Rating: 8/10
As soon as I noticed this book in the "upcoming releases" section from Knopf, I knew that I needed to read it. Let me just say, I am so happy that I requested the ARC from NetGalley. This was a very solid work, from a writer who is going places. The book officially releases tomorrow, June 2, 2020. I know that this ARC review seems a little late, but I was only able to get my hands on the book on May 27th, so we're going to have to let it slide. Plus, look at the cover art, it's stunning.
So what is this book about? I'm going to pull the summary straight from NetGalley,
"Les Misérables meets Six of Crows in this page-turning adventure as a young thief finds herself going head to head with leaders of Paris's criminal underground in the wake of the French Revolution.
In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina's life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father's fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger--the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh--Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city's dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice--protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger."
Personally, I'm not overly familiar with Les Misérables (or even with the French Revolution), but I still really enjoyed this book. The story itself holds up even if you have absolutely no background on the topics. To be fair, I did look up, and subsequently read the entire synopsis and character backgrounds for Les Misérables. I wanted to make sure that I was able to appreciate the book with its full background recognized. This story was fast paced, and there was something happening at every corner. Don't go into this expecting a simple retelling of Les Misérables, because Grant masterfully turned the original story on its' head in an exciting way. If you like books that are full of action, manipulation, history (both real and imagined), public outcry, and a strong-female protagonist, then this one is perfect.
The way that Grant sets scenes and personifies the city is enchanting. It was very easy to appreciate the way that life was breathed into the city. The setting was described with very simple, yet raw words. It wasn't depicted as this ideal place, Grant stripped it bare and laid it out for the reader to judge. There are many characters that are shared with the original Les Misérables tale, and many new ones. The way that some of the old characters were woven into the story, but as members of the Wretched was fascinating. Particularly Montparnasse, I liked him. I liked the way that his character fit perfectly into the fabric of the Assassins Guild. On that note, it is also refreshing that the characters who were originally side characters, got the spotlight in this book. Jean Valjean, Javert, Cosette, etc.. take a backseat to characters who crowded the background previously. Yet, when the old main characters do appear, they do still possess personalities much like that in the original Les Misérables. Which was a very nice touch. The focus on the less-known characters really allowed for room to play with their personalities. Some of the main characters didn't even make it in, though I'm hoping this is a series, and they may make an appearance. Though, this is not their story. This is the story of those previously brushed off as minor.
The fact that the focus of this book was on familial love, rather than romantic love, was refreshing. More often than not, young adult books seem to heavily focus on romantic love between the characters. That is not the case here. Romantic intentions are really only mentioned in passing or even in jest. The focus here, is on the strong bond between family. A bond that can be formed with biological family, but especially the bond between chosen family. Ettie was not related to Nina by bond, yet Nina was willing to move the heavens if it meant she could protect her. The family that came with joining a guild, and the ability of humans to adapt and overcome circumstances and create their own families.
Nina was a great protagonist. She was smart, strong, and very cunning. You were able to watch her grow and adapt. Gone was the frightened child who just wanted the comfort of her older sister. In her place, was the Black Cat of the thieves guild. The Black Cat would do as she wished to protect those she loved. She learned to play the games of the guilds. She learned how to laugh and how to joke a bit as well. I loved how everytime Nina and St. Juste were together, it ended with him being in trouble. Half the time he was arrested! However, I have a specific qualm with Nina. Sometimes, she seemed to make very split second decisions that would undermine something she had been working for. The part I have in mind, was her quick decision regarding Ettie and the Tiger.
(This may be a mild spoiler)
From what I understood, Nina had been setting a plan in motion for a couple of years to get the Tiger to notice Ettie. As soon as he notices Ettie and it is time to put her plan into motion, she back out. In like two pages, she decides that she just won't. Instead she will protect the girl with her life. I don't think that there's anything wrong with the sentiment, I just found the decision to be jarring. It was a very tight turn around, I expected some brooding.
This goes into my first real complaint regarding the book. Many of the side characters seemed emotionally shallow. I'm of course referring to main side characters. For example, the same split-second change happened near the end with St. Juste.
Another Spoiler
He is under the impression that he has been betrayed by Nina, yet as soon as he is proven wrong, he just drops it. Though his whole revolution has just been undermined and betrayed, he seems to just drop the subject. I didn't expect him to continue harassing her about it, but I expected more emotion from him. He isn't the type to just drop things. It really nagged at me when I read it. As though there was just something missing from his reaction.
It also felt like the book wasn't following its' own rules at some point. There were set rules in the beginning that governed guild behavior. But it felt like many people were disobeying the rules and only some were being punished. None of the guild lords seemed as though they wanted to apply the laws unless it was to their benefit. Yet, if it was to work, would they not have to apply the laws evenly. Of course, this is taking the Tiger out of it. They were all being weenies when it came to him. I believe he could've been handled with no problem if they had all just acted together from the beginning.
On the positive side, as I mentioned, there were set rules for the guilds at the very beginning of the book. There was also a couple of pages that had all of the guilds and their respective leadership laid out. I really thought that was a nice touch. If I had had a physical copy of the book, I would have heavily utilized it. I love when things like that are included in a book. There were also little folk tales from the people at the beginning of each of the parts. The stories would set the tone for the following chapters, plus it was downright fun. I loved that you were getting a history of the place through the mouths of those who live there.
Overall, my final thoughts are that this book was certainly worth the read. This was a solid work with a great story woven throughout. The fact mixed with fiction, mixed with the presence of an older work, was just captivating. Whenever I would pick this book up I would lose myself reading it. I always felt as though I needed to know what was going to happen next. The characters' emotions/reactions may have felt a bit off, or perhaps dull at times, but it's not the end of the world. It doesn't really detract from the story. The story is the important part here, and this was a very good one. Goodreads has this book listed as the first in a series; if that is truly the case, then I can't wait to read the next one! The writing is only going to improve over time, if this one was great, then the next one will likely be even better. I hope that if any of these things sound appealing to you, that you preorder the book right now! And if you see this on June 2nd, then it will be available to order immediately. I read an ebook, and I may just have to buy the physical copy just so I can add it to my collection.
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