Court Of Fives

By: Kate Elliott

Reviewed By: Emma Sumanaweera

Fall 2016

REVIEW: Court Of Fives by Kate Elliott

ISBN#: 9780316364300

THE STORY:

Jessamy is one of four daughters of a highly regarded army general. She lives a good life as a general’s daughter, though the family’s situation is unique because while her mother is a native of the country, Efea, and is therefore part of the Commoners class, her father is a native of the old empire, Saro, and is part of the Patron class. Jessamy and her sisters are commoners because her father and mother are not married as it is illegal for a Patron and a Commoner to do so. Jessamy does not like the way her life is, so she secretly trains for the Fives, a sort of obstacle course that people race in. When her father comes home early from the war, Jessamy’s dream of sneaking out to run the Fives is ruined. Her father does not know that she trains for the
race, and announces that the leader of the army has invited them to view the Fives from his special box. Through a series of events, Jessamy manages to sneak away from the viewing box and run the Fives anonymously. On returning to the box, it is discovered that the winner of the race is Lord Kalliarkos, the nephew of another lord. They quickly become friends. When the family returns home, the leader of the army’s death is announced. During an investigation, Jessamy’s secret training and Fives run is discovered. Her father trades Jessamy, her sisters, and her mother away to keep Lord Kalliarkos’s uncle, Lord Gargaron, from revealing his disgrace and ruining his reputation. Jessamy is given to Lord Gargaron, who decides to put her in his school to train her for the fives. When the school visits the funeral procession of the leader of the army, she sees something devastating. With the secret help of Lord Gargaron’s nephew, Jessamy must lead her family out of danger and make an important decision.

MY OPINION:

When I first picked up this book, I thought it would be another stereotypical young adult novel. Upon reading the book, I discovered that it was much less than that. The characters are minimally developed and the setting is described in equally disappointing detail. We do not learn the name of the kingdom or if it is a kingdom at all. The one apparent detail is that the characters are in a dystopian universe that is loosely based off of ancient Rome. The characters are rather unrelatable and we do not see any real character development until the very end of the book. However, the book did make an interesting read. It made up for the very undeveloped setting and characters with a wide vocabulary and a good amount of action. The plot was fuzzy at certain points, but overall it was satisfactory. There was a good buildup of tension towards the end and the book will leave you with a desire to know more about the story, which can be found in the other books in the series. I would recommend the book to kids ages twelve and up. I would rate this book six out of ten stars.

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

FIRST SECTION

1. What is the name of Jessamy’s father?

1a. Jessamy’s father’s name is Esladas.

2. What color belt does Lord Gargaron’s nephew, Lord Kalliarkos, wear when he runs the Fives?

2a. Lord Kalliarkos wears a blue belt.

3. Lord Ottonor dies of what causes?

3a. Lord Ottonor goes into convulsions. He also fell and cut his head as well as coughing up blood.

4. What are the five animating souls?

4a. The five animating souls are the vital spark, the shadow, the self, the name, and the heart.

5. Why is Jessamy taken away?

5a. Jessamy is taken in exchange for her father’s acceptance into the clan of Lord Gargaron. Also, Lord Gargaron wished to train Jessamy for the Fives.

Accolades (12)

Carapace (24)

Magnanimity (26)

Valor (87)

Eunuch (131)

MIDDLE SECTION

6. What is Jessany’s Fives nickname (given by Lord Thynos)?

6a. Jessamy’s nickname is “Spider.”

7. Which district do Jessamy and Mis go to in order to go shopping?

7a. Jessamy and Mis go to the Lantern District.

8. Where does Jessamy think she sees her family?

8a. Jessamy thinks that her family is part of the funeral parade for Lord Ottonor and that they are the shrouded servants who are to be locked inside a tomb for eternity to care for an oracle.

9. Who does Mis warn Jessamy to stay away from?

9a. Mis warns Jessamy to stay away from Lord Kalliarkos.

10. What play do Mis, Gira, Shorty, and Jessamy go to see, and in what district?

10a. The four go to see The General’s Valiant Daughter in the Lantern District.

Propriety (196)

Quiescent (208)

Propitious (228)

Accost (248)

Cavalcade (282)

                               

LAST SECTION

11. What is the name of Coriander’s brother?

11a. Coriander’s brother’s name is Ro-Emnu.

12. Who does the oracle mistake for her lover?

12a. The oracle thinks Kalliarkos is her lover.

13. Where does the royal family go to escape the priests?

13a. They go into the catacombs for sanctuary.

14. In order to escape the catacombs, what must Jessamy do?

14a. She must lead her family through a medieval fives court.

15. What does Jessamy have to fight in the catacombs, and why?

15a. She fights tomb spiders as big as herself because her younger sister wandered off alone.

Bower (339)

Cleft (346)

Phlegmatic (353)

Fetid (365)

Compunction (387)