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nmcannon 's review for:
European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman
by Theodora Goss
After absolutely loving The Alchemist's Daughter, I immediately requested European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman from the library, and my only disappointment is the third one's not out yet.
The Athena Club is back for another extraordinary adventure. While the first book felt very contained, like the author wasn't sure if a sequel would be published or not, this book stretches and expands and breathes and teases in a delightful manner. After receiving an urgent summons from Lucinda Van Helsing and Mina Murray, the Club members launch on a grand tour of the Continent, with stops in Paris, Vienna, and Budapest. Along the way they rejoin the Circus, seek aide from the glamorous Irene Norton (!!!), have a session with Freud (!), meet Carmilla and Laura (!!!), clash with Hyde, and have tea with none other than Dracula. Everything comes to a head at the annual SA Conference, where it's time to fight Van Helsing and his unethical scientific practices head on.
If you can't tell by the exclamation points, I was very excited about Goss' decision to include more Victorian lit characters and historical figures. Everything I loved about the last book was dialed to 11 in this one. Female friendship, ode to sci-fi creature features, interjections, domestic concerns, adventuring, and feminism sparkle and gleam. Goss does address some of the diversity wishes I had from the last one, but it's not always successful. Laura and Carmilla are acknowledged lesbians, and their love is admired and normalized. As for race, Catherine is joined by Zora, a British Indian woman who joins the circus with a snake charming act. I was happy at first, but when Catherine accidentally does something racist, she argues that, as a former puma, she "doesn't see race"...which would make sense if Catherine struggled with other major social norms and didn't have a best friend in Clarence, whose life revolves around the dichotomy of racial stereotypes and reality.
However, Catherine's faux pas is a small part in 700 pages of epic adventures and feminist shenanigans. I'm eagerly awaiting the finale of the trilogy and also very sad this series won't just go on forever and ever.
The Athena Club is back for another extraordinary adventure. While the first book felt very contained, like the author wasn't sure if a sequel would be published or not, this book stretches and expands and breathes and teases in a delightful manner. After receiving an urgent summons from Lucinda Van Helsing and Mina Murray, the Club members launch on a grand tour of the Continent, with stops in Paris, Vienna, and Budapest. Along the way they rejoin the Circus, seek aide from the glamorous Irene Norton (!!!), have a session with Freud (!), meet Carmilla and Laura (!!!), clash with Hyde, and have tea with none other than Dracula. Everything comes to a head at the annual SA Conference, where it's time to fight Van Helsing and his unethical scientific practices head on.
If you can't tell by the exclamation points, I was very excited about Goss' decision to include more Victorian lit characters and historical figures. Everything I loved about the last book was dialed to 11 in this one. Female friendship, ode to sci-fi creature features, interjections, domestic concerns, adventuring, and feminism sparkle and gleam. Goss does address some of the diversity wishes I had from the last one, but it's not always successful. Laura and Carmilla are acknowledged lesbians, and their love is admired and normalized. As for race, Catherine is joined by Zora, a British Indian woman who joins the circus with a snake charming act. I was happy at first, but when Catherine accidentally does something racist, she argues that, as a former puma, she "doesn't see race"...which would make sense if Catherine struggled with other major social norms and didn't have a best friend in Clarence, whose life revolves around the dichotomy of racial stereotypes and reality.
However, Catherine's faux pas is a small part in 700 pages of epic adventures and feminist shenanigans. I'm eagerly awaiting the finale of the trilogy and also very sad this series won't just go on forever and ever.