Book Review: The Dark Days Pact

Title: The Dark Days Pact (Lady Helen #2)
Author: Alison Goodman
Genre: Young Adult | Historical Fantasy | Romance | Magic
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: January 31, 2017
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased

June 1812. Just weeks after her catastrophic coming-out ball, Lady Helen Wrexhall—now disowned by her uncle—is a full member of the demon-hunting Dark Days Club. Her mentor, Lord Carlston, has arranged for Helen to spend the summer season in Brighton so that he can train her new Reclaimer powers. However, the long-term effects of Carlston’s Reclaimer work have taken hold, and his sanity is beginning to slip. At the same time, Carlston’s Dark Days Club colleague and nemesis will stop at nothing to bring Helen over to his side—and the Duke of Selburn is determined to marry her. The stakes are even higher for Helen as she struggles to become the warrior that everyone expects her to be (goodreads).


Oh, the angst!
Plot: After the twisty-turny ending of The Dark Days Club, I was instantly obsessed and wanted to read the next book immediately. Of course, I'm your typical reader and didn't pick this one up until a year after its release. Oops.

To be completely honest, I forgot a majority of what happened (besides the main points) which made diving back into this world a bit difficult. I think my reading experience would have been a lot different if I had done a quick reread of The Dark Days Club before picking this one up, so I'd highly recommend that to readers who still haven't gotten to The Dark Days Pact. 

Besides all of that, The Dark Days Pact was just as engaging as The Dark Days Club with even more action. This book took a deeper look into the source of the demons and the politics within the Dark Days Club itself. I couldn't get enough of the inner workings of the Dark Days Club and Goodman's explanation of the Grand Deceiver. That ending will also have your making grabby hands for the third book, so prepare yourself.

Characters: In The Dark Days Club, Mr. Carlston and Lady Helen had a breathtaking forbidden romance that seemed impossible, and their relationship seemed even more doomed in this book. Without giving any spoilers, the ending destroyed me and had me giddy for book three. Moving on to the supporting characters, it was great to see some old faces and learn more about them. The Dark Days Club seemed like an introduction to these great characters, but The Dark Days Pact truly delved into their insecurities and motivations.

Worldbuilding: Much like The Dark Days Club, Alison Goodman did a remarkable amount of research in crafting this world. I highly recommend that you read her author's note to hear more about the places she had to visit and family histories she had to explore. Her dedication to making England seem authentic made the reading experience even more enjoyable.

Narrator Performance: I am so happy that the publishing team was able to sign Fiona Hardingham to this project because she breathed such life into all of her characters. Her accents were engaging and she switched between voices seamlessly. This is one of the fantasy books that I would recommend readers devour as audiobooks instead of physical books.

Short N Sweet: The Dark Days Pact was a wonderful follow-up to The Dark Days Club, I just wish that there were hints in The Dark Days Pact to help us poor readers with a terrible memory. 

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