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This book! Where to begin?
Raucous. Zany. FUN! Or as one review put it,
Delightfully bonkers.
Jen Deluca, author of the Well Played
I was not expecting the absolute riot of an adventure that is India Holton’s The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels.
It is a bit trippy at first if you don’t know what to expect, but if you stay buckled in your seat, soon you’ll be off soaring above the English countryside in a London townhouse with Cecilia Bassingthwaite and her matronly aunt as they evade assassins.
That was probably the weirdest part to grapple with, but Holton quickly and effortlessly lays the foundations of the magic within her quirky world; my suspension of disbelief remained fully intact throughout the oddities of lady pirates whose vessels were their own flying homes.
The characters themselves were simultaneously brilliant representations of the traditional stereotypes of Victorian society whilst doing everything the peerage would detest from thievery to abduction to public intoxication. How Holton manages to have her protagonist, Cecilia, represent both the demure damsel and a feisty heroine with a reputation for burglary is the source of most of the hilarity within her novel, especially when she’s juxtaposed against Ned Lightbourne, who’s failed attempts at assassinating her because he has a secret mission to protect her instead—by none other than the royal order of HRM the Queen—is the perfect concoction for romance. Speaking of HRM, I think her characterization of the petite but austere British Empress is one of my favourites.
One aspect I appreciated best apart from Holton’s humour was how she wrote Cecilia’s journey from submissive ward to mistress of her own self, of wrestling with doing what others expect of her and staying true to herself. Most of this comes in the form of her needless attempts to maintain proper decorum and etiquette, even as she swashbuckles her way through a ghastly castle, but soon she realises more is at stake than the throne of England. Namely, she’s at risk of losing her own heart and she wonders if it is worth the risk.
The plot itself is also a classic following of cause-and-effect, thrusting Cecilia and Ned into each other’s paths (and arms) as they try to rescue the Wisteria Society themselves from abduction by a would-be rival out to remove them from the equation so he can take over the throne of England. Of course, no self-respecting lady pirate would dare let a man rule! Never!
Though their road is full of many twists and turns, each more absurd than the last, I got so swept away by their chemistry, I followed them down every bizarre hairpin turn until at last they were running away together on their next adventure. If you’re a fan of Kiwi humour—as in New Zealand humour, think Taika Waititi—then you’ll love The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. It delivers all the laughs with all the thrills of adventure.
I cannot wait to read the next installment in Holton’s Dangerous Damsels series, The League of Gentlewomen Witches, which released last March, so if you don’t mind, I’m off to the library.
What about you, have you read The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels? What did you think? Are there other books like it you would recommend? Do you have a book you think I should read next? Let me know in the comments below!
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