I can already hear cries of shock and outrage when I say I’ve never read a Richelle Mead book, but rest easy, for I have venture forward, purchased a copy of her latest work, The Glittering Court, and devoured it!

Our heroine, Adelaide, escaping an arranged marriage, poses as a servant and secures a place in the Glittering Court. An enterprising finishing school of sorts that refines young ladies from all walks of life and prepares them for a journey to the new settlements for prestigious matches, the Glittering Court promises to be a reprieve from her old life; the only problem being that Cedric Thorn, son of one of the founders of the court, knows her true identity. With a secret of his own to protect, he’s in no hurry to out the clandestine heiress, but more forces are in play than the two could have ever imagined in the new world and with everyone out for themselves, placing their trust in each other is the only option they have.

There’s so much more than meets the eye with this novel and it just kept getting better as it progresses. What begins as runaway heiress evolves into so much more, Adelaide’s character development is a sheer joy to experience and there’s a brutal realism to the whole storyline that is candid and shocking without being overdramatic. Suffice to say my curiousity has been piqued and I will be eagerly awaiting more of the brave new world Mead has created.