The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

The Dark Days Club (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.

Reviewed by Joséphine on

3 of 5 stars

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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. These demons are carnal, drawing strength through clandestine human sexuality that impedes on the propriety of society.

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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 20 June, 2016: Finished reading
  • 20 June, 2016: Reviewed