Thank you NetGalley for this one. Greatly appreciated as always. I associate the Court of Miracles with Hunchback of Notre Dame more than I do with Les Miserables, although 19th Century Paris may very well be a more historically accurate setting for the Court. So, there is no Quasimodo, Frollo, and Esmeralda but this book has plenty of reference regarding Javert, Valjean, Cosette, Thernardier…, although with some surprising twists. This is not a retelling of Miserables, and frankly, if it wasn’t for the fact that people mention Jungle Book, I would not have noticed the connection to Jungle Book at all (well, other than the reference to “We be of one blood, thou and I”). If anything, you could very well have also included Frozen as a story reference because of the theme of sisters striving to stay together to overcome forces breaking them apart. In a nutshell, the story is more of a loose borrowing of the Miserables characters supporting the main player, original character Nina off to save her sister from slavery with an original story involving her along with the members of Paris’ Court of Miracles. The story is Nina and Nina carries the story with the help of the Court’s characters. 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. The story flowed smoothly for me with some slow areas in the middle but a strong start and a strong finish always makes up for any lose parts in the middle (perhaps too much time spent in Tuilleries for my own personal taste). An excellent start to what appears to be a three part act. Nice way to pull down the curtain for the end of Act 1. I will look forward to reading the sequel.

What I liked about The Court of Miracles:
-Even through The Court of Miracles is a Les Miserables retelling, there is so much more that the author added to the story. The characters share similar names and the plot contains similar beats, but there are many changes. We see the story through Eponine's (Nina's) eyes, but she is not only just the mistreated child of an innkeeper, she is a highly respected member of the Guild of Thieves.
-I like the romance that is included in The Court of Miracles, or the lack thereof. Nina has several admiraiers over the course of the story, but she doesn't let any of them distract from her true mission: saving her sister.

What I disliked about The Court of Miracles:
- I felt that there were several odd time jumps that were not pointed out very well. All of a sudden several years would have passed, but the only statement that they had passed was on the Part dividers until several chapters into the Part. This could just be an issue for myself, but I like to be reminded of time jumps. Whether that is trough years on the first page of a chapter or written directly in the story.

Who would I recommend The Court of Miracles:
-Fans of historical "fantasy"/fiction (there's no magic)
-Fans of sisterly bonds
-Fans of Les Miserables (the musical)


Overall Thoughts:
Overall, I really enjoyed this retelling. I thought all of the character's were well written and retained aspects of their namesakes, without being over the top that this was a retelling. I thought that the plot was well paced and there wasn't any part that I felt dragged. As I have not read/finished Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, all of my comparisons are based on the musical version.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Knopf Books for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant is a retelling of Les Miserable with magical elements, an enormous cast of characters, and a revolution. There are many different courts one can attend within this gorgeously filled, world building fast paced plot. The characters are each unique and intriguing. There are nods towards Les Miserable, but it’s been so long since I read Les Mes that I’ve likely missed even more appreciative nods towards the work.

This book was long. It was complex. It had plot, it had depth, and it had characters that I fell hard for. It took a solid week to read this book, and that was only because I lingered over it for days, relishing in the excellent fantasy retelling. Most retellings don’t impress me these days, with a few rare exceptions thrown in. This is an exception. I adored this book. I wish to own this book. I’ll probably buy a hardcover of this book.

“Les Misérables meets Six of Crows in this page-turning adventure as a young thief finds herself going head to head with leaders of Paris's criminal underground in the wake of the French Revolution.”
~As quoted from Goodreads

Now, while I’ve yet to read Six of Crows, I have read Leigh Bardugo, and this is a safe comparison to make, as I also adore Leigh Bardugo’s crafting into world building. One would be pleased at the historical elements flung into this book, along with the epic fantasy twists and turns, the thieves, the murderers, the magic that revolves around the various courts. I’d love to dive into the courts, but I barely recall most of them, and I desperately need to do a re-read, take notes, and keep up with characters of whose alive and whose not. I warn readers, do not get attached. That could prove fatal to you, should you do so.

There’s a spark of romance within the pages as well, along with myths thrown in I think, if I recall correctly. It’s admittedly been a bit since I’ve read the book, and as stated above, I need a reread. However, the story is still fresh in my mind enough that I feel safe in giving it 5/5 stars. I highly recommend for all fans of retellings, and that of historical fiction, or classics in general. Please read this. You won’t regret it.

I am a huge fan of Les Mis so when I saw the summary for this book I knew I had to add this to my list. I finished the book in a few days and could not put it down. I cannot wait for the sequel and will be purchasing a finished copy.

"Sometimes we must pay a terrible price to protect the things we love."

Nina: “Black Cat” of the Thieves Guild.

Ettie: Nina’s “little sister”. The root of this war (granted, it was inevitable in time).

Tiger: Lord of the Guild of Flesh. Lord Kaplan. No Lord will cross him.

Montparnasse: Loves Nina. My lover. Master of the Assassins Guild. Willing to lay himself on the line for Nina, even if he has to betray his guild.

St. Juste: Loves Nina. Everyone in his family was killed. Leader of the rebellion of people who aren’t in a guild.

The Dauphin: Loves Nina. Prince of France. Nina steels from him at a young age. They see each other later and help each other out. Has a mother who is always on the verge of handing him a glass of poison.

Orso: Has an army of “Ghosts” aka little kids. The only Lord who will stand up to the Tiger.

Thernadier: Nina’s dad. Beats her. Will do anything for whoever offers the most money, even betraying his own.

Tomasis: Lord of the Thieves Guild.



"if he kills you, I’ll take his head from his body and I’ll set it on a pike in the middle of the Lords’ table in the Miracle Court, and none will ever take it down. There it will rot, the worms will eat it to bone, and all who see it will remember you. Even if Corday asks my life of me in return, I’ll do it. I swear."

Can’t get any more romantic than that!



Things I Liked:

Secret societies. I love the idea of secret societies being known for specific talents. I love seeing the atmosphere from each unique faction. I’d love to learn more about how these came about and a look deeper into each society.
Unpredictable. I did not predict one particular event to happen in this novel. That never happens!
The world-building. Grant made this incredibly easy to follow.


Things I Didn’t Like:

Hunger Games vibes. If you interchange Nina for Katniss and Ettie for Rue/Prim, you pretty much have the Hunger Games novel.
The beginning. I was ready to DNF right away, honestly. But, I’m not a quitter, so I kept on trekking, and I actually really enjoyed the novel.
The timing. I followed this pretty well through most of the novel, but I got a little confused at times by home much time passed.
Everyone guy loves her. Give me a break! I’m so over the main character having all of these guys wanting her. Not reality!


The Court of Miracles is a story about war, ambitious power, and adversity. People who enjoyed The Gilded Wolves and Six of Crows would enjoy this novel.

Content Warnings: slavery, revolution, discrimination, prostitution, human trafficking, drugged use, poisoning, whipping, and torture

Going into this book I didn't really know much about Les Misérables other than it's incredibly long and a lot of people die, plus a few names. That made me a little nervous going into this, but I after reading this I don't think it's required to have read (or watched) Les Mis. However, it definitely made me want to watch the movie which did help me understand what was different and what was the same between this retelling and the original.

I'm not normally the kind of reviewer to point out writing styles mainly because I truly don't notice most of the time, but in this case I certainly noticed how BEAUTIFULLY written this is! I was hooked immediately and couldn't stop reading! 

I know that the synopsis says this is Les Mis meets Six of Crows, and while this is truly a retelling of Les Mis I don't totally agree with the Six of Crows part. Normally when you think of Six of Crows, you think found family with deep connections and a heist. There is certainly a found family aspect in The Court of Miracles, but those relationships felt very surface level. There was also sort of the opposite of a heist, because Nina is trying to keep Ettie away from someone who wants to steal her.

I do really wish that there was more development of the characters other than Ettie and Nina, because you don't really get a sense of who they really are and they all seem like brilliant characters! I think part of the reason I felt like there was no development between the characters was because of the time jumps, which were hard enough to read because they could be 3+ years but it doesn't really let you know how far ahead you are moving. There was clearly time where these characters were together, but it didn't always translate in the scenes we saw. 

There are three love interests (yes, three) but I hesitate to really call them love interests. Nina doesn't seem to be interested in any of them for most of the book, it's more acknowledging that she finds them attractive and it's never acted upon. There was one particular love interest that I found wanting her to be with, despite not really knowing much about him as a character on his own. 

Despite these unclear time jumps, the pacing was fast and the story was interesting and I was completely engaged every time I picked this book up. I didn't even notice until I finished that despite this being listed as a fantasy book, there was no magic at all! That just shows you how fascinating this setting and plot really is. I also found myself wanting to know more about the different guilds and how they operate and I was so relieved when I found that there would be a sequel because I just want more of this world and to dive deeper into who the characters are!

I definitely see myself picking up the next book, and I think that if the few cons I had are worked on in the next book (I think this was a debut novel, but I'm not 100% sure) this could definitely be added to my favorites list.

Review will be posted to my blog (www.meltingpages.wordpress.com) on 5/13/2020

Title: The Court of Miracles
Author: Kester Grant
Release: June 2, 2020
Dates Read: 5.7.2020-5.11.2020

I believe Grant did a great job portraying characters we have seen before in a new light. I love the take of the Court of Miracles, I haven't read many books with the Court of Miracles being portrayed, which i thought was a really neat thing about the book. I love that it follows Nina (Eponine) whom we see very little of in Les Mis, and that she is completely a bada**. I also like that the "i can do everything" heroine trope wasn't a part of her character. This book has great potential and it will be a favorite for anyone who needs historical fiction, YA, and a Les Mis fix.

Okay, so I'll admit it, I haven't read Les Mis. I've seen the movie though! And I enjoyed it well enough, although it's been years since I last saw it. So going into The Court of Miracles, I wasn't really sure how much I'd enjoy it if at all. I knew it sounded good, but definitely went into it with a healthy dose of skepticism because I just didn't know if it would be my kind of book. Well, turns out I needn't have been worried, because it turned out to be one of my favorite reads in a long while.

The thing that grabbed me right away in The Court of Miracles was just how beautifully it was written. The prose is absolutely gorgeous! It hooked me immediately and I couldn't get enough. The storytelling itself was equally beautiful, and together it just made for such an entertaining read.

Speaking of the story... like I said, I don't know Les Mis that well. I know the main story but none of the intricacies well enough to feel like I'm remotely an expert on the subject. That said, I thought The Court of Miracles did a wonderful job of paying tribute to its source material. It's different enough to hold its own as a great book, but with enough of the original thrown in for even someone like me to get excited any time I recognized a character or plot point, which made the reading experience that much better.

The characters were to die for. Mostly Nina *cough* Eponine *cough*. I'll admit a little bias here because Eponine is my faaavorite, so getting a story from her point-of-view is definitely something I wanted. And this story totally delivered. Nina was so dynamic, a blast to read, and really held the story. Plus the romantic interests (yes, plural!) were so swoony. Nina is so fantastic that in my opinion she deserved them all and none of them are good enough for her but I somehow ended up shipping multiple ships and this book put me through the romantic wringer, let me tell you. So yeah, I can't wait to see more of all of these characters in book two, it's going to be so much fun.

The setting here was really well done, with the Miracle Court and all of its guilds presenting as something that has, yes, maybe been done before, but this time felt fresh and new while reading. I just felt like so much time and care went into the world building, giving the story its own voice while paying respect to the source material.

I really loved The Court of Miracles, way more than I ever expected to. I devoured most of the book in a day, and it's really stuck in my mind since then. It's perfect for fans of Six of Crows or The Winner's trilogy, although personally I think it outshines both of those. If you love Les Misérables or alternate histories, then I promise you'll love this one.

Nina is a member of the Thieves Guild, one of the nine guilds in the Court of Miracles, an underground crime syndicate. The Court has its own laws, protects its own, and punishes those who do not respect this. However, when Nina's sister becomes targeted by the Master of the Guild of Flesh, Nina will do anything to protect her, even if it means breaking the Miracle Court's laws. Hard choices must be made to protect those we love.

The Court of Miracles has been marketed as “Six of Crows meets Les Miserables.” These are some big names, some big shoes to fill, and I went into this with pretty low expectations. I had never seen or read Les Miserables before I started this book but about 20% into it I decided I probably should. Overall, I would say that I enjoyed this book but there were quite a few issues that I’ll be addressing. We’ll start with some of the positives.

Pros:
This book is basically a YA Les Miserables alternate universe fan-fiction. I think this is an interesting twist on a retelling. I’m tired of reading recycled versions of Beauty and the Beast and I like the idea of doing a retelling of a classic novel, maybe adjusting some of the characters and story lines, giving a voice to characters that are interesting but maybe don’t get enough screen time, or even flipping the genders all together. I also really liked the short stories and thought they were interesting and added a layer to the history of the Miracle Court. The villain backstory at the end really stands out to me and I feel like he may be the most well developed character in this book.

Cons:
If you haven't seen or read Les Miserables, you will probably not enjoy this book. There is very little in the way of character development and only upon watching the movie did I feel any sort of connection to the characters. I feel like it should be made more clear that this book is more a retelling of Les Mis, as opposed to being influenced by it. There were also a lot of things being told to the reader instead of allowing us to feel and experience it. The only reason I know that Eponine is a talented thief is because the book says she is. The few times she uses her skills, it is on a whim with very little planning. The time jumps (Most of which are 3+ years) are jarring and easy to miss as they are only illustrated on chapter headings. By jumping around, we miss out on a lot of relationship development, especially between Eponine, Tomasis, and the entire cast of characters from the Court of Miracles.



Overall, this book has a very dark, gritty vibe that I enjoyed and I think that the ambiance of Les Miserables was captured as much as it could have been in a book of this size, geared toward a younger audience. A stronger focus on the themes and more character development would have made this book really stand out to me. As is, I think it is still unique but an average read.

For a more in depth review (and spoilers, too), keep an eye out on my channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3w8bxEK0SW_MpCBZphXDPA?view_as=subscriber

Grant has written a complex story re-imagining what would happen if The Jungle Book met Les Miserables. As two very recognizable stories, Grant was able to mesh the two together seamlessly.

Eponine (Nina) has found herself at the center of fight between keeping the peace within the guilds and doing what is right. Nina lost her sister to one of the guilds at a young age and since has taken another young girl (Cosette aka Ettie) under her wings. Now the same people who took her sister want Ettie, and Nina is determined to keep her out of their hands. What she finds goes deeper than she believed to be true. With new friends, strange alliances, and a determination to follow her head and heart, Nina is determined to right the wrongs of the guilds and bring upon a new type of order.

The one thing I really loved about this book were the characters. There were so many characters, it got a little confusing about who was who and just trying to remember everyone and their part. However, a few characters stood out. St. Juste was an extremely likable character. Passionate, funny, and the perfect balance to Nina, he held his own and even managed to stand out. Ettie was another character I adored. Her character growth from the beginning to the end of the book was so satisfying to watch as she grew from a timid girl to a child worthy of the guilds. Finally, while I did have my issues with Nina, I thought she was a very easy protagonist to follow along. She was sassy and brave and I loved her persistence even when everyone told her to quit. Other notable mentions are the guild masters, and I appreciated how each personality fit with their guild.

The other things I really enjoyed about this book were the pacing and the story. The pacing of the story was quite fast which made for a quick read. The story was also interesting enough for me to want to continue on. There were points were I was confused about the intentions of the book (as it sometimes felt like three stories in one book), but once I realized where the book was going, it was easy to follow along.

I did have some problems with this book, which made it a little hard to enjoy. The timeline of the story got very confusing. There would be huge time jumps in the story with no indication that had happened. It was jarring to be thrown forward in time and not know what happened. Because of this, I was never fully able to grasp how old Nina and Ettie were. I think a simple chapter subtitle letting the reader know how many years had passed would have been helpful and made the reading experience that much smoother. It also felt like many of the main events were not fleshed out well. I say this because we would build up to this big moment, and then it would feel like it was rushed, thus never giving us the full experience. These events would be wrapped up so quickly, it was hard to imagine the characters were in any real danger at all. And many times, I felt like I had whiplash because it would be over so quickly, and it would take me a little while to process what just happened.

I also wished Grant had spent a little more time fleshing out the guilds. I found the guilds to be the most fascinating part of the story, and I really wanted to know more about them. I hope in future books we're going to get to spend more time with the guilds and get to know them more. We got a really good insight to one particular guild with the dead lord, but I wanted that to happen with all the guilds.

Also, as a heads up, this is definitely a book where every male character falls in love with Nina. At one point she has three men who are deeply devoted to her and helping her. While it was unclear whether or not it was friendship or something more, I tended to lean towards them all being romantically interested in her. Whether or not this was the intention, this was how I read it.

I think this is a book where readers will either love it or hate it. This book has such a deep and complex story line with interesting characters that I think will appeal to many people. However, with the confusing timeline and rushed plot points, it feels like there is still room for improvement. I am looking forward to seeing where Grant takes this story moving forward, and I anticipate it will only get better from here.

I loved quite a few things about this book. The era, the similarities to Les Mis, the concept of the Guilds hidden away in secrecy. I loved the way it was written. But for some reason, I couldn't quite connect with this story. I didn't feel as connected to the characters, especially Nina, as much as I wanted to. I felt that it moved too quickly at times, and too slow in others. I wish there would have been true romance, instead of Nina kissing a few boys throughout the story. At the end of the book, it just sort of ended abruptly and I felt a bit unsatisfied. Yes, the mission was accomplished but it felt like it ended immediately after the climax. I wished there could have been more falling action and a resolution. Overall, I loved the concept of this book and thought it was well-written. I just wish I had felt more emotionally invested in it.

Review to be posted on Goodreads May 19th.

The Court of Miracles is a book about thieves and assassins and ghosts, and I didn't realize until I was almost done that there was no magic at all in this book. That's how intricate and enchanting the world building was.

Nina is a thief, and throughout the book we see her trying to protect her sister, Ettie, from the Tiger of the Guild of Flesh. It's a heist like novel with twists and turns that will surprise you, and characters you'll grow to care about.

I had one or two issues with the book. It started out as a story about Nina trying to save her blood sister Azelma, but that was abandoned pretty quickly. With reason, certainly. It just felt a little like the book was set up for this and then it was swept aside. Also, every 'handsome' boy that Nina comes into contact with is instantly in love with her while she denies having any sort of feeling while blushing prettily in their presence. We don't even have a love triangle here, it's a love square (that said, I totally have a favorite so who's the real clown here?).

Things I loved about this book: the entire structure of the Miracle Court. I loved reading about each different guild and the characters that led them were all interesting to see on page. This is historical fiction, but it really does feel like fantasy despite there being no magical elements or the like. It's really just a group of very well organized and trained individuals running the underground of France. The world building was rich and I enjoyed reading it (the only issue I had with it was that everyone has at least three names and that gets confusing at times).

Overall, I enjoyed the read and I'll definitely pick up the next one!

Ever since I read the word “Les Miserables” in the synopsis of this book, I knew I had to read it. As a major fan of musical theatre, I’ll read anything that has to do with them, so I went into it with pretty high expectations, and I have to say I ended up pretty disappointed with The Court of Miracles.

The thing is, the premise of this book was so interesting and unique in a way. I honestly thought I was going to absolutely adore this book, because it had a lot of elements that I really love in YA fantasy, but it ended up being such a lackluster story.

It started out great, and I feel the first chapter really set the tone for how the story was going to be, but as I kept reading I became less and less engaged with the book. I think it had a lot to do with how confusing the story ended up being, but I’ll explain myself.

My main issue with this book was that The Miracle Court was barely explained throughout the story. It was one of the most important part of the plot, and I think one of the most interesting parts the story had, but we hardly got to know it. There was no information whatsoever about what the court did and how it worked and was integrated in the society, and I honestly felt I was reading two different books: one that took place at the court and the other which was more a thriller.

The main character was so underdeveloped. She didn’t have an evolution throughout the story, and most of her arc was connected to another character’s arc, so she didn’t have a lot of time to evolved or grow as a protagonist.

Another problem that I had with this book was that I didn’t relate or connect with any of the characters. We were supposed to believe that the main protagonist would risk everything for this little girl that she was trying to save, but we didn’t see a lot of their relationship for us to understand the reasons why she did that. I think if that relationship had been more explored, I would have understood those dynamics a bit better.

Also, there was this weird romance going on that just didn’t make sense. Sometimes it felt like it was going to be a love triangle, and other times it appeared there was going to be a romance, but at no point the author explored neither of those things. Those characters had very few interactions with each other, and I just didn’t believe that a romance could happen between them.

Overall, I was pretty disappointed with The Court of Miracles. It had such an interesting premise, but everything was so underdeveloped and bland that it didn’t make a cohesive story.

Thanks for another ARC Netgalley!

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.

I’m excited for the final copy as I have preordered!

Kester Grant's version of France in the 1820's may look similar to 1820's France that we know, but her France shows the criminal underbelly fighting against the grueling reality of a distant monarchy who do not care for their people's lives. As young Eponine watches her own father sell her sister to the fiercest Guild in The Court of Miracles, she adopts one of the last things her sister says to her as her life motto: "Sometimes we must pay a terrible price to protect the things we love." For those she loves, Nina becomes one of the most renowned thief to enter The Court to bring vengeance upon the men who took her sister from her. Grant creates an intriguing world of deception, love, and revenge that will keep readers on their toes the whole time.

Grant expertly takes the world of Les Miserables and increases the character development of the beloved characters within the novel in this beautiful retelling. While fans of the original novel/musical agree that the lovely Eponine deserved better, Grant allows her to shine as the narrative follows her surviving on the dark streets of France. While adding original characters and changing the fates of the characters already known to readers, she explores what could have happened if at least one character infiltrated the French officials to find out their plans to rid the country of the revolutionaries.

Grant's writing style will immerse readers into the underground as the intrigue of the various courts overtakes them completely. This novel kept me wanting more and more as I read, and I was devastated when it ended. I greatly look forward to any additional pieces of the story that Grant may give to readers and will eagerly recommend it to anyone!

I received this arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated above are mine. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me this Advanced Reader's Copy, I enjoyed every minute of it.

This review is based on receiving an Arc provided by Random House Children's and NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity. All opinions are mine.

So I absolutely fell for the idea of the Miracle Court and the nine guilds. The idea that the Paris underground is rife with thrives and mercenaries, murderers and the like is and will also be a draw in concept for me. That being said the story was just not pulling me in as much as I would have liked. I gave a solid three stars because while I didn't hate it at all I also didn't fall in love with it either.

The plot revolves around Nina and her quest to retrieve her lost sister from the vicious Tiger Lord. A cruel man at the head of the Court who is performing some shady unlawful business. All the while Paris is on the brink of war.

I will say that this genre is out of my main reading material, and while I have read Six of Crows and the main selling point is that it is a mixture of this and Les Mis I couldn't see it. I understood Nina's plight in getting her sister back at all cost and infiltrating the Tiger's guild to retrieve her along with the other captives but it just seemed to fall a little short for me.

I do recommend picking this up if historical espionage is the thing for you. I have no major complaints about the writing or how the story was executed.

I read this book within a days time because I couldnt put it down. I loved Nina and loved all of the character building that allowed me to get to know her more and more as the story went on. That being said I would love more backstory on some of the other characters so I could be able to connect with them on that same level! The story is original and brilliant and very unpredictable. It kept me turning the pages and when it ended I was disappointed because I wanted more. The only thing that confused me a little were the time jumps but all in all this has become one of my favorite new books!! Thankyou for allowing me to read and review it!!

Book: The Court of Miracles
Author: Kester Grant
Rating: 1 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Knopf Children’s, for providing me with an ARC.

I don’t understand why publishers try to compare books to other books when they are nothing alike. Yes, it’s a great marketing tool for books that are actually alike, but when they aren’t, it’s just not going to work. This book was compared to Six of Crows and Les Misérables; I for one did not get these vibes. Other than the book taking place during the same time as Les Misérables and featuring some of the characters, it just didn’t happen. I think it has also been compared to The Jungle Book, which I can see more so that the other options. If you are going to sell to me as a heist book, then the heist had best pay off.

I really couldn’t connect to the characters, which is a big problem for me. I really did want to like them, but I just couldn’t. Nina was kind of a Mary Sue, who just went along with everything. If I was in her situation, then I would had been questioning some things. I mean a heist is a very dangerous situation and she just kind of went along with everything that was happening. I get that she didn’t know a lot, but we could have had Nina’s inner thoughts on what she actually thought about it. Instead, she just goes along with it and seems okay with it. I have never read a heist book where the main character was a calm as her. It just didn’t feel right.

Alright, let’s get into the Mary Sue aspect of Nina’s character. She is able to do things that should not be as easy as what they are made out to be. At nine, she is able to scale walls and get around the guard without any trouble. It just wasn’t believable at all. We are just supposed to be okay with this and not question it. If we had gotten to see some of the struggle that Nina went through to achieve this goal, then, maybe, it would have been more believable. I, for one, just am not convinced it.

While I did like the time jump and getting to see the characters as they aged, I just wish that it had been clearer. I wasn’t even aware of the time jump for a little while. If that had been clearer, I think it would have worked a little bit better. The descriptions and the way the world was is pretty strong. However, I just wish that things had been a bit clearer and maybe a little bit more thought out.

The writing has a lot of potential. It fit the realm of fantasy very nicely, but, again, the lack of clarification just kind of made everything get lost. I think that if we take some time to expend on what was done here, then, we will have a pretty strong series. A lot of my issues with the book are just clean up work and if that is done, then, I think we have the potential to have a pretty strong series.

Anyway, this book comes out on June 2, 2020.

Not my favorite writing style but a good plot. Perfect for fans of Six of Crows...definitely had that element about it. I had a difficult time because it felt like something bad was happening constantly.

Good character development

I loved the pitch of this book and the cover is gorgeous. I was hoping to really love it, and I did! After being saved by her sister and taken in by a gang, Nina must decide how far she will go for a second chance at protecting what she loves. Nina grows so much throughout this book, her development was fantastic. She had to be smart, brave, and ruthless to keep herself alive and help her friends. The writing was wonderful and kept me up late a few nights because I just couldn't stop reading. I felt like I could hear footsteps on cobblestones and the whistles of the Wretched as I was submerged in this story. If you like smart, badass main characters, gangs and violence, and found family feels, you should definitely pick this one up.