20 | August | 2017 | By Hook Or By Book

Tags

Adult Fiction, Adventure, Classic Horror Retellings, Mysteries, Suspense, Victorian Historical Fiction

26006537

Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

416 Pages

Synopsis: Mary Jekyll, alone and penniless following her parents’ death, is curious about the secrets of her father’s mysterious past. One clue in particular hints that Edward Hyde, her father’s former friend and a murderer, may be nearby, and there is a reward for information leading to his capture…a reward that would solve all of her immediate financial woes.

But her hunt leads her to Hyde’s daughter, Diana, a feral child left to be raised by nuns. With the assistance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Mary continues her search for the elusive Hyde, and soon befriends more women, all of whom have been created through terrifying experimentation: Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherine Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein.

When their investigations lead them to the discovery of a secret society of immoral and power-crazed scientists, the horrors of their past returns. Now it is up to the monsters to triumph over the monstrous.

The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter is an absolute delight from start to finish for so many reasons. It’s clever, creative, and original, with funny and memorable characters that fans of classic horror will love.

This motley group of young women, or as they call themselves, “monsters”, each take turns contributing to the story that Catherine Moreau is writing, which relates how they meet and the adventure they embark upon. It took me a couple of chapters to get used to the writing, because each character kept interrupting Cat, especially young Diana Hyde who is hysterically incorrigible. While I wound up loving these asides, at the beginning they were a bit distracting.

The plot itself is so imaginative and Theodora Goss has my deepest admiration for coming up with the idea to bring together the “daughters” of some of classic horror’s most infamous villains to solve a mystery. And not only that, but she gives them all fully developed personalities and backstories without taking away from the central plot. There are even nods to Sherlock Holmes & Watson, and Dracula.

The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter is truly a monster mash-up of epic proportions, and I cannot recommend it highly enough, particularly to fans of classic horror. I just read that the sequel will be coming out in the summer of 2018, and I can’t wait for the further adventures of the Athena Club!