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.
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!
Author: Theodora Goss
Publisher: Saga Press
Date of publication: August 2017
Based on some of literature’s horror and science fiction classics, this is the story of a remarkable group of women who come together to solve the mystery of a series of gruesome murders—and the bigger mystery of their own origins.
Mary Jekyll, alone and penniless following her parents’ death, is curious about the secrets of her father’s mysterious past. One clue in particular hints that Edward Hyde, her father’s former friend and a murderer, may be nearby, and there is a reward for information leading to his capture…a reward that would solve all of her immediate financial woes.
But her hunt leads her to Hyde’s daughter, Diana, a feral child left to be raised by nuns. With the assistance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Mary continues her search for the elusive Hyde, and soon befriends more women, all of whom have been created through terrifying experimentation: Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherine Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein.
When their investigations lead them to the discovery of a secret society of immoral and power-crazed scientists, the horrors of their past return. Now it is up to the monsters to finally triumph over the monstrous.
When I read the synopsis for The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter, I was excited to dive right in. I am a big fan of the classic monster books, so I had high hopes this one would be good. Imagine if the monsters had offspring and they all got together with Sherlock Holmes to solve some gruesome murders in White Chapel. Sounds weird yet fascinating, right?
I ended up really enjoying this book. It was a lot of fun. I know some people may think there is too much thrown in to the story. I'll be honest, there kind of was, but it somehow all worked for me. You just kind of have to let let yourself go and sink into the story. All of the characters were interesting and had back stories that I didn't mind taking side tracks to read about. My favorite was Diana. Her spunk was really funny and refreshing. I wouldn't say she was feral, she was just extremely precocious. One aspect of the book that I loved was when the narrative would break and the women, who were all writing the book together, would interject with comments. It made the story a lot more fun.
There are a couple of mysteries that the ladies have to solve. Who is killing women in White Chapel and taking body parts? How are they tied to the Société des Alchimistes? What is this secret global organization that their fathers all seem to be tied to in one way or another? The book ends with some questions answered and some still unsolved. I found out there are two more books planned. I definitely looking forward to reading the next one.
