Series: A Court of Miracles #1
Release date: June 19 2020
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Pages: 464
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: I bought a copy of this from my local Waterstones
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Synopsis
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.
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.
Review
The Court of Miracles caught my eye because I saw it described as ‘Les Misérables meets Six of Crows.’ The story follows Nina, a young girl who has a talent for burglary and is a member of the thieves guild. When Nina’s adopted sister Ettie catches the eye of the Tiger (the lord of the Guild of Flesh) Nina must do everything she can to keep Ettie safe. Doing so will take her into the dark underworld of the guilds as well as the lavish court of Louis XVII. Will Nina be able to save her sister from the Tiger and at what cost?
The Court of Miracles has an intriguing premise and one that captured my attention early on. The story is quite a fast paced one and I enjoyed Grant’s writing style. The story feels very loosely inspired by Les Miserables so while I am familiar with the original story, I did not see too many comparisons with the original. The plot felt at times a little disjointed and I found the latter half of the book to be much more compelling. I am interested to see where Grant takes things in the next book in the series.
The thing that fascinated me most about The Court of Miracles was the setting. I loved the Parisian setting and the dark and seedy underworld of the guilds. The setting felt well detailed and Grant’s writing really brought that to life. The characters in The Court of Miracles are interesting but I didn’t feel massively attached to any of them. Nina is an interesting protagonist and I enjoyed seeing her go from strength to strength as she did all she could to save Ettie.
The Court of Miracles is a compelling start to a historical fantasy series and if you’re looking for something fast paced and inspired by Les Miserables, this could be exactly the book you’re looking for.
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The Bibliophile Chronicles 