Court of Fives by Kate Elliott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Not because I should have been surprised, but because of the rollercoaster this book threw me into.
Initially I was intrigued, as it continued on I was really, really unhappy. I even considered not finishing it – like so many other reviewers had done, at the exact same point as well. I’m glad I didn’t. We were all played – we all fell into the pit that I believe Ms. Elliott 100% intended to throw us into.
I didn’t like the father, I was unsure about Jessamy. I felt like there was not enough build up or explanation for the horror that this obnoxious Lord threw them into – he irritated me profusely, but I couldn’t really tell you why because there was not enough of anything to form a proper explanation – there was too much build up on the mother and the sisters for them to just be forgotten so suddenly and quickly, this new little Prince dude was way too predictable. But there is a beauty and an ease that Kate Elliott has in her writing, the sincerity and believability in the characters and how they interact with each other that is so simple and charming, and feels so real, that I just couldn’t give up on it. And as I continued, not that much further into my frustration did I realize that I was feeling exactly how I should be feeling. Everything was intentionally constructed in such a way that as soon as you crest that barrier of unknown and too little and too much all wrapped up into one – that you are hooked. Pieces start filing together, a little snippet of information here that makes your brain catch a spark of what is really happening – and you can see more coming, little reprieves of insight into Jessamy and her family that makes you understand the characters more. Suddenly, I sympathized with her. Suddenly, I didn’t hate the father anymore. Suddenly, I understood the mother and sisters are in no way forgotten – that is why there was so much build up. Exactly when you think the story is unraveling and not making enough sense, is exactly when all those snags are being pulled, tightening their grip. By the time I tipped the half-way mark, I could not stop reading. And by the end, I wished there was more.
I enjoy the perspective of characters, their differences, simplicity where it needs to be simple, building complexity where there needs more answers, and above all else – how beautifully she constructs relationships. Not in the romantic sense, but in how each character interacts with one another. It makes me wonder who inspired these characters, what event in her life spawned that banter of dialogue, who did she watch play out which scenes that inspired, as I can recognize the very true-to-life aspects in each one of them which makes it easy to relate, and care about these characters.
I also apprecaite Kate Elliott’s knack for very honest internal voice that is the most natural and brilliant comic relief I’ve read – A talent that made me literally laugh out loud in Crown of Stars so many times, I’m sure my husband thought I was mad – and was found again here in Court of Fives.
At times, it does feel a bit predictable, and seems to play very heavily on YA tropes – but it is woven into her own world so beautifully, that none of them seem to bother me. She makes them work – and the mythos that she has built for the realm is simply enchanting, and the way she slowly builds upon it – only giving you little bits at a time – only makes me eager for more.
The mythos and intrigue catches me far more than any romance arc, but it so aptly balances between politics / intrigue and cultural/spiritual circumstance between the romance, that there is plenty to hold the interest of a many number of different readers – and she accomplishes in what is relatively small book. Very well done. I was pleasantly surprised, and would recommend this book to those who enjoy Fantasy & YA alike.