Are you a fan of monsters? What about the ones from olden days, like Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and other creatures from that era such as werewolves and vampires? They have always been fascinating in one way or another for most, especially since these characters are all created from failed scientific experiments. These can all be categorized as classic horror stories. Obviously, horror has evolved so much over time that it would not be considered so now, but for those who enjoy classics to this day, Goss begins a fascinating adventure just for you and she’s even added the infamous Mr. Sherlock Holmes.
Mary Jekyll has lost her mother, her last living relative, or so she thought. With little money and no way of obtaining her father’s fortune, Mary is forced to sell some of her mother’s belongings to even pay the staff. She is approached by a solicitor with regards to a secret account opened by her mother, where account payments were being made monthly to a finishing school in the name of Hyde. Feeling confused, she approaches Mr. Sherlock Holmes to ask for an investigation into the disappearance of Mr. Hyde, a well-known criminal who has seemed to disappear. Starting with a small piece of the puzzle, she knows that her mother and this mysterious Mr. Hyde had some type of connection, but how? What she finds at the finishing school is only the beginning. As Mr. Holmes and Mary find more clues, they embark on an adventure which will ultimately lead to the unraveling of a huge secret society that specializes in the creation of monsters.
Goss tells this story from a character by the name of Catherine, half-woman and half-puma, who Mary meets along the way. She is the writer of adventures of the Athena Club’s foundation as told to her by the other characters in the story. What a clever idea, a story within a story! The characters are all exceptionally well-developed and they are all appealing in their own right. This first installment flows effortlessly and the pace keeps the reader on their toes and looking for the next clue. Since this is classified as historical fantasy or fiction, the timeline is credible with characters created in the same time period. What makes this story notorious is the significance of characters that are known to readers from other retellings. This just means the reader automatically gets insight of who is involved as well as a precognitive understanding of their persona as told by others. The narrator beautifully captures the characters and intensifies the story with her various accents, vocal distinction capabilities, and smooth dialogue. If you are a reader of mysteries in a historical setting, you will definitely appreciate this series. Reading these books in chronological order is recommended for this series.
An audio copy of this book was purchased by Turning Another Page. We provide a five-star rating to The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss.
Note: review originally published on August 30, 2025.
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