by RichelleMead (Author)
Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies capable of arranging 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 scandalise the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly unchafled lands.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 416
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: 01 Apr 2016
ISBN 10: 1595148418
ISBN 13: 9781595148414
Book Overview: A dazzling, romantic new fantasy series set in a mix of Elizabethan and frontier worlds from Richelle Mead, #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy. 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.
With a full cast of bold and original characters, Mead does a superb job of building a world that teens will be excited to enter into and disappointed to leave. The plot is intricately woven, and the ending promises future installments from other characters' points of view. 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
The emphasis on romance, dresses, and intrigue will appeal to fans of Kiera Cass.
--Voice of Youth Advocates
In a refreshing change to the romance formula...there is a strong feminist element in Adelaide's narration, and more than meets the eye in terms of plot, character development, and substantive thought.
--Booklist
An enjoyable fish-out-of-water tale that plays gritty frontier adventure against the finery of the Glittering Court.
--Publishers Weekly