REVIEW The Glittering Court.

TITLE. The Glittering Court
AUTHOR. Richelle Mead
PUBLISHER. Razorbill
RELEASE DATE. April 5th 2016
PAGES. 416
FORMAT. Ebook
GENRE. Young Adult, Romance

SUMMARY.
Big and sweeping, spanning 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 later, 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. . . .

REVIEW.
This is the first book in the new The Glittering Court series by Richelle Mead. There will be three books in total, each featuring a different main character and has its own self-standing story.

So, of course I had to read this book.. It is a Richelle Mead book. That used to mean something, because well, she wrote one, no two, of my all-time favorites: The Vampire Academy series and the Georgina Kincaid series. I read some mixed reviews about this one, saying that it was dull and focused more on the clothes they wore then the plot. But I was stubborn and had to find out for myself.

But I will say it outright: I am really disappointed with this one. I really had to push myself to continue this series, and I had thoughts about DNF’ing this book on multiple occasions. But I kept hoping for it to get better.. which did not happen. 

I really liked the sound of this book, it sounded kind of Victorian with it’s pretty dresses and a Glittering Court, combined with the New World and discovering gold.. And they said it would be a fantasy book, so yeah, count me in. BUT THIS IS NOT A FANTASY NOVEL. Not at all. Okay so maybe it is not set in this world, but apart from that, nothing magical or whatsoever happens. Nothing supernatural or powers or different creatures. NOTHING. So I don’t know how they dare to call this a fantasy novel, but it really is not.

So the story is about a countess who does not want to marry some dull guy and decides to run. She takes the place of her maid and goes to the Glittering Court. There they will all be transformed into ladies ready for the New World and to marry of some rich guy. (Maybe it’s me.. but did she not run away because she wanted to have a choice in marrying?) But well.. of course she falls for Cedric, the son of the man behind the Glittering Court. Of course they get discovered and it becomes a HUGE scandal. Because, New World or not, people stay petty and stab you in the back. Talking about that last one.. When someone offers you something that is too good to be true, IT USUALLY IS !!! OF COURSE it was all a big ruse. DUHHHH. Because of course, when some weird and psycho guy that wanted to marry you (even blackmailing you into marrying him) suddenly offers you and your husband-to-be a chance of a lifetime, you take it !

OMG. I got so frustrated during this book. Everything was so INCREDIBLY PREDICTABLE and STUPID. I had so many moments in which I wanted to bang this girls head into a wall, hoping for some clarity in her thoughts. They make her out to be really smart and perfect and blablabla, but for someone who is supposed to be so smart she makes the most horrible choices. 

I really disliked the main character, “Adelaide”… She’s on that big high horse and nobody else is as good as she is. She acts and high and mighty all the time. I really disliked that. Nobody is perfect. But of course everybody thinks she is great and amazing and UGHHH. Oh and she can paint ANYTHING. Just.. very convenient..
And let me not even start on Cedric, because not only is he completely dull and boring, but he too makes the most ridiculous choices. And when the shit hits the fan they are all shocked and victims. NO you are NOT a victim, you’re just STUPID. EXTREMELY STUPID.

And because there is nothing more frustrating than stupid people I had ZERO connection to this people and the story. 

I still can’t explain how a book that has a lot of things happing, can still make it so hugely dull. They start in the Old World, get to the Glittering Court, get into a boat during storm season (I can’t even..) to the New World, live a bit in Cape Triumph, get to the settlement to hunt for gold.. But it is still told so dispassionate. I felt no attraction between the main characters and I would care less about how there story would have ended.
Honestly, I would not have cared if they would have died because of their own stupidity.

 I can’t help wondering if Richelle Mead lost some of her touch? She used to be a great writer, but with this kind of.. “story”, I don’t even know if I want to bother with her future work. I think I will just wait and see how others experience it, but I’m not going to blindly pre-order something because it is her. It might sounds harsh.. but she really disappointed me with this book..

So was there anything good ? Yeah, maybe the side character Mira. She stayed quite mysterious throughout the book that it did get me interested in her story.. especially when she is probably a kick-ass heroine. Which is also kind of predictable. UGH.

So, I might be a bit more harsh then I normally am when it comes to reviews, but in this case that is because I expect more from her. This is the writer behind Rose and Dimitri, behind Georgina and Seth.. and now all I get is this weak rip-off ??

FINAL THOUGHTS.
Like I’ve said before, I was really looking forward to this book and it really disappointed me. You know, the more you look forward to something, the easier it is to be disappointed. I found myself very disconnected from this story and its people, and caught myself skimming through the pages more and more.  So I think I will have to go with 2 Freyja’s.. I can’t make more of it. Would I recommend it ? No, because this book is quite large (over 400 pages) but so little interesting things happened.. I would recommend to read something else instead.