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lady_bookish's review
5.0
'Court of Swans' is page turning book about courage, justice and trial of faith.
I also love Geoffrey's strong thought about being honourable.
I'm so angry at Elliot for betraying Delia.
But I love, love, LOVE Delia's strong connection with her brothers. Why?? I have no idea. But I guess a happy family is a happy life.
I mean, her closeness with her brothers made her save them. Right?? If she hated her brothers. This adventure would have never existed!!
Spoiler
I love Delia's courage to save her brothers. It shows me how much she loves her brothers.I also love Geoffrey's strong thought about being honourable.
I'm so angry at Elliot for betraying Delia.
But I love, love, LOVE Delia's strong connection with her brothers. Why?? I have no idea. But I guess a happy family is a happy life.
I mean, her closeness with her brothers made her save them. Right?? If she hated her brothers. This adventure would have never existed!!
peridot936's review
adventurous
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
katieajonas's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
liv_bottorff's review
3.0
I LOVE Melanie Dickerson books. I was an early teenager when her first series blew up and I’ve read almost all of them. This one however…. Didn’t do it for me. Delia, the main character was silly and naive and I found myself frustrated with her for most of the novel, Geoffrey was one dimensional and fell flat for me. Like I said, I love Melanie Dickerson’s novels but this one just didn’t do it for me.
chelseas_reads's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
i don’t think i’ve ever actually read a “christian fiction” book before. it wasn’t bad at all. admittedly, too much begging of god to save them, but i can’t fault that as it’s literally the genre. i might try reading more as i enjoyed the lack of sexual content.
literallyilliterate's review
4.0
is it maybe a little simple? yes. did i still eat it up like a five course meal? absolutely.
age recommendation: 13+
clean
main content warnings: blood, violence, death
"Where there is wealth and power, there is someone willing to do anything to take it."
Court of Swans is the first book in The Dericott Tales series. We follow Delia, the daughter of an Earl, whose seven brothers are falsely accused of murder and treason against the king of England. Sir Geoffrey, the captain of the guard, believes the situation to be unjust and thus offers to help Delia free her brothers from execution.
My 4-star rating is based entirely on personal enjoyment because objectively, the writing in this book isn't the best. It feels quite rushed, the plot is low-stakes and predictable, and there is little buildup to the romance. But there is a time and place for these sorts of books, and I was definitely in the mood for one.
The characters are simple and there isn't much to them, but I actually really liked Delia's brothers. I enjoyed the love she has for them and they for her. Because of this, I want to continue on with the series and see/hear their stories as well. Geoffrey was sweet but nothing new for me, which is fine.
I enjoyed the discussions around justice and how God is a just God, yet we don't always see justice served in this life. There was lots of faith content in this book and I see how it might not be for everyone, but I personally appreciated it. I liked how we got to see Delia's faith grow and her character develop throughout the story.
age recommendation: 13+
clean
main content warnings: blood, violence, death
"Where there is wealth and power, there is someone willing to do anything to take it."
Court of Swans is the first book in The Dericott Tales series. We follow Delia, the daughter of an Earl, whose seven brothers are falsely accused of murder and treason against the king of England. Sir Geoffrey, the captain of the guard, believes the situation to be unjust and thus offers to help Delia free her brothers from execution.
My 4-star rating is based entirely on personal enjoyment because objectively, the writing in this book isn't the best. It feels quite rushed, the plot is low-stakes and predictable, and there is little buildup to the romance. But there is a time and place for these sorts of books, and I was definitely in the mood for one.
The characters are simple and there isn't much to them, but I actually really liked Delia's brothers. I enjoyed the love she has for them and they for her. Because of this, I want to continue on with the series and see/hear their stories as well. Geoffrey was sweet but nothing new for me, which is fine.
I enjoyed the discussions around justice and how God is a just God, yet we don't always see justice served in this life. There was lots of faith content in this book and I see how it might not be for everyone, but I personally appreciated it. I liked how we got to see Delia's faith grow and her character develop throughout the story.
christian_faith_and_fiction's review
4.0
This was one of my most anticipated books for this year and to be honest, I had mixed reactions to it.
The book follows Delia whose brothers are accused of treason and taken to the Tower of London to be tried and potentially executed. She has to find a way to get them released.
The overall story and set up for this book was very strong. The concept drew me in and the jeopardy kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt like the plot of this book was one of the strongest that I have seen so far from this author.
I believe this is a young adult novel. The content leads me to suggest that it is aimed at mid to older teens but the style of writing felt like it was aimed at 12/13 year olds. I think this is why I had a mixed reaction to it.
Whilst I loved the dramatic elements and the background story, some of the interactions between the characters, and also the character’s thoughts, felt oversimplified and unnatural. I particularly felt this regarding the romance.
However I will still pick up the next book to see how this series progresses.
The book follows Delia whose brothers are accused of treason and taken to the Tower of London to be tried and potentially executed. She has to find a way to get them released.
The overall story and set up for this book was very strong. The concept drew me in and the jeopardy kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt like the plot of this book was one of the strongest that I have seen so far from this author.
I believe this is a young adult novel. The content leads me to suggest that it is aimed at mid to older teens but the style of writing felt like it was aimed at 12/13 year olds. I think this is why I had a mixed reaction to it.
Whilst I loved the dramatic elements and the background story, some of the interactions between the characters, and also the character’s thoughts, felt oversimplified and unnatural. I particularly felt this regarding the romance.
However I will still pick up the next book to see how this series progresses.
readnerd234's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
dasha_jesus_reading's review
fast-paced
4.5
It was okay, not as good as her older publications but still enjoyable.