ARC August Review: The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett

Summary: The Last Magician meets A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue in this thrilling tale filled with magic and set in the mysterious Carpathian Mountains where a girl must hunt down Vlad the Impaler’s cursed ring in order to save her father.

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 protégé—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 arrives 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.

*Release Date: September 3rd, 2019*

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I loved it.  This book is good y’all.  The adventure starts right away and I was instantly sucked into the life of Theodora Fox.  She is feisty, smart, and stubborn, and I knew from the first chapter that I was going to love her.  When Huck reenters her life with instructions from her treasure-hunting father, so does the drama.  Every second of this book was exciting, mysterious, and fun.  It was a great mix of action, puzzle-solving, and magic with an angsty historical teen romance.  Theo and Huck’s chemistry was evident from the start, and I loved their history together.  The pacing of the whole book was so well done, always keeping the plot moving forward in an entertaining way.  The writing was stunning, witty, and oh so readable.  Bennet created such a perfect atmosphere for this story, and I fell in love with the setting and its mysticism.  The magic and occultism in this book were fascinating and fit so well in the world.  This book was a little outside of my fantasy comfort zone, but I am so glad that I went with it because it’s fantastic.  I highly recommend.