The Dark Days Club: A Lady Helen Novel (Lady Helen Trilogy, #1)

by Alison Goodman

The first book in the dark and compelling Lady Helen trilogy, set during the Regency period, will appeal to teenagers and adults alike. London during the Season is a whirl of balls, dinners and promenades – and, for a select few, the relentless battle against demons.

Jane Austen's high society and Cassandra Clare's supernatural underworld collide in the first book in the Lady Helen trilogy, perfect for fans of historical fiction and fantasy.

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. This delightfully dangerous adventure of self-discovery and difficult choices has all the unnerving dark magic of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and the swashbuckling action of The Scarlet Pimpernel.

• ISBN10: 1406358967
• ISBN13: 9781406358964
• Publish Date: 21 January 2016 (first published 1 January 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Walker Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 496
• Language: English

Reviews

[Empress of Sass]

2.75 /3

Well this didn’t live up to my expectations byte plot dragged, the characters were forgettable and it was way too bogged down in tedious descriptions of social custom and clothing. For an almost five hundred page book, not much happened. I think more time was spent discussing impending social occasions and then attending them then any actual demon hunting or Dark Days Club world building.

Helen is a blank slate of a protagonist. We’re constantly told how intelligent, brave and spirited she is but honestly I just didn’t see that. She was reluctant at every turn and seemed to only care about being ordinary- except that she didn’t even really want to commit to that either, what with not wanting to marry either. I got the impression she really did not know what she wanted.

The two love interests are cardboard cutouts. There’s not much substance there. We learn pretty much nothing about Selburn, and Carlston is a bad boy with a secret, but we never learn anything about that secret.

I’ll carry on with the series in hopes that this was a slow beginning, but just know that while this book is marketed as a demon hunting Austen-like regency story , it lacks the charm and wit of Austen and the demon hunting aspect is severely underdeveloped.

[empressbrooke]

More like a 3.5. Basically a Buffy set in the Regency era. I liked the meticulously researched details about the time period. I also liked that the main character is basically content with her life and doesn't really appreciate the intrusion of her higher calling. Which is Buffy-ish too, but I could see a different author making her more rebellious than a typical girl of her social standing during this time period would be. The constraints for women of her class are painfully spelled out, but it's also the world she grew up in. Setting her supernatural powers within these limitations makes for an interesting conflict.

The rules and worldbuilding for how the supernatural behave book are overly elaborate, to the point where I was rolling my eyes during some infodumpy conversations. However, I'm definitely planning on reading the rest of the trilogy.

[Kait ✨]

Loved this — it’s carefully and deeply researched, absorbing, action-packed, historically rich, and a cartload of sexual tension. This is a perfect blend of fantasy and Regency romance; the paranormal elements were really well-done and didn’t overpower the historical aspects of the book. Helen was totally awesome and a very kick-ass character (while being historically accurate and very sensible!). There are some Austen vibes — Helen’s headstrong nature being one of them, but also, there’s a letter and a dance! ❤️ There were definitely some frustrations with the novel for me (notably some lack of secondary character development), but they are small quibbles, and this book is undoubtedly worth your time if you are a fan of paranormal fantasy (although I’m usually not!), Regency romance, or especially if you like both.

[Rinn]

Also posted on my blog, Rinn Reads.

The Dark Days Club combines two things I love to read about:

- a fantastical spin on a real historical period
- real historical figures as minor characters

And it did it wonderfully! I absolutely loved the idea that behind this delicate society, where main concerns are the latest fashions, finding an appropriate husband before the spinsterly age of 23 and discussing who has been snubbed from the latest social event, there is a group of demon hunters. A group of demon hunters in Regency England, comprised of not just aristocratic gentleman who would be familiar with hunting and other such pursuits anyway, but society ladies, who swap their petticoats for trousers (scandalous!), and evenings filled with balls, champagne and dancing for hunting dark creatures. The book really exposes the ridiculousness of society at the time, where things seemed prim and proper on the outside, but often there was something darker hidden away.

I liked Helen as a character. She longs for the independence that her society will never grant her, and won’t settle for just being married off to the first available bachelor who will take her. Unfortunately, due to some family history, her name is not as desirable as it once was, and her uncle (and guardian) pretty much just wants to be rid of her. Helen is curious and intelligent, eager to learn and quick-witted. It wasn’t just Helen that was likeable, but also Darby, her maid. Their relationship in particular really stood out. Darby was more than just a maid, and the friendship between her and Helen felt so genuine. She could have easily been scared off by Helen’s abilities, but instead she was loyal and just as curious as Helen about what she could do.

I was a little dismayed by the pace of the book – it really was quite slow moving, and it is a good third of the way in before Helen even finds out what she is, let alone starts using her powers. I just wanted the demon hunting to commence asap! Sadly there just wasn’t enough action or demon slaying by the end for my taste, which is one of the reasons why this is a four star read rather than five stars. I’m hoping for a lot more in the second book to make up for it, but it also seems like Helen still has a lot to learn. One of my other issues was that it was quite predictable – none of the ‘shocking’ events were a surprise and it was easy to guess what was going to happen. Finally, at times there was quite a bit of info dumping, which can be quite frustrating.

However, I found The Dark Days Club to be a really fun novel, if slow to start. I absolutely loved the concept, and the contrast between the genteel society and the demon hunters. I’ll definitely be looking out for the second book in the series!

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

Initial thoughts: It took too long before I found myself invested in The Dark Days Club. The prose was awfully quaint. Perchance it was set to reflect English as it was spoken in the year 1812. Alas, the plot unfolded dreadfully slowly, compounding my boredom throughout the first half of the book.

Thankfully, there was a turn of events when the severity of the supernatural circumstances were impressed upon Lady Helen. Oddly, her sense of urgency did not convince me all to much. Furthermore, the nature of these demons did not sit well with me for I found the imageries most disturbing. (show spoiler)[These demons are carnal, drawing strength through clandestine human sexuality that impedes on the propriety of society.] (hide spoiler)

I also imagine that some might not enjoy the romance. It is slow and involves more than one suitor for the Lady Helen. As ardent readers of my reviews might already know, I am not fond of excess in that department. In The Dark Days Club romance was kept at a reasonable level to allow other matters time to breathe as well. However, I doubt that the match that I support will come to fruition as the series carries on, so that does make me a little sad.

Nonetheless, as I read the last page, I yearned to pick up the sequel immediately. Me thinks that the series surely will improve. I must also mention that it is to Ms Goodman's great credit that she researched the Regency period so thoroughly and sought to present a historically accurate London as a backdrop to her fantastical paranormal elements.

[liz089]

Read more about this review and others on my blog Freyja Eats Books

REVIEW.
This book is the first part in the Lady Helen series, which will consist of three books in total. Unfortunately, they are not released yet and we will have to wait until next year..

I picked this book up in the middle of my book slump.. I have not been able to stick to a book in a while and it is really bothering me. Because it took me a while to finish this one.. I think around a week and a half ? I can’t say if it is because of my slump or if I would normally take this long to finish this book.

It is not that long a read, just over 400 pages.. but at times it felt very long. I had to push myself to continue reading it, but when I was in it, I wanted to continue reading and was right back into this new world.

So the story is about Lady Helen, who lives in the Regency era in London, England. She lives with her aunt and uncle (who is a complete asshat) because her parents died tragically a couple of years back. Her mother got branded as a mad woman and a traitor and Helen tries her best to overcome that “taint”. While going through the motions as an eligible woman ready for marriage, she finds out there was more to her mother than she thought and she inherited her powers. She is a Reclaimer, who can fight evil Deceivers and reclaim tainted souls. Lord Carlston, who is a Reclaimer himself, tries to help her as a mentor and train her. But because of her coming into her powers, there is also the arrival of the prophesised Grand Deceiver…

I can’t help comparing this book to These Vicious Masks, that I read earlier this year. Even though they have a very different plot, both of them feature a noble woman in an era where they are seen as some kind of burden. Women are less than men and have be taken care of. Both of them are woman with more life in them, and who do things that are frowned upon. Only on the side of lady Helen they fight against “demons”, a different kind of creature, and in lady Evelyn’s story we ourselves, humans, very extraordinary powers. Both have a men in their lives who have powers of their own and are trying to convince them of their own.
But, to be honest ? If you are in the mood for a fantasy novel around this era.. I would recommend These Vicious Masks above The Dark Days Club.

This book was very slow paced, had not that much action in it, and the romance was well.. what romance ?? There was NO ROMANCE ! I was kind of looking forward to this one with more promise of romance.. but there was almost no flirting or passion in this book at all. NO SWOONING MOMENTS. Quite disappointing.

I did like the world building, even though it was slow-paced, it gave a lot of background and information about how the world works. With different kind of Deceivers, and the Terrane, who help the Reclaimers, combined woth some Alchemy and stuff. I liked that.

I’m also a big fan of this era, and she put a lot of history in the plot. Though it was very thorough.. I could have lived without all the callings and sitting at stiff diners. For me, that kind of put me off the plot sometimes and made me like it a little less. I would have liked it better if she put more information into the Reclaimer world instead.

Also.. even though I liked the main character, I did not really feel much connection to her. I loved the plot and that was what kept me going.. but it did not really pull me in as much as I would have liked. Maybe it’s me? But I missed something.

Oh !! And what is up with Lord Selburn ?? I do not trust him AT ALL.

FINAL THOUGHTS.
Overall I liked the book, it is the first one I managed to finish in weeks, but it was a little too slow for me. I would have liked more passion and action, and the lack of romance was a real bummer.. But I did like it, and now that all the world-building is settled, I hope the next one will be a bit faster paced. So, I would like to give this one 3 Freyja’s, and I hope the next book will be better.

[Nicole Lynn]

4.5/5 stars

Really enjoyed this book and I'm curious to see where the story is headed. I really liked the historical setting and Goodman did a great job writing it.

Review to come!
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This review previously appeared on my blog, PopCrunchBoom Books

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman follows Lady Helen in 1812 London. Helen has been preparing for marriage season at eighteen-years-old under her aunt & uncle's watchful eyes. However, one of her household's maids disappears and then the mysterious (presumably dangerous) Lord Carlston appears back in society. Helen wants to get to the bottom of her maid's disappearance, if Lord Carlston's involved and to figure out the confusing instincts/feelings she's been having lately. Soon Helen is swept away into a mission that might help her figure out who she really is and oh possibly save all of London as well. Of course, there's that pesky hindrance of not being able to trust anyone, even though Lord Carlston says he's an ally. All Helen really knows is that things are definitely going to be changing and she can't let her family know anything.Goodman does a wonderful job of bringing this interesting story to life. The world-building is excellent and I really felt like she captured the setting and time period well. The story develops somewhat slowly which could be a negative spot for some readers. For me, however, I felt the slow build up really played into the storyline and Helen's character. Helen is  just figuring out the supernatural underbelly of London and the slow changes to not only herself physically, but also in her knowledge base are developed wonderfully by Goodman in her writing. I really felt like I got a good sense of Helen's character. Also the slower build-up allowed me to be right with Helen as she discovered her new role in the supernatural world of 1812 London.


What I loved most about this novel is that romance actually seemed to play a back-burner role within this story. Yes, Helen does have a suitor within the novel and of course there some other possible shippings happening (really kind of just in my mind so far lol), but these "romantic" relationships don't play a major role in the novel. I felt the novel focused more on Helen's character development and the supernatural-side to things. I loved how Helen was a realistic character. She struggled to not defy her aunt & uncle, while also trying to stay true to her parents. Also, Helen doesn't easily agree to entering into and assisting with this supernatural world. She thinks through what she really wants--she has a choice. I find this refreshing since many MCs just jump right in like everything is alright and there's no worries about changing their life drastically. Of course, this could just be my practical personality shouting through.

I also really loved the prominent friendship relationship seen through Helen and her lady's maid, Darby. Their interactions, loyalty and trust of one another was a refreshing thing to read. Much like Truthwitch's friendship relationship focus, I felt The Dark Days Club definitely added to that friendship representation within YA novels.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this novel was the successful intermix of historical London with the supernatural. Goodman does a great job of weaving both of these genres together to create this story. Her writing is great and I felt like she has done a good deal of research into the time period because it felt authentic (outside of the supernatural stuff, course haha). Also, this plays well into her world-building abilities. Having certain people "in the know" about the supernatural side made it more believable for me.


Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I rated it 4.5 stars mainly because of the pacing issue (see below) and the fact that I'm just slightly hesitant to give it a 5 start. I seem to be reserving 5 stars more lately for books that really, really wow me. However, this book was very entertaining and intelligent as well as an interesting take on historical fiction as well as the supernatural genre. I haven't come across this type of supernatural being/enemy before in my readings, so that's another unique aspect to this book. The only real down-side is the pacing which I mentioned above. While I didn't have a problem with the slower build-up type of pacing, someone who might not be as into historical fiction and looking for more quicker action might have issues with this novel. I personally found that the pacing fit with the story, but it might turn others to DNF or just get a little frustrated at some spots. With this said, I'd definitely recommend it to both historical fiction and supernatural/paranormal readers. I enjoyed this book a lot and cannot wait to find out what happens next with Lady Helen!

[Amber]

This review was originally posted on Books of Amber

I was so ready to dive into The Dark Days Club and absolutely adore it. Eon has to be one of the earliest hyped fantasy books in the YA community, and I have had it sitting on my shelf unread for years. Everyone loves it, and everyone has recommended it to me. So you can imagine how excited I was to have a month of reading everything by Alison Goodman, right?

Well, whatever excitement I was feeling was killed after about fifty pages of The Dark Days Club. I tried, I really did. I tried so hard. But the book was too slow for my liking, and I just couldn't get into it quick enough to love it. Things were great in the beginning, but just before the whole paranormal world is revealed to Lady Helen things just got really, really slow.

Then there was a huge info-dump after Helen discovered this secret club. Information was (almost) literally thrown at me over and over again, and the characters kept explaining all of this stuff about demons that really should have been shown to me instead. 

As for the characters, I liked Helen. She was all right. But she's the only one I felt even the slightest connection with, which is to say she is the only one who is fleshed out enough to read about. I was probably meant to like Carlston as well, and there were moments where I did, but overall he was very dull and failed to catch my interest.

The Dark Days Club reminds me a lot of The Diviners, in the sense that it was slow, the world building was in the background, and there wasn't a decent ship. I still want to read Eon though, because DRAGONS.

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I read EON earlier this year, and while I liked aspects of that book, I did have a few reservations that kept me from picking up the sequel, EONA. Still, Alison Goodman's writing and gift for storytelling compelled me to try her new series. And I loved it!

I'm a huge fan of Gail Carriger's paranormal victorian novels (both the adult and YA series), and found THE DARK DAYS CLUB a lovely addition to that genre mashup (if a touch more Jane Austen than P.G. Woodhouse). The period details are rich and painstakingly researched, infusing the entire novel with effortless authenticity (and there tons of real historical events and figures sprinkled in for good measure). I was completely taken with Lady Helen and the realistically portrayed patriarchal society surrounding her (it wasn't overly inflated for effect, nor was Lady Helen modernized in her reactions to the gender roles of the time--that drives me nuts in many Regency novels where the heroine acts like a modern woman would). The limitations that Lady Helen has to navigate because of her sex, reveal just how resourceful and intelligent she is without disregarding the Regency era norms.

There are only a couple things keeping this from recieving a 5 star rating. This is a long book (nearly 500 pages), a touch too long in places. I love all the details, but even I could have done with maybe a hundred pages less. Also, it doesn't feel YA at all. Lady Helen is eighteen, and ready for marriage for the time period. It feels very adult, which may disappoint some readers. Still, I loved this book and already have the next Lady Helen book (due for publication in 2017) on my wishlist.

[nightingalereads]

4 1/2 stars

I could not possibly love this book more. And I really really really need the sequel.