The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant

The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
UK Publication: June 2020
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★]

This ARC was provided by Harper Collins UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Vive la révolution

Synopsis from Goodreads: In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina’s life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father’s fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie).

When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger–the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh–Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city’s dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice–protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.

Les Misérables meets Six of Crows in this page-turning adventure as a young thief finds herself going head to head with leaders of Paris’s criminal underground in the wake of the French Revolution.

My Thoughts: I haven’t read Six of Crows so can’t comment on that but I have read Les Miserables and what I will say is don’t go into this expecting anything like that, I feel this comparison is a bad marketing ploy. The story is set in the same city, same time period and uses some of the same names but this is a YA Fantasy story and not a detailed social commentary if you expect Les Mis you will be disappointed if you read this book for what it is chances are you will enjoy the ride.

The book itself does have a YA feel to it (it is a YA book after all) the main characters are all teenagers, there is a romance angle and of course against all odds the underdog (Nina) must eventually triumph. That said there are distinctly adult themes including prostitution, drug addiction, people smuggling and physical violence. It also touches on starvation, plague and the many ways the poor can die while the rich feel no impact.

I enjoyed the world building and visiting this alternative Paris, I liked the playful use of names from Les Mis and I liked the way good and evil are shown with shades of grey. When looking to write this review I noticed book 2 should be available next month and I do intend to continue visiting with Nina in her alternative Paris.

Who would like this? I would recommend those who enjoy an alternative history, those who appreciate fantasy elements, those who don’t roll their eyes at potential love triangles and those who enjoy a good story.

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