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Series · young adult historical fantasy

The Glittering Court

by Richelle Mead

The Glittering Court series by Richelle Mead has 3 known books (3 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Glittering Court (2016). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Emerald Sea.

Books
3 known books (3 novels)
Published
3
First published
2016
Status
completed
Last checked

Start here: The Glittering Court (2016) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of The Glittering Court

The Glittering Court (2016)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. The Glittering Court

    Novel

    The Glittering Court opens the trilogy in April 2016 at 400 pages, moving Richelle Mead away from vampires into YA historical fantasy as countess Adelaide trades her privileged life to pose as a servant entering the eponymous Court.

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  2. Midnight Jewel

    Novel

    Midnight Jewel followed in June 2017, five pages longer at 405 pages, shifting to Adelaide's friend Mira within the same Glittering Court system and timeline.

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  3. The Emerald Sea

    Novel

    The Emerald Sea closes the trilogy a year later, in June 2018, as the longest entry at 479 pages, following Tamsin through the same shared world and social system.

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About The Glittering Court

The Glittering Court moves Richelle Mead away from vampires and urban fantasy into YA historical fantasy: a colonial-era-inspired world where the eponymous Glittering Court trains lower-class and disgraced women to pass as nobility, matching them into advantageous marriages in a new-world colony called Adoria. The Glittering Court opens with Adelaide, a countess who trades her own privileged but stifling life to pose as a servant and enter the Court herself, chasing freedom rather than the marriage the program promises.

Each book shifts to a different young woman moving through the same Glittering Court world and social system -- Midnight Jewel follows Adelaide's friend Mira, The Emerald Sea follows Tamsin -- letting Mead explore class, ambition, and romance from multiple angles within one shared setting and timeline, with the earlier books' events visible in the background of the later ones.

Complete at three books, The Glittering Court is a lush, corset-and-scheming alternative for Mead's YA readers who want something outside her paranormal series.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in The Glittering Court series?

Three: The Glittering Court (2016), Midnight Jewel (2017), and The Emerald Sea (2018).

What order should I read The Glittering Court in?

Publication order: The Glittering Court, Midnight Jewel, The Emerald Sea. Each book follows a different young woman within the same world and roughly overlapping timeline.

Is The Glittering Court a paranormal series?

No -- unlike most of Richelle Mead's work, it's YA historical fantasy set in a colonial-inspired world, with no vampires or supernatural creatures.

Is The Glittering Court finished?

Yes, the series is complete at three books, concluding with The Emerald Sea (2018).

Do the books share characters?

Yes -- each book's protagonist is a friend or acquaintance of the previous books' leads, all moving through the same Glittering Court system around the same time.

Reading order last verified .