Title: The Court of Miracles

Author: Kester Grant

Pub. Date: June 2, 2020

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

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.

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I hit the end of this book and kept clicking the next page button because there was no way that, that was how it was going to end. Then I groaned because I actually realized that I had hit 100% and had finished the book.

I’m a Les Mis fan, so I figured I was going to like this book. Though, when I started it I wasn’t immediately hooked. Despite the draw of Les Mis, it kind of felt like Diamond City and I wasn’t a fan of that book. I kind of felt like I’d read the story before.

Which also makes sense because I’ve watched Les Mis about a million times. Thankfully, that feeling passed pretty quickly, and I was ultimately sucked in. I read this book in 4 hours because I couldn’t put it down. I really liked the pacing of this book, it flowed really nicely and made it a quick enjoyable read. While I liked the pacing, it did seem a tad rushed, but I’m basing that feeling on a 2-3 musical/movie where a lot happens. I also think that the feeling stems from, this is book 1 in a series, and there is still a lot of story left to tell. So, I’m not counting the pacing against it, and I still really liked it. I’m really interested in seeing what happens in the next book…especially with how it ended. I’m so curious!

I really liked the little twists that the author took with some of the characters. Now, I’m assuming they’re twists because I’ve never actually read Les Mis, but they differed from the musical. I liked that we followed Eponine (Nina) and I liked how the world of Les Mis unfolded around her.

I will say that the time jumps were a tad confusing. They always took me by surprise, and I had to go back and reread and put the timeline together. I mean, so much time passes in this book, and even just a year designation would have helped.

I loved the Guilds and the dynamics, the rules, the laws…and I love how Nina just basically said f*ck it. She looks at the rules of the Guilds, and finds loopholes. I really won’t be surprised if by the end of this series, she’s a Lord. She commands respect and is foolishly brave and doesn’t give up. I’m also really curious as to who holds her heart outside Ettie and Azelma – which guy…I’m torn, and I don’t even know if there is going to be a romance. I hope so. I really hope so.

I enjoyed the way this book ended, even though it’s left me really wanting the next one.

“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.”

The Court of Miracles is out on June 2, so make sure you pre-order you copy so you can dive in!