erinarkin20's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Midnight Jewel is book two in The Glittering Court series by Richelle Mead and I was looking forward to reading this book. I liked book one which was from Adelaide’s point of view and I admit, I didn’t realize each of these books was the same timeline but from a different girl’s perspective until I was ready to dive into Midnight Jewel.
Mira is a solid character and I was interested in her since book one. She always seemed a bit separate from the other girls and not just because of her heritage. As the story moves forward, it becomes very clear that Mira has some skills that allow her to move around unnoticed and she is an observer so she can gather information fairly easily. These things help her when she notices that one of the men on the ship with the girls happens to have some features very similar to other gentlemen she has noticed since she began her training. When Mira makes the decision to find out who this man is and what he wants, she sees an opportunity for herself and seizes it.
Grant Elliott is the man Mira begins to dig into and when she finds out who he is, she negotiates her way into an agreement with him to be an “asset” and provide information she gathers by mingling with the rich men of Cape Triumph during their parties and balls. The goal is to find out who the rebels are and who is supplying gold to the traitors. If they can do this, Mira might be able to make enough gold to find/release her brother and get out of her contract. If it all happens the way she is thinking, she won’t have to find a husband.
Along the way, Grant realizes just how good Mira is at uncovering information. They also both realize there is an attraction between them but they have a lot of secrets and neither is ready to give them up right away. As the story moves forward, we learn more about both Mira and Grant and their secrets and the impact they have on their futures. While they both continue to work to find out who the rebels are and what they have planned, the feelings they have for each other definitely put a wrench in the plans they have made.
I have to admit, I started this book and got through about the first third but ended up putting it down for a bit. With that said, there wasn’t really anything wrong with it – I actually enjoyed this story but I just wasn’t that invested in the story. I don’t know if it was because it did overlap with book one or if I was something else. No matter, when I did pick it up again, I was pulled right back into this book. Of course, Mira and Grant have their angsty moments but they also have some swoony parts that I loved. The banter between these two was one of my favorite parts of the book.
I have seen a number of people say they liked this book better than book one and I think I liked them equally. The story itself felt a bit more like a mystery and the characters seemed a bit more complex but I don’t know, there is just something I liked about Adelaide and Cedric. I am looking forward to book three which is from Tamsin’s point of view. I can’t wait to see what happened during her disappearances and am curious to get her perspective on events with Mira and Adelaide. Consider checking this book out. Obviously reading book one would provide some additional insight into the characters of this series but I don’t know that it is absolutely necessary to have done so as this felt almost like a companion versus a continuation. Regardless, if you are interested in a story with a smart daring girl, intrigue and mystery, this may be one for you.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
Midnight Jewel is book two in The Glittering Court series by Richelle Mead and I was looking forward to reading this book. I liked book one which was from Adelaide’s point of view and I admit, I didn’t realize each of these books was the same timeline but from a different girl’s perspective until I was ready to dive into Midnight Jewel.
Mira is a solid character and I was interested in her since book one. She always seemed a bit separate from the other girls and not just because of her heritage. As the story moves forward, it becomes very clear that Mira has some skills that allow her to move around unnoticed and she is an observer so she can gather information fairly easily. These things help her when she notices that one of the men on the ship with the girls happens to have some features very similar to other gentlemen she has noticed since she began her training. When Mira makes the decision to find out who this man is and what he wants, she sees an opportunity for herself and seizes it.
Grant Elliott is the man Mira begins to dig into and when she finds out who he is, she negotiates her way into an agreement with him to be an “asset” and provide information she gathers by mingling with the rich men of Cape Triumph during their parties and balls. The goal is to find out who the rebels are and who is supplying gold to the traitors. If they can do this, Mira might be able to make enough gold to find/release her brother and get out of her contract. If it all happens the way she is thinking, she won’t have to find a husband.
Along the way, Grant realizes just how good Mira is at uncovering information. They also both realize there is an attraction between them but they have a lot of secrets and neither is ready to give them up right away. As the story moves forward, we learn more about both Mira and Grant and their secrets and the impact they have on their futures. While they both continue to work to find out who the rebels are and what they have planned, the feelings they have for each other definitely put a wrench in the plans they have made.
I have to admit, I started this book and got through about the first third but ended up putting it down for a bit. With that said, there wasn’t really anything wrong with it – I actually enjoyed this story but I just wasn’t that invested in the story. I don’t know if it was because it did overlap with book one or if I was something else. No matter, when I did pick it up again, I was pulled right back into this book. Of course, Mira and Grant have their angsty moments but they also have some swoony parts that I loved. The banter between these two was one of my favorite parts of the book.
I have seen a number of people say they liked this book better than book one and I think I liked them equally. The story itself felt a bit more like a mystery and the characters seemed a bit more complex but I don’t know, there is just something I liked about Adelaide and Cedric. I am looking forward to book three which is from Tamsin’s point of view. I can’t wait to see what happened during her disappearances and am curious to get her perspective on events with Mira and Adelaide. Consider checking this book out. Obviously reading book one would provide some additional insight into the characters of this series but I don’t know that it is absolutely necessary to have done so as this felt almost like a companion versus a continuation. Regardless, if you are interested in a story with a smart daring girl, intrigue and mystery, this may be one for you.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
shai3d's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
katleap's review
3.0
3.5 stars
So I listened to the majority of this in audio and read a little bit in the book.
I liked Mira. She is more feisty than Adelaide but at the same time she is so caught up in what she is doing that she doesn't notice things. But that's okay because Mira is a pirate and a spy and glittering court girl. Mira's story is plot-twistier too, and being there are refugee tones. I liked Grant and Silas and Aiana.
This is still the alternate historical so things fell familiar but they are different. I would kill for a map, just to plot out where the countries and which direction everything is. I also really really wanted to know what was going on in Sirminica, like details and I actually wanted to meet Lonso.
So overall it was a good companion to The Glittering Court.
So I listened to the majority of this in audio and read a little bit in the book.
I liked Mira. She is more feisty than Adelaide but at the same time she is so caught up in what she is doing that she doesn't notice things. But that's okay because Mira is a pirate and a spy and glittering court girl. Mira's story is plot-twistier too, and being there are refugee tones. I liked Grant and Silas and Aiana.
This is still the alternate historical so things fell familiar but they are different. I would kill for a map, just to plot out where the countries and which direction everything is. I also really really wanted to know what was going on in Sirminica, like details and I actually wanted to meet Lonso.
So overall it was a good companion to The Glittering Court.
jj7twin's review
4.0
Reading this took longer than expected but I did enjoy the tale. Strange as it sounds I'm glad Mead was honest about the racism in both countries. There was a different tone to her mentions of Mira's father that I knew wouldn't be good once I learned what happened. Tamisin's story is going to be interesting so say the least. She'll have parts told that neither of the first two mentioned and I'm excited to see how the rest of the world is described.
ashwhit2024's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
caiken4's review
4.0
I didn't realize this was a series that didn't follow the same character, but instead follows the 3 different girls through the same timeline in their views. I was surprised to like it as much as I did, because I normally don't read those types of series. What's the point of a series if you don't continue the plot with a continuation of the story?? Anyhow, looking forward to the next installment.
anbeasley91's review against another edition
4.0
This book was SO different from the first. I knew it was going to follow a different girl but I wasn’t expecting how different it was going to be. It’s not a bad different, the first was almost 100% glittering court life. This one had almost nothing to do with the glittering court with the exception that she was a part of it. This told everything she did when she wasn’t doing her glittering court responsibilities. I’m so surprised to find out what was really happening on the boat that’s something I never expected and I’m not mad at all! I loved the enemies to lovers vibe this book gave off. She was doing all of this to save her brother when in the end she didn’t have to. Her ending with the glittering court was not at all what I expected and I’m so happy for that. At the end of the last book I was so worried for her happy ending when it was just so well hidden in the first.
boone_bear's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0