Quite good - I wish it had been longer! This book follows a pretty standard plot - young woman's life is turned upside down, she's sent to live in a cold household where she befriends a servant and has an odd relationship with another girl, then is whisked away to the royal court where friends are enemies and enemies become friends, handsome men abound, and foul suitors are waiting.

The details are great, though. This would be such a good book to turn into a movie or television series - so much of it involves sewing or embroidery but we obviously can't SEE any of it, which is disappointing.

I thought the author did a remarkable job at portraying the sort of... odd position Miranda and her fellow maidens were in - they're all 16 or thereabouts, so immature teenagers by our modern standards and prone to gossip and cattiness, but still adult women who are all fully able to be married and have children by the standards of the setting. It's such a weird thing to wrap your head around - basically high school sophomores who are all fully able to run their own household? I thought Jacqueline Kolosov did a great job at portraying just sort of the inherent oddness. The girls are pretty catty to each other but still have to put on so much grace and decorum because they're technically adults.

I was extremely alarmed when I realized there was about 60 pages left in the book. You could tell by then that everything would be wrapped up nicely, somehow, but I was upset because it seemed like we should've had more time with all the characters. I would've liked if the ending wasn't QUITE so tidy so we could get another novel about the characters.

So it's a bit odd, it's like some things aren't QUITE wrapped up (which makes sense, since it's not like in real life everything in your life just completely finishes being wrapped up on one random day), but the main storyline WAS wrapped up so parts of it felt like there needed to be a sequel but the main part of it DIDN'T.

All in all it was quite enjoyable. I wouldn't say it was FLAWLESS but it was a great book. Would highly recommend. ( )

I have an interesting relationship with A Sweet Disorder. For what seemed the longest time, it was on my "to read" list, but I could never seem to hunt it down anywhere for a decent price -such is the life of a bookworm. I was cleaning out my to read list a few months ago and I decided to dump this one and go with other books on the list. I nearly forgot about it, but something about the cover still haunted me. I kept seeing on the shelf at Barnes & Noble and wondering what fascinating world the pages contained. Since I'm trying out a reading challenge this year for YA historical fiction, I decided to put A Sweet Disorder back on the list, and was finally able to hunt it down at my library.

Life for Miranda changes completely when her father passes away and she is left with no dowry and no marriage prospects. After being sent far from home to be the ward of a distant relative, Miranda finds her way to the court of Elizabeth I, where she soon finds that court life is a complex web of politics and marriage games -which Miranda wants no part of. She would rather use her blossoming skills as a seamstress to become her own.

In some ways I felt rewarded, in others, a little cheated by A Sweet Disorder. First, Jaqueline Kolosov is a fabulous writer. She has the talent to craft a fascinating tone with meticulously-chosen words that convey story and character better than many other writers out there. In particular, I was drawn to Kolosov's dialog, which, though not exactly a completely accurate representation of the period, felt realistic and was easy to enjoy.

As for the cheated part -it felt like there were a few aspects of A Sweet Disorder that had the potential to become amazing but just never quite were realized. First, the characters aside from Miranda tended to be a little flat, and I was a little disappointed in the lack of characterization of Elizabeth I, who could have been a great character. Also, there were several points where it felt like the period was a little fuzzy, as if there wasn't enough detail or, with all of the marriage games afoot and the way it was written, sometimes the characters felt like they were constantly being sucked into a Jane Austen era-esque setting, rather than the Elizabethan period.

A Sweet Disorder is a decent book. It's a quick, easy and fun little read that's great for YA historical fans, but I wouldn't say it's the best one I've ever read. Kolosov is really a talented writer who has so much potential to create compelling stories, but she just isn't there yet. ( )

Good historical fiction. Some much of the story involves clothes and sewing - that I wish it had been illustrated! They all sounded gorgeous.

After her father dies in December 1579 while on a trip to Ireland for Queen Elizabeth I, shortly before her sixteenth birthday, Miranda Molyneux must face unpleasant changes in her life. Her hope for a possible engagement to Henry Raleigh is ended because of the debts her father left behind. And worst of all, she must leave her family, for she is sent to live with her father's relative, the earl of Turbury, and his wife, the countess. The countess is a very strict and religious woman, and Miranda finds little joy in her life there. The countess even disapproves of her embroidery, believing that wearing only simple clothing is part of living a godly life.

Life again changes for Miranda when the countess brings her to Elizabeth I's court. Life at court, with its banquets, festivities, and elegant clothing is a welcome relief in many ways from the monotony, dreariness, and religious severity of life at Turbury. But she quickly learns that court is a complicated place full of people looking out for their own self-interests and who will do whatever is necessary to gain wealth and influence. Miranda quickly makes both friends and enemies, and is reunited with Henry Raleigh. The reunion makes her long even more that things didn't have to change and they could still marry. But the countess wants to marry Miranda off to Lord Seagrave, a man whom Miranda instantly dislikes and knows she would have a miserable life with.

Jacqueline Kolosov brings to life the world of Elizabethan England in this elegant novel, Her writing style is lovely and detailed, with great attention paid to the clothing, food, and other aspects of life at the time. Miranda is a sympathetic heroine and readers will feel for her plight and hope for her to get her happy ending. I highly recommend A Sweet Disorder to readers, both teen and adult, who love historical fiction. ( )