The Dark Days Club

The Lady Helen Trilogy, Book 1

By: Alison Goodman

Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham

Length: 14 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

London, April 1812. Eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall is on the eve of her debut presentation to the Queen. Her life should be about gowns and dancing, and securing a suitable marriage. Instead, when one of her family's housemaids goes missing, Lady Helen is drawn to the shadows of Regency London.

There, she finds William, the Earl of Carlston. He has noticed the disappearance, too, and is one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of powerful demons that has infiltrated every level of society. But Lady Helen's curiosity is the last thing Carlston wants - especially when he sees the searching intelligence behind her fluttering fan. Should Helen trust a man whose reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her headstrong sense of justice lead them both into a death trap?

In The Dark Days Club, internationally best-selling author Alison Goodman introduces listeners to a heroine who is just as remarkable as Eona - and yet again reinvents an established literary genre, making it her own.

©2016 Alison Goodman (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Recorded by arrangement with Viking Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, a Penguin Random House Company.

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Fiona Hardingham expertly portrays the characters in this novel with doses of snobbery, passion, and wit.... Hardingham consistently engages the listener, keeping the action and dialogue moving at an excellent pace." (AudioFile)  

Well done regency paranormal mystery/romance

Don't let the supposed YA label turn you away from this book. It's no more a YA novel than any regency romance. I'm not sure why it's being marketed as YA other than the fact that Lady Helen is 18, but then again, so are most main characters in historical romances. This book in no way felt like a YA book to me. Maybe because I've read plenty of romances (Regency and others), this character felt more "adult" than the characters in most of the YA novels I've read. I would categorize this book as a mashup of regency romance, mystery, and paranormal/fantasy (no vampires, werewolves, witches or zombies, though).

Lady Helen is a three-dimensional character clearly torn between wanting want most regency women wanted (marriage and family) and the excitement, adventure and honor of being part of the Dark Days Club, where she can fulfill her "destiny".

This book is a very good start to a new series. The mystery of who/what Lady Helen is, what happened to her mother, and what happened to the missing maid are all skillfully revealed in this book. There is, thankfully, no cliffhanger, but future books are set up by the end. This book was intriguing and entertaining.

The audiobook is very well narrated by Fiona Hardingham. You cannot go wrong listening to it but it would also be just as good in print. (I jumped between audio and kindle.) Well worth your audible credit.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical novels with a hint of romance and a paranormal twist.

not for ages 11-13 as indicated.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes, I would recommend this audio book. it shows evidence of good research, has a good concept and , delightful characters, all beautifully expressed, and demonstrates the best narration so far by ms. hardingham.

Who was your favorite character and why?

lady Helen is intrepid in her progress through this book. resolving her desire to please her family while dealing with both a hidden duty and a sense of new power in a society that did not allow any feminine authority, was done with elan.

What about Fiona Hardingham’s performance did you like?

good voice, good character differentiation, good tempo, smooth flow of narration were all enjoyable.

Annoying main character

I wanted to like this book but although the research and insight into regency life the author built was well developed, I found the overall story somewhat trite. The main character was extremely frustrating in that I felt like she was supposed to be an empowered woman but she never stepped into that role. The choices she made felt forced and there was no real character arch. Plus, we were never really given a reason to like Lord Carlston. He was always rather cold and rude and it made it hard to understand why she liked him over the kind and witty duke.

Ive read quite a bit of regency fiction and I generally like it quite a bit, but the women generally have a boldness and feel empowering making a difference within their own little where. Overall, I found myself yelling at the main character at the end for the choices she made because she continued to act helpless when it was clear that she wasn't.

If there's a sequel or a series perhaps the author will draw out the character arch, but to be honest I was so annoyed her lack of growth in this novel, that I'm not sure I could bring myself to listen to the next one.

so good

I loved it from a to z, I can't wait for the next installment of this series. I am psyched af.

Really sucked me in.

First let me say that I adore this narrator! She has a lovely feminine voice but all her voices ring true.

Now the story. I felt that this story walked between regency romance and fantasy steampunk in just the right way, really blending two of my favorite genres. The period details were pitch perfect. Looking forward to book two!

love it!!

amazingly narrated, love the plot and the characters. I'm excited to read more about Hellen's history. lately i have been loving historical fiction and this one was amazing

Exquisite!

This book grabs you and takes you through the life and times of a young Woman during a time when they were told what and how to do things in life. There are many twist and turns that surprise and delight readers! Well written and even has historical flare and facts!

Not very impressed

Book never really got off the ground. Not a series that I will pursue. Slow and frustrating.

Very Slow

This was the slowest book ever. No adventure at all. Hate stories where there were all these secrets

Fabulous Trilogy

I devoured this trilogy! Absolutely deliciously narrated and written, with twists and turns unexpected. I want to read all of Alison's books now! Can't wait to get started on another set. Her descriptions are effortlessly created, making it easy to create the story and characters in your mind. Delightful!