Court of Fives

New-to-me author in a YA genre, Kate Elliott wrote a compelling story. The narrative was slow to start, which might not grab the YA audience, but if the reader sticks with the set-up, the story is exciting and full of adventure. My rating reflects the shallow depth of readers' engagement with characters.

From an adult perspective, the individual personalities are less developed, with only Jessamy, the main character, appealingly portrayed; however, the plot is satisfactory in its complexity and presents something of a coming-of-age theme that was well done. The final chapter sets up for the next book in the series and I liked the reality of Jessamy's choices.

I’d heard good things about Court of Fives, but not that it was a tense fantasy version of Little Women, so I’d put it on the list of books to read some day, rather than books to read right now. I only picked it up because I wanted an audiobook and this happened to be available.

But if I’d read it sooner, I mightn’t have thought of listening to the audiobook, and I would have missed out.

In Efea it is against the law for members of the Patron class from marrying Efean commoners. Jessamy’s father, an army captain, is very unusual in remaining faithful to an Efean lover, let alone one who has given him four daughters and no sons. Jessamy and her sisters occupy a precarious place in society and their father expects them to observe show more the strictest propriety. But that hasn’t prevented Jessamy from sneaking out and training to compete in the Fives, nor her sisters from having their own secrets. When their family’s circumstances change, Jessamy has to use all the skills she’s learnt to protect those she loves.

I loved this. The audiobook narrator is excellent - Jessamy and her sisters are so lively and believable - and the story is absolutely gripping. I stayed up much later than I should because I was so worried for the characters.

From the opening scenes, Jessamy’s impulsive high spirits and interactions with her sisters meant she reminded me of Jo March - and then I quickly realised that with sisters called Maraya, Bettany and Amaya, any Little Women parallels were very intentional. I love that Jessamy’s relationships with her family remain at the heart of the story, and the way she develops a more nuanced understanding of the choices her parents have made.

But in tone, Court of Fives arguably has more in common with The Hunger Games than Little Women, and not just because the first-person present-tense narration and the fast-paced plot. Jessamy knows about the physical risks in running the Fives but not of all the political dimensions swirling around the game - and politics can be deadly in Efea.

Another aspect Court of Fives is that Efea is a postcolonial society. Jessamy notably lacks the privileges of a Patron woman, but she begins to realise just how she’s been protected and kept unaware of the some of the challenges others face.

I’m really looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.

I want to get up and race around. I want to climb the walls, which is the plan for tomorrow when Bettany has agreed to make a screaming diversion during which I will clamber up one of the sturdy trellises and escape unseen over the roof.
Instead we will sit here until the Junior House Steward comes in to announce supper. Girls like us have to be more decorous and well‐mannered than the daughters of other officers because our father is a lowborn army captain fighting to make his fortune through valour and bold leadership. Which one of us would dare jeopardise his steady, hard‐fought climb through the ranks by indulging in disreputable behaviour? show less

The world building in this book was so confusing I felt like I needed a full-sized map in front of me at all times with little green army men positioned all around. Or, more probably, different colored little army men so I knew who was who. And the world-building that was done was boring. It was given in pages of explanation, and in terms that didn't come together in my head. But that's just me. Other people may appreciate the complexity.

I also didn't really love any of the characters. The main character, Jes, puts her whole family at risk by joining the Fives competition, which she knows will hurt her father's career and make her sisters even less marriageable than they already are because of their mixed heritage. But SHE wants this show more so badly that she does it anyway. She is constantly talking about her love for her family, and yet she destroys their lives. And then we are supposed to feel empathy for her as she struggles to save her family like she is some big hero, when she is doing exactly what she wants and the rest of her family is bitterly suffering for her selfishness.

The love interest, Kal, is a spineless little princeling who just blindly does whatever Jes tells him to.

And what the heck is wrong with Bettany? The main character has a twin sister who is always shut away. I thought she had some disease, but the best I could figure is that she had a tendency to be outspoken and full of anger for their situation, so they didn't want her to say anything to embarrass them.

All that sounds very negative, and those things really did bother me, but it wasn't all bad, and I think teenagers will really like it. There was a lot of action, a very evil bad guy, a cool competition that I pictured as an ancient or medieval American Ninja Warrior, and plenty of suspense with a little magic thrown in. I definitely see readership for this one in my library.

Areas of concern:
*The parents of the main character were never able to marry because of their different citizenship and status.
*It is discovered that one of the sisters has a lesbian lover and that she has been taken away to be a concubine to the evil bad guy. (That whole story line was very small and just mentioned - nothing graphic.)
*Some kissing between the main character and her spineless little princeling.
*Because the main character looked like a Commoner and not a Patron, sometimes she was fondled when she was out in public.
*The main character is caught in a bathing house without clothes in front of a group of men.
*Some weird, mystical/magical scary suspense at the end of the book. Not really sure where that is headed.

http://read-me-maybe.blogspot.com show less

Whoa, I honestly had no clue what to expect when I started this, but I loved every moment of it. It's rare to read a fantasy novel that doesn't end in an epic battle! But that doesn't make Court of Fives any less exciting, suspenseful, and even downright chilling in some parts (the funeral procession, whoa!!!). There's a lot of political maneuvering going on and I still don't have a firm grasp on all of it--so many names!--but still, Court of Fives has an amazing level of history, world-building and attention to detail. And the romance! I'm not one for love stories, but those tender moments between the main couple had my heart racing. The plot moves at a steady pace; I'm a slow reader, but I finished the book in about a week. Very show more excited for the next book in the series! show less

A fun YA fantasy adventure with great shades of later-generation race issues. Elliott describes this as "Little Women meets American Ninja Warrior" and that's a good summary of the setup. It's a pacey plot with an interesting world that's well explored (for a YA fantasy) but still has lots of intriguing mystery in the details to discover, and there's great thematic layering. (All this is what you expect with an author as experienced as Elliott. But sometimes the wheels come off when switching age categories.) I mean, I'm pretty sure that's even the burgeoning start of a love triangle I see before me, and yet it's being done really well; the relationships make sense, the characters are strong, and it reflects elements of our heroine that show more are in conflict.

Basically, I enjoyed it, and want to read more. show less

This may be the first time I have actively wished a book was not YA.

There comes a point about halfway through the book where a really dramatic, dire event happens, and it is totally grim and totally horrifying. My husband was joggling the cat and wiggling the bed doing it, and I totally quieted him and made him quit just so I could really concentrate on that specific event, because I figured it was going to continue to its very grim conclusion and I really wanted to not miss anything.

And then there was a rescue mission. And that is where YA splits away from adult. In an adult book, that grim event would have catalyzed our protagonist into a very grim purpose with the intent of overthrowing the whole damned system. And I *wanted* that. I show more am not even a grimdark fan, but I wanted that grim, dark outcome because it would have been fabulous in terms of the greater story line and our protagonist's motivations.

So here I am, wishing this book had been adult and not YA.

An adult book might not have gotten so much explanation of the obstacle course, either. But that's really ancillary to my original pout. And I am absolutely pouting.

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At first I thought it was going to be yet another YA novel where the character competes for his/her life in some sort of test/game/competition. Blah. Over it. But this was so much more. That sport (the Royal Fives Court) is only a small part of a complex story that focuses on family, politics, class, racial tensions, and religion. Jessamy is a strong and appealing protagonist, but I also appreciated the supporting cast—in particular her sisters and the authentic sisterly dynamic that exists between them. Did I mention that it’s all very exciting and action-packed?