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The Bookish Owl – The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman

The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman

Cower, mortals, before The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman!

(I’m running out of ideas for intros…)

I was getting a little tired of this series by the time I reached this book, but it exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed it. This could be because the overall plot was similar to Broken Melody (which I was still writing at the time) and there’s nothing I like better than relaxing with a book and calling it research.

In ‘The Mortal Word’, we got an insidious plot in the middle of a peace treaty negotiation between dragons and Fae, multiple suspects, and everyone having their own agenda. I assure you it will fill your quota for secrets and drama. There could also be werewolves, but it’s possible I’m confusing the books…


The Mortal Word
by Genevieve Cogman

When Irene returns to London after a relatively straightforward book theft in Germany, Bradamant informs her that there is a top secret dragon-Fae peace conference in progress that the Library is mediating, and that the second-in-command dragon has been stabbed to death. Tasked with solving the case, Vale and Irene immediately go to 1890s Paris to start their investigation.

Once they arrive, they find evidence suggesting that the murder victim might have uncovered proof of treachery by one or more Librarians. But to ensure the peace of the conference, some Librarians are being held as hostages in the dragon and Fae courts. To save the captives, including her parents, Irene must get to the bottom of this murder–but was it a dragon, a Fae, or even a Librarian who committed the crime?


The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman

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The Bookish Owl – The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss

The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss

In case you can’t read the super long headline that my SEO software is complaining about, this book post is about The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss.

I picked this up in a desperate attempt to pad my rapidly dwindling pile of unread books, but it turned out to be quite good.

As a child, I read everything I could get my hands on and my mom had entire bookshelves in the basement filled with abridged Classics aimed at teens. So I read Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and so many other books likely not suited for a 10-year old kid, and ‘The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter’ pays homage to all of them. The book follows the daughters of the main characters from various old horror Classics while they try to solve the mystery of a secret society with the help of Sherlock Holmes himself. The writing style is very unusual, because it’s written as if one of the characters is the author, with the rest of the characters injecting comments into the text at random times. It took a little while to get used to, and I still haven’t decided whether I actually like the style, but I didn’t feel like it ruined anything either.

I’m definitely getting the rest of the books in the series.

Below you will see my owl Artemis posing next to the book, showing that he’s doing perfectly fine after the vet removed one of his legs. He has decided that if he’s going to be a flamingo, he’s just going to be the grumpiest flamingo ever…


The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter
by Theodora Goss

Mary Jekyll, alone and penniless following her parents’ death, is curious about the secrets of her father’s mysterious past. One clue in particular hints that Edward Hyde, her father’s former friend and a murderer, may be nearby, and there is a reward for information leading to his capture…a reward that would solve all of her immediate financial woes.

But her hunt leads her to Hyde’s daughter, Diana, a feral child left to be raised by nuns. With the assistance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Mary continues her search for the elusive Hyde, and soon befriends more women, all of whom have been created through terrifying experimentation: Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherin Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein.

When their investigations lead them to the discovery of a secret society of immoral and power-crazed scientists, the horrors of their past return. Now it is up to the monsters to finally triumph over the monstrous.


The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss