[LN5]⇒ Read Gratis Court of Fives Kate Elliott Books

Court of Fives Kate Elliott Books

Download As PDF : Court of Fives Kate Elliott Books

Court of Fives Kate Elliott Books

I zoomed through reading this book but I'm an adult reader. It lost a star from me for two main reasons - I felt the pacing and balance of events unfolding was a bit uneven but more importantly, if this is supposed to be a young adult novel, for me it didn't hit the mark.

I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult reader. I loved the variety of female characters we saw and the world building was really interesting.

However, I also felt it was overpopulated with (some very underutilised, to the point of being unnecessary) characters, and the language used, particularly in the early chapters, was very stilted, which was a bit off-putting. And one little niggle that may not bother others - why give the sisters odd nicknames? Their own names were lovely and could be nicely shortened if necessary - it seemed odd to also use "Merry" and (of all things) "Amiable" - in a book I already felt had too many names, this didn't help!

It's a solid four stars, despite my complaints, and I would a) recommend it and b) definitely read the next installment because oh my, the ENDING!


Tags : Amazon.com: Court of Fives (9780316364195): Kate Elliott: Books,Kate Elliott,Court of Fives,Little, Brown Books for Young Readers,0316364193,Fantasy - General,Girls & Women,Contests,Contests;Fiction.,Fantasy,Friendship,Friendship in adolescence,Racially-mixed people,Sisters,Sisters;Fiction.,Social classes,Social classes;Fiction.,Action & Adventure - Survival Stories,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Fantasy & Magic,Fantasy & magical realism (Children's Teenage),Fiction-ActionAdventure,JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Grades 7-9 Ages 12-14,Love & Romance,Monograph Series, any,TEEN'S FICTION - ACTION & ADVENTURE,TEEN'S FICTION - SURVIVAL STORIES,TEEN'S FICTION FANTASY,United States,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Fantasy General,Young Adult Fiction,Young Adult Fiction Action & Adventure Survival Stories,Young Adult Fiction Fantasy Epic,Young Adult Fiction Girls & Women,Young Adult Fiction Romance General,Young Adult Fiction Social Themes Prejudice & Racism,Young Adult Fiction Social Themes Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance,Young Adult Fiction Sports & Recreation General,Young Adult FictionAction & Adventure - Survival Stories,Young Adult FictionFantasy - Epic,Young Adult FictionGirls & Women,Young Adult FictionRomance - General,Young Adult FictionSocial Themes - Prejudice & Racism,Young Adult FictionSocial Themes - Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance,Action & Adventure - Survival Stories,Fantasy & Magic,Love & Romance,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Fantasy General,Young Adult Fiction Action & Adventure Survival Stories,Young Adult Fiction Fantasy Epic,Young Adult Fiction Girls & Women,Young Adult Fiction Romance General,Young Adult Fiction Social Themes Prejudice & Racism,Young Adult Fiction Social Themes Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance,Young Adult Fiction Sports & Recreation General,Young Adult FictionAction & Adventure - Survival Stories,Young Adult FictionFantasy - Epic,Young Adult FictionGirls & Women,Young Adult FictionRomance - General,Young Adult FictionSocial Themes - Prejudice & Racism,Young Adult FictionSocial Themes - Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance,Young Adult Fiction,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Fantasy & magical realism (Children's Teenage)

Court of Fives Kate Elliott Books Reviews

Court of Fives takes Sasuke/American Ninja Warrior and throws in the long standing conflicts of women’s rights, race, and privilege. While Court of Fives has a strong Hunger Games vibe, Kate Elliott manages to make the story stand out with a lead character that is unique in her own way.

Racial equality is the central theme in Court of Fives. Jessamy is the daughter of an ostensibly white Patron and black Efean. Jessamy’s mother, Kiya, is a recognized beauty whose charms are spoken of far and wide. In spite of the love between them, Jessamy’s parent’s can never formally be together and any children born of their coupling cannot be formally recognized and are not considered to have any status as a Patron. Jessamy and her three sisters live as nobility in their father’s house, but are treated like elevated Commoner’s outside the walls of their compound. Mixed children are derogatorily called “Mules” and are forced to create their own culture while surrounded by rejection on all sides.

There are few books in the YA Fantasy genre that are willing to deal so blatantly with race as Court of Fives. I bought this book because I was interested to see how Elliott would handle the issue. While Court of Fives never shies away from the implications for mixed race characters, Jes and her family are sheltered to a point that their experiences are unique to the rest of their countrymen, Patron or Efean. The sisters are ignorant of the culture of their mother and at the same time are not allowed to mingle with or fully absorb the culture of their father. Instead of being a window into the racial conflict, Jessamy is a sheltered girl with a history and culture unique to her alone.

While I liked the premise of Court of Fives, I found the characters to be flawed in a way that harms the story. Jessamy is incredibly selfish. Her actions put her family at risk, and she never seems to understand the consequences for her harsh behavior. Elliott tells the reader many times of the unbreakable love between Jessamy’s parent’s but their actions never seems to match what we were told. Kiya is supposed to be an incredibly strong woman, but she spens the majority of the book being weak.

The love connection between Jes and Kal is completely unnecessary. Kal is spoiled and clueless, though he is trying very hard not to be. His reasons for not joining the army don’t make any sense. Kal says that he doesn’t want to get caught up in palace intrigue, but he insists on staying in the city to run the Fives rather than leaving and distinguishing himself in defense of his homeland. Court of Fives unfortunately features “Insta-love” in a two week relationship where the biggest disappointment was finding out that our strong female lead still needs a love interest to make the story complete.

The pacing of Court of Fives is rushed. There are critical facets of the story that are overshadowed by random aspects of a racing plot. I missed an important prophesy that came out of nowhere, and found myself going back to try to find out what happened. Emphasis is placed on the wrong areas of the story, and the book tends to lurch at critical moments.

There is a magic system in Court of Fives that is never explained. We know that there are Oracles, and there seems to be a brief mention of magic related to ornate masks, but the reader is quickly hustled passed it and we are never brought back. I am all for letting the reader figure out parts of a story’s culture on their own, but Court of Fives leaves out too much for the story to be complete.

I liked Kate Elliott’s writing style and found that Jessamy’s first person narrative is perfect for the book. Court of Fives is fundamentally a great story, but needs help with pacing and the depth of it’s characters. I will definitely buy the next book in this series. I hope that we can see Jessamy grow as a character and that Elliott fixes the timing issues that are present in this story.
Court of Fives by Kate Elliott is a YA fantasy book and one that I found myself being sucked into even in the middle of a reading slump. I found the protagonists engaging and loved the world. I found it had a bit more substance than some YA fantasy novels.

What I liked

Cultural tensions. This is very much a tale of being caught between two cultures. Our protagonist, Jessamy, is the child of a Saroese father and Efean mother and struggles to fit in with either culture. Her father’s people, who are the conquerers of the Efeans, do not fully accept Jes as one of their own due to her mixed heritage yet her genteel upbringing closes her off from acceptance in her mother’s society. Jes herself also struggles to find her place in her world. The only time she can truly be herself is when she is training for the game the Court of Fives. Although we do not live in a magical society, this theme may still strike a chord with many readers.

The Games. I really enjoyed how the game of Court of Fives permeated the story to a great extent. We see the games themselves a couple of times in the books, but it’s made clear that the skills Jes uses to become a successful Fives player are the same skills she and Kalliarkos will need to get out of certain situations and also to navigate Saroese politics. I really loved that politics was hinted to be just a different version of the Court of Fives.

The magic and Jes’s journey. The magic is very subtle in this book and is tied to the Efean culture. At this point in her story Jes still struggles to accept her Efean heritage, so she has difficulty understanding the magic. I expect that Jes’s journey in future books will be to embrace her cultural background, at which point the magic will become more and more prominent. That I am excited to see.

Little Women. I read in the author’s notes that the characters of Jes and her sisters were based on those of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. I didn’t notice that at first, but once you do see it, it is very clear. It was fun seeing those personality types in a completely different setting. I am curious about what it means for the sisters’ character arcs in upcoming books and whether they will mirror those of Alcott’s.

Moral dilemmas. Certain of the characters, including Jes, face moral dilemmas at certain points in the book. I felt these were very well written and engaged my sympathy for the characters. I am very interested to see how the decisions made will impact future character development and relationships. I’d like to think Jes will have more understanding for her father in future.

What I didn’t like

The romance. I wouldn’t say I disliked the Kalliarkos/Jes romance; it’s more a case of I’m waiting to see how it plays out in future books. I was concerned that it felt a little too much Instalovey, which I don’t like. If the parallels with Little Women hold true, the future for the couple doesn’t look too rosy.

In the end I really enjoyed Court of Fives and gave it four stars out of five. I have an Advanced Reader Copy of the sequel, The Poisoned Blade, and I’m very excited to read it.
I zoomed through reading this book but I'm an adult reader. It lost a star from me for two main reasons - I felt the pacing and balance of events unfolding was a bit uneven but more importantly, if this is supposed to be a young adult novel, for me it didn't hit the mark.

I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult reader. I loved the variety of female characters we saw and the world building was really interesting.

However, I also felt it was overpopulated with (some very underutilised, to the point of being unnecessary) characters, and the language used, particularly in the early chapters, was very stilted, which was a bit off-putting. And one little niggle that may not bother others - why give the sisters odd nicknames? Their own names were lovely and could be nicely shortened if necessary - it seemed odd to also use "Merry" and (of all things) "Amiable" - in a book I already felt had too many names, this didn't help!

It's a solid four stars, despite my complaints, and I would a) recommend it and b) definitely read the next installment because oh my, the ENDING!