Book Review | The Court of Venus

The Court of Venus by Bel Banta is an enthralling fantasy inspired by Tudor England (plus a hint of Shakespeare). It completely swept me away into a transportive world with dueling magicians, a deadly tournament, and court conspiracies abound.

First and foremost, the magic system is truly unique and well-wrought. The story incorporates an astrology-based magic system where the planet's alignment at the moment of a magician's birth determines their powers. For instance, Mercuryborns can create binding cyphers and can understand any language (because Mercury is the messenger god, get it?).

On the other hand, the main character, Bianca Mortlake, is a Moonborn. Consequently, her powers wax and wane with the phases of the moon. She’s also a shapeshifter (because the “face” of the moon constantly changes). She’s capable of turning into animals and disguises herself as other people in order to spy. Overall, I think it’s a really clever magic system that interprets the planets and is used within the story in interesting ways.

As the cherry on the cake, everything is wrapped up in gorgeous prose. Plus, the romance in this book is a slowburn between childhood rivals that actually feels earned.

Now I'm left impatiently waiting for the sequel.

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor, for providing me with a review copy.

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