THE COURT OF MIRACLES presents a fascinating and exciting revisionist/magical history of post-Revolution France. I often feel that YA fantasy is oversaturated with stories set in "fantasy France" or in a made-up world with Francophile/Francophone cultures and languages. Kester Grant's book has a fascinating premise: what if the Revolution failed and the monarchy continued? What happens when the monarchy and noble class continue to oppress the marginalized?
Protagonist Nina is a reimagining of Eponine from LES MIS and several other characters draw directly from the novel/musical's cast (complete with same name). At a young age, Nina escaped her father's wrath and terror by becoming "the Black Cat," the best thief in the Court of Thieves. Paris's underworld - the Miracle Court - consists of different guilds, all with their own histories and affinities (death, letters, gambling, etc.) and members of the court are supposed to strictly keep to its law. However, Lord Kaplan of the Guild of the Flesh consistently flaunts the rules to accumulate power and money through his network of brothels. After their father sells her old sister to Kaplan, Nina vows revenge.
Unlike in the musical, Nina has much more agency than Eponine and Marius who? She pulls off the most incredible heists and finds herself navigating the palace, the world of the daytime, and the nocturnal court. There are several romantic subplots with three different boys having feelings for Nina: the Dauphin (the heir to the throne), Enjolras St. Juste (a young student revolutionary), and Montparnasse (member of the Guild of Assassins). Some reviewers have called Nina a "Mary Sue" but I read her as a complex character who constantly battled to survive, owned up to her mistakes, and always strove for justice. Good for her that she has 3 love interests!
Grant did an amazing job with world-building; her Paris is intentionally yet organically diverse. There are characters of all races, ethnicities, religions, and sexualities. During this period of history, France was both expanding its colonial holdings and as a major geopolitical power, it was a site for trade, study, and culture. There are several time jumps in the novel which I think will be more obvious in the physical copy as opposed to the formatting in the eARC. I found THE COURT OF MIRACLES a fantastic, fun escapist fantasy but one unafraid to tackle difficult historical topics.
THE COURT OF MIRACLES has been comped as LES MIS + SIX OF CROWS + THE JUNGLE BOOK. While I do agree with these titles, I would also add that fans of Marie Lu's latest book THE KINGDOM OF BACK will enjoy this historically-grounded fantasy. I already look forward to the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, and highschool!Me would have absolutely eaten it up with a spoon. This is an alternate-universe retelling of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables focusing on Eponine—but instead of pining over Marius, she’s a badass thief who is a member of a “court” of Paris’s underground elements, and her mission in life is to free women from human trafficking.
Let’s break that down:
1) Alternate universe: in this world, the French Revolution failed. The monarchy is still in force, and Marie Antoinette’s son is the King.
2) Les Miserables: primary characters include Eponine (Nina), Cosette (Ettie), Enjolras (St. Just), Gavroche, Javert (who’s a woman now), and Thernadier.
3) “court”: The Court of Miracles seems to be a pretty clear homage to the world building from Locke Lamore, and it’s cool. The structure (e.g., cat burglers are called cats, smugglers are called rats, the beggars’ guild is run by two people whose nicknames are the Bear and the Wolf) is very obviously meant to draw from Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book.
I have conflicted feelings about points two and three. I think you can read this book and enjoy it without having read Les Mis, and I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more if it had used that book as inspiration but more clearly spun off into its own thing from there. Same with the Jungle Book aspect—it ends up feeling a bit overdone just to get to a place of “hey, this character is really that character from the Jungle Book and this one is that one! Neat!” These references stick out more than the Les Mis ones.

Overall, very enjoyable and definitely worth checking out! I kind of just wish Grant had taken one step further into making the world her own, rather than retellings.

This book was so good! I don't stay up till 5 AM to read a book that often, but when I do, I know it's good. This is easily going on my favorites for the year. After reading the mixed reviews for this book, I was so worried that I was not going to like this book but I love it!

A retelling of Les Misérables is exactly what I needed it and I didn't even realize. I had read another retelling of Les Misérables last year and unfortunately, it was another story with a love triangle where the Éponine character fell for the Marius character and he fell for the Cosette character even though Éponine was the stronger character. I wanted a book that showed Éponine as the strong woman she is and showed her overcoming her battles without getting destroyed by love for a man who didn't deserve her (even though that is a huge point in the original Éponine's character arc). This book is it! Nina protects Ettie, herself, and the people around her not because she is trying to protect a man but because she is a strong woman who unconditionally loves her sister who at one point she was going to wrong. I learned early on that this book is only loosely based on Les Mis and the author beautifully took the best parts, turned them on their heads, and made them better in a whole new way. Regardless, I have not read Les Mis in a while and don't remember much but I was still able to understand what was going on in the book. So people who are not familiar with Les Mis can easily still follow along and enjoy this book.

The main character, Nina, was such an amazing character to read. She was badass and she used her flaws to her advantage. She went through so much but she used her experience and her scars and made herself smarter and stronger. Even though she threw herself into a lot of situations, she clearly knew what she was doing, even if she wasn't sure how the situation was going to turn out. My heart reached out for this character as things didn't work out for her and the people she loved were taken from her. I loved seeing Nina's brilliant brain and plan span out as the last couple of chapters happened and I realized how all the information she was hiding from the reader came into play. I just hope in the future books her unbecoming is not brought on by her love for a man who doesn't love her back, this book series and this character have too much potential.

The worldbuilding was so so fascinating. While I didn't understand the initial comparison of this book to the Jungle Book or the various references to the book, I didn't mind it. The story oddly gave be jungle vibes at times even though I knew this was all happening in a city if that makes sense? The whole concept of the different Guilds in the Court of Miracles, the laws that bound them, the way they interacted with each other, the way they interacted with the story, the way they were formed after the failed French Revolution, etc. was done so well. While it was definitely confusing at times what some Guilds did, what differentiated them from another (in terms of their responsibilities), or what importance/positions of power different people within the Guild held, I still knew what was going on.

The acts of the Guild of Flesh were horrifying to read, especially after getting to see some of the indentured/prostituted women and Nina's sister through her eyes. I sat in anticipation for when Nina would figure out a way to free her sister or take down the Tiger.

The atmosphere the author built was so dark and so creepy, I was constantly on edge. The author did not shy away from going into the dark, gruesome, gory, etc. elements of the times of the French Revolution. I would have been very disappointed if the author had done anything else, it is the French Revolution after all. I felt like I was in the story and found myself always on guard thinking something was going to pop out and kill Nina or take Ettie.

I found myself shocked by how on board I was with the romance. While I thought it was a little annoying that the only three men introduced that are her age automatically become her love interest, I am pretty picky with romances in YA fantasy that I like, and I hate when several men fall in love with the main character for no reason, I oddly found myself routing for all of the boys at some point. The guys falling for her was not annoying in any way. None of them were throwing themselves at her and professing their undying love for her (but one character does do something like that, but only out of loneliness and because of how overwhelmed he was with what he just had to do). The relationships she was developing with them were very natural and began with friendship before they began to like her. Additionally, she was not interested in romance at all; so while she was not ignorant towards their feelings for her in an annoyingly naive, "why pick me? I am so plain." kind of way, she didn't give the boys' feelings the time of day. That is what made the three love interests easier to swallow.

Finally, I adored the relationship between Nina and Ettie. At first, I was horrified upon realizes Nina had intended to give Ettie to the Tiger in exchange for her sister but was quickly calmed down when Nina realized what she was doing was wrong. Their relationship is unconditional and so natural. They both learned from each other and would lay their life for the other. They work so well together. Around the end of the book, they knew each other so well, before Nina could even think it, Ettie was already doing what Nina would want her to do. I loved seeing Ettie develop and grow as a woman as she learned from Nina and begin to break away from the 'beautiful, naive damsel in distress' type character that Cosette originally is.

The only things I would have to say against the book is the choppy time jumps and how convenient Nina's heists were. I am not against time jumps as long as they are explained well. So many times it would happen in the book that a year or two would span and I wouldn't be able to figure it out until a good way into the chapter and I wouldn't really understand what has changed in that time span. Also, all of the dangerous situations that Nina through herself into mostly ended very easily and conveniently for her which was a little hard to believe.

Overall, I loved this book thoroughly and I cannot wait for the next book.

Thank you, NetGalley for a free copy of the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

4.5 stars (Rounding up in the scale because of how much I enjoyed this book)

4⭐️

Take Court of Miracles is what happens when the characters of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables get plopped into seedy criminal world of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.

Nina is the Black Cat of the Guild of Thieves. As a thief, there is nothing that she can’t steal or break into. Except for one thing: her sister. At a young age she lost her beloved sister to the Guild of Flesh, and she won’t rest until she can save her sister. However, Paris might have other plans for her as there are whispers of another revolution on the horizon. Nina becomes entwined with the nobility, the revolutionaries, and the Guilds from The Court of Miracles, but can she protect the people she loves most?

I’ll start with the thing that is most well done in this book, and that is the world building. The elements from 1800s Paris with the gritty and intricate crime world work so well together. It felt fresh and interesting, it successfully carves out its own niche. I loved the uniqueness of the Guilds system. Grant takes the time to explain the workings of these groups and their political systems, and it really elevated the story.

It is an easy book to get swept up into. There is a lot of action and intrigue. However, this also seems to be one of its pitfalls. It’s a series of Impossible Tasks™️, one right after the other. It lacked the rising action that makes the big moments feel big and important. At a point the stakes no longer felt real because the plot was rushed for the sake of another Impossible Task™️. There are also a couple spots where the author decides to fast forward and do a time jump, which unfortunately made the plot fall a bit flat because it skipped over important character growth and development.

While I was enjoying the journey, while reading I could help but feel like there was something missing, and that was compelling and complex characters. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Nina. She’s ruthless, cunning, and willing to do whatever it takes to take care of the people she loves, and that’s about it. I never really connected with her, and that’s because we never get to see her struggle. She breezes through every Impossible Task™️ and easily gets out of every conflict. Her motives and reasonings for doing things are either glossed over or nonexistent. Because of this resolution at the end of the book just didn’t feel earned based on how easy everything was for Nina. It lacked the continuity and struggle needed to make it thrilling.

It’s the same thing with the secondary characters and her relationships with them, nothing is flushed out or developed. No one is ever really brought to life on the page. I’m really hoping this is something that will be improved upon in the sequel.

Now, I’m not against a romance, however this author was like “screw a love triangle, how about a love square?!”. Nina has got 3 men chasing after her and it is a bit much. I’d rather have a romance add to the plot rather than convolute it.

Despite some flaws, I really enjoyed this book. It was an exciting and fast-paced book that kept me hooked from beginning to end. I’m looking forward to seeing where this series could go because there is so much potential for it to be great!

This is such a unique and interesting book! There are spins of old tales, with much more interesting characters. There is a little danger, a little revenge, and a ton or bravery. I admire the authors ability to write with such imagination and fluidity weave this tale. If you are a fan of twisted tales, dystopian society stories, or stories with strong female characters you definitely have to add this to your summer to be read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kester Grant for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

An atmospheric and darkly fascinating tale reminiscent of Les Miserables. I found this book to be highly entertaining to read, the writing was detailed and the world set in 1828 France was enchanting. In this novel there are nine guilds that operate beneath the royals and good citizens composed of those who are more on the dark side of society. I found the entire system fascinating between the rules they abide by to how they operate with each other, it really captivated my interest and was what initially pulled me into the story. Nina, the main character and member of the Thieves Guild is what sold me on this story, it really made her shine. Her character was equally clever and sneaky as she was strong and kind. All the characters are brilliantly written and I enjoyed so many of the familiar characters from Les Miserables within the pages including little Ettie. There were times I felt it leaned too heavily upon the original storyline of Les Miserables and wanted more originality and then there were others I felt it strayed too far, it was a confusing balance as to whether it was supposed to be a retelling or something new. In the end I found myself really enjoying the story but not loving it’s familiarity with Les Miserables. I did love the point of view, watching Nina’s determination to save her beloved sister instead of a man was refreshing and I loved how well thought out her actions and thoughts were, they never came off as one dimensional or simple minded she was smart and her character was written in a way to reflect that. The pages are full of excitement and intrigue as well as cruelty and backstabbing setting up readers for an amazing adventure.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was excited at the prospect of The Court of Miracles on multiple levels: for one, a reimagining of Les Miserables in itself just sounds so much fun. And given the increasingly turbulent times we’re living in, it’s fascinating to look back and examine a period like the French Revolution and imagine what if it failed, and the underground fight that would have endured in an alternate universe where that occurred.

The timeline does feel a bit jerky and uneven at first, and it takes a while for a consistent pace to build, given there are several skips forward in time. However, once it hits the second half, the momentum picks up and doesn’t let you go.

I really liked Nina, especially her voice as a character and narrator, which kept me reading even in the difficult bits and engrossed me in the intense world around her. I loved her devotion to caring for Ettie, and that she’s strong without feeling like a caricature. And while she does have some glimmers of romance with multiple people, I like that it doesn’t become the dominating factor in her story by any means.

I enjoyed this book, and am curious to see how future books develop this concept from here. I recommend this to anyone who likes the alternative history.

* I was provided an arc by NetGalley in exchange for a review*

I absolutely love anything to do with the French Revolution and this book did not disappoint. Thievery, lies, and murder surround this well plotted intricate tale about a child forced into the dark underground of Paris. Nina is such a smart character, strong and inspiring. I love her fierceness and how her heart still, despite the terrible past she endured, allowed for a beautiful bond with her chosen sister Etta.
I also loved the Guilds and the glimpses we got of each as they ran within the story. The characters from each Guild were interesting and it just added so much depth to the story. This author has herself a new fan, and I cannot wait till book 2.

For anyone who has ever seen or read Les Misérables and thought "Éponine deserves better," I have the perfect book for you.

I was drawn into the elaborate world of the Court of Miracles from the very first page. It took me a while to truly understand the structure of the Court and figure out what was going on, but it was so well put together that I never felt truly lost.

Nina was an absolute delight of a main character. I loved following her adventures, and I loved seeing her grow. The supporting characters were excellent as well, and I'm excited to see them develop more in the next books!

I don't want to discuss the plot too much, because I think it would be all too easy to spoil something, but I'll say that I audibly gasped at various revelations more times than I could count. This book always kept me guessing, in the absolute best way.

I can't wait to continue this series! Is it too early to get an ARC of book two?

CW: slavery, violence, abuse, torture, opioid use

I read that this book was pitched as Les Misérables meets Six of Crows, but there was much more Les Misérables than Six of Crows. So if you’re a bigger fan of Les Mis, you’ll probably love this book. For me, however, I thought it was just okay. While I loved the fierce female representation, I felt like the writing was clunky and did not flow very well. The author was also quite repetitive, which I know sometimes adds purpose to scenes, but in this case it just felt unnecessary. This book was also very dark, bloody, and gritty, which isn’t a pro or a con to me, just a statement. I loved the idea behind the book, of the different guilds, and the time it was set, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

An interesting setting involving a world where the rich rule and the poor form into guilds to survive. One young person works to save their sister from a fate worse than death and in the process becomes a bit of a folk hero as she finds herself going head to head with the criminal underground in the time of the French Revolution.

Thank you Netgalley and to the publisher for the e-ARC!

Wow. Just wow. This was... so good. I’m not well versed with Les Miserables, but that really didn’t matter too much. I loved every moment of this book! The characters! The setting! THE PLOT AND ALL ITS TWISTS! Absolutely highly recommended!

How perfect for me to read book about oppression and rebellion right now... May 30th 1:30 as the country is on fire, as people march, protest and riot for the lives lost.

Court of Miracles spoke to me on multiple levels. What are you going to do when you see unjust behavior against your people, your loved ones? Do you keep your head down and keep to the status quo? Or do you fight? Do you fight tooth and nail to rip out the monster stalking your sisters? Do you fight when they kill your children? Or do you hide and tremble in fear because you aren’t sure this is a fight that you can win? Nina fought, hard and true for what was right even as she had to make tough decisions to protect the ones she loved. And really... she’s the main character we need right now. Someone make this book into a movie. I cannot wait for the next installment.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Knopf Books in exchange for an honest review.

The Court of Miracles was fantastic! I really didn't expect to like it as much as I did, especially at the start. Even though I didn't go into reading this as a Les Mis fan, I felt I had to at least watch the movie to compare. The Court of Miracles is a re-telling that captured the spirit of the revolution with the perspective of a lesser-known character at the forefront... plus magic :)

The beginning of the book started off slow, but was totally worth the wait. Time sort of skips along as the book goes on and Nina develops her many gifts along the way. Her fierce protection of Cosette is a true suspense-builder and so sincere. Kester's system of characters is so descriptive and magical, yet not overly complex.

I felt so invested in Nina's journey that I'm still thinking about the story even though I finished the book a few weeks ago. I could tell that the author did a lot of research in order to create such an imaginative world.

I can't wait for the sequel and really couldn't recommend this book more. Let me know what you guys think of it as well! I'm curious to hear your opinions once it's released.

For a while when I was younger, I was totally obsessed with anything and everything to do with Les Miserables - the soundtrack, seeing it on stage, movie adaptations, everything - so that part of me was thrilled to see this YA fiction adaptation.

And in the beginning, I was totally entranced - Grant sets this apart with a focus on the criminal underworld of Paris. Eponine, or Nina, as she is known here is the heroine and views Cosette as a sister and protects her as best she is able to in her role as the Black Cat - a renowned thief. Valjean plays a more minor role here and Javert is also present - though as a female inspector. The royal family plays a role here, too, and while parts of the story are certainly original with the various criminal guilds that make up the titular Court of Miracles, the characters' development relies a bit too heavily on the original material... and after a while this becomes more of a hindrance than a help to the story. It really detracts from this feeling fresher. I wish that the author had more firmly set this in a land of her own creation, with unique characters inspired by their Les Mis counterparts instead of being so closely named... I really wanted to love this, and while I never found myself hating it, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped...

What a joy it was to read this book. It transports you to revolutionary France, dips you into the criminal underworld, and engages you in struggles that transcend any one part of this society by giving you insights into everyone from the beggars to the dauphin. The characters, for the most part, are engaging and fleshed out, and even our first-person narrator can surprise you. I don't regularly use the 5-star rating, but this one was addicting and I am eagerly waiting for the next.

Nina, i.e. Eponine Thenardier, is a thief in the night striving for justice and safety for her sisters. She participates in an underground network of criminals called the Court of Miracles, featuring guilds of different skills such as accounting fraud and assassins. Nina is willing to do almost anything to topple the current head of the Guild of Flesh, the group that manages prostitution throughout Paris, as her sister was sold into prostitution and captured by addition to opium. This book follows her battle to prove herself as a thief, earn her place in the Court, and complete her vengeance.

Nina is a very well-fleshed out character, and I appreciated her drive. She is willing to do what it takes, even if that means she has to keep her allies at arms length and even occasionally play them against each other. She is likable without being a pushover, and I was surprised several times by her actions which is one of my favorite things - unpredictable narrators are so fun because I am enticed to see what happens next. She is not swayed by the appearance of several pretty boys, although it does seem unlikely that everyone with whom she interacts would fall in love with her, a pretty common outcome for this book as presented.

Other favorite Les Mis characters appear, such as Enjolras, Val Jean, Javert, Gavroche, and Cosette, although none of them are presented without further development than in the musical. If you do not love musicals or you have never even seen Les Mis, do NOT let that stand in your way. This book is enjoyable even if the Easter eggs go unnoticed - I will say they are fun for those of us in the know, though.

The Court of Miracles is a quick read, very engaging and well-written. I am eager for the next to see if Nina and the crew continue along the path outlined for them in the musical, or if Ms. Grant is more creative with their outcomes. Highly recommend!

My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest and fair review.

The Courts of Miracles is the first installment in debut author Kester Grant's Young Adult Historical Fantasy trilogy. In an alternate Paris in the wake of a failed revolution, one girl will rise through the ranks of a dangerous underground society to protect those she loves—and right a system of ruthless control that holds the City of Lights in its grasp. This story focuses the progression of Eponine (Nina) Thénardier from 1823 until around 1829.

This is about the Court of Miracles which has 9 separate arms: Guild(s) of Gamblers, Assassins, Beggars, Mercenaries, Smugglers, Letters, Thieves, Flesh, and Dreamers. Wretched is the name given to all children of the Court. Nina's father is a thief who trained his daughter to follow in his footsteps. However, after he sells his oldest daughter Azelma to the swarmy Guild of Flesh master, Nina takes a serious challenge.

She's to enter a near impossible place to break into in order to steal something valuable from someone who is supposed to be untouchable. Nina soon becomes The Black Cat and a full member of the Guild of Thieves with skills that may exceed her sperm donor and her new father. After trying and failing to save her sister, several years go by before she meets Cosette (Ettie) who she takes under her wing. Unfortunately, the dreaded Master of Flesh has set his eyes on Ettie, and Nina will have to figure out a plan to keep her safe or lose yet another sister to the man who cares not one bit for women.

He keeps all his prize possessions drugged out of their minds. Nina's personal war on Lord Kaplan plays out in a 4 part story. She meets a variety of curious characters like Tomasis, the Dauphin of France, Grantaine & St. Juste, as well as Montparnasse. One reviewer noted that it seems as though Nina found (3) different men to fall for her while not encouraging their affections. There are references to the original players like Robespierre, Marat, Danton, Mirabeau, DeMoulis, and St. Juste who were involved in the French Revolution.

In a nutshell, the story is more of a loose borrowing of the Les Misérables characters supporting the main player, original character like Jean Valjean, & Inspector Javert who in this book is the only female Inspector. Les Misérables literally means The Wretched, The Miserable Ones, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, The Victims and The Dispossessed. The Court of Miracles actually focuses more on Nina's attempts at revenge and saving her sisters, than the original novel focused on Cosette whereas Éponine and Azelma were almost villainous in nature in comparison to this book.

Nina is ruthless at times, and I'm here to say that I was absolutely Ok with most of her choices. She knows what she wants, and she takes the steps to make it happen. She may be a thief, but she has a code, she recognizes what is wrong in the Court, and seeks to rectify it. That is what makes her formidable, the lengths at which she goes to save the people she loves, but also to bring down the Tiger and his ring of sex slavery. Ettie is such a curious character who apparently the entire underground of Paris wants to own her because of her beauty. She relies wholly and fully on Nina to save her life and provide the necessary guidance to keep her alive. She even makes alliances that are supposed to knee Ettie safe that will cost her numerous favors in return.

Marketed as a retelling of Les Misérables, this novel has limited references to it. Instead, it uses the classic tale by Victor Hugo and some of his characters to broach the similarity and plot devices. It’s a nice inside look at the workings of the Court and their counterparts. It’s a story of revenge and redemption, using the tried and proven formula of good vs. evil, the haves vs. the have nots. A plus for the entire world building throughout this story. It was absolutely phenomenal. You actually could feel yourself in this dark and dreary place. You could feel the pain and suffering of the children at the expense of the rich and those in charge of the individual Guilds. I am looking forward to the next books to see how the author progresses Nina and whether she will have time for any romance or not.

<i>Thank you to the publisher for the arc!</i>

This book is a retelling of Les Miserables, through the eyes of Eponine, as she makes her way through the underground of Paris in the wake of the failed Revolution. The aristocracy is paranoid after all of this and the class divide between the aristocracy and everyone else is prominent. As a result, the Court of Miracles forms, made up of nine guilds that rule the underworld. When their father sells her sister to a pleasure house, Nina finds herself in the Thieves Guild, where she’s known as the Black Cat.

I am really glad I got to read this. On the surface, yes, this is a.story that everyone knows by now. But with just one little change—the Revolution didn’t happen—the characters all become new and the whole addition of the guilds and the Court of Miracles made this a page turner even if it did have a very familiar undertone.

Nina was a compelling heroine, not one that I loved every minute of every page, but one that I could root for even though she had plenty of flaws. Unlike some young adult heroines, she actually seemed to think and act her age. She was realistic. She was human. She never wanted to end up where she was—she only wanted to find Azelma and then later, protect Ettie. The relationships with her sisters really made this whole story worth reading to me, and I found it refreshing that the focus wasn’t on a romantic relationship but one of family and friendship instead. Even when her potential love interests were introduced, they were Nina’s friends first. I really appreciated that.

I don’t necessarily feel like you have to know Les Mis to enjoy this book, but it added a layer of richness to the story to see the reimagining, know who the source character was, and then notice their differences. I don’t feel like the author relied on a knowledge of the original characters as an excuse to avoid describing anyone in this novel, and I appreciate that.

Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables has inspired all sorts of adaptations since its publication in 1862, including the beloved musical of the same name. In Alain Boubil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s musical, the dynamic second half features tangled love stories, revolution, and Inspector Javert’s endless pursuit of Jean Valjean. One of the most beloved characters in the musical is Eponine, a young woman who has been taught to be a criminal by her father, and who is in love with a student revolutionary, Marius, who sees her as more of a little sister than a possible love interest and who realizes the depth of Eponine’s feelings only when it’s too late.

In British-Mauritian author Kester Grant’s debut, The Court of Miracles, Eponine (or Nina) takes center stage. In post-Revolutionary, post-Napoleonic era France, the royal family is back on the throne, and crueler than ever. Desperate to retain their power and prevent another revolution, the Queen goes to extreme lengths to ensure her family’s safety. What she doesn’t realize, however, is that below her feet is another Court that holds as much power as the royal family– the legendary Court of Miracles, an organization of thieves, smugglers, beggars, assassins, and other criminals who rule over Paris’s poorest people, the Wretched. These guilds rule the night and live by a law the prevents war among the people of the underworld.

Nina has been a member of the Guild of Thieves since she was a child, ever since her sister Azelma sent her to them to keep their father from selling them both to the dreaded Tiger, the Lord of the Guild of Flesh. For years, Nina has harbored a hatred of the Tiger and has made it her life’s goal to rescue her sister. But when her first plans to rescue go awry, Nina must enact a desperate and dangerous plan to keep her adopted sister, Cosette (or Ettie) safe from the Tiger. It is a plan that entangles her in a long-planned student revolt led by a descendant of the first revolutionaries, the dreaded Assassin’s Guild, and sends her to the royal palace where she comes face to face with the Queen of France herself.

“Sometimes Grantaire notices me in my corner and coaxes me into telling a story. Even St. Juste listens then. I never betray the secrets of the court, but I can keep them mesmerized for hours recounting the tales of my people. They hang onevery word like thirsty men; I can keep them entertained until the sun rises. On those nights, I’ve gone to bed runk on the feeling that I’ve been seen for the very first time.”

For those who think Eponine deserved better than the fate she was given in both the original book and the musical, The Court of Miracles is a dark delight. Kester Grant takes elements and characters from the original novel and the real history of France and weaves them into an intense and engaging story about a young, mixed-race cat burglar who has no illusions about the darkness and danger of the world around her, and learns to thrive in spite of it. But while Nina is a dangerous figure in her own right, she is not without her humanity. She cares deeply about the few people she lets in– perhaps too much, especially when it comes to dreamy, beautiful Ettie. It’s this care and concern for Ettie and for the Wretched as a whole that drives her to the extraordinary lengths she goes to. The Tiger is cruel beyond measure, and fear of him and his forces prevents the other Guild leaders from moving against him, but Nina knows that as long as he is in power, the Wretched will never be free from fear, no matter what unwritten laws bind the Court of Miracles.

While there are some issues with the pacing– a few events happen too quickly, without the lead-up that would give them their deserved weight– the overall effect of The Court of Miracles is a driving narrative that doesn’t give in entirely to darkness any more than it makes perfect saints out of sinners.

Grant’s plot is deceptively straightforward and like any heist story, even the primary point of view character isn’t about to tell the reader everything that is going on. Rather than feeling like a move to hoodwink the reader into falling for an improbable twist, Grant does it to bring in even more elements from her source material, and it makes Nina’s plan all the more believable. And while including a smattering of lyrics from the musical’s songs might feel like fan service, Grant is careful not to overdo it, making their inclusion more of a delight than an opportunity for eye-rolling.

Though The Court of Miracles is a debut, it reads like a novel written by an experienced writer, with a finale that will leave readers anxiously awaiting the next installment.



Thank you to NetGaley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing me a free eBook in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Court of Miracles
Author: Kester Grant
Pub. Date: June 2, 2020
Rating: 3.5 .

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.