This is the end of the series and this book was a great ending. I hate that it's ending I will miss these characters but I really like this. This was so good.
I just reviewed The Queen and the Knave by Sarah M. Eden. #TheQueenandtheKnave #NetGalley
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This is one series where you need to have read the book before to understand what's going on in this one. This is the final installment and everything points to the culmination of what happened before.

First, let me get it out of the way that I'm not a fan of the dread penny stories inserted in the main story. It breaks the flow.

There's a LOT going on in this story. We get updates on all the other couples and characters, and we see all of them come together to defeat the villain. Móirín and Fitz are the main characters and, although we get to see their relationship grow (and they are super cute), it's the main mystery and the fight against The Tempest that take precedence.

The Victorian setting is well done, sordid and dark with a ray of hope, just like Charles Dickens would do.

The theme of found family, with loyalty and justice, is the main one in the series and this story.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Sarah does it again! How does she have so many unique stories in her head! This series is so different but is so good! The twists and turns are amazing! I loved this so much from beginning to end!

To sum up my thoughts in one word...WOW! This was everything all rolled into one! Of course you had the fantastic storytelling from Sarah Eden, but also the suspense, romance, thrill, and laughter. This was the perfect conclusion to this series (though, I wouldn't mind getting to see these characters again, years in the future, and seeing where their paths lead them). I love how different this series has been form others I have read. You get serval stories in one, with the inclusion of the Penny Dreadful stories. While this story is excellent in and of itself, you cannot read it as a standalone. You must read the other stories in the series, in order, to understand this one. We finally get to met the Dread Master and learn her(!) story! Móirín is the best lead character! She makes the perfect Dread Master, you wonder why you didn't piece it together when you see bits of her strong character before. I am sad my time in the world of the Dread Penny Society is over, but I cannot wait to revisit these stories again and again! Well done!

My Thoughts:

This series of five books is complete. I had read #4 not long ago, but I’m so glad I took the chance to binge read the whole series in a week when I received the final ARC. You can read them as individual books, but the stories are so tightly interwoven that you really should get the whole five-story plot arc together.

And, while billed as “proper romance”, the romance is not, in my mind, the focus of the stories. There are mysteries to solve—each of the first four books lead us into the final showdown.

One common theme of this series is that everyone has a past that has made them who they are. For the most part, difficult pasts have led the focus characters to fight for right and to help the downtrodden, in a society that is still very much run by class.

We begin with a schoolmistress and a former street urchin turned author of “penny dreadfuls”, the lower-class literature that thrilled and entertained. But he’s also a member of a secret society of penny dreadful authors who fight crime (while sometimes committing a few crimes of their own in pursuit of the greater good).

We move on to a music teacher and a gentleman who also writes penny dreadfuls. Then to a bookseller/Russian émigré and an Irishman—again, a writer. And a doctor/writer and his secret wife, who comes from a crime family.

We end with the oddest pairing of all—a woman who committed murder and a police constable.

The mysteries are intriguing. As we learn more and more of the criminal mastermind, the fearsome Tempest, we also learn more of what makes our characters tick. The entire series plays out in a little over a year, and it is nice to be able to follow the aftermath of the prior books as each book moves along. Unlike some series romance, prior characters still play a part beyond name-dropping.

I especially looked forward to the final volume, as I wanted so much to know the why and the how of the formation of the Dread Penny Society. While this was explained, I felt like there could have been more. Likewise with the why of the Tempest’s quest for revenge, and why one particular traitor sold out the Dreadfuls.

I think the elements of intrigue were well-balanced with the romances. These were romances that were allowed to develop, based on admiration and companionship. Each had a reason why it might be impractical, but, despite danger and turmoil, love won the day.

There were many well-developed secondary characters in addition to the ten romantic leads. The street urchins, others of the Dreadfuls, family members—all added to the depth of worldbuilding.

As with other books published by Shadow Mountain, there is no cursing and the narration of the romantic interludes doesn’t progress beyond kissing.

One more note: Each of these books, in addition to the main narrative, contains two “penny dreadful” stories that parallel the main story. So Eden was really writing three stories every time!

Possible Objectionable Material:

Foul play, including thievery and murder, fighting, perilous situations, dishonesty, poverty.

Who Might Like These Books:

Fans of clean romance, Victorian London, mystery and adventure.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for providing ARCs of these books in exchange for my honest opinion.

These books are also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2023/04/a-penny-dreadful-for-your-thoughts.html

This was an anticipated read as it is the final in this series! It was well worth the wait! So much happens in this one, you will be on the edge of your seat until the very end! I didn't want it to end!

*note- series is best enjoyed when read in order

I received an ARC from Netgalley and all opinions are my own.

I love the structure of this series and enjoy being immersed in the Dread Penny Society with the quirky use of language in this series. This final installment has Moirin Donnelly, the Dread Master, as the main character along with her newly-promoted detective friend, Fitz Parkington. They confront The Tempest that has been terrorizing London. There's a secondary plot about Fitz's grandfather that fizzles at the end of the book.

This book in the series does not stand alone, as many elements that are critical to the story that appear in earlier books aren't revisited. For example, the Radlett murder is mentioned, but there is no reminder of what that was. I've read all the books in the series and couldn't recall the details.

Where this book suffered for me was in pacing and unclear action sequences. The middle 50% of the book moves more slowly than the start and end. The ending action sequences mostly happen inside the Dread Penny clubhouse, but there are points when descriptions of where people are positioned are vague. The chains and gibbet cage that are pivotal in one of the final scenes aren't clearly described. At first, the cage is just said to be a gibbet. It caused some frustration because those scenes are full of emotion and characters readers have grown to love. To not have a clear description of what is happening could be frustrating.

Elizabeth's stories (written as Mr. King) are as strong as always. Moirin's story isn't quite as interesting, but we'll give her a pass as a writer since she has a lot going on in this book!

Sarah Eden has done it again. This was a stunning addition to "The Dread Penny Society." The plot was well-paced and captivating from start to finish. The characters were well-developed; complex, and intriguing. I highly recommend this beautiful telling of the power of love. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

In true Eden fashion this story (among stories) of Fitz and Moirin was perfect and captured my undivided interest. As always I read from start to finish in a single day, can't put down a Sarah M Eden book if I wanted to, which I don't.
The same beloved characters from previous DPS novels are here and intertwined within the pages are the Penny Dreadful serials we all have come to know and love.
If there is one thing I could have hoped for was a story about Stone but perhaps the future will come with an anthology or similar book with stories of all the dreadful so we can learn more of these amazing characters.

Either way this one receives 5 stars as it ranks up there with the best of the best, or can I say it IS the BEST of the best.

I discovered this series when the second came out and I just really enjoy them. They always make me happy to read

I have really loved the penny dreadful series. This book is the best of the bunch and ends in a very satisfying way. I loved getting three stories in one book. The little stories from Mrs King and whoever the book is telling the story from this person point of view are fun to read. Sometimes I was so into the main story that I didn’t want to stop and read the other stories. Overall a great book and a great series.

tl;dr
An exciting conclusion to the series with lots more action than the previous installments, and a delightful central couple.

Thoughts
I discovered this series sometime last year, and tore through every available book with reckless abandon. By the time the fourth book started dropping hints about the final romance, I was already entirely on board with the proposed couple. And I am very pleased to report that it is everything that was promised. Móirín was already one of my favorites, so it's great to finally see her get the focus. Fitz hadn't gotten quite as much attention in previous volumes, so there was a bit of a rush to fill us in on his backstory in this volume, but nothing too egregious. Their banter was very cute, with enough gentle ribbing to be playful without getting mean. That being said, the romance definitely takes a back seat to the plot here, with threads from all of the previous books in the series finally coming together. There's a good chunk of action, some mystery, some blood, and a lot of little twisty plot things to keep readers guessing. As always, two extra stories of varying genres are included. They're both a fun read, although the comedy one can feel very jarring sitting between tense chapters of main story plot. Overall, this feels like a great conclusion to the series. Mysteries from the previous books are wrapped up nicely, and the central couple are exceptionally cute. I will miss reading DPS, but I am happy how it ended.

What a fantastic book!
Sarah Eden’s work is always wonderful but this book is one of her very best, if not the best. It is part of a series and could be read as a standalone but would be much better after reading the other books for a fuller background and setting. Moirin is the mysterious head of the Dread Penny Society unknown even to most the members. As such she works, along with the other members, to protect and help those in London’s society that are in need. Now the Tempest, the head of a crime organization, has set their sights on the Dread Penny Society and especially Moirin. Soon Detective Parkington, a friend of the society, is pulled into the conflict. As members begin to vanish and lives are hanging in the balance will Moirin and Parkington be able to rescue even themselves from the clutches of the Tempest? Since this is a Dread Penny novel, the reader will also be treated to two short stories written and released as a Dread Penny meaning a chapter at a time. These short stories only add to the fun. I highly recommend this book and the series. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy. This is my review and all thoughts are my own.

What a conclusion!! Wow it wasn’t what I expected but it was what I wanted and needed. I’m sad to see the end of the DPS series but can’t wait for what happens next.

As I said in my reviews of the previous instalments of the Dread Penny Society series, I usually love Sarah M. Eden books but I am a bit less fond of this series. It's my personal taste, as I'm not too keen on mysteries and books taking place in dark alleys. I've even thought about not finishing the series, but it has grown on me, and so I couldn't resist reading the final instalment in the series, "The Queen and the Knave".

I have to say, it was a good conclusion to the series. Fair warning — one really needs to have read the other books to understand "The Queen and the Knave" as it cannot be read as a stand-alone. I hadn't re-read the previous books very recently so struggled a bit to make sense of all the secondary characters, though this didn't spoil my enjoyment of this novel.

Here, we finally have our dear Móirín Donnelly's story. She is a really great character — strong, determined and selfless, she is an admirable heroine and a great role-model. This novel might officially be shelved as a "romance", but as sweet as the romance was between Móirín and Fitz, it was definitely in the background compared to the rest of the story, which was really more of a mystery. Fitz was an equally good character, and I appreciated how he quietly supported Móirín while completely letting her have the lead.
It was good to see the protagonists from previous books making multiple appearances, even though their fates at the end of the book are mostly up to us to imagine — what will they do next in life, where will they go ? It kinda makes sense not to have to much focus on them though, as the novel is mostly plot-driven.

I find that the author did a good job of writing the mystery overall, especially considering it's not her main genre. The mystery developed in interesting and surprising ways over the 5 books of the series, and especially in this last book, all elements came together for the big finale. I was kinda let hungry for a bigger, flashier final resolution, while at the same time I appreciated that the final "battle" didn't last overly long.

As before, I wasn't the biggest fan of the dread penny stories inserted throughout the books. Although they run parallel to the main story and have similarities, I didn't like that it interrupted the main novel. The dread pennies were good, but I didn't find that it added much to the novel, I would have preferred to have them separately. (P.S. I read Posie and Pru's voices with Philomena Cunk's voice in my head and it was kinda hilarious!)

Sarah M.Eden has a way with words — we forget *how* the book is written because the writing is so fluid, we only concentrate on *what* it says. That I can only applaud! And she used cockney and London slang and old, funny phrases so well that you really hear the characters talk with their accents in your head.

Each instalment in the series has its own particularly flavour because it focuses on a specific theme and place (forgery & print shop, resurectionist & cemeteries, etc.) and this worked really well all along, with this book taking place in gloomy safe houses.
I found the title of the book worked great with this particular story and the colour red matches perfectly! Absolutely gorgeous cover!

*I received a free eARC and this is my honest opinion*

I loved this installment of the DPS. It was an amazing conclusion and I didn't know what to expect. I couldn't put it down. I'm excited to go back and reread the others!