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Court Duel

(Crown & Court #2)

Sherwood Smith (Goodreads Author)

4.25 · Rating details · 8,809 ratings · 259 reviews

The stirring sequel to Crown Duel finds young Meliara at the center of a deadly court intrigue.

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Hardcover, 256 pages

Published April 15th 1998 by HMH Books for Young Readers

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· 8,809 ratings · 259 reviews

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Nov 18, 2008 Sarah rated it really liked it

I've revised my opinion of this book (or should I say these books?) after a second reading, so instead of editing my old review I shall write another here.

I enjoyed it much more than I did the first time! Actually I couldn't remember reading Court Duel at all previously, only Crown Duel, so unless I have a very short memory I must not have read the second part/novel very attentively. But anyway...

I thought Shevraeth was great, very clever and mysterious and suave. I do like a drawling hero! Alt I've revised my opinion of this book (or should I say these books?) after a second reading, so instead of editing my old review I shall write another here.

I enjoyed it much more than I did the first time! Actually I couldn't remember reading Court Duel at all previously, only Crown Duel, so unless I have a very short memory I must not have read the second part/novel very attentively. But anyway...

I thought Shevraeth was great, very clever and mysterious and suave. I do like a drawling hero! Although I wasn't a fan of his 'pale blonde' hair which kept reminding me of Malfoy. Mel was good too - she actually had some faults, which I liked, and she didn't always outwit the baddies or escape capture too conveniently. She was a LITTLE bit dense regarding Shevraeth and his feelings for her - I mean come ON woman, why ELSE would he ask for a kiss as a wager, hmm?? And her 'knee-length' hair got on my nerves a bit for some reason, but other than that I thought she was a good strong independant female character for all the feminists to rejoice over.

There were some really original ideas in this, the colourwood trees and the Hill Folk, and the way the different hours of the day were referred to as 'blue' and 'gold' etc. I liked the way the magic in it was just sort of incidental - oh, by the way, my cloak was enchanted by a mage to resist rain. And I really enjoyed all the court intrigue with the fans and dresses and secret letters etc. There was a bit of politics, unavoidably, but I thought S.Smith did a good job of not getting too bogged down in it and I actually managed to follow along with all the plots and conspiracies pretty well I thought! My only beef with the author was that she used "...then I fell unconscious. Next thing I knew I was tucked up in bed with a cup of hot tea" a few too many times as a scene-changing device in Crown Duel.

I kept reading Branaric and Meliara as Brainiac and Malaria, and thought others had names which were a bit MUCH (I'm glaring at YOU, VIDANRIC SHEVRAETH). Attention fantasy writers of the world: look into simple names like Ted and Alice! The world will thank you!

Finally: despite warnings to the contrary I couldn't resist reading 'Vidanric's Birthday Surprise' - ha ha! It wasn't THAT bad. ...more

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Jul 21, 2015 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: organic-fantasy, let-s-hear-it-for-the-girl, let-s-hear-it-for-the-boy, omnia-vincit-amor, fantasy, the-end-my-only-friend-the-end, redheaded-heroine, a-fine-romance, this-is-not-a-love-triangle, kings-and-queens

The second and stronger half of Crown & Court, Court Duel finds scrappy Meliara at the royal court of Remalna, trying to become a proper gentlewoman. The tyrant has been removed. The Marquis of Shevraeth is the likeliest candidate for the crown, although a few other possibilities remain. Mel’s brother Branaric is engaged to be married.

As for Mel, she’s spent the year since the events of Crown Duel educating herself. She’s no longer the ignorant girl who’s prepared to kill or die over a misu ...more

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Oct 07, 2014 jade rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

I imagine if I could be more neutral, I might've given this book 3.5 or 3 stars. Despite its flaws, I liked and cared about the characters. Therefore, I couldn't bring myself to give it anything lower than a 4 star rating. Yes, I liked the book, but it could've been so much better.

The book had some of my favorite elements: an intelligent, sensitive, yet tough heroine; an entertaining court life full of intrigues and power struggle; and a very, very attractive hero. I admired Meliara's courage a ...more

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Jun 06, 2009 Sherwood Smith added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: my-books

The second half (Court Duel) I wrote in my mid-twenties.

Mel and I shared only one thing: being emotionally backward. I did try to keep that when I rewrote her story, in my forties.

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Feb 10, 2016 Cathy rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, young-adult-fantasy, 2016

~~Rating and review to follow, once the Young Adult/Middle Grade battle kicks off!~~

As I said in my review of the first part, my reaction to this one couldn't have been more different than to Crown Duel. I loved this.

I believe Beth said it best when she commented something along the lines of this book (parts I and II combined, that is) is best when you kind of start in the middle first. Because the beginning honestly didn't manage to keep my attention at all and I was bored. Yet, now that I've finis ~~Rating and review to follow, once the Young Adult/Middle Grade battle kicks off!~~

As I said in my review of the first part, my reaction to this one couldn't have been more different than to Crown Duel. I loved this.

I believe Beth said it best when she commented something along the lines of this book (parts I and II combined, that is) is best when you kind of start in the middle first. Because the beginning honestly didn't manage to keep my attention at all and I was bored. Yet, now that I've finished the entire book, I find myself wanting to go right back to the start and just read the whole thing again. Pretty sure in light of later events, I would give a different rating to part 1 now. Which wouldn't be entirely fair, because obviously my feelings have been changed for the better because of the rest of the story.

I still thought this was a little messy during certain parts, and the whole magical aspect is seemingly there only when it's convenient, but WHO CARES BECAUSE THE ROMANCE.

I am putting the majority of this review behind a cut, as there will be flailing. A lot of flailing. Because it's been awhile since I've felt the need to write an entire review in all caps. Fear not, I will restrain myself, but you have been warned nevertheless.

(view spoiler)

Anyway. I could make my flailing ridiculously long, but this review already makes little sense, SO, in short: I enjoyed this so much more than the first part and objectively I also think it's the better book/part. I liked reading about their life at court and the workings going on behind the scenes and the new characters that were introduced.

Plus, you know, have I mentioned that the courtship was a thing of beauty? Because it was.

Goodbye. ...more

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Dec 10, 2009 Valerie rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

I could go on and on about how much I appreciate the author for keeping everything fairly simple and great but I’ll keep it at a minimum. There were more politics in this book instead of the action present in the first book. I still really like Mel and she is still true to herself. She is headstrong, aware of her ignorance, and an all around nice girl.

Even though there was more politics in this book it wasn’t half as cumbersome as in other books I’ve read. There were a few times when I had to t ...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Parvathy rated it liked it

Shelves: conspiracy-theories, movie-material, tower-read, young-adult, tower-team-d, elizabeths-and-darcys, fantasy-politics, strong-females

Court Duel is a much better read than its prequel the Crown Duel. Usually I don't get to say this because if the first book is not an engaging read I don't bother with the next in the series. Even though Crown Duel was a slow read it really did pick up the pace towards the end and stopped at an interesting juncture that I had to read Court Duel. I do not regret it at the least.

The story picks where it left off from the revolt coming to an end and the evil king put to rest. Now Meliara wants noth ...more

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Apr 22, 2017 Phoebe rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, high-fantasy

THIS IS THE SLOW BURN TO END ALL SLOW BURNS. A MASTERCLASS IN SLOW BURNS. SO SLOW THAT I NEEDED TO READ IT ALL AT ONCE.

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Feb 14, 2009 Katie Hutchison Irion rated it really liked it

Cute, cute sequel to Crown Duel. If you pick this up, pick up a copy where both stories are in one book. I would have loved reading the first book and just flowing right into the second book. This one picks up right where Crown Duel leaves off and eventually finds Meliara in the captial. I really enjoyed the story and just loved that darling, elusive Marquis. I will admit, even though he was described as having very long light, blond hair, I just had to imagine him with dark hair because I could ...more

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Jan 21, 2012 laurel [suspected bibliophile] rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-books, 2019-read, fantasy

Six months after the defeat of Galdran, Meliara has dedicated herself to filling in the massive gaps of her knowledge and restoring Tlanth to prosperity. She's certainly not thinking about a particular Marquis or her horrendous behavior towards him—at least, not until her brother returns from the capital with a fiancee and...the Marquis of Shevraeth.

Meliara quickly realizes that it's time for her to take her place at Court, for better or worse.

My feelings on this book are torn. While I love and Six months after the defeat of Galdran, Meliara has dedicated herself to filling in the massive gaps of her knowledge and restoring Tlanth to prosperity. She's certainly not thinking about a particular Marquis or her horrendous behavior towards him—at least, not until her brother returns from the capital with a fiancee and...the Marquis of Shevraeth.

Meliara quickly realizes that it's time for her to take her place at Court, for better or worse.

My feelings on this book are torn. While I love and appreciate the slow burn romance, Mel's actions throughout a lot of this book struck me as...hypocritical? She goes to the capital for the express purpose of ensuring that the best ruler for the people of Relmana will be selected, and then fritters her time away at parties, picnics, new dresses, races and other frivolous activities without giving much of a hoot towards the governance of the country or how the people think about their potential new rulers. She even avoids Court for a long period of time—I get it, the Throne Room was the place where she hit rock bottom in life—which just is annoying as hell because that is precisely why you are there, Meliara.

Also, while Bran was a little annoying in the first book, in the second he turns into a loud-mouthed country bumpkin who is far more obnoxious and offensive than charmingly ignorant, particularly with the cutting comments he makes towards Mel's appearance and just about everything else Mel does. He didn't have much page time in this one, and what time he does have he's painfully one-note, with little depth, growth or intent to grow.

Meanwhile, I did like Meliara's utter dedication to educate herself by practically cramming a lifetime of education into six month's time. While she has flaws, she does acknowledge them and try to change—although in the case of Shevraeth, don't we all have that someone that we just don't like for some reason, and it's solely because of us and not them?

Upped from my previous three stars to four, because despite the frivolous wastefulness of Meliara's court time and, well, the weird ways she throws herself into the softer side of court life instead of actually doing what she came to set out doing, this was an entertaining read. I also love the intricate world-building. (view spoiler)

Plus, I have a soft spot for Shevraeth, and no I will not call him Vidanric. ...more

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Feb 09, 2010 Angela rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, fantasy

This book is very, very difficult to rate. I liked it - I really did, but there were just some things that drove me crazy about it, along with a nagging feeling that it just didn't live up to its potential.

Meliara spends most of this book in a vastly different setting from the last one: Rather than running around in rags and boys clothes, wounded, sick, and hunted, she finds her wealthy and successful self in the glittering court of the capitol. She still has a couple of minor adventures and pas This book is very, very difficult to rate. I liked it - I really did, but there were just some things that drove me crazy about it, along with a nagging feeling that it just didn't live up to its potential.

Meliara spends most of this book in a vastly different setting from the last one: Rather than running around in rags and boys clothes, wounded, sick, and hunted, she finds her wealthy and successful self in the glittering court of the capitol. She still has a couple of minor adventures and passing-out moments (good thing she always has someone there to pick her up, lay her down, or give her something warm to drink), but the plot was, in general, much more entertaining and believable this time around (at least, to someone like me, who likes regency literature). I loved her thirst for knowledge, the political discussions, and her anonymous admirer's ability to draw her out and teach her so subtly. I enjoyed her friendship with Nee, the "fan language," and seeing Mel find herself in society life.

Unfortunately, there were some major exasperations that deadened the thrilling experience I expected to have. It is clear - so very, very clear to the reader and the rest of the world that Shevraeth would make a great king, that the only way Smith could keep any kind of tension there was to keep a fiery, nonsensical prejudice alive in Meliara throughout a good two-thirds of the book. It made her petty and tiresome at times, and seemed to hinder her growth as a character (think Elizabeth Bennett refusing to give Darcy any credit at all for being a decent guy, even after learning about all of his motives, shyness, and provocations). Another problem was that the adventure and regency aspects of the story were not well-blended. The climax AFTER the climax was... well, weird. And to go from very little "magic" in the story to such a sudden, huge magical threat felt totally out of the blue and contrived.

Well, you can tell from the four stars that I still liked it. I would even recommend it, especially to those who enjoyed the first book in the series. It just takes a larger suspension of disbelief than you might expect. ...more

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Jun 04, 2013 Elaney rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, read-in-2013, reread, read-in-2016

I love this book.

First read: June 2013

I was not expecting much when I started this book. I was not expecting to like it at all. Boy was I wrong! I don't know if it was because I had such low expectations, but I LOVED it. I actually liked Meliara, which I was not expecting at all, and I enjoyed the story a lot more than Crown Duel. I enjoyed the intrigue, the politics, and, surprisingly, the romance. There are many ways the romance could have been over done, but it was perfect. It wasn't underde ...more

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Apr 14, 2011 Susan rated it it was amazing

These books (COURT DUEL and CROWN DUEL) are so delightful. I read them years ago and loved them (Vidanric remains one of my favorite heroes!), and I reread them only to love them even more. Mel is just SUCH an appealing character--she's sympathetic, funny, tough, and someone you'd want as your best friend. And Vidanric...well, let's just say "SWOON".

Be sure to check this series out! Sherwood Smith is one of my favorite authors, and her writing is always of the highest quality.

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Dec 25, 2017 Sakina (aforestofbooks) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017, books-i-own

4.5/5 stars!

THIS WAS SO GOOD! I preferred it to Crown Duel, mostly because I love court politics and seeing the inner workings of running a kingdom.

I loved every second of it – from the beginning when Nee was introduced and seeing Bran so happy, to seeing Mel learning about court behaviour and then adapting to court life. And the letters between her and the Unknown and just everything else! It was so cute and perfect and just gave me the right amount of feels.

About half way through the book I wa ...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Punica rated it it was amazing

Reasons Why I Enjoyed This Wonderfully Written Duology:

1. Very likeable characters.
2. The adventure & magic.
3. The humour.
4. The letters & the Secret Admirer. *squeels*
5. The Romance. NOT cheesy AT ALL!
6. Maliara. Girl, you crack me up! XD And because I kept reading your name as "Malaria". Fail! haha
7. Vidanric. So mysterious & cool & collected... *sigh*
8. Maliara & Vidanric's constant bickering! Guaranteed LOL fest! Haha!

"I am very much afraid," he said presently, "that

...more

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Feb 19, 2014 Katie rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-read-in-2014-new, books-read-in-2014-all, how-own, books-read-in-2016, format-ebook, books-read-in-2016-reread

~~This is the second half of Crown Duel, so it, too, must be kept secret for battle reasons.~~

4.5 stars

Definitely way more into this one. The romance was really great. (view spoiler)

I also really liked all of the court stuff in general. I want more of that kind of thing in fantasy!

Re-read March 2016

Book battle re-read.

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Mar 09, 2016 Joyce rated it really liked it

Shelves: uno-challenge-2016, ammp-unchallenge-2016, friends-enemies-to-lovers, part-of-series

3.5 *

Mel grew up halfway! That's good enough for me.

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Sep 14, 2015 Simply Sam ツ rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-light

I liked this one better than the first.

RTC....

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Oct 02, 2012 Lydia rated it it was amazing

The kingdom is on track to recover from Galdran's reign. Mel and her brother Bran are no longer outlaws, in fact, Bran has been welcomed into the inner circle of nobility. After her horrible experience with Galdran's court, Mel has been strenuously resisting taking part in the new government, pleading the state of their own county/castle and it's genuine need for some TLC. However, with the former king ousted, there is no clear line of succession, so several nobles could put forward a claim to t The kingdom is on track to recover from Galdran's reign. Mel and her brother Bran are no longer outlaws, in fact, Bran has been welcomed into the inner circle of nobility. After her horrible experience with Galdran's court, Mel has been strenuously resisting taking part in the new government, pleading the state of their own county/castle and it's genuine need for some TLC. However, with the former king ousted, there is no clear line of succession, so several nobles could put forward a claim to the throne, including the Marquise of Merindar (Galdran's sister), Mel's brother Bran and the enigmatic Marquis of Shevraeth. Bran has decided to forgo his claim in favor of Shevraeth, but many at court have noticed that Mel doesn't seem to support this choice so they begin to vie for her attention to support their own claims. To help quash the rumors (even if there's some truth to them) and to attend her brother's wedding, Mel reluctantly agrees to a visit to the royal city. After being so woefully under prepared to incite a civil war, she hopes she'll be better at maneuvering the skirmishes of court.

I have put this off far to long! I finished re-reading this about a month ago, but kept putting off writing my review because I didn't want to let it go! I first read this as a teen, and I connected with Mel so strongly that she's one of my literary "besties"; I get her motivations, sometimes I want to smack her for behaving like an idiot, but I can understand. So this, the end of her story, has always (and will always) have a special place on my shelf! Is it the height of intricate court maneuvered tapestry threads? No, I have read more complex plots. Is it perfectly written? Also no, the ending is a little muddled with so many weird things happening and one could argue a cheap Deus ex Machina (which I would contest, as (view spoiler)). But it is fun and sweet, with a good dose of spunk and a dash of courtly drama!

Content notes: Mild, made-up swearing. Kissing, mostly between betrothed couples; a woman is threatened with being made a "plaything" while under magical control, and alliances by marriage are discussed, though not presented as being "good" unless both parties like each other. Some perilous situations, including sword duels and standoffs, but the magical attacks are the messiest, as a person gets knocked over after being turned to stone and crumbles.

...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Metaphorosis rated it liked it

Shelves: 2013-rev, reviewed

Court Duel is better than its predecessor, Crown Duel, though it shares some of the same flaws. The story is a harmless young adult adventure, though it focuses more on court politics than I might have wished. On the pedantic front: the language is sometimes careless - several times, there are variants of "he had bade her to ...", where "bidden" would have been correct. But generally, it's a readable light fantasy.

More of a concern, even in a YA novel, are substantial flaws in court behaviour. F ...more

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Dec 31, 2011 Lydia Presley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2011, fantasy, fiction, young-adult, adventure

Original review posted here

Sherwood Smith, why oh why are your covers so horrifically bad? Because girl… you can write oh so good. Seriously, as I read this fantastic gem of a young adult fantasy duo I felt like pumping my fist and shouting GIRL POWER quite happily. Because this girl, this Meliara, she knocked my socks off.

So basically this story starts with an impoverished member of the court and his two kids, a boy and a girl. The girl has been left to her own devices, she’s run wild, and she ...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Me rated it really liked it

I read this book before the first (my mistake), but this book is so carefully written that it's able to explain to me what happened. I perfectly understand the events of the first (I did read it later) just from this book. The only problem I had was keeping Savona and Sharaveath apart, but I finally got a hold of that.

I can see why this would be better as an omnibus version.

Much of this book is spent learning court etiquette, which poses quite a few problems. Nothing in a physical plot really ...more

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Jul 02, 2008 Josie rated it really liked it

Shelves: absolute-favourites, young-adult, fantasy, books-i-own

I love that the romance is slowly, slowly built up over these two novels, and I also love Shevraeth, who is cool, calm and collected at all times (and very well dressed!). Mel thinks he is disdainful of her, or at the very least, indifferent, but not so! A good Darcy-Elizabeth type romance in a story will always get me, and this is no exception - initial dislike leading eventually to love...sigh... I also always enjoy the court intrigue, the outfits, the balls, the language of fans and of course ...more

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Mar 28, 2010 Libby rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Generally, I don't think much of sequels, but this book is a BIG exception. This is intrigue, romance, action, adventure and magic with a cherry on top! Our heroine faces a very different set of challenges from the first book, but she meets them with the same combination of honesty and spunk that she displayed in the previous volume. I have come to the point where I immediately buy any book by Sherwood Smith because I KNOW I'm gonna love it. Beat your feet down to the nearest bookstore or librar ...more

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Apr 25, 2016 Shannon rated it it was amazing

So good! Absolutely loved this. The characters were great and it picked up right where it left off in the first part of the story so it drew my attention from the beginning. There was a lot of growth in the main characters focusing more on Mel, which was great to read about. There was also a lot of cute little things that happened that made my heart leap with joy! Recommend all the way; it has become a new favourite!

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Nov 04, 2016 Natalie rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2016

Not as good as I remembered, but still really good.

My biggest complaint is that it seemed too short. Things were resolved too easily - especially the final conflict, which was resolved in a mere 6 pages.

I really liked Mel's growth as a character and I loved the anonymous romance. It was really cute how they wrote each other letters.

Overall very enjoyable, if a bit rushed.

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Oct 24, 2016 Captain Fox rated it it was amazing

The ending made me so happy, even when I already knew how it would end. I gave a similar scream of happiness as I did when George Cooper appeared in (view spoiler) Trickster's Choice. (view spoiler)

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Jan 21, 2018 Alaina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-a-million-times, spies, romance, the-hills-are-alive, binge-worthy, funny, fantasy, young-adult, adventure

I connected so many tidbits that I've missed in other readings. Truly better every time I read it!

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Jul 29, 2016 Charity rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Worth reading Crown Duel just to get to this book.

AMAZING!

A new addition to my favorites..

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Jan 13, 2018 Tabor rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-fantasy, fantasy, young-adult, female-protagonist-in-fantasy, fantasy-written-by-women, own

All of my books always have a story that accompanies them. For this one, I searched high and low for a copy of Court Duel. I was lucky to snag a withdrawn copy of Crown Duel from work and it was months before I finally purchased it from a reputable website. However, as usual, I was hesitant to read Court Duel simply because I was annoyed with Meliara. She fainted every time something important happened in Crown Duel and I didn't want to read a book about her fainting in court all the time.

Court All of my books always have a story that accompanies them. For this one, I searched high and low for a copy of Court Duel. I was lucky to snag a withdrawn copy of Crown Duel from work and it was months before I finally purchased it from a reputable website. However, as usual, I was hesitant to read Court Duel simply because I was annoyed with Meliara. She fainted every time something important happened in Crown Duel and I didn't want to read a book about her fainting in court all the time.

Court Duel surprised me. Perhaps, it's my love for Sansa Stark, but I loved all the courtly intrigue, Meliara's mysterious correspondence with unknown and her navigation and avoidance of smug ladies and lords. And since the book predates newer young adult fiction, the story does not involve a love triangle, or Meliara dreamily contemplating Savona and his intentions, but instead she is mistrustful of him, which does not make me roll my eyes at our lovely protagonist. Meliara is not seduced or even enchanted with her courtly peers, but regards them with suspicion. Unlike heroines in contemporary young adult, where the protagonist flirts with the idea of each one even when you know who she will end up with.

Court Duel's biggest fault is how short it is. Furthermore, I think the revelation of Vidanric as unknown and their subsequent romance could have been more drawn out. I would have loved to see more dialogue between the two characters, instead of Meliara avoiding Vidanric for a majority of the novel. Scenes of slow burn, where the reader obviously knows the identity of the unknown, and Vidanric is subtly hinting to Meliara of his affections.

In addition, I think Smith should have shown more instances of Meliara involved in the process of decision making in the government. She only attended one of those council meetings and we never actually saw Meliara's political finesse; a skill that I believe she possesses and would eventually become a brilliant queen. In other words, it would have been nice for Smith to hint at Meliara's future role as queen. Again maybe I'm expecting too much of a book that came out in 1998 and Meliara is simply only a prototype of later characters like Sansa Stark. However, Raymond Feist's Empire Trilogy had premiered almost a decade earlier and Mara was a political mastermind. To summarize my criticisms, Meliara should have shown off her newly acquired knowledge and accomplished more than throw a pretty awesome ball. ...more

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About Sherwood Smith

Sherwood Smith

37,373 followers

I am a writer, but I'm here on Goodreads to talk about books, as I've been a passionate reader as long as I've been a writer--since early childhood.

I'm not going to rate books--there are too many variables. I'd rather talk about the reading experience. My 'reviews' of my books are confined to the writing process.

Other books in the series

Crown & Court (2 books)

Books by Sherwood Smith

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Quotes from Court Duel

“No, I don't think I could fall in love with him, handsome though he is, because I don't accept any of that huff he gives me about my great beauty and all that. I'd have to trust a man's words before I could love him. I think.” — 38 likes

“It would have been funny if I had been an observer and not a participant, an idea that gave me a disconcerting insight into gossip. As I walked beside the silent Tamara, I realized that despite how entertaining certain stories were, at the bottom of every item of gossip there was someone getting hurt.” — 38 likes

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