adult. Her grit and determination is awe-inspiring. There is also a really dynamic cast of secondary characters. Some I hated, some I loved and some I completely loved to hate, but they all fit into the plot of this story perfectly. I will say that as far as historical facts go…there were a few inaccuracies and liberties taken with timelines and and such, but nothing that bothered me because this felt more like a retelling to me, and less like a historical fiction piece.
The world in The Court of Miracles is wonderfully crafted as well. Kester Grant made Paris and it’s criminal underbelly come to life for me! The Revolution tore Paris apart, and this is the aftermath. In this version of Paris, there are several courts, but not courts of nobility…these courts are known of as the Miracle Court, which is comprised of different guilds made up of misfits, criminals and orphans. I loved seeing all the different guilds (there are 9 of them- The Gamblers Guild, The Beggars Guild, Mergenaries Guild, Assassins Guild, Smugglers Guild, Guild of Letters, Thieves Guild, Guild of the flesh, and the guild of dreamers.) Learning about the guilds, their masters and their history was such a fascinating aspect of the story in my opinion. I loved that the book starts out with the code or law of the miracle court. It helped me gain my bearings in this world very quickly, and honestly for such a richly detailed world, I was never confused about who the characters were or what was going on, which is a big feat in my opinion. This story grows into a plot that is so much bigger than I could have initially guessed. Once Nina is situated in the thieves guild, her main goal is always to save her sister who was sold into the Guild of the Flesh. The plot evolves and twists and turns so many times and in so many different directions that by the end of the book, I just sat there stunned at how big the whole thing had becomes. I’m obsessed with everything about this world and I am desperate for more. The Court of Miracles is one of my favorite books of the year. In fact, it is the best book I have read in a very long time. I need more right now!
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2020 New Release Challenge
- Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2020
This one is definitely on my TBR! I love everything about it, the time period, the storyline and the cover. It is my favorite genre as well. I can’t wait to read this one.
Court of Miracles sounds compelling. It is absolutely on my TBR. My favorite genres are fantasy an sci-fi but I like everything. Thanks.
Added this one to my TBR. It sounds absolutely awesome
This book looks very interesting. I will be adding it to my TBR. My favorite genre is romance.