futurememory's review
3.0
If you're a fan of Crown Duel, I definitely feel like Court Duel is a must-read. Crown Duel almost feels like a prequel, and Court Duel has all of the intrigue and small dramas. The two parts are now sold as one book, and it's 100% appropriate.
That being said, my god, is Mel dense. It's almost painful to watch her flounder around, completely unaware of things happening right under her nose. The first book contains much of this, and the second book continues in the tradition of clueless heroine. I kind of enjoyed the fact that she's ignorant, but some beats were just a bit... much.
The pace is pretty okay - probably a bit slower than current YA fantasy novels - and overall, it's a really solid read.
That being said, my god, is Mel dense. It's almost painful to watch her flounder around, completely unaware of things happening right under her nose. The first book contains much of this, and the second book continues in the tradition of clueless heroine. I kind of enjoyed the fact that she's ignorant, but some beats were just a bit... much.
The pace is pretty okay - probably a bit slower than current YA fantasy novels - and overall, it's a really solid read.
book_nut's review
5.0
I have a very large soft spot for good romances. And this one is a good, satisfying, wonderful (fantasy) romance. Loved it.
squishies's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Really lovely ending to the series.
Really lovely ending to the series.
Spoiler
And I'm glad she finally (FINALLY!) got over that huuuuuuuuuuuuuge grudge against Vidanric. Though I guess her self-realisations and admission that she loved Vidanric made for all the more satisfying a conclusion.metaphorosis's review
3.0
Court Duel is better than its predecessor, [b:Crown Duel|596307|Crown Duel (Crown & Court, #1)|Sherwood Smith|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328047915s/596307.jpg|16196263], though it shares some of the same flaws. The story is a harmless young adult adventure, though it focuses more on court politics than I might have wished. On the pedantic front: the language is sometimes careless - several times, there are variants of "he had bade her to ...", where "bidden" would have been correct. But generally, it's a readable light fantasy.
More of a concern, even in a YA novel, are substantial flaws in court behaviour. For example, the kingdom lacks a ruler throughout virtually the entire book, yet no one seems very concerned. The book makes the occasional stab at depicting budding democracy, but it's essentially a hereditary, feudalistic system through and through. In a fantasy, that would be no problem if the author embraced it. Here, Sherwood seems to want to pretend everyone's happy with the arrangement. Yet our protagonist, Mel, who we understand to be at one with the common people despite her formal rank, shows no compunction about spending what must be vast amounts of money to have artisans brought from other countries, all to throw a party. Money originally deprived from brutal repression and excess, but ... that was before.
The plot itself is fairly straightforward - court politics, unexpected romance - and no great surprise to anyone but Mel. I'm not certain it was mean to be, but watching her not know what's what over the course of two books did get a bit tedious.
Overall, a decent read, but not one to go out of your way for, and possibly not meaningful to anyone who hasn't read the first book, which I can't recommend.
More of a concern, even in a YA novel, are substantial flaws in court behaviour. For example, the kingdom lacks a ruler throughout virtually the entire book, yet no one seems very concerned. The book makes the occasional stab at depicting budding democracy, but it's essentially a hereditary, feudalistic system through and through. In a fantasy, that would be no problem if the author embraced it. Here, Sherwood seems to want to pretend everyone's happy with the arrangement. Yet our protagonist, Mel, who we understand to be at one with the common people despite her formal rank, shows no compunction about spending what must be vast amounts of money to have artisans brought from other countries, all to throw a party. Money originally deprived from brutal repression and excess, but ... that was before.
The plot itself is fairly straightforward - court politics, unexpected romance - and no great surprise to anyone but Mel. I'm not certain it was mean to be, but watching her not know what's what over the course of two books did get a bit tedious.
Overall, a decent read, but not one to go out of your way for, and possibly not meaningful to anyone who hasn't read the first book, which I can't recommend.
alyssasaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
careinthelibrary's review
4.0
Crown Duel, the first book in this duology, was part of my project that I took on in 2021 to read books on my "long unread tbr". This means books that I've had on my tbr for four years or more. That one has been on my radar since probably 2012, so definitely a good candidate for it! This is the second half in a duology that is often bound together under the singular title "Crown Duel". However, this review is only regarding the second half of the set. Court Duel was way better than what I was expecting.
When I realised the first half of this story was spying, escapes, and battles and the second half dealt with the dreaded "court intrigue", I was pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much. I tend to not enjoy books that focus heavily on political machinations, administration of a kingdom, and scenes set around royalty/court. But I did enjoy it. Our protagonist is a fish out of water, never before existing in the elite world of royal palaces or navigating the unspoken languages of fans and flirtation.
Although it pretty much all takes place in a single location, it kept me interested with her unique perspective on this tired, outdated scene. She shakes things up and breathes fresh air into their boring traditions. While I didn't like this as much as the first half, it was a complementary companion to it. Happy I read this series as it reignited my love of feminist teen fantasy.
content warnings: bullying, elitism, alcohol use/drunkenness, betrayal, death.
When I realised the first half of this story was spying, escapes, and battles and the second half dealt with the dreaded "court intrigue", I was pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much. I tend to not enjoy books that focus heavily on political machinations, administration of a kingdom, and scenes set around royalty/court. But I did enjoy it. Our protagonist is a fish out of water, never before existing in the elite world of royal palaces or navigating the unspoken languages of fans and flirtation.
Although it pretty much all takes place in a single location, it kept me interested with her unique perspective on this tired, outdated scene. She shakes things up and breathes fresh air into their boring traditions. While I didn't like this as much as the first half, it was a complementary companion to it. Happy I read this series as it reignited my love of feminist teen fantasy.
content warnings: bullying, elitism, alcohol use/drunkenness, betrayal, death.