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Young Adult Book Review of The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead.

The Glittering Court (associate link) wasn’t completely what I expected. It follows Lady Elizabeth, a rather rich and spoiled young woman who doesn’t want to marry the one man who can save her family, instead, she runs off to join The Glittering Court, in the hopes of finding another suitor. This book was half romance, and half alternate reality or half western, I couldn’t quite decide. The land of Osfrid is loosely based on colonial Europe, and the land of Denham is loosely based on colonial America. I got into this book around the time it turned into a western, but I’m still not sure it works.

The writing was fairly fluid and moderately paced, but there was a lot of inner dialogue that could have been shortened up. Sometimes I wonder if publishing houses make authors add paragraphs just to make a book thick and heavy. I would have been happy with a shorter book that got to the point more quickly. I didn’t like this book half as much as I like Mead’s Vampire Academy series, but it was still a decent read. You might enjoy this book if you really liked The Selection, though I believe Cass’s series is much stronger as the romance is much more addicting and compelling and I preferred the dystopian setting over the western one. But hey, maybe Westerns are your thing.

As for reading the rest of the series, I don’t think I will continue since the next book sounds like it will be a parallel storyline which will feel like a rehash of at least the first half of The Glittering Court. The Midnight Jewel is slated to be released in April 2017.

3/5 Stars

JEH

Young Adult Book Review: Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

I believe I came across this book while browsing in the bookstore. it might have been the feather on the cover which initially captured by attention. What held my attention when i began to read was the author’s unique and varied writing. Aza, the main character in Magonia (associate link), is on Earth and dying, by the narration is anything but dead. Aza has such a smart, lively and unique voice, that I couldn’t help but fall in love with her. What interested me the most was that the story is based on a little known piece of folklore (at least to me). I love myths and folk tales, and generally love books that elaborate upon them.

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It felt like there was a fair bit of setup before the story really took off, but the set-up was all worthwhile. Once the two main characters, Aza and Jason, are separated, the real adventure begins. While the characterization could have been stronger for some of the secondary characters, this was obviously the first book in a series, and I’m hoping the deepening of the world and the people populating it is to come. The second book, Aerie, was just released in October, and I’ve already added it to my list of Want to Reads. A good solid fantasy novel.

4/5 Stars.

JEH

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What I’m Reading: The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

What I’m Reading: Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley