I'll be honest when I first started this book I had no idea what it was about. I didn't even look it up. The reason for that is I have loved what Richelle Mead has written in the past. Shes the author of The Vampire Academy Series and The Bloodlines Series. Which I love and read both series twice. So when I saw she wrote this book I have been meaning to read it and finally got it on my library app. Now don't get me wrong its a good book. It's just not up there with the other series in my opinion. Let me explain a little about the book.
The book in my opinion is a historical fiction book with romance (nothing to steamy) added. That is the best way I can put it. It takes place in a made up place called Osfrid. The book starts with a young girl who is a Countess of this land and has royal blood (at this point she has no name). That's great and all but since her parents have passed they are running out of money. The only family she really has is her grandmother. The book started right off with this young girl who needs to get married to save her family because they are running out of money. Best soultion?? She marry one of her cousins that way they blood stays pure and they can still live the life they are use too. First thoughts? Barf!!! I know that in the past this was a common practice but no thank you. This young girl wants to save her family but just doesn't want to do it that way. That's when a young man named Cedric enters talking to her of her maidens name Ade/Adelaide, that they have to let go. His father, uncle and him are in a business called The Glittering Court, where they take young women from lower stations and train them to be "proper" ladies and ship them across the sea to new country called Adoria, that is just starting off. Because there is not many women over there and many men want women with higher standards. So they train them for a year, put them on a ship and sell them. I know what you are thinking? What the heck!?! Believe me I thought the same thing. But its not a forced thing. These women get the choice of who they want to marry, they get a better life, most of these women are living on the streets or have very poor families, and they get to go to a new world pretty much. Well this countess makes a plan that she going to change places with Adelaide, because that way she gets to choose her future, she won't be forced to marry, she will get to choose her husband, and she will get to go on an adventure. Her maiden has no idea of this but is to scared to go so the Countess convinces her to flee and helps her with this task. And than she takes her place in The Glittering Court. Of course Cedric knows right away but keeps her secret. From this point on she is refereed to as Adelaide. She makes new friends named Mira and Tamsin. Tamsin wants to be the best that way she gets the choice of the best husbands because that is how it works. Adelaide is fine with this because she knows all this stuff and doesn't want to give it away she shouldn't be there so she stays in the middle of group in all subjects. That is until she finds a secret about Cedric and the only way to help him is be #1 so he gets the best commission from her. Yes a commission! And she does become the diamond as they put it. So when they get to Adoria, she gets the attention from a very powerful man in this new world. Which is great until her and Cedric fall in love. (No spoiler there you can see it coming from a million miles away.) Than a bunch of challenges arise for them to be together but finally they get to be and they get to go to a different area in this new world where they will be safe.
Okay now the reason I did not love this book. They treated women like animals, well taken care of animals but still animals. All that seemed to matter is how much money they could get for each given woman. And I did not like that. Thankfully Adelaide was not a push over and stood up for what she thought was right a lot of times. She decided she was gonna do what she thought was best for her. Which helped a little. Another issue I had is there are so many elements of Mira and Tamsin you do not know about and leave hanging. But I just found out its because she writing books about these characters, so it doesn't bug me as much as it originally did.
I am not saying do not read this book. Maybe you will like it and when all 3 books are out maybe it will be even better because things won't be left hanging. If you have read it or if you are gonna read it let me know what you think :)
Here are some quotes from the book:
“It’s not just about safety. It’s about freedom. Freedom to be who I am without putting on a show for everyone else.”
“Never underestimate your own worth,” he told me. “I certainly never have.”
“We’re all in charge of our own lives – and we have to live with the consequences of the choices we make.”
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