Richelle Mead

Fantasy. Adelaide, a beautiful countess, poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life. She joins the Glittering Court, designed to transform underprivileged girls into upper-class ladies, to perpetuate her new identity. Her secret is safe until she meets the wealthy Cedric Thorn, who has a few scandalous secrets of his own

The Glittering Court

Rebecca Briesemeister

Melissa Palmer

Book #13 Read in 2016
The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

This is the seemingly first book in a new series by the author of such hits as the Vampire Academy series and Soundless. In this book, young Lady Whitmore is being matched up for marriage by her grandmother and she is not given much say in the matter. When an opportunity to take over the identity of one of her maids presents itself, she cannot resist and she becomes Adelaide. She joins the Glittering Court, where maids and such girls are taught lessons in etiquette and academics in order to make them a better level of bride. The girls then head to a different land, where bachelors of many stations will contract them as brides. Adelaide falls in love with one of the company man, which is not in the cards. But their love is not without serious obstacles....will they ever be able to be together? This was a good read, with interesting characters, romance, humor, action and neat settings. I enjoyed it. I was sent this book by Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.

A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER 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. "Brilliant and original, Mead’s new series starts off with a bang and will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the very end." —School Library Journal For a select group of girls, the Glittering Court offers a shot at a life they’ve only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. To high-born Adelaide, whose wealthy family is forcing her into a loveless marriage, the Glittering Court represents something else: the chance to chart her own destiny, and adventure in an unspoiled, prosperous new land across the sea. After a chance meeting with the dazzling Cedric Thorn, Adelaide poses as a servant to join the crop of impoverished girls he promises to transform into proper ladies. But her familiarity with upper class life comes with a price: she must hide her identity from her new friends, mysterious refugee Mira and fiery former laundress Tamsin, and most importantly, from Cedric himself—even though she’s falling in love with him. Everything begins to crumble when Cedric discovers Adelaide’s ruse, and she catches the eye of a powerful young governor, who wants her for a wife. She didn’t leave the gilded cage of her old life behind just to become someone else's property. But nothing is as daunting—or as wonderful—as the potent, forbidden attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. One that, if acted on, would make them both outcasts in a wild, dangerous, uncharted world, and possibly lead them to their deaths.

Vicky (A City Girl's Thoughts)

The story of Countess Elizabeth Witmore, who runs away from an arranged marriage to join The Glittering Court, is a partly enjoyable-too long-sometimes boring-surprising thriller at the end type of book. 
Elizabeth's maid is given the chance to rise in social status by attending The Glittering Court, a school run by the Thorn's: brothers Charles and Jasper, and Jasper's son Cedric. Beautiful girls from the lower class are chosen by Cedric, who will then travel to The Court to learn the etiquette and behavior of "proper ladies" aka the rich. Upon completion each girl will meet with rich bachelors in the country of Adoria, choosing one to marry. Ada, Elizabeth's maid, doesn't want to go, so Elizabeth disguises herself as Ada and joins the Thorn's. However, Cedric notices but keeps her identity secret. Throughout the novel Cedric and Adelaide (Elizabeth's new name) fall in love, which is against the rules of The Court. Warren Doyle, the govenor's son, falls in love with Elizabeth, but upon hearing her love for Cedric he works to dismantle their relationship whilst working on an illegal project unbeknownst to anyone-except Tamsin, Elizabeth's friend. Together Cedric and Elizabeth not only have to overcome their obstacles to marriage, as well as Warren's devious plans, but their religious, societal, and cultural beliefs are also tested.

I liked Elizabeth's character, but Richelle Mead doesn't delve deeper into her. Warren comes off as nice, albeit clingy, but his crime at the end kinda sounds out-of-the-blue, which felt random. I would've preferred a hint of his true nature before his first crime. This story is long, and a little messy at some parts, which kinda confused and tired me, plus the thriller comes at the end, which surprised me, since Mead's writing takes the reader through a leisurely-but sometimes-boring pace. Overall it was ok, but Mead should've separated this story into parts, make it a little shorter, and use her thriller-esque writing style for all parts.

Lacy W

I think this is another case of I liked it but I didn't like it. Because it wasn't that I didn't like it. I did with certain parts. I don't know. I felt really bored during most of the book but I read on because I just intrigued enough to wonder about what was going to happen. Plus, I wanted to see if my premonitions were right. They were, by the way which almost never happens. 

Basically the blurb says it all. Adelaide (which isn't her real name but a servant name) decides to run away from her responsibilities and joins a basically mail order bride group called the Glittering Court. She, along with other women of lower class, are taught how to become a lady and then they are shipped off to the New World to be married. 

While I was writing that last paragraph, I realized what the issue was with this book. It tried to incorporate too much. We had religious disputes that often turned violent, fighting amongst natives about whose land is whose, romance between Ada and Cedric, the entire Glittering Court idea and a whodunit. I think I got it all. 

Books can have multiple themes, like this one, but it has to be done right and to not have the themes overshadowed the others. This book tried too hard to be the best YA book out there. I think if it had gotten rid of some of the themes, it would have been more successful. 

I will be continuing with the series, mostly because I hate to leave series unfinished. I wasn't super in love with the characters but I liked them well enough to see what's in store for them next. As for recommending this book, I probably wouldn't. Maybe I would to people my sister's age (she's 17) but even then it might be a bit of stretch.

Aishling

This book was just okay. The story was fine but there was a lot of things thrown in that didn’t really need to be. And you kept expecting an end to the current situation but then something else came up? It didn’t have any major angsty moments which I thought I hated but apparently I find a story dull without them

Ivy X

It was alright. I enjoyed it in the beginning because it reminded me of The Selection series. However, this book is very confusing in the intentions of the main character. Elizabeth wanted to avoid a marriage that would help her family's situation because she wanted a choice in who she married. She decides to join the Glittering Court to escape to the New World. It may sound like adventure and freedom but it is far from that. The Glittering Court is a business where they turn girls of common background into noblewomen. They do so by teaching them the skills and knowledge they need to be a perfect and sophisticated housewife. Then after their training, they ship the girls off to the New World where they are paraded around like livestock and bid on by "wealthy and reputable" men. The girls will marry into new wealth in the New World and sign off their contract and get to keep some of the money from the deal. Then they would spend the rest of their lives being the wife of some young man who was doing fairly well in the new land. If you are lucky, you'd marry someone you're in love with. But for most, it was a business deal and considering the girls in question were all of common background, many were just giddy at the fact they would get to experience wealth at all. This story focused a lot on the small details such as the lessons, the dresses, the different suitors, the parties, and so forth. I felt like it paid more attention to the dresses and stuff than the character's thoughts and wants. It seemed odd so much attention was focused on the details of extravagant dresses when the main character seems like she couldn't care less. Elizabeth literally escaped her title as a Countess to pretend to be a lady's maid named Adelaide. And she didn't complain about the rags she had to experience either as the book progresses, so why so much detail on the dresses and the frills? 

It seemed odd because she seemed like such a strong person with ideas. She didn't want to be married off the way she almost was and yet she signed up for what is basically a bigger version of her previous arrangement. In a sense, it made her more tied down than independent. Her romance with Cedric also didn't really touch me in a way that I would've hoped it would. They seemed like they got along well and loved one another but I couldn't see why. I couldn't see how they bonded. I couldn't see how they worked in a logical and realistic sense as well. Much less so how they worked emotionally. I also hated how she is such a strong character in the beginning with a set mind of how she wants things done. However, for romance, she is willing to throw everything she worked for aside and be forced to lower her quality of life to be with him. Sure, it sounds romantic. But not very practical. The two also don't make the riches to rags moment very romantic or touching because they seemed content and didn't show the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. It didn't touch me. It also didn't seem to fit how happy and okay with everything Elizabeth/Adelaide was because she even said herself: "Maybe I could live on love, but that didn't mean I didn't want to also live with a solid roof over my head." 

I also feel confused with the ending in the sense that too much was happening all at once. Nothing was explained very clearly nor does it hint at anything for me to sort of piece things together. It also threw me off with how quickly certain things were taken care of for them to be all "lalalalla we are happy again." 
Like how are you going to have so much going on at once and just solve it in a blink of an eye...like...that seems to be good to true?? It was still confusing? I still didn't understand how things got resolved? Why don't you explain and work it out? And give a solution that doesn't seem like you just threw it in there for the story to have a happy ending. Too many loose ends. 

 I don't know if I want to continue reading this series because I feel like it'll continue to disappoint over time the way The Selection series did with each book down the line. 

All things said though, I still did enjoy reading certain parts but it wasn't anything that would make me want to keep reading and never put the book down.

jess

I mean, it felt like a fantasy I've read already. I really don't have much to say about this one; I wanted excitement. I didn't get any. I wanted plot twists. I didn't get any. It was good and I enjoyed reading it, but it wasn't anything new.

Jenna

Terribly boring and predictable and annoying.

Tamara Al-Qaisi-Coleman

Most likely my new favorite Richelle Mead Novel. Beautiful characters, amazing storyline, and the best plot twists! Can't wait for the rest of the series!

Freja Fevre Vestergaard

God bog. En fantastisk historie, med stærke karaktere. Kan ikke vente med at læse resten af triologien🤘
Dog lidt langtrukken
❤️‍🔥💎

laura

This book did not wow me and i kept excepting more of fantasy twist. I really loved this author but this book was a little bit to much like the slection series for me. I did like the main character but the plot was too predicable for me at points. I really wanted fantasy to be involved and it was not. I did like the two other leads so maybe there books will capture me more.

Alice

Lottie oliver

Hey Guys, 

So my best friend and I decided as we had the same book, it would be a great time to Buddy Read. The Glittering Court was out first idea as we were both in the mood for some adventure yet something historical and Ladylike. This book has all of those aspects. Courtship and Decadent balls as well as the outback and adventure. 

So its basically about 1 of 3 best friends, a friendship created in the Glittering Court school. The main character is a Countess, Lady Elizabeth Witmore, from Rothford, Osfrid who runs away to escape an arranged marriage. She leaves to take up a position one of her housemaids was supposed to use. The book follows her through a finishing school for maids and "the common people"where she is posing as Adelaide Bailey, her housemaid, and also struggling with having to cover up her perfect manners and finish. 

Now don't get me wrong I liked this book and there are some parts that I did not expect, but for me... It was way to predictable. I found that when my friend read slightly ahead of me and accidentally slipped about an accident in the book I knew it was going to happen ages ago. The book held almost no surprises for me. 

Though there was no surprise through from chapter 1 to.... 27 the last few held everything. At one point I thought I was being to harsh on the book but then thought back to the fact that if I had been reading this on my own, I would have probably have put the book down for a really long time. 

So onto the pros, other than the last few chapters I liked the Characters. They were built very well. The only other thing was the idea but even that in the long run grew tiring. The lady that goes to a maid and back to a lady and constantly to and fro. She stands up for what she believes in and what she feels is right which is the best part. I just don't know how I feel about the whole thing. The fact that its given me so much confusion is why I am giving this book.... 3 stars. However I will be reading the next one which is Midnight Jewel, released in June. Hopefully this one will be easier for me to digest.

Megan Leprich

I'm a little ashamed to admit this was my first Richelle Mead novel. I've of course heard of all her other works but this one was the first I actually picked up and read. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction and this book was so good! The glamour and luxury to this novel were so fun to read and I loved the character of "Adelaide" (I really want to know her real name!). 

This book follows a girl named "Adelaide" that is to be married off to a wealthy man that she has no interest in. When she hears about The Glittering Court she immediately knows it's her best shot to get out of a loveless marriage so she devises a way to get herself there.

I loved following the story of Adelaide and Cedric and all that they went through. It was a very exciting, fast-paced book and I loved all of the characters so much. I can't wait to read the next one!

Sophie

Niet echt makkelijk doorheen te lezen en het lijkt of er geen eind aan komt, met moeite uit gelezen.

I am personally a fan of the Selection series and I also liked the similarities between this and that. I liked the high class descriptions and twists and turns. The characters for me were all very likable and I cared for them and how their stories ended. I enjoyed Ada and the fact that she stood up for herself and made her future happen again and again. I felt the characters pain and their happiness. My biggest problem with this book was probably the amount of groups and names over such a long book. I almost felt the need to write everyone and every group down just to keep them straight.

Oh, where to begin with this story.

Firstly, I love everything Richelle Mead has written. Her creative ability to write a series set in such magical, seemingly real, places is amazing. I fall in love with her characters every time. So going into The Glittering Court, I was both awed and a little disappointed. 

First with the good:

Our main character, "Adelaide" is truly amazing. Mead has a way with creating brave, smart, and beautiful main woman characters. This one was no less as amazing compared to the others she's written about. Adelaide, or Countess of Rothford, is amazing. With a marriage to someone she doesn't want, she runs away to a world that's full of mystery. She has no idea what's going to happen, but with The Glittering Court ready to turn her into a skilled woman-which she already assails at-she knows she'll be able to marry someone better. 

Taking her housemaids identity, she signs a contract and heads to Blue Spring Manner, where she'll spend a year learning etiquette. After that year, they'll be showed off and married to the man who can pay for them. So almost like mail order brides.

Adelaide meets Tamsin, a fiery woman who knows what she wants, and Mira, the...

If you'd like to finish this review, please check out my blog! http://abibliomaniacs.blogspot.com/20...

Bree

After reading Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, I did have high hopes for this book. The Glittering Court however did not grab my attention as did the other Mead books. I won't be reading the rest of them but I did enjoy the ending. 
It's good as a one off but like I said, I won't be reading the rest.

Jackie

I’ve been eyeing this book up ever since it came out back in April and I’ve finally gotten around to reading it after finding a copy at a library near me! I’ve loved Richelle Mead’s books ever since I first started reading Bloodlines nearly two years ago (yes, I know I’m rather late to the game) so I knew that I needed to check this one out. Plus the cover’s gorgeous, isn’t it?

I had just watched Reign when I was finally able to actually pick this up and read it so I already had the mindset of the sixteenth century at the time. I’m not sure if that’s actually what time period this book really takes place in but that’s what my gut is telling me. I did notice a few similarities between Mary Stuart in Reign and Adelaide in The Glittering Court, it’s probably just a coincidence but I was thoroughly enthralled by it.

The romance aspect in this book did seem slightly rushed but that’s probably due to the fact that the book would jump days and months at a time. That being said, I do ship Cedric and Adelaide and I’m rather curious on what the next book will bring them, whether or not Mira’s perspective will hint on any possibilities.

I wish Mead had given us a bit more background on Adelaide – or Elizabeth if you want to go with the name she was hinted at having before she took on her servant’s identity – or at least some extra information at the end regarding the real Adelaide Bailey. Did she actually join her family? Is she living a more fulfilling life now than she had back when she was a servant?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book although it did take me a little longer to read than I’d have liked. The chapters were a bit longer than I had expected and life kept getting in the way of my reading. I can honestly say that I’ve heard talk about hierarchy a lot more than I expected this year but I am finding out that I’m loving books, tv shows, and movies set in this time period with nobility/royalty a lot more. If you’re a fan of Reign, I’d definitely recommend checking out this book.

Savannah 

This book was good but the last like 150 pages were kinda random except they weren’t it was a little strange ig, I just wish these pages ended differently.

Meagan

I found the Glittering Court extremely charming. I finished the book in a single weekend and swallowed it down as quickly as I do all of Mead's books. 

The romance is sweet and charming, but it's not Dmitri/Rose hot. it is more of a slow burn. My favorite aspects of this book was the bonds of friendship and how far one would go for another. Usually all I care about in a book is the romance, but this book drew my heart out to a trio of friends who found friendship in hardship and even through secrecy. I refreshing read. I cannot wait to delve into the mysteries that make up Mira!

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

I struggle quite a bit with fantasy reads. As a contemporary girl, the majority of what I read is pure contemps. From YA to Adult, I prefer very realistic and relateable stories. I’ve been trying my best to venture out of this comfort zone I’m in and read more fantasy, especially when they sound so interesting to me. I have to admit this was more of a cover-love-at-first-sight situation, but I was definitely intrigued by the premise. This is also my first Richelle Mead, and after hearing such wonderful things about her writing, I figured this was a good one to start with.

At first I was a little put off by Adelaide. I felt like she was a weaker heroine than I had hoped for, and I wasn’t convinced that I would grow to like her at all… but I did! She started to show her spunky and out-spoken side as the story progressed, and I loved that about her. This is a historical read, and to see a female in that time frame speak out the way she did was enough to cause her to weasel into my heart just a bit.

I honestly wish there had been more romance in this book. I understand that every book doesn’t have to be overflowing with romance, but that’s just a personal preference of mine. It definitely sets it up for more in further books, which is a good thing for sure. I also felt like there was a lot going on… like, too much, actually. Again, something that may be fleshed out more in the coming books.

I have to admit, I almost DNF’d this one. I was struggling with it quite a bit, and I honestly felt that it just wasn’t for me. But my curiosity got the better of me, I suppose, and I decided to stick with it. Overall, I did end up enjoying it, though I wasn’t wowed like I had hoped to be. So many people have devoured this book and loved every minute of it, so don’t take my opinion of it as the end-all, be-all. If you haven’t read this yet and you’re thinking about it, I definitely suggest you at least give it a try. You just may fall in love with it like so many others have.

(Thanks to Razorbill for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Milana Marie Waller

** spoiler alert **
           up until page 300 i would have no question given this book 5 stars but the last 100 pages kind of fell off for me , probably because the romance was already established to the point where there was no questioning it . i don’t know i thought a lot more would come of Cedric and “Adelaide”’s forbidden love but . I expected there to be more grit to the story because the writing style was rather addictive seemed to be leading up to something groundbreaking. But the marriage with Cedric Thorn was all too easy. The conflict with Warren at the end was less intriguing to me than the rest of the story had been, which mostly just delved into the fantasy world. I did but the midnight Jewel though, hopefully Miras story won’t be too similar to that of “Adelaides”.

Giulia 

Mi sta piangendo letteralmente il cuore, ma purtroppo questo libro è stato un grandissimo buco nell'acqua :( già dalla trama non mi aveva particolarmente ispirata, ma ho voluto leggerlo comunque perché Richelle Mead non mi aveva mai delusa. Ecco perché mi piange il cuore dare un rating così basso ad un suo libro, ma non ci ho trovato nulla di buono anzi! 
La protagonista è odiosa, la sua migliore amica è persino peggio di lei -.-" il romance è scontato, per non dire totalmente insta love e di solito non mi dispiace ma per come è stato inserito dovevo capire come sarebbe andata. Per non parlare del "grande" segreto di Cedric, che se quello è un segreto io sono la regina Elisabetta! 
Se vi è piaciuto The Selection potrebbe piacervi, è quasi la stessa minestra xD

The Glittering Court

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