Review: Court of Fives by Kate Elliott

Title: Court of Fives
Author: Kate Elliott
Publication Date: August 18th, 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: ARC from the Novl
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: In this imaginative escape into an enthralling new world, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott begins a new trilogy with her debut young adult novel, weaving an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege.

Jessamy's life is a balance between acting like an upper class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But at night she can be whomever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives, an intricate, multi-level athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom's best competitors. Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an unlikely friendship between a girl of mixed race and a Patron boy causes heads to turn. When a scheming lord tears Jes's family apart, she'll have to test Kal's loyalty and risk the vengeance of a powerful clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.

This is one of those really great introductions to a fascinating world. Kate Elliott has crafted a society that centers around these games called The Fives. Jessamy is stuck between the world of The Fives and that of the Patrons. What really stuck out to me in this book was the how complex and intricate the characters were, even small side characters had any facets that made up who they were.

This book never failed to surprise me with the direction it went. Many times I was left completely off guard at the choices of some of the characters. For me that is where this book shined. It shined in its ability to keep me entertained but also guessing at what would unfold next. There were so many layers to this story that added to the intrigue.

The plot of this book was expertly woven with the characters and the world and I was very impressed with how this was accomplished. And it also makes me very interested in picking up some of Kate Elliott's other books. As for this book, I fell in love with both the world and the characters as they deal with living their lives in a society filled with Patrons, scheming Lords, and The Fives. I'm definitely looking forward to continuing on with this series in the next books. Especially with how we are left at the end of this book. While I appreciated the unpredictable outcome, it was a cruel way to leave us hanging. 

*I received an ARC of this book from The Novl in exchange for an honest review*