It’s not often that I stay up past my (early) bedtime. But when it is, it’s usually to read a book. And this was the case with Mackenzi Lee’s companion to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy due out in October. It’s as charming as the first, if not more so since it focuses on Felicity and her quest to become a licensed doctor.

And she’s quicker to point out, not a lady doctor “No sir… I’m determined to become a doctor. The matter of my sex I would prefer to be incidental rather than an amendment.” And so relevant now as Serena Williams is set to dominate again in a major competition who has always said she wants to be remembered as the greatest tennis player of all time, not the greatest female tennis player of all time (I think most would agree). And Felicity also reminds herself and thus readers “Your beauty’s not a tax you are required to pay in order to take up space in this world… You deserve to be here,” –another timely commentary.  These are just two of the memorable quotes throughout the adventure that showcase the power of a persevering attitude and interminable spirit after abandoning a weak marriage proposal from a baker (though how difficult it was to give up the sweets and escape to see  Monty and Percy).

Felicity is certainly the most memorable character, though I became enamored with Johanna and the relationship the two matured into after years apart. And as Johanna and Felicity find common ground in fighting against a male-dominated society threatened by the intelligence and ambition of women that’s when the plot thickens. Lee masterfully uses every page, every character, and every situation to move readers through this feminist lens of history. It’s an intelligent page-turner with memorable scenes, my favorite of which happen at the beginning when Felicity gets herself in front of the male hospital board to gain access to the doctorate program and obtain the appropriate credentials. Yet, at every turn her passion is seen as “hysterical” and the mere mention of menstruation blows the men’s minds. Readers are rooting for Felicity especially because she is so well equipped to be a doctor and that’s a testament to Lee’s character development, we’d be in line to have her as our caretaker.

While Monty and Percy make appearances, it’s truly a woman’s game and includes a wide cast of characters and secondary problem that a band of pirates, including the Muslim, Sim, who accompanied Felicity across the continent is trying to resolve.

I advise a wide readership and you don’t even need to read The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue to fall in love with Felicity in this companion. But I’d recommend you do because the doorstoppers move quickly with humor, action, and heart. I look forward to anything Lee decides to write, in or out of the world that she has created in these two, which is being aptly marketed as the Montague Siblings series.

Plus, you know it’s awesome when it’s bookstagram-worthy to boot and has a fancy, yet telling title that promises adventure that yearns to be ripped off the shelves and purchased en masse. Is it October yet?