And the new characters introduced are great too.

Her interruptions to talk about social issues, which then got interrupted by others who’re sick of hearing it, was my favourite running gag. My favourite character, however, remains Beatrice. Justine and Mary’s growing friendship was a highlight for me: it’s just nice to see two relatively polite, quiet people get shit done together. The whole club is split into two for most of the book, and I enjoyed seeing them interact and solve problems without their whole “arsenal”.

I really appreciated that: while before the group felt more like a team thrown together by necessity, now they feel more like friends. It’s very pretty, it runs on coffee, and Knödel (Austrian dumplings) are disgusting.īecause it’s a sequel, however, we get more time to deepen the bonds between the Athena Club members. Which, by the way, I don’t know Hungary well at all, but Goss definitely nailed Vienna. Except this time, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire! It offers a lot of the same (in a good way!) - funny asides and bickering that breaks the fourth wall encounters with historical and literary personages, including Irene Adler and Dr Freud and altogether a fun, female-centric adventure. I really loved the first book in this series and I enjoyed the sequel too. The Athena Club thus has to make sure they not only save Lucinda, but also don’t get into even greater trouble themselves. Along the way, of course, they run into members of the mysterious Alchemical Society, some of whom have their own agenda. They must set off from London and make their way across the Austro-Hungarian Empire to rescue her. If you’re thinking of getting into the series, check out my review of book #1, The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter!Įuropean Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman picks up where the last book left off: the Athena Club has gotten a request to help the missing Lucinda Van Hellsing. I do kind of want more, just because I really like the way Brennan interprets the story.This is a review for book #2 of the Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club series, so there’s spoilers for the first book.

I can’t pick out a single line or passage: it’s mostly simple, with some of the imagery and phrasing from translations of Homeric verse, maybe a bit of Ovid. The passive woman of the Homeric epic steps aside to reveal a woman who takes her own fate into her hands. She’s a clever woman, and this puts her in an active role, taking a hand in her own fate and even her husband and son’s fate. Why does Penelope weave and unpick a funeral shroud for her husband to delay the suitors? A clever take on a piece of mythology we often take at face value. I don’t normally review short stories and such, but this one caught my eye and I love the cover, so why not? It’s available to read online, for free, here it’s not a long read, not even really a retelling, but a glimpse behind the scenes.

Daughter of Necessity by Marie Brennan