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The Shattered Court: A Novel of the Four Arts

The Shattered Court: A Novel of the Four Arts - M.J. Scott This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life

2.5 Stars

I have to admit that I am a little disappointed with this book. I think that this book had so much potential. I was excited to read this book and on the surface it appeared that it had everything - magic, witches, and a royal court just to get started. This book ended up having a lot of problems that overshadowed all of the things that I liked in the story.

I went into this book thinking that it was a YA novel and I was very wrong. This is NOT a book for teens. I was actually a little shocked when a sex scene seemed to come out of nowhere near the beginning of the book. The book is not only about sex but there was enough of it in the story that I really think that this is a book for an adult audience. Don't get me wrong, this book is not only about sex but there are enough sex scenes to keep things interesting.

My biggest problem with this book is that I was bored for a large portion of the story. As the story progressed it felt more like a romance novel than anything in the fantasy genre and to be honest it dragged. Some of the things that I would have loved to see, such as Sophie learning to use her powers with the Domina, didn't get more than a mention in the story and happened completely off the page. I think that if there had been a larger focus on the magic during the middle of the book instead of romance I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

This book had some things that I really did end up enjoying. The last section of the book was pretty exciting. I felt that the ending was a bit of a cliffhanger but not so much that I felt cheated. I guess a better description would be to say the ending seemed to be setting up the next installment in the series. I liked the sections of the book that focused on Sophie and Cameron's use of magic and liked when they worked together. The portals that they used during the first part of the book were interesting. The overall world building in the story was well done even though the plot dragged during a large part of the story.

Cameron was the most interesting and likeable character in this story. He really filled the role of romantic hero quite well and seemed to really care for Sophie. Sophie felt really flat to me for a large portion of the book. She seemed to just be a pawn going through the motions until the last section of the story.

This is the first book by M.J. Scott that I have had a chance to read. I do feel really torn about this book and I am not sure whether I will continue with the series at this point.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin Group Berkley / Signet Romance via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.