“Reading this book is like experiencing that moment of an after-dinner mint; blissful and refreshing.”

Review by Rayleigh Gray

“I’ve arrived in London without incident. There are few triumphs in my recent life, but I count this as one. My existence of the last three years has been nothing but incident.”

The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.

Reading this book is like experiencing that moment of an after-dinner mint; blissful and refreshing. It's an addicting story sprinkled with charm and humor. I loved the writing style, the dialogue, the characters, and truly everything about this journal of Emma M. Lion.

It's a short novella written in epistolary style, which is the reason for all the charm. Emma Lion is spunky, witty, and frankly, hilariously dramatic. Her journal is filled with stories from her day to day life, notes from her reading, hilarious conversations with various characters, and superstitions about ghosts and missing items. 

A friend of mine recommended the series to me and, I'll be honest, on first glance I thought it would be far out of my comfort zone (I'm a high fantasy, lots of action type of reader), but Emma Lion is charming. There are just enough curiosities happening throughout the plot line that it's far from boring. 

Also, the audiobook, narrated by Genevieve Gaunt, is lovely. The accents (particularly the Scottish accents) were excellent and I'm quite invested to finish the story with the narrator. 

No content warnings needed.

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