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?

Amazing,

Amazing, just like the first book of the Glittering Court, can't wait to read Emerald Sea. . . . . ( )

I feel bad about how much I like this book because I had to go back and dock a star for The Glittering Court. This was one so good that that one felt mediocre in comparison. It almost makes me wish that Mead had written this one before the other. In fact, if someone stumbles upon this review before reading The Glittering Court I would say you don’t even need to read it to understand the events of this novel.

This book is told through Mira’s point of view. She details her experience before joining the Glittering Court and the espionage world she is introduced to through a mysterious man named Grant Eliot she meets on the merchant boat headed towards the glittering court’s final destination. Something about this point of view made everyone much more likable. Adelaide didn’t come across as very bubbly or friendly in The Glittering Court but in this one she transformed into a new person, or at least that’s how it felt like to me. Tamsin stayed the same but there were more moments that made her endearing to me. I’m wondering what her point of view is going to reveal.

I won’t lie, my favorite part was definitely the spy job Mira found for herself. Mostly because it involved my new bae Grant Elliot. Don’t get me wrong Cedric Thorn was a nice guy but he was so bland and boring it almost looked like he and Adelaide were rearing friendship territory. Every once in a while I just want to read about a girl admitting to wanting a one off thing with a really good looking guy which is exactly what Mira was looking for. But then they start working together and intellectual banter occurs and my eyebrow couldn’t stop wagging. The chemistry was off the charts to the point where if Mira wasn’t swooning I WAS. At this point, I hadn’t expected much plot since the first one didn’t have a very good one but this one was much better. The steamy romance was just a plus. ( )

This is another of those books that I have had since it was released earlier this year but have put off reading for some unknown reason. Having now finished it, I wish I had read it sooner as I enjoyed it just as month as book 1.

Though it is book 2, it is more a companion book too book 1 in that this time of the 3 girls that roomed together in training for the glittering court, we see Mira's story and I am pretty sure in book 3, it will be Tamsin's story. For that reason, you could potentially read this book as a standalone but in my opinion, having read book 1 added further nuances to the story and made it all that more enjoyable.

Mira is very different from Adelaide and so her story is also very different, even though there are many of the same players. I literally couldn't put this down, reading in to the early hours of the morning to finish it. The pace kept me interested and the characters extremely vivid and I loved seeing this different perspective of events that shaped Adelaide story in book 1.

All in all a very enjoyable read and I look forward to reading book 3 :-)

( )

Midnight Jewel
The Glittering Court, Book 2

I Picked Up This Book Because: Next in the series.

The Characters:

Mirabelle Viana:
Grant:

The Story:

This book, much like The Glittering Court from what I can remember, seem to be several stories wound up and bunched together as one. And I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, it just makes it hard for me to write a review. Factor in that most of this was listened to while driving so notes couldn’t be made. I’ll just use my Score Card to talk about this in general.

Writing: Excellent. So many storylines but all were clear and concise. Intricate and relatable. I wanted to root for Mira and I’m sorry how some of it ended. Mira was talented in being in the right place at the right time.
Forward Motion: This story was fast paced but never left the reader behind or lost in all the action.
Overall Interest: I couldn’t wait to finish it. I listened to a good 3 hours of the story while baking Saturday morning instead of my usual mindless TV.
Length of Reading Time: Took about 8 days for 400+ pages. Not too bad.
Re-read-ability: I doubt I will revisit this series. It’s excellent however once seems to be enough.

The Random Thoughts:

4 Stars ( )