The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court, #1) by Richelle Mead

Narrated by Kristen Sieh

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands… 

“Do you think my being someone else's wife will change anything? Don't you know that I'd lie with you in the groves, under the light of the moon? That I'd defy the laws of gods and men for you?”  

I love the Vampire Academy series, but I haven't read anything else by Richelle Mead until now. I just couldn't pass this up when it became available as an audiobook at my library. The cover is stunning! It also goes well with the story, which is a bonus. I hate when a cover has absolutely nothing to do with a book.

There are various settings for this book, which I enjoyed, but that also means there is a lot of background being given. That made this book feel like a longer read (or in my case a longer listen, hah), which I was completely okay with. I never felt like I was being bogged down with information, or that the pace of the story was lagging. Despite this, there are certain aspects of the story that remain shrouded in mystery. It was a little frustrating at first, but I later learned that it was because Tamsin and Mira would get their own books, which would explain their stories as they happened alongside Adelaide's. There are quite a few things that I need to know, but I guess that was Mead's intention. I'll have to read the other two books to learn their secrets.

I was thinking this book would be a little more fantastical, but it wasn't. It was very practical while also being incredibly engaging. I don't know why I felt compelled to listen to it nonstop, but I did. There's just something about it that hooked me from the beginning. The characters weren't annoying or unbelievable. I felt like I was listening to something that actually happened. They tried to do what was best for themselves, and in the end *highlight to view spoiler» it ended up being each other.  Cedric did love her enough to let her go. He tried to find a husband for her that she wouldn't hate being married to, and she was willing to commit forgery to help him. I'm really happy that things worked out for them in the end. It wasn't perfect, and the journey was messy, but things could have been a lot worse.