Gr 8 Up-When the young Countess of Rothford is forced into an unwanted marriage with a despicable distant relative, she runs away and decides to leave the beautiful country of Osfrid behind in search of a new life. She follows a dashing student named Cedric to a place called the Glittering Court, where his family trains ordinary girls to act like nobility, ships them overseas to the New World, and profits from their marriage contracts to up-and-coming young men. It's there that she assumes the identity of her maid, Adelaide Bailey, and does her best to blend in with the other girls. But as she falls in love with Cedric and becomes tangled in a web of secrets and lies, she is cast out of the Glittering Court and forced into a radically different life working the land in search of the gold they desperately need to start a better life together. With a full cast of bold and original characters, Mead does a superb job of building a world that teens will be excited to enter into and disappointed to leave. The plot is intricately woven, and the ending promises future installments from other characters' points of view. VERDICT Brilliant and original, Mead's new series starts off with a bang and will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. Candyce Pruitt-Goddard, Sno-Isle Libraries, Marysville, WA

The impoverished Countess of Rothford knows she must marry for money, not love. But when her arranged groom turns out to be detestable, she finds she is not prepared to sacrifice herself on the altar after all. When an opportunity arises to impersonate her lady's maid as a member of the Glittering Court, she seizes it. This enterprising business teaches working class young women the graces and manners of high society before bidding them off as brides to the ambitious men making their fortune on the frontier. Adelaide relishes the relative freedom of choice this gives her until she finds herself falling for the forbidden son of the proprietor of the Glittering Court. Her quest for love has her roughing it on the frontier, while dealing with vindictive suitors and hired detectives.Set in a vague fantasy world that bears some resemblance to a mix of Regency England, American colonization, and the religious persecution of the Protestant Reformation (though the religion here is pagan in flavor rather than Christian), the scant world-building is revealed on a need-to-know basis as required by the plot. The emphasis on romance, dresses, and intrigue will appeal to fans of Kiera Cass. The first book in a new series, details of the intertwined stories of Adelaide's two best friends in the Glittering Court are deliberately glossed over except where pertinent to Adelaide's story. Clearly, their stories will be more fully exposed in future volumes.Elizabeth Matson.

Mead merges Elizabethan and frontier worlds as a backdrop for the picture-bride tale of the young Countess of Rothford, Osfridian royalty whose family has run out of money. When her grandmother arranges a marriage to a wealthy and humorless distant cousin, our heroine takes the name of one of her maids, Adelaide, and assumes Adelaide's identity at the Glittering Court, a training school for commoners to learn the ways of high society. These girls then travel to the new world of Adoria, where men happily pay the bride's price, while the girls can choose their own husband. Not surprisingly, Adelaide excels at her studies and also falls for gorgeous Cedric Thorn, son of the unscrupulous proprietor. In a refreshing change to the romance formula, Mead does not end the story with the lovers finally realizing they are meant for each other, but rather follows their life as pioneers in a new land. There is a strong feminist element in Adelaide's narration, and more than meets the eye in terms of plot, character development, and substantive thought. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Mead's smash-hit Vampire Academy books should extend a red carpet between this book and the best-seller list.