Review: The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl by Theodora Goss

Author: Theodora Goss
Publisher: Gallery
Publication Date: October 2019

Life’s always an adventure for the Athena Club...especially when one of their own has been kidnapped! After their thrilling European escapades rescuing Lucinda van Helsing, Mary Jekyll and her friends return home to discover that their friend and kitchen maid Alice has vanished— and so has their friend and employer Sherlock Holmes!

As they race to find Alice and bring her home safely, they discover that Alice and Sherlock’s kidnapping are only one small part of a plot that threatens Queen Victoria, and the very future of the British Empire. Can Mary, Diana, Beatrice, Catherine, and Justine save their friends—and save the Empire? Find out in the final installment of the fantastic and memorable Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club series.

The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl is the third and final book in the Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club series.  I loved the first two books and was highly anticipating this finale.  The story takes up right after the events of the second book.  Alice, the maid, has been kidnapped and the group must track her down.    I'll be honest after reading this book, I can honestly say that I would have been good with the series being a duology. 

Don't get me wrong, the story is OK.  It was nice to catch up with the Athena Club and visit with them again.  However, I found the story kind of boring.  Nothing exciting happened. I never truly felt like any of them were in danger.  The villain was kind of dumb and the finally battle was anticlimactic.  I also found it to be a bit repetitive. For instance, by the third book, we all know that Beatrice can't touch anyone or she will kill them with her poisoned skin.  However, we are repeatedly reminded of this thr0ughout the book.  The story was a lot longer than it needed to be with too many characters needing time on the page.  The ending left things open for more books should the author decide to write more.   If you were  fan of the first two, give this one a try.  Maybe you will like it more than me.