Long time, no post! Life, re-reads (does anyone really need more reviews of Harry Potter?), and a terrible book slump got in the way last year, but I’m hoping to rekindle this blog and start posting reviews again. I’ve just finished a couple of really excellent ones and I wanted to share with fellow readers!
First up: The Dark Days Club. A mash-up of Regency England high society and demons. Lady Helen has been living in the shadow of her mother’s scandal her whole life. Little does she know that her mother was involved in something much deeper than trading intelligence with Napoleon. When she meets Lord Carlston, a man accused of killing his wife, the world as she knows it is turned upside down and she learns of her mother’s legacy: fighting demons who have infiltrated every level of society. And now Lord Carlston expects Lady Helen to take up her mother’s reins.
This was a very well written and well-researched book. Regency England unfolded perfectly on every page. I love books like that, when you can tell the author has put a lot of work into making the setting feel so real. There were times when I dashed to look something up — not because it was confusing, but because I wanted to know more! (That’s the history major coming out in me.)
The characters were witty and charming. I loved that Lady Helen was intelligent, curious, and forward-thinking — but while she was willing to throw off some of the more traditional womanly roles, she was also a product of her time and enjoyed things like dances and dresses. It made her feel real too and less like one of those heroines who is “strong” and totally ahead of her time for the mere purpose of having a strong, ahead-of-her-time heroine.
As far as plot goes, it was pretty interesting! I’m wary of “creature and hunter” type novels because they’re often a bit cliche, but I didn’t think this one was at all. It was clever, interweaving historical events and people with supernatural elements — and working out how a lady was able to have covert meetings with a man she’s been forbidden to meet! I will say there were a few points where the plot really slowed down but it didn’t stop my desire to continue flipping pages.
Overall, loved this book — it was the perfect thing to get me out of a book slump!
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Can I like the fact that you’re reviewing books again? Yes, I can!