quippe | Entries tagged with alison goodman

The Blurb On The Back:

Bath, December 1812.

Lady Helen Wrexhall is finalising the preparations for her wedding, but her focus is on the Dark Days Club. Time is running out to find the vital answers needed to defeat their unknown foe, the Grand Deceiver.

Lady Helen and Lord Carlston are also struggling to control their new dyad bond, and their illicit feelings for one another. As Helen tries desperately to juggle the demands of her double life, an old enemy arrives in Bath, bringing death and deceit.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The conclusion to Alison Goodman’s New Adult/YA LADY HELEN TRILOGY is a satisfying historical fantasy read with an excellent feel for the period and which further develops the worldbuilding and fantasy elements. However, it’s overwritten and overly complicated at times and some of the twists were very obvious earlier in the trilogy. The obligatory happy ending leaves room for a sequel series though, which I would definitely check out.

THE DARK DAYS DECEIT was released in the United Kingdom on 15th November 2018. Thanks to Walker Books for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Brighton, July 1812.

Lady Helen Wrexhall has taken refuge in Brighton following the scandalous events at her presentation ball. Now she must complete her Reclaimer training, ready to battle the Grand Deceiver believed to have arrived in England.

Her mentor, Lord Carlston, is facing his own inner battle, and as he fights the violent darkness within his soul, Lady Helen’s loyalty is tested. Entrusted with a secret mission by the Home Office, she must make the agonising choice between betraying those around her or breaking her oath to the Dark Days Club.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The second in Alison Goodman’s YA Regency fantasy trilogy is as good as the first, combining action and great period research that incorporates actual events and historical characters but the love triangle is too obviously skewered, Lady Helen is irritatingly impetuous at times and the age of the protagonists makes me wonder if this is actually New Adult rather than YA. I believed in Lady Helen’s emotional development as she realises just what it means to be a Reclaimer and what she’ll be giving up and enjoyed the scenes where she tries to be a man. However, she still reacts to events rather than drives them and while she describes herself as being driven by head rather than heart it’s never borne out by her actions. Carlston is a little two-dimensional for me and the attraction between him and Helen is more physical than emotional while the love triangle with Selburn (who’s arrogance and refusal to leave Helen alone left me cold) given how obviously it’s skewered in one direction. I could also do with a glossary of the different types of Deceiver, which remain confusing and the age of Helen and Carlston (18 and 26) makes me wonder if this is really YA. That said, Goodman neatly incorporates some real events from 1812, has a flair for action scenes and a great sense of period so although I think I have guessed book 3’s big revelation I will definitely read the conclusion.

THE DARK DAYS PACT was released in the United Kingdom on 26th January 2017. Thanks to Walker Books for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

London, April 1812. Lady Helen Wrexhall is set to make her curtsey to Queen Charlotte and step into polite Regency Society. Unbeknownst to Helen, that step will also take her from the glittering ballroom of Almack’s and the bright lights of Vauxhall Gardens into a shadowy world of demonic creatures, missing housemaids and deadly power. Standing between those two worlds is Lord Carlston, a man of dubious reputation and infuriating manners. He believes Helen is destined to protect humanity, but all he can offer is danger, savagery and the possibility of madness. Not the kind of destiny suitable for a young lady in her first London Season.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Alison Goodman’s YA historical fantasy (the first in a trilogy) is an elegant tale of manners, evil and the limitations that Regency society placed on smart women with drive and ambition. Billed as Cassandra Clare meets Jane Austen, I found it more a case of Buffy meets Georgette Heyer as this is very much a story about a woman coming into her powers (emotionally, intellectually, physically and supernaturally) while also experiencing her first feelings of love (in this case a potential love triangle involving Carlston and the Duke of Selburn). Goodman’s done a lot of research and I really enjoyed the details of Regency society (including foods, etiquette and dances) and the appearance of real people, notably Queen Charlotte, the Prince Regent and Beau Brummel (who I’d love to see more of given what happened to him). I thought that the types of Deceivers got a bit convoluted at times and I wasn’t quite sure of the differences between them (not helped by the terminology) but the Reclaimer abilities was more interesting and clearly thought through and I enjoyed the difficulties faced by Reclaimers in trying to defeat Deceivers, both in battle and in terms of the difference in numbers. The ending promises a change in setting to Brighton and based on this book, I definitely want to read more of Lady Helen’s adventures.

THE DARK DAYS CLUB was released in the United Kingdom on 21st January 2016. Thanks to Walker Books for the ARC copy of this book.