Review: The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett
10:00
Series: None
Author: Jenn Bennett
Published September 3rd 2019 by Simon & Schuster
Goodreads Synopsis
The Last Magician meets A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue in this thrilling tale filled with magic and set in the mysterious Carpathian Mountains where a girl must hunt down Vlad the Impaler's cursed ring in order to save her father.
Some legends never die...
Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She's read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world's most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn't have is her father's permission. That honor goes to her father's nineteen-year-old protegee--and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora's life--Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.
Until Huck arrives from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora's help in rescuing him. Armed with her father's travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler--more widely known as Dracula--and that it just might be the key to finding him.
Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren't the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths--including murder--to possess it.
Goodreads
Review
This book was everything I could've asked for, and more! I adore Jenn's contemporary books, and being a historian, have always been on the lookout for more historical YA's, so this was definitely a must buy! The Lady Rogue follows Theodora, as she travels across Europe looking for her explorer father, who's got himself into a bit of bother. She's been raised all her life in the art of expedition, and will have to use everything she has about her to find her dad. The only real issue is that she has to do all of this with her dad's apprentice, Huck, who used to be her best friend - really, her only friend - until one day he betrayed her and left. Now they have to overcome their personal issues, in order to deal with the very real dangers they are facing, especially when it all revolves around Dracula's curse.
Like all of Jenn's books, this was phenomenal! Her stories and her characters are always well rounded, and fantastic, and this one was no exception. Theodora was the spunkiest and strongest of all of Jenn's heroines, and I loved her from the get go! Being a woman in a decidedly male world, she has had to overcome a lot to get to where she is, but she's not about to let her gender stop her from finding her father and stopping the society out to hurt the people she loves. Her heart was cruelly broken by Huck, and she needs to stitch herself back together if she is to work with him, and, to be honest, he's no different. When he left, he never said goodbye, or explained anything, and the longer that they are together, the more the truth comes out, and they start to rekindle their love for one another. And their relationship was so cute, and I really believed in it. It was hard, and messy, and real, and they actually spoke with each other and dealt with their issues rather than brushing it under the carpet.
The plot was everything I wanted from it. Multiple European countries, an intriguing mystery, and the perfect amount of danger and subterfuge. I found myself unable to put the book down, and flew through it so fast. Really, I loved it too much, and don't think I can do it justice to put into words how good it was, it just was! I seriously hope that Jenn writes more historical fiction in future, and I'll be first to buy it!
Dates Read:
October 5-6, 2019Rating
5 Stars
0 comments