My biggest minor quibble from the previous book in this trilogy followed me to this one. I love the conceit of the book characters inserting their commentary into the writing, but it still reduces some of the tension since I know everyone survives to the end.
That being said, this was still a tale filled with plenty of exciting adventure, sending the members of the Athena Club on another thrilling chase — this time, across the Continent. We also meet more “monstrous gentlewomen” and some familiar friends in the forms of Count Dracula, Mina Murray, and Irene (Adler) Norton.
Who, you might ask? One thing I love about these books is that they don’t hold the readers’ hands. We’re expected to have a modicum of familiarity with the classic tales that inspired this work, such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Goss includes her own “modern” feminist twist on the tales as they’re represented in her world, which is much appreciated.
I’ll definitely be picking up the final book in this trilogy once it’s released. I’m invested in these wonderful ladies, and they still have a lot of work (and adventuring) to do.
Rating: 4 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.