#Review - The Emerald Sea by Richelle Mead #Fantasy #Romance

Series: THE GLITTERING COURT #3
Format: Hardcover, 496 pages
Release Date: June 26, 2018
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Romance

The dazzling conclusion to #1 New York Times bestselling author Richelle Mead's The Glittering Court series.

Meet Tamsin, the Glittering Court's hard-angled emerald. Her outsized aspirations make her a fierce competitor, rising to the top of the ranks. But when the ship she boards for the New World is tragically lost at sea, she is quite literally thrown off-course.

The Emerald Sea, by author Richelle Mead, is the third and final installment in the Glittering Court trilogy. The book answers the trilogy’s biggest question: what is the secret that drives Tamsin to win at all costs? Tamsin Wright is unstoppable. She must become the Glittering Court's diamond: the girl with the highest test scores, the most glamorous wardrobe, and the greatest opportunities to match with an elite suitor in the New World in order to guarantee a future for her family.

Training alongside other girls in the Glittering Court, Tamsin immerses herself completely in lessons about etiquette, history, and music--everything a high-society wife would need to know. Once she's married, she'll hopefully be able to afford a better life for her family, so the sacrifice will hopefully be worth it if she can be the best. When her friendship with Mira and Adelaide, her roommates at the Glittering Court, threatens her status as the top-ranked prospect, she does the only thing she knows will keep her on track: she cuts them out of her life.

If you've read the first book, or even the second one, you know that Tamsin chose to travel to Adora onboard the Gray Gull with the girls from the competing house. You also know that Tamsin's ship ends up being caught in a storm and sent so far north, that they ended shipwrecked. Tamsin uses her unrelenting grit and determination to survive the harsh winter far north of her intended destination of Cape Triumph in hopes of making it back to the Glittering Court in time to secure a proposal--and a comfortable future for her family. 

Experiencing new cultures and beliefs for the first time, Tamsin realizes that her careful studies haven't prepared her for everything, including conniving, backstabbing, easily offended characters who are jealous of Tamsin's abilities and her training. With new alliances formed with roguish tradesman Jago Robinson and good-natured minister Gideon Stewart, Tamsin's heart begins to be pulled in different directions. But she can't let her brewing attraction get in the way of her ultimate goal: protecting the secret she holds closest to her heart, the one that would unravel everything she's worked for if it's uncovered.

The Emerald Sea, like its predecessors, begins at the Glittering Court, and ends in Cape Triumph. While we know what happened to Adelaide and Mira, if you read the books that is, we now learn what drives Tamsin. This is the story where a huge secret will be revealed that will either make you change your mind about Tamsin as a character, or will offer even more questions. If you can get past what happened between Tamsin, Mira and Adelaide and why the testing was so important for Tamsin's future that she needed to be on top, I believe you will change your mind about her. 

I definitely did. I can't imagine holding such a secret from everyone, including her so called best friends. I can only imagine the drive and the determination that someone like Tamsin has to put herself through in order to be able to have any hope of a bright future and to save the person who owns her heart. Tamsin doesn't whine, or moan, or throw hissy fits when things don't go her way. She puts on her big girl panties and takes charge and makes sure everyone ends up where they are supposed to be. Tamsin has to deal with not only the people of Grashond who look down on her, but a pending war between the Icori, and her people. 

As with the previous books, they all cross at one point in the story, or another. Tamsin's journey is definitely more appealing since she has to find her way from being stranded, to being stuck in a community called Grashond, to meeting interesting new characters like Orla Micnimara, and of course, Jago Robinson and Gideon Stewart. She knows that she is working against the clock for when her secret will arrive in Adoria, and she needs to be prepared. Prepared doesn't exactly fit what happens when Tamsin and Jago hit it off. 

Jago is such a wonderful character. He comes out of nowhere and suddenly Tamsin's world is so much more exciting and much more colorful. He doesn't get angry when Tamsin shocks him. He is happy to help with her secret, and even offers to help. Whereas Gideon kind of graded on my nerves, to be perfectly honest. How many times must you say no to a person before they get the hint? This is an interesting world, don't you think? I have read possible ideas for the setting. Osfro is England. Adoria is the New World before there were colonies. Heirs of Uros, I agree are like puritans, while Balanquans are Native Indians. Anyone disagree? 

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Monday #Review - Midnight Jewel by Richelle Mead #YALit #Fantasy

Series: The Glittering Court # 2
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

The Selection meets Reign in this dazzling trilogy of interwoven novels about three girls on a quest for freedom and true love from #1 internationally bestselling author Richelle Mead.Mira is not like the other Glittering Court girls. She is a war refugee, cast out of her home country and thrust into another, where she has learned to fight against the many injustices around her. For some, the Glittering Court offers a chance at a life they’ve only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. But for Mira, it’s simply a means to an end. In the new world, she plans to earn off her marriage contract price, and finally be free.  Mira pitches herself as an asset to one of the passengers on board the ship: the sardonic and aloof Grant Elliot, whom she’s discovered is a spy for the prestigious McGraw Agency—and her ticket to buying her freedom. His cover blown, Grant has little choice but to take her on. Mira applies herself by day, learning the etiquette and customs that will help to earn her anonymity. By night, she dons a mask and slips into the city, fighting injustice and corruption on her own terms—and impressing Grant with her extraordinary abilities and insights into a brewing rebellion. But the rebellion isn’t all they’re fighting… Neither of them can ignore the attraction burning between them—an attraction so powerful, it threatens to unravel everything Mira’s worked so hard for. With freedom finally within her grasp, can Mira risk it all for love?

Midnight Jewel is the second installment in author Richelle Mead's The Glittering Court trilogy. When this series started, we were introduced to three entirely different young women. Adelaide, who kept her real identity a secret until much later in the story, Tamsin, the former laundress who is one of the more driven characters in this series, and Mira, the Sirminican refugee who I loved in the first installment because of her secret behind the scenes escapades. 

The Glittering Court introduced readers to a world where young women are given an extraordinary opportunities to be trained from impoverished girls to upper class ladies. Upon graduation, the women will be destined for the new world where they hope to find husbands. Now, we move onto The Midnight Jewel which takes place concurrently with Adelaide's. For those in the know, each book covers the same story and timelines but from three separate characters. In fact, about 20 percent of the story we've already read before. 

This time it is Mira's turn to shine, and shine she does. While we don't rehash everything the roommates and friends go through from the start, we do see important parts of Mira's experiences. Mira is someone who knows what she needs to do; buy out her contract, rescue her brother, and if there's time left after, find a suitable husband. We get to understand who Mira really is, and boy do I really loved her. I loved her tenacity. I loved when she became Lady Aviel, while also meeting the notorious female pirate Joanna Steel. 

While she may be a bit reckless at times, she has a good head on her shoulders that focuses on the mission at hand, and not the underlying fact that she is far from perfect and makes mistakes. Mira finds herself working with Grant Elliott, who works for the McGraw Agency hunting down traitors to the crown. Grant is a character who is totally the opposite of Adelaide's Cedric. He sits on the side of justice, and doesn't hesitate to go after those who are attempting to bring the young colony to it's knees. Grant and Mira are polar opposites who actually work well together.

It's interesting to read a particular scene from another characters perspective. We know what happened in the previous novel, but now we know how Mira felt at the time Adelaide was having her own issues, and Tamsin's choice which we miss a whole lot of time wondering if she's alive or not. As I am sure you know, Tamsin will be the center piece in the final installment in the trilogy. A book that doesn't currently have a name or release date. 

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#Monday Review - The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead (Young Adult, Historical Fantasy)

Series: The Glittering Court # 2
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands…

“We’re all in charge of our own lives—and we have to live with the consequences of the choices we make.”

Richelle Mead's The Glittering Court is the first book in a brand new trilogy by the same name. This story follows the Countess of Rothford as she tries to reinvent herself as another person by taking the identity of one of her ladies in waiting. As one of the peeress of the realm, Countess of Rothford would appear to have everything she wants. That she has no control over her finances, which are in disarray, or the desire to be married to the person she really loves, doesn't matter in the overall scheme of things. 

With her own grandmother Lady Alice Witmore having full control of her life, the Countess finds herself engaged to marry someone she has no feelings for, at all. When a man named Cedric Thorn arrives with an offer for her lady in waiting, she makes a deal with the girl and then flees into the dark of the night. Taking the name Adelaide Bailey, she travels with Cedric and two other girls who become her friends, Tamsin Wright and Mirabel, to the Glittering Court where they will spend one year learning everything that a highborn lady is expected to know before traveling to the new world called Adoria.

The one main issue that my friends and I have had with this story is the fact that it reads more like a historical romance novel than a fantasy one. There is absolutely no magic in this book. There is nothing paranormal or supernatural about this book. The story reads as though new settlers have come to colonial America looking for a new beginning. There is the whole aspect of digging for gold in the mountains and rivers that makes this more of a historical story fantasy. There are even PIRATES! Hello my lovely adorable pirates!

My general feeling is that this story originated in either an country like England or France, and goes from there. The colonies have a glut of men, and very few women for them to choose as wives. Therefore, the women of the Glittering Court may have the advantage of choosing who they want, rather then being forced. The idea that the Countess would reinvent herself in order to travel to the new world, which I am again calling the colonies, is pretty straightforward but in a way, doesn't make all that sense. 

Then again, I am not the Countess. I am not going to be put into a loveless relationship where my husband, excuse me, his grandmother would control my every move along with my access to my money. At least by becoming part of The Glittering Court, Adelaide can choose who she wants as her husband thanks to her status after her training. It also helps that she is decidedly much better off than the other girls in the Court when it comes to understanding the general world, and how it works.

Even if that means allowing herself to fall for one of the only people to know who she really is; Cedric Thorn. Right from the start, there was something that really intrigued me about the possibility of Cedric and the Countess. I dare say that Cedric even stands sentinel in protecting her from those less desirable until things come to a head. One of the things I loved best about Adelaide was the fact that she really does try to reinvent herself by keeping below the radar, and doing just enough to put herself in the middle of the pack. 

I loved that Mead kept Adelaide's real identity a secret for a majority of the book until something silly happens that forces her to make difficult choices. When she is revealed as being Elizabeth Witmore, the Countess of Rothford, it is because it is an necessary choice to save the one she loves. There are a whole lot of things that get thrown into this story like religious prosecution, and where a person is from. There is also a deep secret about Mira that I haven't quite figured out yet, but have made guesses as to what she's been up to.

I love that Elizabeth, Tamsin, and Mira pretty much stay close as friends throughout their journey's. Yes, there are some ups and downs, but everyone is allowed to make their own mistakes and understand the consequences for their own actions. I dare say that I have peeked at other reviews that have throttled this book for being another The Selection. In fact, certain outlets have compared this to The Selection meets Reign. As I have never read the series, and gave up the TV show, I will move past that comparison quickly. 

So, let's put this review to bed. I love Elizabeth/Adelaide. It takes a certain amount of guts to reinvent yourself and choose an entirely different destiny when you have a title that everyone covets. I understand the issue with the dresses, and dangers, etc. that have caused reviewers to sneer. I really do. Sometimes authors get too caught up on the mundane, and ignore the other issues at hand. At 416 pages, I dare say that it could have been around 370 without all the silliness.

There is a whole lot of secrecy behind both Tamsin and Mira, and that, my friends, is why I intend to read the sequel. Per Goodreads, each book in this trilogy is self-standing and told from a different characters point of view. So, that means that Tamsin and Mira's adventures will be featured in the next two books.  

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#Wednesday Review - Soundless by Richelle Mead (Young Adult, Fantasy)

Format: Hardcover, 272 pages
Release Date: November 10, 2015
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy


From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore. 

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom. 

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever..
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Soundless, by Richelle Mead, is a standalone novel about a girl named Fei who lives in a village at the top of a mountain where nobody can hear. It is a place where the villagers use sign language to communicate, and artists paint the days events on canvases so that the villagers can keep current with events that effect them. The village is separated into three faction; artists, suppliers, and miners. Please don't ask me why there are no doctors, for there is no answer to that question. Fei's village trades silver from the mine with the township that sends food via a zip line. It's not exactly a fair trade, but it's the only way to survive.

After discovering that her sister Zhang Jing (also an artist apprentice) is going blind, and her once savior Lie Wei's miner father dies in an accident after also going blind, Fei and Wei climb down the mountain to try to barter for more food. But, that isn't until after Fei mysteriously gets her hearing back that things get interesting. When her hearing comes back, she tries to research what happened to her, but with no clear answers. No worries. That answer is resolved by the end of the book and it does make sense if you allow your imagination some leeway to understand the nuisances behind it. 

Thanks to Fei's hearing, Fei and Lie Wei reach the bottom of the bottom of the mountain to find an entirely different world where everything is brighter, more dangerous, and food is more than plentiful than they've ever seen. They discover that they aren't the only one's who have experience similar loss. But, that is the easy part. The hard part is trying to return to the village, and explain to the elders why one of their best and brightest went off on her own, and why King Jianjun of Beiguo hates the hearing impaired so much.

Let's talk about the romance that has gotten a bit of buzz. I know people will talk about Fei's supposed betrothed to a fellow artist. I know they will hiss and holler about how easy Fei and Lie fall in line. But, let's cut thru the crap. Fei and Lie have been friends ever since they were kids. She's always had feelings for him but has been told that since they are different castes, they can't together. So, yes, I fully accept the romance between the two without hesitation.

Negatives: Sorry to say there are a few areas that I really had issues with. The first being the utter lack of world building. We are thrown right into the story without understanding anything about the location of this village, or whether or not this was based on some Chinese mythology with flying dragons called Pixiu who once protected the village before leaving. 

There is talk about this evil King Jianjun from Beiguo but we really don't have a deep understanding about why he hates the hearing impaired so much, or why he is afraid of those like Fei who end up getting their hearing returned to them. 

I have no real problems with Fei. I think she is an honorable character who would do anything to protect her sister, and does just that. She goes out of character in order to discover a whole new world, and then ends up being a key player in the attempt to save her village from complete destruction. I do think the ending is fairly predictable. If you truly pay attention to the hints, you know that something stunning will happen to save the village from the evil minions.

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