A review by just_one_more_paige
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 
This is one of those books where the title is the reason and that's all there is to it. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to read such a fabulously titled book, and in this monumentally horrific time to be a person with a uterus in the United States, this kind of whimsy was exactly the escape I needed (and, if we're being fully honest, one of the only types of stories I could really handle attention-wise).  
 
Cecelia Bassingwaite has been training since childhood to be a member of the Wisteria Society, an elite class of proper British lady pirates. They follow a strict training regimen of proper manners, high tea, and the particulars of assassinations and robbery and blackmail. When a dangerous(ly charming) assassin is sent to take Cecilia out, and her estranged father, Captain Morvath, kidnaps her aunt and other members of the Wisteria Society in a devious plot to take down Queen Victoria and restore men to their "rightful place" in power, things get complicated. Especially since the assassin, Ned Lightbourne, seems not only to be unsuccessful at killing Cecila, but is perhaps starting to make her feel some very improper feelings. Together Cecilia and Ned must face down flying gothic abbeys, deeply horrible poetry, quite a few attempts on their lives, and their own hot and bothered feelings. 
 
This was one of the *most* incredible, in the literal "lack of believability" use of the word, stories I have ever read. The combination of magic (like, flying houses and incantations everywhere), piratical violence (swords and guns and poisons and "ship" hijacking), and soap opera level drama (evil fathers, unknown parentage, double agents, betrayals), with a snarky dose of Victorian etiquette (the great evil of sun exposure/freckles, being sure to bring a side dish to share at a social event, interrupted tea time) created an ambiance of arbitrary propriety that was just...hilarious. Like, all the quality off-the-wall, humorously satirical, entertainment one could want. Plus, it served that "touching a small piece of exposed skin on one's wrist/ankle" sexual tension that is wonderfully unqiue to historical romance, while also giving readers some kissing and one more "full" sex scene to satisfy on the release of said sexual tension front.  
 
Slightly more seriously (though only by a little), I want to recognize a few other things I really enjoyed about this reading experience. First, the chapter titles. They were spectacular, totally original. I had fun guessing what they were talking about, and then after finishing each chapter, I went back to revisit them and confirm what they were referring to, with appreciation for the wordplay in them. They, along with the rest of the writing (including the dialogue) was all really impressively clever. There were a few times the language got caught up/twisted in itself, but overall, I was into it. Also, there were a few nuggets of depth and real social commentary within the ridiculousness, not as much serious moments in themselves, but sarcastic callings out of inconsistencies in gender-based expectations (that was the social theme in focus throughout this novel, though never in an intersectional way), that did hit home. 
 
Was this novel deep/profound in any way? Absolutely not. Was it delightful, rolicking, absolutely bananas and with a funny and irreverent feminist vibe that was a balm to the soul? Yes. Yes it was. If you need that in your life, then give this one a try.      
 
“…The Wisteria Society, a noble coterie of ladies who were virtuously open about their crimes.” 
 
“'It is violence that best overcomes hate, vengeance that most certainly heals injury, and a good cup of tea that soothes the most anguished soul'; thus ran the motto of the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels.” 
 
"Although she had been brought fairly late to propriety and self-restraint, she found they suited her. Indeed, if she were a bird, she would happily allow a net to ensnare her. Granted, she might cut that net with her dagger, fashion a hammock from it, and lie in said hammock reading books and drinking lemonade someplace no one would bother her, but that is beside the point.” 
 
“…but the world makes love impossible for women sometimes, leaving us no choice but loss and grief. [...] Or rampant piracy.” 
 

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