When I saw the synopsis of this book I did not hesitate to read it, my favorite musical are les miserable and wow, when I saw that it is a combination with six of crows, that gave it a plus.
The story begins in Paris of the 19th century, which is divided into nine guilds. The protagonist Nina (in this case is Eponin) joins the Thieves Guild, that I did not expect, she joins that guild because she has to escape Tiger, a leader of the Flesh Guild, and also has to save her sister who is kidnapped by it. But he also wants to take her away from her foster sister Ettie. (Cosette)
I really liked how the author embodied this world, and how it is the classification of guilds.
I had so many memories when he went to see the staging of Les Miserables, the description of Paris, and how the French Revolution lost on this occasion
Nina liked me quite, as she does not lose faith at any time, and since everything was to her perspective, but there is a lot of intrigue about the other characters, it would not be bad to know also what they think.

Fans like me will enjoy the story a lot, if you loved the musical and the movie, but if you do not like the story of Victor Hugo may not like it, and you will get a little slow, there is no romance in this story, but I did not expect it, but I saw that many readers expected romance and magic, but in this case there is no.
I can't wait to read the second part, I got too intrigued about the story, it's a very fascinating story. And this author had a great start with this novel.

Nina is the Black Cat of the Thieves Guild--there's nowhere that she can't break into. When the notorious Tiger sets his eyes on her father's ward, Ettie, Nina will do whatever it takes to save her from him. In revolutionary France, this Les Miserables retelling brings Eponine into the spotlight.

I'll be honest, I'm not super familiar with the original plot of Les Mis. I saw the movie when it came out, so I know very vaguely what's going on, but I didn't know enough to recognize what all is changed in this book. I think it may have been a more enjoyable read if I did know a little more? But maybe it would have been the same. It felt like maybe there were some times when I was supposed to be able to anticipate what might happen next, but I couldn't do that.

I liked Nina as a main character. Her motivations were very clear and I felt like she was pretty consistent. I did think it was a little overkill to have three guys falling over themselves for her though? Just one would be enough, thanks. I liked Ettie as well and almost wish we'd gotten some more from her. She had really great development as a character and the Ettie at the end of the book is miles away from the Ettie at the beginning (in a really good way).

The plot itself was confusing to me at times. Obviously the driving plot is that Nina is trying to save Ettie from the Tiger, but the way certain things happened wasn't always super clear. I missed one of the time jumps too I think because all of the sudden Nina was talking about how she'd been a cat for a few years when I thought it had only been a few days. I really liked the concept of the guilds and Lords, though. I wish I had been reading a physical copy instead of an eARC so I could keep referring back to the pages at the beginning that listed all the guilds and key players.

Overall, I thought this book was good and I did feel like it helped fill the Six of Crows shaped hole in my heart. I can't say if Les Mis fans will especially like this one, but I thought it was good and I haven't seen any other Les Mis retellings out there. I'm definitely looking forward to where this series goes.

Overall Rating: 3.5
Language: Mild
Violence: Moderate
Smoking/Drinking: Moderate
Sexual Content: Mild

Note: I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Let me introduce you to my favorite book of 2020. It's early, I know. There are many months yet to come. Yet this book is still so vivid in my mind I find I am constantly rhetorically comparing it to the world we live in today. How spectacular! Kester Grant. Who are you? Within these pages of The Court of Miracles the reader will jumps into a 'violent urban jungle', unsettling political divide, a sinuous underworld empire and a treacherous glittering court with sharp teeth and beautiful gowns. There is order and rules to be followed in this gritty world, with a guarantee that not abiding may cost greatly. Nina Thenardier the main character is ferocious, smart, a natural protector and born leader. The depth of each character, from the insignificant street urchin to King Louis XVII cannot be underestimated. The creative ideals and moral system led by a heavy organized criminal element breathes life into this alternate city, mixed with a rich diversity of its population and sacred traditions is what elevates this in so many ways for me. I am now introduced to an author who displays a keen grasp of the wonderfully diverse nature of humans and what makes them tick, what breeds hierarchy, loyalty, greed and treachery. I could not get enough and am thrilled there is more to come.

Story
I really wanted to like this book. There’s a lot of hype surrounding it and it’s being marketed as “Six of Crows” meets “Les Mis”. I will be the first to admit that I’m not a huge Le Mis fan, but I am a massive Six of Crows fan. I honestly wish that books were not being compared to Six of Crows. It creates expectations that books rarely live up to.

Court of Miracles disappointed me. The story was so disjointed, with a lot of awkward time jumps (from weeks to months to years) that made it incredibly difficult to follow along with the story.

With each new time jump also came a new story, and that also made the book feel disjointed. Somehow The Jungle Book also crept in, and it was just this weird mash up of story that did not work. This book needs some more editing, and a serious look at the story arc. It just felt like the writer was trying to get out too many stories at once, leaving us with no clear line across the book.

Writing
I found the writing to be very pretentious. I can’t remember anything from Les Mis (I studied it in High School and honestly can’t remember much) so I don’t know if the writer was trying to imitate the historical style. It just didn’t resonate with me at all.

I will say that the world-building was the best part of this book. Set in France in an alternative timeline where the revolution failed, this backdrop is so cool. The different Guilds also reminded me a lot of the Bone Season for some reason, which is a favourite of mine. The world-building was done really well.

Characters
The characters fell completely flat for me. Especially Nina. She comes across as a Mary Sue. The book never shows her to receive any training (we must assume it happens with the time jumps) but even in the third chapter, where she’s only NINE years old, she breaks into a palace without breaking a sweat. On multiple occasions she just walks into places that are supposed to be impenetrable without a crew and a plan. Everything always goes right for her.

It’s also mentioned on multiple occasions that she’s not pretty, yet she has 3 dudes falling all over themselves for her. I know that looks are not necessarily a deciding factor for attraction, but the book makes a point of mentioning she’s not pretty, and at times wild. If we had been shown more interaction between the love interests and Nina, maybe I would have believed it better.

The rest of the characters are nothing to write home about, I couldn’t remember half of them or keep them straight.

Overall I just found it to be very disappointing for the hype that it’s getting. And as I have said before, these are only my opinions. I will never tell someone to not read a book, because you might love this book. Even though it was bad for me, I still encourage you to give this a shot. Especially if you like Les Mis.

Thank you to Netgalley, Knopf, and Kester for an advance copy of The Court of Miracles.

Where do I even start with this one? I’m always amazed when someone can take a well-known/well-loved story and completely transform and re-imagine it, while also keeping the heart of the story the same.

The Court of Miracles is re-imagining of Les Miserables.

I’ll start with my only major criticism and that was the janky time-hops. I read multiple books at a time so I’ll take partial blame for my brain being too convoluted, but I get a little frustrated if we jump up or back in time and there’s no header letting me know.

The story is centered around Nina who is in the Guild of Thieves as she navigates the French underworld to rescue her sister from the Tiger, a pimp who rules the Guild of Flesh. Along the way she gets caught up in the French Revolution.

There’s an extensive cast. Everyone is relevant and everyone is well-developed. I enjoyed all of the characters, even the villains. The multiple storylines weave pretty seamlessly within each other.

This is the first in a series and I’m very excited to learn more about the different Guilds. We did get a taste of a few in this one, but I feel like there’s still so much to be explored on the gritty side of France.

The Court of Miracles has so many elements I loved - a fascinating world, memorable and well developed characters, and a plot filled with danger that moved along quickly.

I was intrigued by The Court of Miracles and all of the different guilds. It was an interesting underworld filled with assassins, thieves and other criminals but was based on a sense of honor and laws. I found myself wanting to learn more about all of the guilds and their histories. Nina is a talented cat burglar who was a great character that was flawed, loyal, fierce and intelligent. She does everything possible to protect those she loves in a harsh world where most people are only looking out for themselves and she doesn’t apologize when she has to manipulate a situation to attain her goals. The only part of the story I didn’t enjoy was the romantic storyline. There were several potential love interests but Nina’s feelings seemed to fluctuate a lot which just left me feeling less engaged in that aspect of the book. Regardless, I still really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the sequel.

Thank you so much Random House for granting me access to a NetGalley ARC.

WOW. What a whirlwind! This book was a dazzling display of courage, family (both by blood and by bond), darkness, vengeance, and justice. We follow the story of Nina, a young girl in revolution-torn France. When her sister is sold off to a horrible monster of a man by her father, Nina joins the Court of Miracles, a collection of 9 guilds that make up the criminal underworld of France. With a new family at her back, Nina, the Black Cat of the Thieves Guild, uses her wits, her thieving skills and her fiery tongue to lash out at the injustice festering within the court. Nina is everything a reader can possibly want in a strong female lead. She is daring and determined, loyal, strong of body and mind, and above all else, wickedly clever. I cannot stress enough how riveting Grant's writing is in this "Les Misérables"-inspired tale! From edge of your seat action sequences, to smart banter that will make you laugh aloud, and even tender moments between sisters, Grant's words weave a deliciously dark and alluring tale that you will not want to put down!

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

This is exactly what I pictured when I heard the phrase "Les Miserable meets Six of Crows". The MC Nina is literally Kaz Brekker + Inej Ghafa and no one can change my mind!

The Court of Miracles was so damn good. I loved this thieving adventure-retelling. The main thing that confused me was the exact time points between each part. Nina is growing older between them, but there's no obviously labeled timeline and that would've helped with the flow.

The main focus of the story is Nina's relationships with her sisters: Azelma, her older sister who was taken by the Tiger; and Ettie, her adopted younger sister who the Tiger wants for himself. Nina is determined to save Azelma, and protect Ettie no matter the cost. And she will make sure the Tiger answers for what he's done.

Nina is ruthless at times, and I am freaking here for it. She knows what she wants, and she takes the steps to make it happen. True Slytherin and I love her for it. Ettie is a genuine cinnamon roll and needs all of the protecting. I loved how their relationship as sisters developed and was tested throughout this book.

ALSO MONTPARNASSE. MASTER OF ASSASSINS AND CAPTAIN OF MY SHIP. I will go down with this ship!!! I need Montparnasse and Nina to be A THING. Like ugh. I already love them. It better happen in book 2.

All the nods to Les Mis were so well done. It made me want to watch the remake with Hugh Jackman because he is the best Jean Valjean obviously. This book surprised me in so many ways and it was AMAZING. Highly recommend.

I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down. I was drawn in by the story and felt the characters. I’d love to find out what happens next if the author chooses to write more. Thank you

"'Our mother the City is not a merciful mother,' she says as she gathers my hair in one hand. 'To be a girl in this city is to be weak. It is to call evil things down upon you. And the City is not kind to weak things. She sends Death the Endless to winnow the frail from the strong. You know this.'"

Il était une fois, there was a girl whose sister traded her own life so that she might live. Their Mother was the city of Paris, and their father, Thénardier, was the Master of Beasts and a beast himself. Lacking allies, the girl joined the Guild of Thieves, and she vowed to someday save her sister, even if it meant dismantling The Court of Miracles from the inside. But when the Tiger, Lord of the Guild of Flesh, sets his sights on her second sister, Ettie, Nina will have to unite the other guilds against him to save them both. The Court of Miracles is a Les Misérables retelling set in an alternate Paris, where The Miracle Court rules over the Wretched and to break the Law may ignite a war among the nine guilds. Trigger warnings: Everything. It’s a seriously dark book. Death, child death, slavery, prostitution, cannibalism, poisoning, fires, severe injury, severe illness, guns, violence, drugging, abduction, starvation, and unreserved gushing from the reviewer. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Random House Children’s.

The description had me at "Les Misérables retelling", but The Court of Miracles is so much more than that. While I loved revisiting favorite characters like Éponine, Valjean, and Enjolras cast in new roles, the real magic of this book is the Miracle Court of Grant’s creation. It’s every bit as dark and twisted as guilds of thieves, assassins, and smugglers suggest, and then some. I loved getting to know the various guilds and their hierarchies, where familiar characters like Montparnasse is Master of Knives and little Gavroche is a Ghost in the Guild of Beggars. There are some incredible new characters like Orso, the frightening but oddly kind Dead Lord, and a truly heinous villain in the Tiger, Lord Kaplan. A lover of all things grim and creepy, I can’t imagine a Les Mis retelling that’s better suited to me, but it’s certainly not going to work for everyone. If you’re easily triggered, tread carefully, because I can’t imagine an issue this book doesn’t hit against in some way.

Éponine is one of my favorite characters of all time, and I love her incarnation as the lead character, Nina. The blurb for The Court of Miracles likens it to Six of Crows (not a bad comparison, actually), and never is this more apparent than in her character. She’s sort of a mash-up of Inej Ghafa and Nina Zenik, with the Wraith’s skills at sneaking and thieving and all of the Heartrender’s sass and occasional recklessness. She’s fearless but flawed, always playing every side to protect her sisters, even when she’s the one who puts them in danger in the first place. Cosette (Ettie) is almost as annoying as the original, but she gets a reasonable coming of age arc over the course of the book. I originally thought Femi Vano, the Messenger, was going to play a larger role, but he’s somewhat overshadowed by Montparnasse, the stoic assassin who’s always lurking in the shadows, and I’m cool with that. Add him to my already long list of favorite assassin characters. I’ll leave Valjean’s character a surprise, but let’s just say I love it, and while Les Amis are truncated (likely to cut down on the character count), Enjolras and Grantaire play important roles. (The only sad thing: Enjoltaire does not seem to be a ship in this series, but I have hope.)

The book is relatively fast-paced given the time span it covers. I would have been interested to see more of Nina’s training as she becomes the Black Cat in the Guild of Thieves, but we time-jump a couple years from her initiation to the current plot. It keeps things moving though, and her plan to save Azelma is intricate and long-running, with no shortage of smaller heists or missions to gain allies in the other guilds. There are excerpts of “fairytales” told by the Dead Lord that flesh out the history of The Miracle Court and its rulers. There’s plenty of action, world-building, and character development, and I was never bored a moment. I’m ecstatic this is the beginning of a trilogy because I wasn’t ready to leave Nina’s world behind, and there’s so much more of it to uncover.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

I received an ARC of The Court of Miracles from Knopf via NetGalley. What follows is my fair and honest review.

The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant was one of my most anticipated releases for 2020, partly because every edition I’ve seen is prettier than the last. (Yes, sometimes I’m a total cover buyer.) I’ll admit, I was a little surprised when I realized this novel is not actually fantasy, but I think this Les Misérables retelling still delivers in world-building and action. Here’s my quick summary:

Set in a 19th century Paris that is similar to, but not quite, our own, The Court of Miracles imagines a Parisian underworld divided into nine guilds. Nina (Eponin), joins the Thieves Guild to escape the Tiger, the terrible leader of the Guild of the Flesh. But Nina is not content to escape into the safety of her own guild, especially since the Tiger took her sister Azelma and now wants her adopted sister Ettie (Cosette), too.

Like I said earlier, I really liked the world-building in this story. I thought the concept of the nine guilds and the Court of Miracles was really interesting, though it was frustrating how the Court failed to follow-through on its own rules, even if this is one of the driving points of the story. Still, despite the novel’s length and Grant’s ability to craft a Paris on the brink of riot and revolution, I felt that there was something missing from the story. After reflection, I think it’s that Grant includes so many interesting characters, but fails to explore most of them. I enjoyed seeing the story from Nina’s perspective, but I wish I could’ve learned more about the world as Montparnasse sees it. Or Le Maire (Jean Valjean)--especially since Grant offers glimpses of such an intriguing Jean Valjean and (Lady!) Inspector Javert. In some ways, I think the world Grant created was underutilized in the novel.

The novel doesn’t really have any explicitly romantic storylines, though there are three men who are all interested in or intrigued by Nina. Readers frustrated by protagonists who are unaware of their appeal or attractiveness might be annoyed by these elements of the novel, though I would say it’s more that Nina has more important things to worry about than that she doesn’t know her own worth. This also leads me to another frustrating aspect of the novel, which is that Nina’s characterization is a little underdeveloped. I like her perspective, but her actual characterization doesn’t ever move beyond her desire to avenge her sister(s). For such a complex story, the protagonist is a little one-dimensional.

If you’re wondering how The Court of Miracles works as a retelling, my answer is limited by my own experience with Les Mis. I’ve seen the musical and movie, and I enjoyed them, but I’ve never read the original novel. I think The Court of Miracles offers enough of the basic storyline and characters that fans of the original text (or at least the musical) will enjoy the story, but the novel is also unique enough that readers who don’t have any experience with the original novel or musical can still find their own way into The Court of Miracles. There’s at least one obvious “Easter egg” musical reference (that I caught) that might be fun for readers or might pull them out of the story. I, personally, thought it was fun (and a little funny).

Still, overall, I enjoyed my reading of The Court of Miracles. I was intrigued by the story and ended up reading the novel all in one day. I think fans of the musical or movie will enjoy this novel, but I can’t speak for fans of Victor Hugo’s novel. Readers looking for stories with an emphasis on worldbuilding, politics, or criminal elements should also enjoy The Court of Miracles.

3.5 Stars

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

The premise of this new young adult book definitely appealed to me. A YA take on Les Mis, with a focus on Paris's seedy underworld and a dash of fantasy? Yes, please! But by the end, I was left frustrated. It's not a bad book, but it did feel decidedly clunky to me.

The foremost problem for me was the protagonist, Nina, who from the very start is the best thief ever. All of her plans work out. She never has to train or anything--she never even doubts herself--so there is virtually no tension or concern about failure. She's just sheer brilliance--the kind of brilliance that makes any boy remotely near her age fall in love with her automatically, even as she is repeatedly, modestly described as bony and not attractive. There's no banter or warm-up to a relationship with these guys. They love her, they will kill for her, etc. This made the plot feel increasingly more ludicrous as the book continued.

So what did work for me?

The setting. The way Paris and the Court of Miracles is described is fascinating. The author researched the setting. Paris feels dirty, stinky, the Seine a flowing cess pool. The Court is neat, too--an underworld managed by various lords and masters. Some of the side characters there were more intriguing than the main characters.

The magical element is light and never explained, which left me disappointed. It should be noted that this is alt history, though--the revolution failed, and the royal family maintained their thrones and their heads. The different time stream is never explored in any detail, though. There are also some jumps in time that aren't explained right away and make things confusing for a bit.

Really, enjoy this take on Paris, see the sights, smell the smells, and enjoy that aspect--and there is a lot to enjoy there! But be ready to cringe at the exasperating characters and plot, too.

With how many comparisons this book has going for it, I think how many will rate this will be determined by which element they are rooting for the most. Personally, I just wanted a historical retelling with some Les Mis vibes and this book sells on those! The fantasy elements do feel a bit lacking, but it is the first book in the series so I can forgive those. I can't wait to see where book two will take me.

This story immediately takes you to the streets of France in the early 19th century. With a few French words in between, it develops an atmosphere instantly. But the dejected and bitter situation in which some live becomes clear quite soon. Nina is still a young girl when the story starts and after a major event she is introduced tot he Lord of Thieves who decides to take her under his wings. From that moment on it becomes clear what the world actually looks like in the Court of Miracles. No one is safe in the streets and those who are afraid will not survive very long. There is a great famine and it doesn’t shake anyone when there are corpses lying on the street. The fear, violence and dangers feel very real while Nina goes out on the streets and gets to know members of other Guilds. It doesn’t take long before she changes from a frightened young girl into a confident young woman who takes matters into her own hands. When the Tiger has set his eyes on Nina’s adoptive sister and won’t stop until he has her, Nina has to outsmart him. She must outsmart all Guild Lords, all laws and even herself.

There are several time jumps throughout the story. That’s how the story focuses mainly on the most important and interesting events. There’s enough time spent in the beginning to describe the surroundings, because the world of the Court of Miracles, the streets of France in the 19th centruy, are very different from what you’d imagine. There is kind of a depressing ambiance, hardly any time for celebrations or joy, it is mainly about survival. As Nina continues her personal development, the level of complication in the story increases. To protect Ettie, Nina gets in contact with many people, she makes deals, is in dept to others and others to her. There are a few moments in which magic will appear, which sometimes comes in handy. But in other times the magic works against her. The world is getting bigger and a lot more happens. The further the plot develops, the more exciting it all becomes. It seems that at some point Nina is no longer in control and on her way to lose the dangerous games she’s playing. But that’s exactly what the author wants us to think. She adds more exciting and surprising happenings which sometimes suddenly change the whole story.

De worldbuilding is phenomenal. The separations between the Wretched and the nobility has never been so great nor so clear. Everything is well thought through, all the Guilds, the laws, the mightly Lords of the Guilds and it’s members. It just fits and every Guild seems to be it a small world on it’s own. Once you are a member of a Guild, there’s no turning back. It is one for all and all for one. As for together they are The Court of Miracles. They’re enemies on the streets but allies around the table.

Nina is a strong character, she’s also intelligent and somehow terrifying, but yet oh so fragile at the same time. At some point, her disguises lose their strenght as she’s built up a reputation and more members of other Guilds are starting to recognize her as well. There are several characters introduced while they start an important collaboration with Nina. This slowly makes them more important. But due to the amount of different characters, you might mix up some of them in the first half of the story. It takes some commitment from the reader to get to know them all. Also to understand all the changes and plot twists. But when the tempo rises again, it becomes much more difficult to put the book aside. As the end is getting closer the excitement rises until Nina finally tries to take the opportunity to end all misery. Or so she thinks.

The Court of Miracles isn’t just a retelling of Lès Miserables. Poverty, misery and fear are accompanied by action, familiy ties and intrigue. Beautifully written words and events become a gripping and above all nerve-wracking story.

I really enjoyed reading this! The historical flair was wonderful, and I loved how there's a mixture of a bit of heist mixed in with the familiar Les Mis story.

3.5 stars

I saw Les Miserables on Broadway years ago, but I honestly don't remember anything about it.  Musicals aren't really my thing, but I was outvoted on our show choice that night.  The biggest reason I requested this book was the comparison to Six of Crows.

Knowing little to nothing about Les Mis, I probably missed most of the same character names, plot points, etc., but I don't think lack of knowledge of that story should hinder anyone reading this novel.  The descriptions of the nine guilds at the beginning were a little overwhelming at first, but they quickly became one of my favorite parts of the story.  Nina's world is dark, gritty, and dangerous - starvation, sex slavery, and death are common; consequently, she has to learn to adapt and survive at an early age.  Strong, fierce, and clever, she's an easy character to root for.  Pacing is brisk and tense heists are plenty, but a couple of time jumps may leave you struggling for a few pages to find your footing.

I did question how a nine-year-old Nina in one night transforms into a talented thief who evades highly-trained royal guards.  Maybe some backstory woven in to explain her skills would have helped.  Something I didn't connect with at all was her strong bond with Ettie and willingness to sacrifice nearly everything for her.  After a several year time jump, Ettie is suddenly there, and the reader is given no history of their relationship.  Initially, Nina is planning to sell Ettie into sex slavery to save her own sister, but then changes her mind.  Nearly everything that happens from that point on is due to their sisterly relationship, and the lack of connection on my part made it difficult to understand Nina's choices.  

Don't get me wrong - I definitely enjoyed this story.  It's a wonderful debut with charismatic characters and some suprisingly humorous moments.  Prior knowledge of Les Mis isn't required, but you may get more from the story if you're familiar with it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was so fun! I always enjoy adaptations, especially the scavenger hunt for recognizable characters and the fresh twists given to established plot points. The glimpses of Les Mis were satisfying, but even more so were the places the author strayed from the original story. Centering it upon Eponine and the criminal underworld rather than upon Cosette and the revolutionaries made it feel new and not stale.

Said criminal underworld is as brutal as it is alluring. Watching Nina win and lose loyalties kept me on the edge of my seat. At no point did she feel like she was at the mercy of the plot, she always had a trick up her sleeve, an actor and not a reactor even when she was reacting to unforeseen obstacles. Similarly, the Tiger was not a one-dimensional character driven by the plot's need for a villain. Their sparring drove the plot, and not the other way around.

At times the dialogue felt unrealistically lyrical, but overall this was an enjoyable read and I'm excited to see what the rest of the series brings!

Rating: 2/5 semi-miraculous courts (DNF at 47%)

Format: ebook. I’d like to thank NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

What it's like: This book is pitched as a Les Miserable meets Six of Crows but I didn’t see any resemblance to Six of Crows.

To sum up:
This story is set in an alternate 1828 Paris after a failed French Revolution. The city has been divided into nine underground criminal Guilds known as the Court of Miracles. Our main character is a scrappy young thief called the Black Cat who works for the thieves guild. The Black Cat, or Nina, takes responsibility for a young orphan named Ettie, who ends up drawing the eye of the leader of the Flesh guild. In order to protect Ettie from being claimed by a terrible fate, Nina must go to great lengths during this turbulent and desperate time, and ultimately decide what she is willing to sacrifice to protect those she loves.

What I loved:
I think the setting is great. To be totally honest, I haven’t read Les Mis or watched the show/adaptions (I know! I need to fix that), so hopefully, this review will be helpful for those like me who are going into this book knowing nothing about this story or time period! From the start, it’s clear that this city is cut-throat, hungry, and desperate. It’s a great place to throw your main characters into and gives them a lot of conflicts to overcome and adversity to deal with. I love a sneaky thief as the main character and the way the city’s underworld is divided is definitely interesting.

What was meh:
So I dnf’ed this book at about 50% and let me tell you why. It boils down to me not being able to deal with this strategy of storytelling. I’ve read a few other reviews of this arc, and they are mostly positive which is great, but they are also from fans of Les Mis. I mention that because I feel that this author expects the reader to become invested in the characters and understand this very complex world VERY quickly. There is quite a bit of action in the beginning (which is great if done well!) and a cursory explanation of the world and Nina’s motivations before she is thrust into dangerous circumstances. I have barely started to understand this character and we are supposed to be worried for her already? We are supposed to be disappointed if she fails?
Then there are the TIME JUMPS. This is the main story-telling feature that I had trouble with. I finally got a grasp on the world and sort of how it works (mostly from the author telling me rather than showing me, and we are only about 25% into the story at this point) and BAM some amount of time has passed and Nina is no longer trying to carry out this really important goal from “Act 1”. No, now she has a new goal and new characters are introduced and half of the characters from Act 1 seem no longer important. Also, it’s unclear how much time has passed for some of these jumps, you’re just supposed to gather that from the subtle clues the author puts in there (why not just tell us?), but more importantly it’s totally unclear why Nina’s MOTIVATIONS have changed. At first it seems like maybe she has a plan, but it’s so loosely described I can’t quite be sure if it’s not well-thought-out, or if the author is withholding detail to build suspense. But then it appears that Nina abandons the plan and it is totally unclear to me why. There is no internal dialog or discussion from Nina to help me understand. There is just more action, more violence, and a new character she must protect at all costs that we literally just met. Hi, what’s your name? Who are you? Why is it important for our MC to risk her life for you? There are people dying in these streets, sex trafficking, and lots and lots of violence so who is this character to me and why should I care whether they are another victim to this harsh world or not? I’m left with SO many unanswered questions and what seems like an abrupt shift from one plot to a different one.
Ultimately, I think the author depends too heavily on her reader’s prior knowledge of the story of Les Mis and it’s cast. She is trying so hard to introduce a complex underground world onto an already complex story that she doesn’t have enough time (or skill tbh, sorry) to describe and SHOW us these elements in adequate detail. Add to that time jumps that also include shifting character motivations and I felt totally lost. I genuinely thought maybe my ebook was missing some chapters or I accidentally skipped ahead. I have read books that deal with time jumps and it is always a delicate business. There is always a period of reflection or another character illustrates some detail in dialog to help the reader along, but I just felt that was lacking in this book.
I will be the first to say that if a world or main character doesn’t make sense to me, I just can’t read the book. I’ve had this issue with a lot of popular YA (and non-YA) books so this isn’t true for everyone obviously, but for me it’s a deal-breaker. I get so distracted by things not making sense to me (why one guild can break the laws that everyone has agreed on halfway through the book and we are just supposed to accept that?) that I just can’t read it anymore, and unfortunately, that happened to me in this book.

Overall, if you are a fan of Les Mis I still encourage you to give this book a try! Maybe you will see things in it that I did not, but I can’t recommend this book to readers who haven’t read it or seen the musical because I fear that they will feel just as confused as I am. I think the setting and the underground courts are great pieces of the story (I have no idea what makes them miraculous though other than it sounds cool *shrug*) but they aren’t enough for me. I need to understand who carries out the laws of the court, why they made them and show me in a convincing way that doesn’t feel rushed or brushed aside, and how does the royalty fit into this world (okay, you stole a necklace from a prince, is that going to have some significance later??)? Give me time to get to know the characters and SHOW me what they care about, and then don’t just pull the rug out from under me with no warning and no explanations.

Trigger warnings:
Violence, drug use, sex trafficking of children, emotional and physical abuse of a child.

This was a fun read, fast paced and the storyline really never seemed to stop moving, with all the twists and turns you really couldn’t see a lot of it coming. Nina was an interesting character, and I loved her title of the Black Cat since she was able to get away with anything. But part of that is why I found her unbelievable, even as a child she was able to steal from the prince that easily? Aspects of the book definitely seemed unrealistic, such as the fact she seems have three guys pining over her. The Prince, The Assassin and the Rebel, it’s all very fun but unrealistic.

I did enjoy Ettie and her development from being sheltered and scared to no longer being afraid. But other than constantly being sought after she didn’t have much of a personality, I’m hoping that will change down the line.

The main thing that kept confusing me during this whole book was the timeline, I had difficulty imagining what Nina looked like a lot because they were time jumps that lost me and I was scrambling to figure out how much time had passed.

My favorite character though, wasn’t Nina or Ettie. It was Montparnasse, the assassin who seems to have thing for Nina, who just shows up to kill people. And I sincerely hope we see more of him.

The Court of Miracles combines the underworld of Six of Crows with a re-imagining of the events of Les Miserables. I’m a huge fan of Eponine and was beyond excited when I received an ARC of this book! The first in a planned trilogy, this story follows Nina (Eponine), as she fights to be reunited with her sisters and seeks to prove to the lords of the underworld that she is not a pawn on their chessboard. Nina is fierce about pursuing her goals, unflinching in the face of almost certain death, and always thinking five steps ahead. This book was impossible to put down; there’s never a dull moment and a sense of eerie fantasy permeates throughout.

Grant’s writing is smooth, descriptive, and captivating. At the heart of this book, there is a strong bond of sisterhood, which is one of my favorite things to see! The Court of Miracles was genuinely so much fun to read: with a female Javert, lots of nods to Les Mis throughout, and more than one intriguing gentleman who crosses paths with Nina. You do not need to have read or seen Les Miserables to enjoy this book, as the author makes the story completely her own. I already can’t wait for the sequel to The Court of Miracles and to see how Nina’s adventures continue! The Court of Miracles releases on June 2, 2020. Thank you to Kester Grant, Knopf Books for Young Readers, and Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.