Review: European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss

Author: Theodora Goss
Publisher:  Saga Press
Date of publication: July 2018

Mary Jekyll’s life has been peaceful since she helped Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson solve the Whitechapel Murders. Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherine Moreau, Justine Frankenstein, and Mary’s sister Diana Hyde have settled into the Jekyll household in London, and although they sometimes quarrel, the members of the Athena Club get along as well as any five young women with very different personalities. At least they can always rely on Mrs. Poole.

But when Mary receives a telegram that Lucinda Van Helsing has been kidnapped, the Athena Club must travel to the Austro-Hungarian Empire to rescue yet another young woman who has been subjected to horrific experimentation. Where is Lucinda, and what has Professor Van Helsing been doing to his daughter? Can Mary, Diana, Beatrice, and Justine reach her in time?

Racing against the clock to save Lucinda from certain doom, the Athena Club embarks on a madcap journey across Europe. From Paris to Vienna to Budapest, Mary and her friends must make new allies, face old enemies, and finally confront the fearsome, secretive Alchemical Society. It’s time for these monstrous gentlewomen to overcome the past and create their own destinies. 

European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman is the sequel to The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter (my review).  I was really looking forward to reading this one because I thoroughly enjoyed the first book.  I wasn't disappointed.  It is a long book at over 700 pages.  However, I didn't feel like it dragged in anyway. The book can be read as a stand alone.  But, I would advise reading the first book before this one. It is a better way to understand the Athena Club members' origin stories.  

I loved this sequel.  It was so much fun spending time with these characters again.  Diana is still secretly my favorite character.   The humor in the story was so refreshing. I loved the adventure adn there was never a dull moment.  In this outing, the women are once again fighting a secret society of alchemists.  They travel to Budapest to rescue Lucinda Van Helsing from the evil clutches of her father.  This was such a unique the twist on Dracula's story.  The book ends on a big cliffhanger, so I can't wait for the next one to come out.  I highly recommend both books!