The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl - the Third Extraordinary Adventure of the Athena Club

And another one bites the dust, as the saying goes (sigh).  I absolutely HATE beginning one of these posts that way, but unfortunately, it's a fact.  When I picked up the first Extraordinary Adventure of the Athena Club novel, I had high hopes.  An intriguing new series about the daughters of Dr. Jeckyll, Mr. Hide, Frankenstein, Dr. Rappaccini, Dr. Moreau, Van Helsing, and more - solving mysteries that could very well affect not only their 19th century England, but the entire world!  And the writing - wow!  I was utterly loving the style of Theodora Goss, and her interjecting of the characters' voices as they "talk" with Catherine as she "writes" each novel.  It was fun, it was adventurous, and it was filled with mystery, action, danger, suspense, romance, and just about everything else you would want in a great read.  And the second book not only held up against the first, but surpassed it.  So, when it finally came time to read this third book, you can imagine my utter disappointment when I read the tag at the top of the front cover:

"Ends on a high note." 

Seriously?  I quickly turned it over and saw the description, which started with "Mary Jeckyll and the Athena Club race to save Alice - and foil a plot to unseat the Queen - in the electrifying conclusion to the trilogy..."  Well, that pretty much clinched the fact that this was yet another three-book series, and the characters I have grown to love and enjoy will no longer grace any more pages of story after this.  I was so disappointed, I almost put the book down and did not want to read it, as once it was read, there would be no going back.  But I had to know.  The last book ended with poor Alice (the Athena Club's kitchen maid, who the women had just discovered could be someone else entirely!) being kidnapped by a woman claiming to be her mother, and so it only stands to reason this book would pick up on that.  

The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl opens with the origin of Ayesha - those who read the previous book may remember that she is currently the head of the Alchemical Society.  Of course, six pages into that origin, and the members of the Athena Club interrupt poor Catherine as she is trying to write the story and question why she would bore readers with the story of Ayesha, when the book was supposed to be about them, not the Egyptian princess!  And that right there is one of the things I so love about this series - the characters themselves constantly break into the story to add commentary or question Catherine's "telling" of the story, or just to promote the previous books (of course, that is mostly Catherine doing that, since, after all, she is the "author" of these stories!).  So, Catherine gives in and reverts to the Athena Club, where Mary, Diana, and Justine are returning home from Budapest.  Meanwhile, Catherine and Beatrice has remained behind, staying with Count Dracula, to fulfill their obligation to the traveling side-show.  Soon enough, though, the young women are reunited and begin their search for the missing Alice - AND Sherlock Holmes, who has also missing - AS WELL AS poor Dr. Watson, who hasn't been seen or heard from in over a week!  The Athena Club certainly has its hands full - guess it's a good thing their membership keeps expanding.

Meanwhile, Alice discovers that her mother has kidnapped her for a very specific purpose - it seems she is in league with Moriarty, who is forming a new society intent on taking over first England, and then the world.  But when Margaret Trelawny shows up, things start to change.  Alice, who they continually refer to as "Lydia" (which appears to be her given name), is suddenly given freedom throughout the house where they have been holding her captive, and she is made privy to the plans of what is to take place (even though she doesn't understand all of it - something about performing a ceremony that requires a sacrifice in order to bring back an Egyptian goddess).  Alice is smart though, having learned a thing or two while a servant in the Athena Club's house (especially from Mary Jeckyll, who Alice thinks is very smart, and she's always asking herself, "What would Mary do in this situation?"), and so she stays silent, pretends to go along with the plans, and soon discovers that the sacrifice for the ceremony is actually Sherlock Holmes!

Although the story is 430 pages in length, there is never a lull in the action.  From the train ride home to the search through London to the combing of opium dens in the worst part of town to being captured by Moriarty to the horrifying ceremony in the museum (during which a number of people die!) to a dangerous adventure in Cornwall to the very act of saving the Queen of England and facing down the wrath of an all-powerful goddess come back to life - it's literally non-stop for the Athena Club!  But their brains, their wit, their quick-thinking, and their never-give-up attitude leads Mary, Diana, Justine, Catherine, Beatrice, and Lucinda on a life-threatening, exciting adventure that definitely wraps this series up with a big bang!  And along for the ride are Sherlock and Watson, as well as those little scamps, the Baker Street Irregulars, Mycroft Holmes, and a few other familiar faces.  

Theodora Goss certainly has proven herself a wonderful writer with these three books, and it's truly a shame that we won't be getting any more adventures of the Athena Club.  Amazing stories, creatively wonderful characters, and so much potential for a million more tales of mysteries of the unknown - but alas, they shall forever remain a mystery, since this, as they say, is THE END.

RATING:  10 bags of lemon and pear drops, humbugs, licorice, and other assorted candies out of 10 for sharing with the world these monstrous tales of not-so-monstrous, unconventional women who prove that even the most unlikely of heroes can save the world!