The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant

Page Count: 402 (UK Hardback Edition)                                  Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult

Summary:
The story is set in an alternate version of Paris in 1828 after the failure of the French Revolution. The city is divided between royalty and a nine-district underworld of guilds called The Guild of Chance (Gambling), Beggars (Forgotten), Assassins, Mercenaries (Arms dealers), Flesh (Prostitutes), Smugglers, Letters (Messengers between the guilds), Thieves and Dreamers (…).
Here we meet the cat like girl by the name of Eponine (Nina) Thénardier who goes on a mission to protect her sister Cosette (Ettie), after her deceitful and greedy father lets the King of the underworld, Tiger, have her. On top of attempting to find her older sister Azelma who was take by Tiger as well and brought to the Guild of Flesh.
She goes through many obstacles involving the guilds, but she is also met with a romantic quarry involving the Prince of France, a revolutionary (St. Juste) and the Master of The Guild of Assassins (Montparnasse). 

My thoughts:
The Court of Miracles is a simple but delightful read which I return to and re-read often. The world building in the novel is one of my favorite parts of the novel. I have a weakness for historical fiction as it, for me, makes it easier for me to indulge in the world and understand it. On top of that, Grant’s writing makes for an easy read, it is not too convoluted but still has a bunch of thought-out quotes which create patterns and links throughout the whole of the novel.
Furthermore, the focus around the French Revolution, the events themselves and ultimately the effects on the society is what is shown throughout the story. We see the rivalry and hatred the peasant class has towards the royal family, and the subtle detail of the royals’ ignorance when they, as an attempt to please the peasants, invite two children each year to have cake at the palace. Almost like an allusion towards the famous quote “let them eat cake” from the French queen when the people of France were starving, which they of course also are on the story. So, on top of the amazing plot of the story itself, it also involves a lot of real world examples or similarities, which is something I personally really enjoy in books, when I see a historical connection.
Moving on to the story itself, I love all the characters. Usually, I have a hard time liking female protagonists with a “I am not like the other girls” personality, as many authors make them so unlikeable with their need to stand out and be better, but to me, Nina is not like that. Nina is different, but only because she has to be in the environment she grew up in and lives in. She acts how she does to protect herself and Ettie.
Other than Nina, my favorite love interest is Montparnasse. Montparnasse is the only love interest who does not try to make Nina into a person she is not. The Prince wants her because she is different and interesting to him, he doesn’t understand her, and St. Juste wants her because she is so driven and has motivation like no other. They both want her for what she can do for them, while Montparnasse keeps to himself but still looks out for her. Not to be a hero, he still lets her fight the battles she picks, but because he deep down cares for her.

Favorite quotes:
”Sometimes we must pay a terrible price to protect the thighs we love.” (p. 57, 69)

“’Yes, he’ll kill you,’ I lie. He won’t kill her. What he’ll do is much worse. She will look for death and it will not come.” (p. 68)

“I want to whisper, I’m sorry. But the Court is no place for sympathy.” (p. 69)

“the bodies of men, women, even children tossed up against the structure at awkward unnatural angles.” (p. 349)

“I am the Black Cat; this is my hunting / I am the Black Cat; this is my hunting” (p. 373)

“You are my Father. You swore to protect me,” (p. 378)

“You already bear my scars on your back. I carved my name into your skin. You belong to me.” (p. 382)

“I’m going to break her, … not because I want to, not anymore. She’s a pretty thing, like other pretty things. But I will break her for you, because I want to see become a terrible, lawless, honorless thing. I want to see you shatter and twist. I want to see you become like me” (p. 383)

“Today you will be reborn. Born in blood, in pain, in rage” (p. 383)

“Beautiful Ettie, who was always afraid. / She’s not afraid anymore.”  (p. 388)

Final rating:
As you can probably guess this book was a five-start read for me.
The Court of Miracles was a perfect historical fiction story, with the right amount of romance on the side. Which is my favorite type of book and genres. So, if you have the same taste as me, you will most likely enjoy this book. It will also have the perfect length, as I typically think that one-off stories only consisting of one book is too short and the plot is crammed down and explained too fast. As the second book is coming out very soon, I will also make a review on my opinions of the continued story. However, as of now, the story can easily be read as a stand-alone with no continuation but would for sure benefit from a complete end to the story.
All in all, this is and will continue to be my favorite book for a while now.