The Dark Days Club

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman is the first book of her Lady Helen series.

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?

The Breakdown:
1. Goodman's novel is like if Supernatural went Regency London. I appreciate the Goodman did a lot of research regarding the time period, but she need not need to put everything she learned about it into the first half of this book. The first half was so filled with etiquette, clothing, and parties, that I began to wonder if there was going to be a point to the book other than London aristocracies lavish lifestyle.

2. That being said, once Goodman got into the story of Lady Helen's abilities and why she has them, the book got much better. She did still get bogged down in the details of explaining Reclaimers and Deceivers at times, but there were some really great characters and moments in the second half of the book.

3. I did enjoy the character of Lady Helen. She is strong and intelligent.  She is not afraid to be herself, even in a time when a Lady being witty and curious about life was frowned upon.  She is faced with more than one tough decision, and despite possible consequences to her reputation, she does the right thing.

4.  Lord Carlston is an interesting character.  I cannot quite decided if I truly like him or not.  He can be very abrasive most of the time, but there are times where he truly seems to care for others.  Most of the book, I am unsure of his motives for Helen, and there are so many questions about his past and what happened to his wife.

To Read or Not to Read:
All in all, I say read, but probably skim most of the first half.