Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook is a work of Victorian Gothic fiction that will take the reader from 1850's London society to the desolate isolation of the Arctic circle.
Constance Horton ran away from the London home she shared with her sister Maude and their grandfather, cutting off her hair and disguising herself as a boy so that she can join the crew of a ship bound for the Arctic to search for the expedition of Sir John Franklin which has vanished without trace. Once on board the ship she uncovers a secret that will cost her her life. The Admiralty describes her death as a tragic accident but Maude cannot rest until she discovers the truth about what happened to her sister on that fateful voyage and when she is given Constance's diary from the trip she begins to hunt down Edison Snow, the person she believes to be responsible for her sister's death, a journey that could be just as dangerous as the one that killed her sister since it will take her to the heart of the city's underbelly.
This was an atmospheric and engaging story, well told and with characters that came to life on the page. I had read and enjoyed the author's previous book, Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter, so I had high hopes for this one and I was not disappointed, I enjoyed the multiple points of view, with both Maude and Edison Snow having chapters set in the current day interspersed with passages from Constance's diary that told the story of what happened on board the ship. Once again the author did a wonderful job of recreating a different time and place with descriptions of sights sounds and smells that really helped to transport me as a reader. The characters are likeable when they need to be and occasionally despicable when they have to be, and I enjoyed spending time with them and seeing how the story played out.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher , all opinions are my own.

Grisly, gothic, glorious 🖤 Maude is in search of the man who killed her sister Constance on an expedition to the Arctic. Constance wrote about her adventures on board in a diary, including how threatened she was by some of the men on board, despite her successful disguise as a ship's boy. Maude puts herself in danger to find out the truth, travelling unaccompanied with a group of tourists to watch public hangings in order to get closer to her sister's killer, whom more people are also seeking for revenge.

This is a story that flits between London, the Arctic, Salisbury and York, with multiple PoV, but does so very successfully. It's quite grisly and graphic at times, but this fits with the Victorian era appetite for murder. A very dark tale for long winter nights!

As soon as I read the description of this book I wanted to read it, and I'm so glad I did. The story of Maude as she tries to gain justice for her younger's sister death, Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge is nothing story of glorious as it takes us from Maude's view in London to Jack's/Constance's in Greenland.

From the start of this book the writing really draws you in. Beautifully written and so descriptive on the historic London Maude inhabits, this book almost makes you smell the place (which known London in that time, probably isn't a good idea). The characters are well written and Maude is a fantastic lead as she delves into what happen to her sister. Constance's writings are fantastic and add the drama of this story, building the thrilling part of this book so well.

The ending of this book is perfectly done, the pace being carried by Jack's entries brings you to a brilliant conclusion that leaves you on the edge of your seat, with an epilogue that wraps up the story perfectly.

A fantastic of family, and courage and justice, I'd highly recommend this.

Often grisly, splendidly gothic and grotesque but overall glorious!
This is a tale based on murderous mania and exploration of wild arctic scenery that evokes a clever and clear determination to allow readers to step inside the wonders and wilds of Victorian life.
I was a bit troubled as to how Constance could have managed to deceive a ship full of hulking make sailors that she was the 'cabin boy' who also could write reams of diary entries! But the belief of her grieving sister Maude back in England about the reasoning behind her sister's so called 'tragic accidental death' uncovers a scheming and not unbelievable cover up job by the hierarchy of the elite in the Admiralty alongside the under belly of London who are scheming stealing and often killing in the pursuit of their ends.
It took a few chapters for me to gain confidence in the plot but then it sailed away fast and furiously. I have always been intrigued by the Arctic explorers such as Shackleton and Scott and was keen to delve into the Victorian times of Captain Sir John Franklin's ill fated expedition with the Erebus and Terror ships which 'disappeared'.
Linking the real research to an engaging story that kept the heroine Maude at the centre of revenge and seeking truth was very well built up into a hugely dramatic and atmospherically described conclusion.
There is much to enjoy in this novel about the ship Makepeace which was described by the author as 'a ship filled with reckless men'"
Rightly so.

I was looking forward to reading this, having enjoyed 'Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter'. Another excellent historical novel from Lizzie Pook with a few different story strands that all came together nicely at the end. I found the idea of capital punishment tourism really interesting too, if a little disturbing!

What a fabulous book! 4.5 stars

For fans of Susan Stokes-Chapman, Laura Shepherd-Robinson and the like this book definitely wont disappoint. It kept us guessing until the end. Such an interesting and creative story of a sister who wants to avenge the death of her sister. We travel through 19th century London and beyond; its such a page turner with wonderful characters.

A full review will be posted on The History Belles instagram page nearer the date of publication.

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Great historical fiction. Really cleverly written story with lots of larger than live characters. This is a really enjoyable book with the perfect mix of history, thriller and adventure. This historical setting is perfect for this story. A really good way to start 2024.

Set in London in 1850 where Maude and Constance Horton live with their apothecary grandfather, that is until Constance disappears. Constance has disguised herself as a boy and joined a ship sailing to the Arctic searching for missing explorer Sir John Franklin. But when the ship returns Constance isn’t onboard. Maud visits the Admiralty after they tell her that Constance was discovered dead in the Arctic, killed in an accident. However, when she leaves, a clerk from the Admiralty follows her and gives her a journal written by Constance. A well written and clearly well researched story with some factual detail interspersed within this fictional story. I love historical fiction and was totally engrossed in this gothic story. Full disclosure I did have to skip some parts as there is some uncomfortable treatment of animals, not gratuitous but of the era, my only real trigger.

Briefly, Constance saw and heard things that concerned her. Did they lead to her death? Maude’s investigations lead her into dangerous places amongst dangerous people.

Told in dual timelines the present from Maude and Edison Stowe and the past being the voice of Constance, through her journal. Excellent, well fleshed characters from the odious Edison Stowe to the brave and adventurous sisters, albeit Maude never realised quite how brave and adventurous she could be! The tale of the hard, cruel life onboard the ship is echoed in the underbelly of Victorian London where there is a fascination with the macabre and a public hanging is treated like a theatrical event. This is a gripping story with a determined heroine and a cracking climax; I didn’t expect that! Glorious.

Following the unexplained death of her sister at sea, Maud sets out to uncover the truth about what really happened in those cold arctic waters…

This was a fun read! I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story and some unexpected twists. Mauds determination to discover what happened to her sister, Constance, leads her down a pretty gruesome path and I really liked her character development too!

Thanks so much to Pan MacMillan and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This is a gorgeous gothic story filled to the brim with larger than life characters whose personalities jump off the page and it’s a fabulous read. The story is full of adventure and Maude Horton starts a quest to find out what has happened to her daring sister Constance who ran away to sea posing as a boy. It’s a read that is full of atmosphere as different characters narrate the story and you can feel the arctic winds, feelings of dread and solitude at the parts written by Constance which were the favourite for me.
I read the book quite quickly as I became so entranced by what would be outcome and I was not disappointed it was a satisfying read and something very different from my usual thriller type books.
My thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan, Picador for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I couldn't put this brilliant book down. 1850 and orphaned Maude and her sister Constance live and work in their enlightened grandfather's apothecary before Constance, without telling anyone and disguised as a boy, 'Jack', sets sail on an Arctic voyage fraught with danger. Maude is heartbroken to be told that during the voyage her sister has died and Maude is certain that the admiralty are hiding something and that her sister has been murdered. The twists and turns are told from several character's perspectives making this a compelling and immersive read. Lizzie Pook weaves well-researched facts with fiction, evoking the smells of London, the fascination with the macabre, the desperation of poverty and the power of wealth, showing the hypocrisy and darkness of the Victorian era. She also celebrates the intrepid adventuress and how Victorian women were emerging as skilled artists and scientists. This page turner is gripping and emotionally intelligent

Set in the 19th century, this captivating tale follows two sisters on separate but equally adventurous journeys. The first sister seeks glory at sea in the pursuit of finding lost sailors. However, she must conceal her true identity, aware of the dangers that being a woman in this male-dominated world could bring. Meanwhile, her sister in England embarks on her quest to discover the whereabouts of her adventurous sibling.

The narrative unfolds at a brisk pace, immersing readers in the morbid and voyeuristic aspects of the time, where people would gather to witness criminals being hanged as a bizarre form of entertainment. The macabre pastime adds a unique layer to the story, offering a glimpse into the peculiarities of the era.

Promising a riveting experience, this book delivers a romping good story with an intriguing plot, well-developed characters, and a climactic ending that is sure to leave readers satisfied.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if it were in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you for allowing me to review an advance copy of this book. This is the second Lizze Pook book I have read and I certainly wasn't disappointed. The characters, imagery and the plotline was spot on and cannot wait to read another by her.

I've read moonlight and the pearlers daughter and have to say I enjoyed this book far more.
It was so well researched. I really enjoy historical books that are based on factual events. The growth of the main character was great to follow. She got braver and bolder as th book went on.
There was a good amount of mystery and some plots that you are kept in the dark about which I really enjoyed.
Overall, a great read.

Really enjoyable historical fiction that is spot on with enough details to transport you to that time and place. It was a hard time to be a woman and Constance has to pretend to be a boy to get where she wants to. Her diaries gradually reveal sides that her grieving sister Maud didn’t know. Excellent mystery, original and gripping.

When Maude’s sister Constance dies suddenly, she is determined to find out what happened. A tale of adventure and the macabre, Maude is glorious in her revenge.

I really enjoyed how Lizzie Pook structured this book. Using Constance’s alter-ego (Jack Aldridge) diary entries as a guide, she ekes out details to plot Maude’s revenge. I found the themes of adventure, crime and punishment really interesting. I would definitely recommend for fans of historical fiction and crime novels.

I was really excited to read this book, as I enjoyed Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter so much. Sadly, this book didn’t live up to Lizzie Pook’s first novel, although it certainly did have its moments. I enjoyed the passages from Jack Aldridge’s journal, and would have liked to see more of those - they really made the first half of the novel quite paced, whereas the second half was quite slow. The ending was wrapped up well and the historical detail was first-rate.

As I said, just a big draggy in the second half and I found Maude quite hard to root for, but Edison Stow is a copper-bottomed villain through and through!

A historical novel full of plotting and revenge in the dark streets of Victorian London. Gritty and well researched with an interesting plot, but a little repetitive and plodding especially in the middle. Not one for me.

I enjoyed reading Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook. It is a little slow and hard to get into at the beginning but please persevere as you won’t regret it.
The story is set in Victorian 19th century London and tells of Maude’s search for answers and revenge for her sister, Constance’s death.
Constance disguised as a boy had set off on a voyage to the Arctic and Maude is determined to find out the truth of Constance’s disappearance .
The Clerk of the Admiralty secretariat passes over a journal that Constance kept while on the voyage to the Arctic and this sets Maude on a journey of discovering what happened to her sister and who is responsible.

This is a gripping story and a great historical fiction read.

Well...this is a bit of alright isn't it?!

At the beginning of the book, we get a small prologue if you will, a pre-chapter, which starts with a bang. And then chapter one is where we meet our Maude Horton, and again, we're thrust straight into the heart of the story and it picks you up and you just want to stay for the whole journey - which, if you're like me, will be a short one as you just can't face putting it down.

I love the poetic feeling of the description: from the colours of glass bottles, to the scenes coming from a pharmacy, to what you see in a reflection - it's just gorgeous. Describing something in written form can be difficult, as it can so easily feel like reading a list, and that's a bit boring, but to create such beauty in the simple, Lizzie has excelled at that.

I red an e-copy, but having seen the beauty of the physical book, I will have to buy myself a copy once it's released to have on my shelf as it's just gorgeous.

If I'm honest, I never knew that a book so heavy on detail regarding a ship expedition could be so gripping! I don't know much, if anything really, about old ships and voyages and whatnot, but I found out there's quite a lot in this book that's true to life, if given slight artistic licence, which I liked. It sent me on a real Googling black hole.

The crux of the story is split into two formats: the present scenes from Maude's point of view, and then diary extracts from the voyage of the Makepeace. This is a really great way of portraying the story, as we get multiple POVs, and we get to see how the past is affecting the present without having to have clumsy flashbacks.

It's more detailed than I thought .Yes we have the main story, but we get someone else's too (I wont spoil who or what or where), which was great as it makes it more 3D. Not that the main story is flat, absolutely not, it's fabulous, but by adding these extra layers, this depth, it become even better to lose yourself in.

I love reading books set in a time where women were subservient, to be seen and not heard, and we have a female protagonist here who is anything but the expected. It made her very powerful and it's very easy to root for her. The men, on the whole, come off worse in this book (there are some exceptions) with the women - two in particular - holding the narrative together. It's a wonderful balance of power and expectations.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a "be tucked up in bed by 9pm because I'm cold and I tend to be awake by 5am" kind of woman, and because of this, I rarely read late into the night. But this one, I just couldn't put it down and was reading it well past 10pm (I know this doesn't sound late but I'm an old lady in a young woman's body so go with it). It just grabs you and it becomes a need, rather than a want, to finish it.

I was sad when I finished it. The world Lizzie has created is not always a good one, and yet I didn't want to tear myself away. Definitely one for the 2024 release highlights!