I bought this book, this is not a sponsored review. This is 100% my honest opinion.

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

Series: The Glittering Court #1

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Adventure

Edition: First, Hardcover

Pages: 416

Source: Goodreads, Amazon, Penguin Random House

Summary from the Publisher:

For a select group of girls, the Glittering Court offers a shot at a life they’ve only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. To high-born Adelaide, whose wealthy family is forcing her into a loveless marriage, the Glittering Court represents something else: the chance to chart her own destiny, and adventure in an unspoiled, prosperous new land across the sea.

After a chance meeting with the dazzling Cedric Thorn, Adelaide poses as a servant to join the crop of impoverished girls he promises to transform into proper ladies. But her familiarity with upper class life comes with a price: she must hide her identity from her new friends, mysterious refugee Mira and fiery former laundress Tamsin, and most importantly, from Cedric himself—even though she’s falling in love with him.

Everything begins to crumble when Cedric discovers Adelaide’s ruse, and she catches the eye of a powerful young governor, who wants her for a wife. She didn’t leave the gilded cage of her old life behind just to become someone else’s property. But nothing is as daunting—or as wonderful—as the potent, forbidden attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. One that, if acted on, would make them both outcasts in a wild, dangerous, uncharted world, and possibly lead them to their deaths.

I found this book super enjoyable! Especially our protagonist:  Lady Elizabeth the Countess of Rothford aka Adelaide Bailey. She’s an aristocrat who doesn’t want to marry her boring cousin; who dreams of a freer life, and one who does so with sass.

“I gave him a demure smile, not deferential enough to diminish my superior rank but enough to make him think his charm had flustered me.” (pg 3)

I  barely made a dent in the book, and I’m already smitten with Miss Adelaide. She reminds me of one of my favorite fiction characters, Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy. Also created by Richelle. Of course, with a lot less angst.

I would also like to point out that our hero, Cedric Thorn, has red hair. I repeat, HE IS A GINGER. I love that, I’m not a redhead, but I always feel sad that male gingers are usually painted as ugly, or in the worse case evil. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” as the saying goes. I try not to judge.

There are two other important characters: Tasmin and Mira. Tasmin and Adelaide are from Osfrid, which is the equivalent of England, while Mira is Sirminican, which is basically their Spain. They travel to Adoria, which is based on the United States.

Fun Fact: when I went to the book signing, I asked Richelle how she came up with the names for the countries. She said she tried to use syllables that sounded like it was from the country it was based on.

Anyway, I loved Mira! She is the strong independent type, and a warrior.

“Mira watched him dash away, her eyes smoldering with anger. ‘Men get to do everything.'” (pg 145)

I think that sums her up nicely. As for Tasmin, she is a fireball. She is a commoner, and she is determined to find a good husband–and a better life. In the beginning, we follow these three girls as they train to be sold as wives to the “new nobility.” However, it’s when they travel to Adoria that they get separated, and the story focuses more on just Adelaide.  I’m not sure how Tasmin and Mira’s stories will pan out, but I think that Adelaide’s tale is more focused around love. So I would recommend this book to people who like romance, and strong female characters. Adelaide is definitely someone who makes her own destiny.

Overall Rating: 4.6 hearts

Cover: 4.5

Characters: 5

Writing: 5

Plot&Pacing: 4.5

Creativity: 5

DISCUSSION: SPOILERS WILL OCCUR, CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

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