The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter (The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club, #1) in Crazy Challenge Connection

Dec 29, 2020 ☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ rated it really liked it

Q: We are modern. And, of course, monstrous . . . (c)

I read this one on a whim and am not disappointed too much.

The good:
- The banter lovely.
- The sleuthy setting.
- Love the setting and the character building.

The bad:
- Where's the info for the world-setting? Yes, I know, everyone's always crying about infodumps. Well, I love my infodumps and there's no info in here. Who are these people standing next to the grave? For example, who is this gal Diana? Why do I have to look for this unfo around t ...more

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Feb 15, 2019 Anita Reads rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, read-2019, mystery, science-fiction, historical-fiction, young-adult

[4.5 stars]
I loved this book a lot. I had the most fun listening to this audio.
It is sort of a mixed retelling of different classics, but with the villain’s daughters who form a club and gets the help from Holmes and Watson to help with their case.
I personally haven’t read any of the Classics referenced in this book (except the first 2 Sherlock books from Arthur Conan Doyle), but even with my limited knowledge of these classics, it didn’t take away my enjoyment of reading this book, and only man ...more

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May 18, 2018 Lindsay♫SingerOfStories♫ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-reads

Two things drew me in to this book: the cover and the title. From just these two things, I couldn't fully tell exactly the time period or genre, but I did know that I wanted to find out more and I'm glad I picked it up.

The book mainly centers around Mary Jekyll--yes, as in the daughter of the infamous Dr. Jekyll. She is alone and penniless after the disappearance and (alleged) death of her father and recent madness and death of her mother. Mary decides to seek a reward for the capture of her fat Two things drew me in to this book: the cover and the title. From just these two things, I couldn't fully tell exactly the time period or genre, but I did know that I wanted to find out more and I'm glad I picked it up.

The book mainly centers around Mary Jekyll--yes, as in the daughter of the infamous Dr. Jekyll. She is alone and penniless after the disappearance and (alleged) death of her father and recent madness and death of her mother. Mary decides to seek a reward for the capture of her father's capturer, the mysterious Mr. Hyde, in order to solve her financial troubles. Her search leads her, in stead, to new companions in the form of Hyde's daughter Diana, Sherlock Holmes (whom she turns to for aid), Catherine Maureau, Justine Frankenstein, and Beatrice Rappaccini. The soon-to-be-called Athena Club's adventures lead them around London seeking answers about dark experiments which are both fascinating and dangerous, but which link them all together in some way.

I very much appreciated the concept of this book, which was getting together the 'daughters' of gothic horror. For once, we're not seeing all male monsters but females, and they're heroines! What?! They are making the role of monstress look good! Its so interesting--the author gives each character their own personality based on their environment and how they were made, taught, raised, or "born" if you will. We get to hear their stories and it really is so fascinating. We do also see a bit of the personality of Sherlock & Watson as well. Goss really does touch on all of the characters.

The only reason that I didn't absolutely love the book is the structure. The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter is written with frequent and random present-day dialogue interruptions from the characters in the Athena Club. A running commentary, if you will. To me, they are sometimes too distracting and excessive. I just didn't feel they were necessary. I just couldn't figure out if they were meant to lighten the mood? I have no idea what the purpose is. They are literally anywhere from 2-10 lines of dialogue every few pages. Why? Oh well.

Other than that though, I really enjoyed the book. I love classic, gothic literature and this was a great spin on the stories. I can't wait to read more in this series! ...more

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Aug 21, 2019 Almeta rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sigh-phan, 2die4, revue, hear-ye

The "daughters" of all your favorite gothic mad (or at least ecccentric) scientists consult with Holmes and Watson, as the famous team seaparately investigates serial killings in White Chapel.

Between the lines of the mysteries runs the ink of feminist constraint and suppression in the Victorian age.

Grinned every time the storytellers broke the Fourth Wall, à la Greek Chorus style, with commentary. If you listen to the audio, be aware that these interruptions are coming. Without the visual aid o ...more

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