Well, this one was a surprise. I like to call this series the kooky cousin to Alison Goodman’s The Dark Days Club. Both feature super-powered abilities, high society functions, and quality banter. However, where Goodman’s series is rich with research and detail, These Vicious Masks takes the lighter approach. Imagine if you infused the X-Men into late 19th century England. That’s it. That’s all I’m going to give you, because if that premise doesn’t fill you with delight, then these books aren’t for you. But if you’re like me who immediately thought “FUN!” at that comparison, then you’re in for a ride.

These Ruthless Deeds does the unthinkable by being better than its predecessor. The stakes are higher, the quips are quippier, and I’ve learned to be charmed by the linguistic anachronisms rather than roll my eyes at them. And that is the key to enjoying this series. You have to run with whatever Shanker and Zekas throw at you even if you throw in a little, good-natured “Really?” every now and again. The first book saw Evelyn Wyndham come to terms with the power that she possesses while facing personal tragedies. In this second book, Evelyn faces off with a secret society whose motives appear nebulous and whose reach is deep indeed. Back once again is the love triangle, which features a refreshingly mature resolution (and here is also a rare triangle in which I would have been content with either choice) and the other vibrant characters who round out the cast along with a few welcome new additions to the mix. If you have weakness for historical fantasy that errs on the side of light and humor (HONESTLY, THE BANTER IS SO GOOD. SO, SO GOOD.), then this series should be on your list!

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

These Vicious Masks was one of my favourite debuts from 2016, and I was overjoyed when I both won a copy of the sequel, and was approved for an advance copy via NetGalley. In These Ruthless Deeds, Evelyn is coming to terms with the death of her sister Rose, and also her new tangled powers of healing people. She has joined forces with The Society, a group of other gifted people, and she now has people to turn to when she is struggling with her abilities. Her old friends Mr Kent and Mr Braddock are still around, and she's instrumental in finding, and helping, other people just like her. However, she's also struggling to balance her life in The Society, and life in Society, for the Season, when she starts to consider that just what she's doing, might not be the best thing for everyone, and she might be being used to helps others gain.

I love anything to do with the Regency era, and adding fantasy elements to that time is always a good thing. This book was so well researched, and well written, that it felt as if it was reality, and I was more watching a film, than reading a book. Evelyn is such a good narrator, and her growth as a person, growing into her abilities, is awe inspiring. Understandable, she's apprehensive around The Society, but she does warm to them, and begins to develop friendships, and a kind of new family, with them. Her own family isn't the best, especially as her mother is pushing her into an engagement and marriage with the most boring person ever, just because he's titled, and his mother is influential in the Ton, and her father has nothing about him, other than gambling away their fortune and reputation.

The plot is ridiculously good. It's fast paced, and exciting, and there was never a moment that I felt like something was unnecessary or boring. Everything was just right, and I'm beside myself with excitement for the next book in the series, because with each one, the story is getting better and better.

There's romance in this book - obviously, when it's published by Swoon Reads - and I much prefer Mr Kent to Mr Braddock, but that's not to say that I don't like Braddock, just that Kent has something more about him. These two characters, and the other characters were all interesting, even the ones that you hate, or grow to dislike throughout the course of the book. I think all lovers of historical YA or fantasy need to have this series on their radar, and I look forward to the next instalment because I love Evelyn and this series so much!

Action-packed and suspenseful, THESE RUTHLESS DEEDS is an excellent follow-up to THESE VICIOUS MASKS.

THESE RUTHLESS DEEDS starts out with a bang, and even having read THESE VICIOUS MASKS within the past few months, it took a little while for me to get immersed into the world again. There isn't a ton of character development, but what is lacking in that regard the authors more than make up for in terms of action. There are plenty of super-powered fight scenes to keep a reader entertained, with a little romance thrown in here and there to spice it up.

One thing that irks me is that Evelyn is a bit of a "Mary Sue" character. She has multiple boys after her, she always seems to be the smartest and most aware person of her group of friends, and she has what is arguably the best superpower (healing ability). This doesn't make her that much less likable, it just bothered me on a few occasions when she seemed to be the ONLY person to realize some key clue or piece of information was crucial (though she did guess wrong on something at the end and I appreciated that display of imperfection).

What I like best about THESE RUTHLESS DEEDS is how those with superpowers aren't always the good guys. The authors definitely play with the gray area between good and evil, and I enjoyed watching the various characters reveal their motivations as the book progressed.

All in all, THESE RUTHLESS DEEDS was a fun, quick read with a crazy ending that left me thinking about the moral quandaries the characters were put in, even after I'd set down the book. While it isn't without its faults, These Vicious Masks series should definitely be on the to-read list of anybody who enjoys historical fantasy or characters with superpowers!

The follow up to last year’s X-Men/Jane Austen novel These Vicious Masks suffers slightly from second book syndrome, with totally expected twists, obnoxious new characters and the heroine choosing the wrong boy in her love triangle. Despite these problems however, These Ruthless Deeds more than makes up for them with that shocking ending.

4.5 Stars

'These Ruthless Deeds' is the exciting second book in a fantastic young adult historical/paranormal series. The story is set in Victorian England, and gives it a more gloomy and Gothic feel - which I think is a perfect setting for the book. Our main character, Evelyn, is a member of high society and the perfect age to be getting married (or so her mother thinks). Evelyn doesn't care about the suitors, the balls, the theater, and all the other silly things involved with matchmaking. She's a fantastic lead for the series - smart, down to earth, a devoted and loving daughter and sister, curious about all the world has to offer, and incredibly determined. The story is told from Evelyn's point of view, which I thought was another great fit for the book. I love when an author uses the first person POV, because it allows the reader to connect on a much deeper level with the narrator than any other writing style. We get to know their deepest fears, inner thoughts, memories, hopes and dreams, and so much more. I found Evelyn to be a realistic character and I was able to identify with her almost immediately. I found her sarcasm and thoughts about their society's rituals to be quite funny. I felt like we would definitely be friends if I could slip inside the story alongside her, which it sort of felt like anyway - due to the use of the first person POV.

The plot itself was original and completely intriguing. I found myself reading as quickly as I could to see what was going to happen next. The story is a great mix of historical fiction, paranormal, and fantasy - and I felt the author did a wonderful job presenting all of the strange aspects and having it all blend together so effortlessly. The addition of the secret society upped the tension and made the story even more exciting. Evelyn's character experiences a lot of growth throughout the book and I liked watching her mature in several ways. I'm anxious to see how she'll handle the events that crop up in the next book of the series, and I hope to see her continue to change and grow on several levels. Overall, this is an awesome second installment in a compelling series that had me lost inside its pages until the very end. I got so wrapped up in the story and all the various things happening - that I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting. I can't wait for the next installment of the series to release to find out where things will go from here. I definitely recommend this book to fans of YA paranormal fiction, along with readers who enjoy historical fiction, fantasy, supernatural, and romance. You're going to want to pick this one up!

One thing that I've noticed with trilogies is that second books tend to disappoint me. They might not be terrible books, but after an excellent first run, they lack the energy and surprise of the first book. These Ruthless Deeds seems to have escaped this trend and for that I'm thankful.

In the late 1800's, Evelyn is fresh of a sad ending and struggling to find her footing. This is when a new opportunity is presented to her in the form of the Society of Aberrations, a group that seems to be the answer to a whole host of problems for a young woman of her station in that time period. However, nothing is ever as good as it seems, as Evelyn quickly finds out.

The book started out with a dilemma and threw Evelyn right into trouble. These problems that she confronts highlights what is to like and to dislike about Evelyn. She's a smart girl with a sarcastic wit, but sometimes she's impulsive and that comes back to bite her. Her methodology for planning isn't the worst I've seen, nor is it the best. She's easy to understand and luckily it doesn't turn into my hating her for being completely stupid, which is one of the biggest problems I have with heroines (sheer idiocy with no plausible source).

The variety of powers continued to remind me, as others have mentioned, of a Victorian era X-men. Watching these abilities interact in an era where it's more difficult to hide them was interesting because while in modern day time you might be able to pass certain things off as street magic, abilities like telekinesis will land you in an insane asylum. I'm not sure if you know much about asylums in general, but the ones of the Victorian era and up until modern times were pretty awful.

Another thing that pleased me about this book, aside from the continuing quality, was that I found the pacing to be superior in this book than its predecessor These Vicious Masks. That book took a bit of doing to get into, whereas reading These Ruthless Deeds went by like no time at all.

If you're looking for a fast read, one that has magical elements, historical settings, and a good dash of romantic intrigue, I hope you'll continue with the These Vicious Masks trilogy. If you've yet to start it, here's to starting a new series that already has two books out so you won't have to wait to get more material to gobble up.

The sequel to These Vicious Masks (2016) picks up shortly after the first novel leaves off. Evelyn is grieving the loss of her sister and finds herself working with a secret society that promises her they are devoted to protecting and working with Evelyn and her friends: friends with special abilities. She's reunited with Mr. Kent, and even manages to locate Mr. Braddock. Her reputation is intact, even if she does have to be around the awful Mrs. Atherton, who is somehow involved with the society's work. Still, Evelyn has a bad feeling about things. She's going to have to take a deeper look into the society, and what she finds may not sit so well with her, after all.

I loved These Vicious Masks, and was excited for the sequel. While it did take a little bit of reading to get as into the second book as I did the first, it was worth it. If you haven't picked up These Vicious Masks, I suggest you read it before diving into These Ruthless Deeds - you'll be at a disadvantage in terms of key characters and situations otherwise. Everything that made book one such a strong read is here: secret organizations, heroes and villains (and you may not always know who is who), intrigue, betrayal, witty banter, and a strong heroine. ​

Display and booktalk with Alison Goodman's Lady Helen series (Dark Days Club and Dark Days Pact), and Gail Carriger's Finishing School series, for readers with a craving for more steampunk.

These Ruthless Deeds is the exhilarating second novel in the These Vicious Masks series by Kelly Zekas and Tarun Shanker and continues on where the first novel left off in this whimsical and adventure riddled tale of intrigue, powerful abilities and forbidden romance.

Evelyn Wyndham is still recovering from the devastating loss of her sister Rose and is determined to use her newfound abilities to stop others from suffering the same fate. Juggling her night-time escapades with her unwanted society life things, take a turn for the worse when Evelyn’s attempted rescue of a young woman with telekinetic powers turns bad. Faced with accepting help from a secret society that recruit and train people with extra abilities, Evelyn can’t help but feel the society is too good to be true. When missions blur the line between good and evil, Evelyn begins to question the society’s motives and soon protecting those she loves becomes a bigger feat than ever!

Set in 1883, These Ruthless Deeds once again draws readers into an intriguing Victorian world with a magical, almost paranormal twist. In a very League of Extraordinary Gentleman fashion, These Ruthless Deeds allows readers to get to know the Society of Aberrations and their hold on those with extraordinary powers in this fast paced and exciting instalment with plenty of twists.

Personally I really enjoy this series and feel Kelly Zekas and Tarun Shanker work really well together. Managing to create a vivid and enticing world, Zekas and Shanker keep me entertained with the wit and banter displayed between their characters, mystery surrounding the storyline and romantic tension that simmers between my favourite characters Evelyn and Sebastian—it’s all very enjoyable to read about!

I still very much find Evelyn a great heroine to follow and found her equally strong and kind in These Ruthless Deeds. Evelyn wants to use her abilities to heal people, but she also doesn’t want to be taken advantage of and quickly sets out to determine the truth about the Society of Aberrations. You’ve got to love a girl ready to stage daring prison breaks and to sneak into places she knows she has no place to be, especially considering this is Victorian London where woman are expected to be good, dutiful wives and daughters.

Exciting and adventurous, These Ruthless Deeds races to a heartbreaking and shocking ending. Evelyn and her friends find themselves making grievous choices that will see lives lost and characters left broken. With These Ruthless Deeds ending on such a potent and powerful ending, I for one cannot wait to see what happens in the third instalment!

A truly remarkable sequel to "These Vicious Masks" full of the thrill of the Victorian era and a good vibe of action and romance! I liked how Evelyn tries to help people with powers similar to hers, not to mention how glad her parents are when, after some events, Evelyn is wanted by many suitors.

Kent and Braddock are back and I still can't decide who is best for her.

These Ruthless Deeds is book two to These Vicious Masks (Series??) and I can definitely tell you its fantastic. Such great and interesting characters. I would've loved to get more of a different point of views when it came to different characters (Novellas possibly) but how the book was still enjoyable. I loved how intense and crazy the book got at times. Oh! and that ending! That ending was nuts! When I was nearing the end I was just like there is not enough pages! Like read this book, its fantastic, but read the first book first of course. Its not a stand alone and you'll only end up confused.

3.5 “I’ll take a Mr. Kent, please” Stars

ARC via NetGalley.

Thank you, Swoon Reads.

After enjoying These Vicious Masks, I jumped right into These Ruthless Deeds to follow Evelyn, Mr. Kent and Mr. Braddock to their next adventure. At first, I had to keep myself entertained with only Evelyn—not that this was a problem because Evelyn is strong and funny enough to keep the story interesting—but as soon as Mr. Kent came back into scene I remembered why I liked this story so much.

Sure, the whole X-Men abilities in Victorian era is what makes the story unique, but Mr. Kent was what made it truly engaging and interesting to me.

The story starts with Evelyn mourning the loss of her sister. I was right with her, since I couldn’t believe after everything she had gone through Rose was dead! I wanted to keep my review of book 1 spoiler free, so I didn’t rant about this, but here I can: Dude, that was totally heartbreaking and unfair. Rose and Evelyn deserved better. Even Mr. Braddock deserved better. Poor guy had to live with knowing he had killed Rose! No wonder he went M.I.A.

To try to keep herself from falling apart, Evelyn focuses on finding people with powers and helping them. That’s how she finds the Society—the same one who funded the crazy doctor that abducted Rose and caused all the chaos in book 1. She’s reluctant to join them at first, but once Mr. Kent (WELCOME BACK, BABY!) and the rest of her friends decide they want in, Evelyn finally relents. They also make tons of promises that they’re only looking to help people like her.

I didn’t believe that for a second, and I was kind of surprised Mr. Kent and Evelyn fell for it. Sure they were reluctant, but they actually joined in. I thought their reaction would be a bit different given everything that had happened in book 1, but I was willing to go with it. Especially because it meant Evelyn and Mr. Kent would be spending more time together. With Mr. Braddock temporarily out of the way, I was hoping Evelyn would finally realize she had feelings for her friend.

It didn’t exactly go as I planned in the romance department, but it went as predicted in the “the Society will screw you” one. After going into some missions with the excuse of helping others, Evelyn discovers the Society was more into imprisoning people with powers than anything else. Once they challenged them, people Mr. Kent and Evelyn loved the most got hurt. So it was time they started another mess to try to get out from the one they were already living in. Meaning: it was time for action.

Things moved fast in this book. Maybe faster than the last time, but there was still time to introduce new characters. We got to see a little bit me of the guy we met in the epilogue who could cross walls, then we met a girl who could explode things just by staring at it (0ne of my favorite new characters) and a girl who could control the weather (another kickass female character I want to see more of). We’re also finally introduced to Catherine, Evelyn’s best friend. Although she has no super powers, she’s smart and loving and interesting. Yay for girl power here!

Now, about the boys… I’m officially, irrevocably on Team Mr. Kent. For some reason, Mr. Braddock has lost its appeal completely. I can’t ship him with Evelyn anymore. Maybe that’s because while we got to spend more and more time with Mr. Kent, we spent less and less with Mr. Braddock and I’m at a point where I can’t even understand why Evelyn thinks she likes him.

No matter who Evelyn chooses, I can’t see myself moving teams. Not when Mr. Kent continues to use his powers in the cleverest ways. Not while he keeps making me laugh.

It’ll always be Mr. Kent for me.

Enough about Mr. Kent... For now.

Something else I liked about this book was how it continued the theme from the last one: the importance of family and how loving someone can lead to so much happiness, but also a lot of destruction if you’re not careful.

These Ruthless Deeds moved a lot faster than the first book, but it was always moving by the same thing: Evelyn’s love for her dead sister. She got involved in this superpower stuff because of Rose and she continued down that path also because of Rose. She was often thinking about what Rose would want her to do if she was alive. And towards the end, Evelyn’s love created a lot of chaos. I mean, when I say a lot, I mean A LOT.

That ending?? I’m not even sure what to think about it yet. On one hand, I understand why she chose what she did and find it hard to judge her. On the other hand, I’m judging the heck out of her.

Even though I suspect there was some powerful influence there clouding her decision-making abilities. I guess we’ll see if I’m right or not. I’m afraid the authors will have to work hard here to make me like Evelyn the way I did before.

Overall, this was a good sequel and it ended with a bomb that will leave readers anxious for the next book. There will be a next book, right? Because I can’t go too long without my Mr. Kent fix. Gimme more, please!

When I was approved to read These Ruthless Deeds by Swoon Books through NetGalley, I ordered book one, These Vicious Masks, to read as soon as possible. It was a good idea. Book #2 pretty much picks up where Book#1 leaves off,

Evelyn and Miss Grey are trying to find and help other people with powers. Things go awry as they try to rescue a young woman with telekinesis from an insane asylum. The Society of Aberrations steps in and helps to rescue them. In turn, the Society tries to recruit them.

Evelyn is seriously wary of the Society after events in book one with a rogue agent claiming to be working for the society, but engaging in repugnant acts on his own. While Captain Goode claims the society had nothing to do with the other's actions, Evelyn is still erring on the side of caution until she finds out there may be a way to help Mr. Braddock deal with his disastrous power of making those around him sick. This she thinks might be worth joining the Society.

Meanwhile, her parents have returned to London with money found by her father's accountant. It appears her reputation has been restored. A Lady Atherton comes forth with her son and suggests that Evelyn participates in the little season. And she appears to be involved with the Society of Aberrations as well.

Evelyn goes on missions for the society along with her friends and some of the other members of the Society. There are surprises in store both during the missions and aside from them.

Evelyn is as enjoyable as she was in the first book. She is caring, but snarky at times. She has a solid group of friends on which to rely. And there is a little bit of a love triangle between her, Mr. Kent, and Mr. Braddock. I enjoyed the characterization of her friends as well.

The pace of the book is faster than book one. It leads up to a major scene which both resolves some problems and introduces more, paving the way for a third book in the series.

Altogether, the book is well written. the emphasis is on the action rather than the romance. It still reads as book one advertises a bit like "Jane Austen meets the X-Men." There is fun, and there is tragedy. To say more would be spoilers.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I like the characters and the pacing as well as the mystery of just what the society is up to. There is also another mystery that becomes apparent after a while. I would recommend the book for people who enjoy a blend of science fiction/fantasy with their historical literature. A certain amount of suspension of disbelief is required, but not so much that it can't be done. I would recommend reading book one in the series before reading book two. And I am seriously looking forward to book three. The end of These Ruthless Deeds has a little bit of a cliffhanger to it. I want to see the situational troubles wrapped up and the interpersonal problems resolved.

Still recovering from the loss of her sister, Evelyn Wyndham has thrown herself even more into the task of finding and helping other people with power. On one such mission Evelyn and her collaborators are hijacked by The Society of Aberrations, who tout the recruitment and protection for those with power. Having the same mission statement as Evelyn and her friends, they quickly throw themselves in with the Society. At first, Evelyn’s orders of healing the sick and wounded are just what she’s wanted to do with her powers. However, as she’s sent on recruitment missions that quickly turn dangerous, Evelyn can’t help but feel there’s something more sinister going on beneath the surface of the Society. She, along with her stalwart suitors Mr. Kent and Mr. Braddock, will risk everything to uncover the truth.

Where These Vicious Masks deals with the discovery of new powers and the awesomeness thereof, These Ruthless Deeds kind of looks at the drawbacks of what some of these powers can actually do. The possible danger, as with Sebastian Braddock’s power that pretty much sucks the life out of those too near to him, which he’s unable to control. The sometimes burden of what it means to have powers gives this book a more somber view than its predecessor.

That’s not to say that These Ruthless Deeds did not showcase some great wit and wile, it certainly did, but I found it to be more veiled and unexpected. Which, honestly, made the moments of levity all the more humorous and endearing.

The love triangle is still ever-present, but like the first book, it didn’t particularly annoy me. I think it’s because Evelyn has so many other things to put her focus on that, despite what Evelyn’s mother might have to say about it, her looking for a love interest is secondary. For those of you out there who despise the love triangle, worry not. We do get more closure on that aspect of the story by the end.

The pacing was a bit slower to start. I mean, we know from just reading the book blurb that there’s shenanigans going on—or at least they’re suspected by Evelyn—with the Society, it just takes a bit too long to actually unravel the main mystery of the book, which turns out to be finding the anonymous leader of the Society.

The slower pacing does do the great service of allowing the showcasing of more powers, which made me extremely happy. From the more widely known telekinesis to a girl that can demolish anything just by looking at the object for too long, and much more in between. I mean really, what is a superhero book without the superpowers? I liked, beyond seeing their powers, meeting the characters behind the powers and learning a little about their lives.

What the slower start also accomplishes is somewhat lulling the reader into a sense of complacency. That’s why I was completely unprepared for the final climatic moments. Moments that will be the basis for driving the story and the characters in the conclusion of the trilogy.

*I read this in January 2017. I read it as an arc. As always, this is my honest opinion. This is book 2. These Vicious Masks review here.

Confession: I read this book in the midst of a really busy week because I could not hold off my excitement. I absolutely adored These Vicious Masks and the cliff-hanger ending made me scream and cry and it was perfect. So, obviously, my expectations for These Ruthless Deeds were high. This book needed to be as witty and fun as the first book, but the stakes in this book are higher, so it had to achieve both successfully...and it did.

Obviously, if you haven't read These Vicious Masks this review of the second book will be spoilery to events from the first book. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. However, for the month of March, These Vicious Masks is only $2.99 on amazon kindle, so have at it.

On to my terrible summary:

After the jarring, traumatizing ending of These Vicious Masks, Evelyn and friends are trying their best to use their powers for the good of everyone. In the process, they find an answer to their questions, a solution to their problems, and a new purpose...but can everything be so perfect when you're dealing with superpowers?

This book had me in love and hooked from the first sentence in the first chapter. In fact, I loved it so much, I'm going to share it, because it made me laugh.

*Note, this is a quote from the uncorrected arc, and is subject to be different in the final copy. However, I don't think it will because it's genius.

"This was a terrible plan."
"Evelyn, it's your plan."

The wit is strong with this one, and it's nonstop through this book. The dialogue is what sold me in the first book, and it continues in this one. The banter between Evelyn and Mr. Kent and Mr. Braddock still remains perfect and snarky.

It's nice seeing this characters develop and seeing new ones introduced. I feel like everyone has a solid reason to be present, and their motivations are their own. Each character has a purpose within the story. It's a rather seamless narrative.

If you enjoyed Mr. Kent's truth telling ability...boy is it so much fun! I will forever love Sebastian Braddock (I mean, come on, he's the prettiest), but Mr. Kent has a special place in my heart as well. It's rare that I love characters as much as I love Evelyn, Kent, and Braddock, but this is what happens when you have defined characters with personalities outside of each other.

Overall, I adored this book, and I cannot wait for the next one.



Happiest book birthday to These Ruthless Deeds! Welcome to the world, you beautiful, wonderful thing.

For Those Who Enjoyed: X-Men, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Dark Days Club, Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, The Parasol Protectorate

I received an early release copy of These Ruthless Deeds from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve decided to review these two together, because I finished the first book immediately before the second and wouldn’t have had time to post a review of These Vicious Masks before the release date of These Ruthless Deeds. Plus, I think my love for the first book gives a richer context to the second.

As a fanatic of both Victorian literature and magical powers, I was so giddy getting into These Vicious Masks. What made it even more enticing was the silly, tongue in cheek way the characters and dialogue was written. It’s like a solid mix of Joss Whedon and Jane Austen in terms of sassy, witty rejoinders. There’s a stereotypical dark and brooding love interest which the protagonist keeps poking fun at for being so. You suspect you’re getting into a Rochester or Heathcliff situation with him, when really he’s just a socially awkward, kind-hearted Darcy. The pair of them, plus Evelyn’s best friends and sister have this very snappy whip smart dynamic which is easily the triumph of the series.

I felt These Ruthless Deeds lost some of that charm with the shift in focus from that ragtag team to the Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters-esque Society of Aberrations. The first book spends so much time poking fun at society matters in the first book that the focus on Evelyn’s return to society was boring by comparison. Because she spends so much time under the Society’s thumb, the narrative loses the snappy dialogue that made the first book so fun to read in the first place. I happened to read an interview snippet from Zekas who noted that she and Shanker only keep dialogue that make them both laugh in their drafting stages and it feels a little like they abandoned that rule by the second book in favour of this dry political intrigue plot.

What I did like about These Ruthless Deeds was how Zekas and Shanker addressed the British Empire. There are moments here and there where it’s explicitly stated that the Society of Aberrations is working to round up people with magical abilities in order to protect the country’s Imperial interests. Since the British Empire’s historical background is rooted in horrific deeds and has been documented as such in so many novels of the time, I wanted them to go full blown dark, gothic horror on it. Although bringing down the political conspiracy within the Society does have massive consequences by the end of the novel, I wanted it to go further with it and really drive home the horrible things the Empire is doing to the world and not just immediately to the characters at hand.

While I did still thoroughly enjoy These Ruthless Deeds, the novelty of what made the first book so good wore a little thin. But if you’re a huge fan of Jane Austen, Gothic literature, X-Men, and Joss Whedon’s sass, you will love this series.