The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman
Book Stats:
Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Hardcover: 482 pages
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Release date: December 14th, 2015
Series: Lady Helen #1
Source:
Reviewed by: Kara
New York Times bestseller Alison Goodman’s eagerly awaited new project: a Regency adventure starring a stylish and intrepid demon-hunter!
London, April 1812. On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall’s presentation to the queen, one of her family’s housemaids disappears-and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?
I loved Alison Goodman's
Eon &
Eona series, so I was anticipating picking up this book/series!
When
you typically think of Regency romances you think of young ladies being
presented into society, trying to find a good marriage, perhaps
attempting to navigate social hierarchy and intrigue...usually a Jane
Austen-type atmosphere that is very chaste and free of impropriety. (And
I <3 austen="" jane="" p="">
This is not your typical Regency romance. Not even for teens.
Instead
it takes the typical Regency romance surface and exposes a dark,
dangerous underbelly full of scandal, demons, deceivers, and
graphic horrors--case
in point, it describes the rape of a woman by a demon and how this is
what gains the demons nourishment and allows them to continue their
demonic line through the woman's children. The almost virginal contrast
of the Regency era and this vivid violence made this a very hard book to
read, not because it wasn't really good, but because of the expectation
on our heroine Helen to be both innocent and demure and then having her
turn around killing demons and witnessing sexual violence. It has a lot
of shock value, both to Helen and the reader. In fact, the age range
for this book is supposedly 8th and up; I would have trouble as a
librarian recommending this to a middle schooler...
This book also
moves slower than most YA, but is still engaging, especially once Helen
starts finding out secrets about herself and her family (i.e. The Dark
Days Club). I really enjoyed how thoughtful Ms. Goodman was with the
level of detail in describing the demons and their history, their
relationship to those who, because of bloodline, are in the Dark Days
Club. She also pays particular attention to historical details that
rings authentic. I really hope there's more of Queen Charlotte and other
big-wigs in society in the next book.
My favorite part about the
book was our heroine Helen who, despite being confined by the typical
Regency society/rules and having an overbearing uncle who naturally
thinks women beneath his level of thinking and reasoning, an aunt who
tries to moderate the uncle but still tars Helen with her sister's
supposed misdeeds, and a brother who is useless at protecting her and
fairly self-concerned if not a bad guy. She really doesn't have a voice
among the people she should, and this is likely indicative of the time
period, especially most women in society. Others reviewers have pointed
this out as Helen not putting up a defense for her actions, which is
sort of true, but also conventional rules don't give her one.
In
case you're interested, here are a few online articles about the subject
that will shed light on why, I believe, Helen does act according to
society, at least until she has no choice through Mr. Carlston. For
historical context (Beau Brummel), check out this post by Carolyn
McDowell, "
THE REGENCY IN ENGLAND – MISTRESSES, CONSORTS & CLEVER WOMEN". To read more about women and marriage in the Georgian era, read the brief excerpt by author Charlotte Betts "
Women and Marriage in the Georgian and Regency Period".
For more about young ladies and the importance of etiquette in the era,
Maria Grace guest posts on author Kim Rendfeld's blog on "
The High Stakes of Etiquette for Young Ladies in the Regency."
It
isn't until close to the end of the book that Helen gets to stand out a
bit and make some decisions for herself, even if they come at a hefty
cost. I almost forgot the romance! What exactly is going on with her and
Carlston? What will she decide in regards to the Duke of Selburn, who
by all accounts is an impeccable match? I'm not sure yet...I'll have to
read book 2!
Synopsis: 
Gabrielle Harbowy got her start in the publishing industry as a Pricing Analyst at Scholastic. Since leaving the corporate side of publishing in 2006, she has edited for publishers including Pyr, Lambda Literary, and Circlet Press, and spent a decade as the managing editor at Dragon Moon Press. She copyedits professionally and is a submissions editor at the Hugo-nominated Apex Magazine. With Ed Greenwood, she co-edited the award-nominated When the Hero Comes Home anthology series; their latest anthology endeavor is Women in Practical Armor, from Evil Girlfriend Media. Her short fiction can be found in several anthologies, including Carbide Tipped Pens from Tor, and her first novel, Hellmaw: Of the Essence, is available from The Ed Greenwood Group. She also has a Pathfinder Tales novel, Gears of Faith, from Paizo. For more information, visit her online at 
