Hello my friends! Happy Monday! If you’re lucky, like me, then today you have as a holiday! Happy Family Day to all my fellow Canadians (who celebrate today… I know some provinces celebrate it on another day). Today I’m going to be posting my reviews of Richelle Mead’s trilogy, The Glittering Court.

The Glittering Court by: Richelle Mead: When tired of living without the free will to make her own choices in the palace, Adelaide takes the place of her maid to start a new life with the Glittering Court, a place set to give girls from lower classes a chance at the New World. What Adelaide doesn’t know is that her world will be transformed in every aspect imaginable. This novel was definitely fast-paced and full of adventure and action. Unfortunately, the world building didn’t feel all that thought out, and it fell flat a bit. The overall plot was alright; it wasn’t anything too original, sure it was entertaining to read, but it just felt like it was missing something. The underling plots felt like they got meshed all together and things started to take a detour. Where the novel ended was good, and leaves the reader slightly curious what more is in store for these characters. Mead’s characters were done well. Her female characters were tough and fun to read; they were definitely girls that stood their own ground. Although this wasn’t the most original and best novel out there, it was still a good read.

Midnight Jewel by: Richelle Mead: Mira is so much more than just a girl who was sent to be part of the Glittering Court, she’s a fighter and a survivor, so of course she has ulterior motives. Wanting gold coin to buy off her own bonds, but those of someone she cares deeply for is her goal, but of course it isn’t as easy as it sounds. Mira ends up in situations she never thought possible and meeting people she never thought she’d have connections with. This was quite the novel, leaving the reader speechless and full of wonder and awe. Although this novel didn’t start off so grandeur, at first the reader felt disappointed and a little cheated that it was the first novel repeated in a different character’s point of view, but as the novel continued, the reader realized that this character was going to have adventures of her own, and boy did she have some. The storytelling was beautiful and the way that Mead weaved her plots so effortlessly was really well done because it left the reader wanting more. Her characters were all so dynamic, strong and independent, you really felt for them. As much as we didn’t get much world building into the Glittering Court we did see a lot of character dynamics and a whole lot of pirate action. Even the romance in this novel was subtle and fit right in. The reader was totally engrossed in it all, there was so much mystery and deceit making this novel an excellent read and definitely a step above the first.

The Emerald Sea by: Richelle Mead: The third and final instalment to her Glittering Court series is where we follow Tamsin Wright who strives for perfection and must be top in her class to get the very best all she can support her family. Things look like they’re going pretty well until she gets beaten out by her friends and she decides to cut them out of her life. This leads her down a path she wasn’t ready for or expected. This novel was definitely action packed, it just didn’t live up to the novels before it. Sure, there was a lot going on, the plot never truly felt dull, but after reading what felt like the same story for the third time, it got tiring. Seeing the adventures, the third roommate went on just felt like a cop out. All three novels had the same premise and they all slightly varied. The only time we really learn something about the Glittering Court is in the first book and all the characters seem to rebel against it, even though they initially wanted to be a part of it. Aside from the plot being roughly the same, the writing was still good and the dialogue between characters was witty and good-humoured. Tamsin as a character was alright, although nothing really stuck out about her. The ending was alright; pretty predictable, and follows the same ending of the past two books, but tidy nonetheless. Overall, sadly this trilogy became stale, even though it started off pretty strong.