The Eighth Court by Mike Shevdon

Please note The Eighth Court is the fourth book in The Courts of the Feyre series. It’s entirely possible that this review may contain some spoilers if you’ve not read books one to three. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya! The Eighth Court has been established, but petty rivalries and old disputes threaten its stability. The mongrels that make up the court are not helping, and Blackbird enlists the help of the warders to keep the peace. Has Blackbird bitten off more than she can chew, and can the uneasy peace between the courts continue under such tension and rivalry? I have to admit that I’ve been a little worried about reading this particular book. The closer and closer it got to the top of my review pile the more and more nervous I became. Why all the unnecessary anxiety? Well Sixty One Nails is one of the first books that actually made me want to sit down and try to string together something resembling a coherent review. Yes, I know I didn’t review it on The Eloquent Page but it was one of the first books that made me want to share my passion for reading with the world. I certainly hold it, at least in part, for this website coming into being. Then its sequel, The Road to Bedlam, came along (that I did review) and it managed to catch me out with one particular scene that still gets me every damn time. Strangeness & Charm followed and managed to successfully cement Mike Shevdon’s place on my very short list of ‘favourite authors’. So when I started reading The Eighth Court I think it’s fair to say that I had something best described as high hopes. If you’re still reading any series by the time it has reached book four, there has to be multiple reasons why. The thing that really makes this book for me are the characters. They are so well observed and it felt like I was catching up with the old friends. Niall Petersen has come along from the directionless slacker that we first met. He has found his place amongst the Warders and has adjusted to life with Blackbird. He has found some measure of stability, as well as a purpose and a family. In comparison, Blackbird still manages to retain an air of mystery. She continues to play things very close to her chest. I feel, in some respects, that I never really discovered everything about her character. I rather like that though, she remains just a little enigmatic. You get the feeling that she still has her secrets and that’s never going to change. Blackbird’s the sort of person that you could know for years but she’ll still manage to surprise you on a daily basis. If I have to pick a favourite character then I think it would have to be Niall’s daughter Alex. Her role in events has increased with each book and she has grown up over the […]