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A review by spiringempress
The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman
4.0
"Unlike Millicent, she would never have a husband or the chance of children. Of course she had known that before she'd read Aunt's letter, but now it was felt brutally real. She had signed a different kind of vow, and there could be no place for a family within it."
Offered a reprieve in the coastal town of Brighton, Lady Helen has started her training as a reclaimer and learning about her role in the Dark Days Club. The only issue is that Lord Carlston and Second Secretary to the Home Office, Ignatious Pike, have different opinions on Helen's role. Lord Carlston believes that Helen's direct inheritance of reclaimer powers from her mother indicates the arrival of a Grand Deceiver, but the Home Office believes that Helen is inferior to male reclaimers.
To make it more complicated, Lord Carlston is battling with the Deceiver energy that resides in him as a result of reclaiming and increasingly becomes more erratic. Pike believes that Carlston cannot be trusted and tasks Lady Helen and Mr. Hammond with reporting on his well-being. He also assigns the pair to recover Benchley's journal that contains sensitive information about the Dark Days Club without involving Lord Carlston. Not only is Lady Helen expected to undergo Reclaimer training, but she needs to keep an eye on Carlston, carry out a secret mission, and battle the everyday sexism of the Home Office.
This was a worthy sequel to The Dark Days Club and introduced a number of conflicts that felt appropriate to the time period. Goodman brilliantly incorporated the sexism of the Home Office into the main story and made it an obstacle to Helen becoming a Reclaimer. Not only do the men doubt Helen's ability to be a good Reclaimer, but they question whether she should have a female Terrene and believe that a male one would offer some much-needed reason and logic. Even though this is infuriating, it works well for the time and creates a compelling narrative as Helen must prove herself to the Home Office.
Along with this, Goodman also introduces a conflict between duty to the Darky Days Club and following the desires of the heart. In the first book, Helen was swept away by her Reclaimer powers and the danger of the Deceivers. She hardly gave any thought to what she'd been sacrificing in order to follow that path. The second book closely examines how Reclaimers must forego family and love to fulfill their vows and protect the world. This plays out nicely with the relationship between Darby and Mr. Quinn, as well as, Helen's unrequited attraction to Lord Carlston. Therefore, Helen struggles with her choice to become a Reclaimer and what she unknowingly gave up. I really liked this as it showed that a grand destiny and great power does not come without some heartache.
Overall, all these themes work together to create conflict as Helen undergoes training and her first assignment. In the first book, Helen decided between relinquishing her powers or embracing them. Now, she must decide to stick with her choice and become a Reclaimer or return to her old life. As Helen starts her journey, Goodman masterfully introduces several sources of doubt: her abilities are questioned and her lodestar, Lord Carlston, proves to be unstable. Brilliantly, Goodman offers alternatives in the form of Selburn, who still wants to marry her and offers an opportunity to leave behind the Reclaimer lifestyle. Therefore, it examines realistic questions and doubts as Helen starts her formal initiation into the Dark Days Club.
Offered a reprieve in the coastal town of Brighton, Lady Helen has started her training as a reclaimer and learning about her role in the Dark Days Club. The only issue is that Lord Carlston and Second Secretary to the Home Office, Ignatious Pike, have different opinions on Helen's role. Lord Carlston believes that Helen's direct inheritance of reclaimer powers from her mother indicates the arrival of a Grand Deceiver, but the Home Office believes that Helen is inferior to male reclaimers.
To make it more complicated, Lord Carlston is battling with the Deceiver energy that resides in him as a result of reclaiming and increasingly becomes more erratic. Pike believes that Carlston cannot be trusted and tasks Lady Helen and Mr. Hammond with reporting on his well-being. He also assigns the pair to recover Benchley's journal that contains sensitive information about the Dark Days Club without involving Lord Carlston. Not only is Lady Helen expected to undergo Reclaimer training, but she needs to keep an eye on Carlston, carry out a secret mission, and battle the everyday sexism of the Home Office.
This was a worthy sequel to The Dark Days Club and introduced a number of conflicts that felt appropriate to the time period. Goodman brilliantly incorporated the sexism of the Home Office into the main story and made it an obstacle to Helen becoming a Reclaimer. Not only do the men doubt Helen's ability to be a good Reclaimer, but they question whether she should have a female Terrene and believe that a male one would offer some much-needed reason and logic. Even though this is infuriating, it works well for the time and creates a compelling narrative as Helen must prove herself to the Home Office.
Along with this, Goodman also introduces a conflict between duty to the Darky Days Club and following the desires of the heart. In the first book, Helen was swept away by her Reclaimer powers and the danger of the Deceivers. She hardly gave any thought to what she'd been sacrificing in order to follow that path. The second book closely examines how Reclaimers must forego family and love to fulfill their vows and protect the world. This plays out nicely with the relationship between Darby and Mr. Quinn, as well as, Helen's unrequited attraction to Lord Carlston. Therefore, Helen struggles with her choice to become a Reclaimer and what she unknowingly gave up. I really liked this as it showed that a grand destiny and great power does not come without some heartache.
Overall, all these themes work together to create conflict as Helen undergoes training and her first assignment. In the first book, Helen decided between relinquishing her powers or embracing them. Now, she must decide to stick with her choice and become a Reclaimer or return to her old life. As Helen starts her journey, Goodman masterfully introduces several sources of doubt: her abilities are questioned and her lodestar, Lord Carlston, proves to be unstable. Brilliantly, Goodman offers alternatives in the form of Selburn, who still wants to marry her and offers an opportunity to leave behind the Reclaimer lifestyle. Therefore, it examines realistic questions and doubts as Helen starts her formal initiation into the Dark Days Club.