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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Disclaimer: I received this audiobook from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Dangerous Ones
Author: Lauren Blackwood
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3.5/5
Diversity: Black FMC, Black characters, Mexican character
Recommended For...: Young Adult Readers, Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy, Re-Imagining, Monster Romance, Vampires, Historical Fiction
Publication Date: May 14, 2024
Genre: YA Romantasy
Age Relevance: 17+ (slavery, animal violence, violence, blood gore, rape, death, birth, racism, torture, romance, sexual content)
Explanation of CWs: This book is set during the Civil War era, so there are mentions and showings of slavery and racism. There is some animal violence and violence in general with blood gore. Rape is mentioned. Death is shown. Birth is mentioned. There is some torture shown in the book. There is some romance and slight sexual content.
If This Was a Taylor Swift Song: Mad Woman
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 368
Synopsis: 1863, Pennsylvania. War doesn’t scare Jerusalem—she’s a Saint. Thanks to powerful demigod-style reflexes, endurance, and strength, she’s fearless. And ever since the Confederates declared civil war, partnering with the vampires who benefitted off slavery, she and her battalion of Saints are essential to the Union army. Jerusalem herself had been enslaved by a vampire, escaping North only after her family was murdered. She knows the enemy better, hates the enemy more than anyone in her battalion, and has been using it to her advantage since she joined the war a year ago. More than anything she wants revenge, but if she can help Black people gain freedom and equality without having to steal it for themselves like she had to, then all the better. But she never expects to have to team up with a vampire to do it. Alexei is one of those handsome, arrogant Ancient Vampires. But he’s on the Union’s side, and in the year they've known each other, has never done anything but prove he’s on hers. Together, they set out to change the course of the war and take down the vampire who destroyed everyone Jerusalem loved. But for her, it’s about more than justice. It's about killing a god.
Review: This book was a bit of a wild ride LOL. The book is set against the backdrop of the civil war and it basically answers the question of what if the civil war happened with vampires and these people called saints. Saints are people that have kind of inhuman strength and abilities And so they are used as some of the force against the vampires in the civil war. Vampires are mostly on the Confederate side, Saints mostly on the Union. We read the book from two povs, one from a vampire who is fighting on the Union side and a saint who is a former enslaved person who is also fighting on the Union side. There is a monster romance in the book and overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought that the World building was pretty well done and I was interested in the book from start to finish.
However, I had a couple of issues with the book. My first one is that it seems that a lot of modern slang was incorporated into the book. I am not a linguist so I don't know how much but it did feel like I knew some of the slang that was being used and that I was alive when it was being developed during my time LOL. But that I can easily forgive because you know there's vampires and shit in this book. However, I did also feel like the character development did lack in a couple of places, specifically the main characters. Was more developed than the other but both of them were kind of lacking in a little stale.
However, I had a couple of issues with the book. My first one is that it seems that a lot of modern slang was incorporated into the book. I am not a linguist so I don't know how much but it did feel like I knew some of the slang that was being used and that I was alive when it was being developed during my time LOL. But that I can easily forgive because you know there's vampires and shit in this book. However, I did also feel like the character development did lack in a couple of places, specifically the main characters. Was more developed than the other but both of them were kind of lacking in a little stale.
Verdict: It was good, just not really my cup of tea.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn't realize how badly I needed to rewatch Interview with a Vampire until I read this book. I might even follow it up with Castlevania: Nocturne as a chaser because The Dangerous Ones definitely gives a little bit of both. I'm not the biggest fan of vampires but I'm starting to notice I have a habit of consuming vampire media when there's an exploration of racial injustice, class inequality, and revolution mixed in to season the pot. Two of the harshest criticisms I've seen against this book is the historical inaccuracy, the anachronisms, and Jerusalem's harsh attitude toward Alexei, especially in the beginning.
It would be a lie to say some of these instances didn't take me out of the story--Jerusalem getting physical with Alexei and modern turns of phrase showing up for example (using internet slang like "butthurt" is wild lol). In the end, I didn't end up minding some of the language. Jerusalem and Alexei, became more vulnerable and trusting of one another. I enjoyed them as a team. I loved all their contradictions and devotion.
I especially loved the conclusion of this story it was so satisfying.
It would be a lie to say some of these instances didn't take me out of the story--Jerusalem getting physical with Alexei and modern turns of phrase showing up for example (using internet slang like "butthurt" is wild lol). In the end, I didn't end up minding some of the language. Jerusalem and Alexei, became more vulnerable and trusting of one another. I enjoyed them as a team. I loved all their contradictions and devotion.
I especially loved the conclusion of this story it was so satisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
The Dangerous Ones is a romantasy set in the historical setting of America's Civil War. There's vampires and saints who have the power to kill them. But are all vampires bad?
Jerusalem and her whole family were enslaved by the vampires. They are brutal, and it's her mission to take revenge. She fights for the North States. To do this, though, she has to train with a vampire, Alexei. Alexei has a history, too, and Jerusalem hates vampires. How does their story progress?
I appreciated the cw and tw that the author included on the first page. The plot and the premise are what attracted me to this book. However, unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. Personally, I think for me, the main character's dialogues didn't work. It was choppy, and keeping track of all the happenings was not easy at all. But again, every book is not for every reader, so these are all my opinions.
Thank you, Wednesday Books and St. Martin's Press for this book.
Jerusalem and her whole family were enslaved by the vampires. They are brutal, and it's her mission to take revenge. She fights for the North States. To do this, though, she has to train with a vampire, Alexei. Alexei has a history, too, and Jerusalem hates vampires. How does their story progress?
I appreciated the cw and tw that the author included on the first page. The plot and the premise are what attracted me to this book. However, unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. Personally, I think for me, the main character's dialogues didn't work. It was choppy, and keeping track of all the happenings was not easy at all. But again, every book is not for every reader, so these are all my opinions.
Thank you, Wednesday Books and St. Martin's Press for this book.
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loved the main characters - no bullshit and full of sass! Great chemistry.
The story was full of heartache, brutality, love, and humour. A great mixture of everything.
It took me about 1/3 through the book to really get sucked into the plot, then I loved it.
The story was full of heartache, brutality, love, and humour. A great mixture of everything.
It took me about 1/3 through the book to really get sucked into the plot, then I loved it.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Not a bad listen, but I just did not get into the love interest that centers around the story. If you like historical fantasy (which tbh I don’t gravitate to), then you may like this!