This was a alright book. It has been compared to Six Crows by many but I honestly didn't see it. Some of the premises seemed forced.

I thought this would kind of have Folk of the Air vibes and I don’t really know why, but it was definitely very different. I can’t say I usually care for politics and this was not an exception. I was kind of bored even though there was clearly a lot of thought put into the worldbuilding; it was just too much for me.

This book sounded so interesting! All the different guilds and the politics involved had me super excited to read this story. The summary had me hooked. Yet, the book failed to pull me in from the start. I pushed through and read the whole book, but I can safely say I have no idea what I just read. I couldn't get myself to pay attention no matter how hard I tried. I wanted to care about the characters, but I just couldn't. I feel like when each guild got introduced to our main character, I wasn't able to get to know them. It constantly felt like I was being dragged along. I was watching the scene play out, but it felt like I was watching a movie in a different language without subtitles. The idea was very enticing, but for me, it just fell flat.

Never steal from a Thief. After Nina's older sister is sold to the ruthless Lord of Flesh, The Tiger, Nina vows to never let the same thing happen to her new adopted sister Ettie. But even Nina's status of the Black Cat, the best of the Thieves Guild, can keep Ettie from catching The Tiger's eye. Desperate to keep her sister safe Nina will take any risk, make any promise and betray anyone to get what she wants. Nina's path will take her deep into the heart of The Court of Miracles, the Royal Court, and a revolution.
The setting is fantastic! In an alternate history where the French Revolution failed, the French court has isolated themselves behind the castle walls, they are full of paranoia and fear of another uprising. The Court of Miracles, a brotherhood of Guild Lords that govern the people of the night keeps the peace among The Wretched. But even though The Court has a strict set of Laws, greed and guilt have created a wedge among the Lords, and tensions are very high. The whole city is on edge of a knife and the actions of one thief unleashes waves of chaos.
Nina is a boss. She is smart, cunning, fearsome, and determined. She will bring the whole city to its knees if it means keeping her sister safe. She can't be distracted by things like boys, consequences, loyalties, pain, or death. Our hero has one giant flaw that all of her enemies are all too willing to use against her: Ettie. Poor Ettie really got the short end of the stick in this book, I would have loved to see some chapters from her POV because she is hopelessly naive and a romantic! While there is HUGE potential for some serious romantic drama, Nina ain't got time for silly boys right now, and I am here for it.
doesn't even have an estimated publication date (at the time of original posting). I will be biding my time and reminiscing about the adventures that I had and having internal debates about who I would like to ship with who.

THE COURT OF MIRACLES is an enagaging and lush YA historical that imagines an alternate France where the revolution has failed and a Court of Miracles was born. The Court of Miracles contains groups of criminals with a code. This includes a Guild of Thieves, a Guild of Beggars, a Guild of Assassins, etc. Nina was very young when her sister pushed her to leave home, and she joined the Guild of Thieves, becoming the Black Cat.

Since then, she has gained some notoriety for her thievery. However, what truly drives her is getting her older sister back/free. Her sister was sold to the Tiger, the man who took over the Guild of the Sisters and made it into Flesh. He is ruthless and many of the Guild leaders are afraid of him. Nina's plot to get her sister back goes awry due to her own emotions, and she ends up running with a young girl, Ettie. In the process of figuring out how to keep Ettie away from the Tiger and how to get her sister out, Nina will encounter a new revolution, dangerous royalty, and much cruelty.

This is not a light story. As warnings, there is domestic abuse, forced prostitution, maimed children (for begging), starving, horrific deaths, and drug abuse.

What I loved: Nina completely captivated me from the start. She has had a really difficult life and maintains her humanity in a world where that is an impossible challenge. The plot is paced perfectly, gripping from the start and making it unputdownable. I also really loved the building of the criminal empires with rules and non-rules and questionable morality. We explore some of the Guilds a bit, and it was entirely fascinating.

I also really liked how Nina does not have a romance here. Her love for her sisters is paramount. There are a few potential romantic interests who seem to be interested in her, but Nina is focused on her goals and does not seem to get caught up in these (no matter how much Ettie wishes her to have romances). It made the story and Nina's drive that much stronger.

What left me wanting more: A small thing, but there were time jumps that I needed a bit more information to fully orient myself to. Each section leaps ahead by an amount of time, which varies. This may be corrected in the final version of the novel.

Final verdict: Lush, captivating, and filled with compelling characters, THE COURT OF MIRACLES is a beautifully crafted YA historical series. Highly recommend for fans of THE GILDED WOLVES, SIX OF CROWS, and/or SOMETHING DARK AND HOLY.

I really thought I would enjoy this but I am disappointed once again. It wasn't BAD but it wasn't GREAT either so that's why I am giving it 3 stars. The time-skips that just made me confused at times and kinda had me lost so I would end up rereading stuff to try and keep up. It was just so chaotic and there didn't seem to be any character development whatsoever.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of ‘The Court of Miracles’ by Kester Grant. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

All the concepts of this story really appealed to me. The Jungle Book is a childhood favorite and I’ve seen several Les Mis adaptations. While this was a fast read, it felt like too many concepts that didn’t come together. I also don’t think the Six of Crows comp worked and that comp is really over-saturating what feels like every other YA book.

The story did hold my interest and I would reread it before I picked up a sequel. I thought the tiger character was especially well-done and a fitting nod to The Jungle Book. I would have liked more elements from The Jungle Book. I’m less familiar with Les Mis but I did recognize a lot of elements. There was a part where the author seemed to be pulling their punches. I remember the Les Mis character being shot and killed and it being a very powerful part of the story but the character isn’t shot as someone else takes the bullet and also doesn’t die. I didn’t really understand this decision. It felt like the story jumped around and started in the wrong place. Nina’s sister makes this big sacrifice for Nina right at the beginning and then is forgotten about. Then time jumps to Nina caring for Ettie and it felt like the story was missing that meeting of the two and more conflict on Nina’s part. It felt obvious that Nina wasn’t going to sacrifice Ettie even though the story blurb suggested otherwise.

I wish this story had come together more cohesively. It also seems like this was advertised as fantasy but it was more historical. I didn’t mind it not being fantasy but in reading other reviews it seems a lot of people were also confused by the genre like I was.

3/5 stars

This book was very quick and the writing flowed really well. I was hoping for a bit more out of it but it was good.

Had some issues for me, but I ENJOYED the ride.

I had pretty low expectations going into this, mostly because I have looked at/read too many Les Mis vague "retellings" lately. This was the best of the bunch.

One thing that super bugged me though was Nina's decision to sell Ettie off to the Tiger in place of her sister, and then changes her mind. It bugged me because it was SO BAD to decide to sell her in the first place, and was totally just a device to move the story along. Nina's decision to sell Ettie is so contrary to Nina's character, it felt totally off and wrong to even be in there at all.

This has been compared to a cross between Les Mis and Six of Crows. I actually get that and was REALLY excited about reading this one. If I'm honest, it fell a little short. In all fairness, I'm a huge Les Mis fan, so it had big shoes to fill. Most of the character names are based on Les Mis. Eponine (Nina) Thenardier is the main character who is part of the Thieves Guild. She is trying to avenge and rescue her elder sister who was taken by the Tiger, the lord of the Guild of Flesh. She is also trying to keep her adopter sister, Cosette (Ettie) from falling into his grasp as well so has to start playing the different guilds against each other in the underground Court of Miracles. All of this is set during the French revolution and the court of Louis XVII.

I did like the inventiveness of the story and how it used pieces from historical events as well as pulling from the Les Mis story. However, it really felt like the Les Mis pieces were just that the names of the characters were used. There weren't a whole lot of similarities past that point. I do know this is supposed to be a series and do intend on reading at least one more. It was enjoyable, but just not the GREAT read I wanted it to be. Three out of five stars for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

THE COURT OF MIRACLES is the new series I am obsessed with. Grant delivers a brilliant first novel in what I can only hope will be multibook series. This book opens the reader to the criminal world in a way that is vivid and rich. I cannot wait for the next book!

The Court of Miracles is a fantastic addition to Young Adult fantasy collections and the historical component is well researched.

Fun story and easy to get through, but it didn't stick in my head for more then a day. For fans of Les Mis, this is set in an alternate 1828 Paris where the French Revolution has failed/

This was most definitely a cover buy for me - it's simply stunning! I went into it with basically no expectations and almost no idea of what it was about. Sometimes that's the best way to start... and it worked out quite well. I loved this one and wish I had gotten to it sooner!

Loved this! Drama, romance, and a plot twist to kill for! This would be a great read for young adults and those fans of fantasy.

This book was so incredibly, right up my alley in terms of storytelling and concept. The connections to les miserables were beautiful, and the ability of the author to adapt a classic story into a fantasy novel was so incredible.

I went into this with no expectations, because I saw the cover art and decided that was enough! I didn't do any research on this novel before I had it downloaded on my kindle and I think that was a great choice. I was hooked from the first chapter, and had a difficult time putting it down. I have since purchased a physical, finished copy. Thank you!

At first, it seemed like a weird combination to say this book is like Les Misérables meets Six of Crows. But surprisingly, it works really well. This was such a fun, adventurous, and fast-paced young adult fantasy novel by a new and promising author. The Court of Miracles is a beautifully written and empowering story that is a perfect blend of history and fantasy.

The characters are so well developed and easily relatable. Nina is such a strong and wickedly kickbutt heroine. I loved how she was portrayed and how her bond with her sisters was the most important thing to her. Her relationship with her sister, Ettie, was moving and so realistic. She would do absolutely anything for her younger sister, and that says a lot about the type of character she is in this brutal world. Nina's relationships with Ettie and her friends are constantly tested, so it goes to show just how strong she really is.

But the story isn't just about Nina's bond with her younger sister. It's also filled with shocking betrayals. Nina thought she knew who she could trust but she quickly realizes that she can trust no one but herself in her cruel world.

I was obsessed with the world building. It's enchanting, a charmingly vibrant world that's filled with just as much darkness as there is light. The magic aspect fits so well into this world; I enjoyed how the magic was separated into factions and how it molded into the law of the world. Just every aspect of this world and its contenders (because in a way, this world is either be the hunter or be hunted) is hauntingly beautiful. The world building was everything I hoped for and more.

The story itself is filled with breathtaking and riveting moments, moments that I was remembering days after reading this story. Grant's writing is superb and truly grasps the reader's attention. She's created a story filled to the brim with betrayal and surprising twists. The Court of Miracles is a wholly new and fascinating world steaming with historical flavors, and Grant does a phenomenal job combining two different genres. She brings to the table a strong and compelling story, one that I really hope many young adult fantasy readers choose to read.

Overall, I was blown away by this fantasy debut and I cannot wait to see what the author has in store for us next. The Court of Miracles is filled with adventure, shocking deception, strong relationships, sisterly bond, and so much more. I highly recommend this fantasy story to all readers!

I went into this book with little to no expectations. This was an impulse read based on the cover and the general affiliation with my genre of choice. Boy, am I glad I did. This was a pleasure to read. I"m a sucker for a bada** heroine and an uphill battle, and this fit the mold to a T. I can't wait to see what else this story brings!

This one was a lot of fun. Kept me entertained and I really liked the characters.

I definitely recommend this to fans of ya fantasy!