While I am still focusing on reading books from female authors, I also am trying to read more diversely in terms of geography. I think that many of us get caught up in reading books set in the UK/North America and we default because “that’s what we enjoy”. However, there is (literally) a much wider world out there. For this week’s Book Bite, we are heading to Romania and the Carpathian Mountains, a fascinating area that makes for an atmospheric setting if one exists! Let’s get into The Lady Rogue from Jenn Bennett, one of my favourite reads from this year.
The Lady Rogue, Jenn Bennett
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 prot g –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 returns 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.
Why You Should Read This…
This book was far more fun than I was expecting it to be! I bought it at some point and recently discovered it on my Kobo and my only regret is that I did not read it sooner.
This is a YA novel and I think that the streamlined story and faster pace works perfectly for it. The mix of action, mystery, and relationships (both family and romantic) makes a runaway story that you can’t put down, and I am guessing that it may have been bogged down slightly if it were an adult novel. (YA does many things well, and I think the swift pacing is one of them!)
This book has the vibe of Indiana Jones crossed with Agatha Christie, and I love that we spend the book with Theodora as the protagonist. She is smart and quick-thinking and is a great guide for us as readers as we speed through Turkey and Romania while simultaneously solving a massive mystery and escaping several people trying to catch them.
I think that this is a great book for anyone who wants a somewhat dark and atmospheric book for the autumn but doesn’t want something exceptionally grim!
Is The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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