The Glittering Court, by Richelle Mead

In quite a departure from Meade’s previous books, she ventures into a historical setting. This alternate world is based on 19th century Europe, with its defined class system, new world colonies and limited options for women. We don’t learn the heroine’s real first name until near the end, to what purpose is not clear. She is Lady Witmore, Countess of Rothford, who takes on the identity of her former ladies’ maid, Adelaide, to escape an arranged marriage. The main problem is that although this story is based on situations more realistic than, for example, vampires, it is somehow less credible. Plot twists are largely predictable and the characters lack depth and substance. It starts as a kind of regency romance and morphs into a western, neither is convincing, not least because the modern American language is jarring. A lot of time is spent introducing new and strange tribes and religions, with a kind of pick’n’mix of history and geography rather than the true inventiveness of newly created cultures. An example is the Icori, who seem to be a weird cross between Picts and Native Americans. It is difficult to imagine how a series could be spun out of this rather strange girls’ own adventure but the sequels are apparently stories in the same time frame from the point of view of Adelaide’s friends, which might be more interesting if this first story was better. After the success of her early series, Mead may be focusing more on being prolific than good. This book is not terrible, but a strong editor was required to produce better, as fans deserve.