The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: City of Serpents

Series: The Secrets of Ormdale #4

Author: Christina Baehr

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Cozy

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

Edith is ready for the mad scientist and the snake-infested laboratory, but is she ready to admit she needs a little help from her friends?

Edith is convinced that Janushek’s former employer, the mysterious Doctor Farley, holds the key to an antidote for dragon venom—her only hope to free the man she loves. Her ruse to obtain it leads her to London’s shadowy East End and a plot as sensational as one of her own detective novels.

As Edith goes deeper into a city far more serpentine than she ever dreamed, she begins to question what Farley is really searching for…and if the cost to save Simon might be more than she can pay. – summary from Goodreads

City of Serpents is a twisty installment to the Secrets of Ormdale series, with city adventures, mad scientists, and a race to save a beloved friend!

This book is definitely the darkest in the series. It has human experimentation, as well as venomous snakes. There was also a very dangerous scientist, which caused many issues for Edith.

This book took place in London, instead of the English countryside. I missed the Abbey, but I also loved exploring this side of the world. We got a look at the immigrant situation that was happening at that time, which I found very illuminating. I did not know any of what was talked about. In this new setting, Edith also explored her Jewish heritage a little, and we got to see some of her family.

I loved her cousin Stephen and his son Crispin. Stephen was a lot of fun and kind of spunky, and you could tell how much he cared for Edith. Crispin was a small character, but he helped Edith see the world in a new way. I think he was a fill in for George, and I enjoyed him.

Edith also became friends with a Jewish immigrant, Hanna. She is the sweetest thing ever! I love her so much! I loved how sweet and friendly she is. I also love the friendship she has with Janushek. Janushek is a favorite, and he is finally starting to lose his gruff exterior. Edith really helps him work on accepting his heritage as well.

Gwendolyn made a little bit more of an appearance in this book. She was mostly absent from the last book, so her being a little more present in this story was nice. I loved her storyline in the first two books, and I’m enjoying the continuation of her finding herself and leaving her family’s expectations. I also just really love the friendship she has with Edith!

One of the other characters that made a brief appearance was Tallentire, another Worm Warden. He was a very minor character, but he was so unique and I cannot wait to see more of him. Also, his crush on Gwendolyn is amazing, and I really hope they get together.

Edith was, as always, amazing! She has grown so much from the last book and is really determined to get Simon back this book. She explored more of her heritage and got a deeper understanding of all the issues in the world.

I missed Simon this book. He wasn’t in it at all, so there was practically no romance. I still really loved this book, but I wanted more development on the Edith and Simon front. I am very much looking forward to the next book, where we will get Simon back.

Dr. Farley, the scientist, was creepy. Janushek warned Edith thoroughly that Farley was not someone to be trusted, and I am afraid Edith didn’t listen entirely. Christina did a wonderful job writing a creepy, mad character.

There is a page of content warnings at the beginning of the book. This book isn’t the coziest book in the series, but I still classify it as cozy. Nothing was too graphically described as well.

The plot was very engaging in this book. There was a little more drama, almost political drama, that I enjoyed. Edith also tried to participate in a little more subterfuge, which was fun. She took matters into her own hands a little more in this book than I think she did in other books. Edith has always been very determined, but I think that was a little more apparent in this book. I loved how at the end she just decided to do things her way- it fit her storyline so well, and I loved that!

The ending was a shock; I was not expecting that revelation!

City of Serpents is a twisty, thrilling addition to Edith’s story as she searched for a way to save Simon. With mad scientists, serpents, and city adventures, this is not a story to miss!