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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The description of the book made me want to read this so very badly. Sadly, I didn't enjoy The Dangerous Ones. I was unable to suspend my disbelief for many reasons. First, the language was not at all consistent with the setting. No matter how rebellious, Jerusalem would not have been using modern language. Secondly, if the vampires in the story were as old as they said, their language would have also been much different, especially Alexei's as he came from Russia not long ago. I think a lot more research needed to have been done to make this work as a historical fantasy set in 1863, especially considering the fact that a woman who had just been freed from slavery would have had as many dangers to navigate from human society as from vampires and werewolves.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Jerusalem is many things; a former slave, a fighter in the Union army, a Saint - a human imbued with superhuman physical abilities, but she has only one goal, and that is revenge. Her quest to kill the vampire who murdered her family brings her into the path of Alexei, a vampire with a dark and troubled past who is eager to prove his loyalty to her and the Union. The threat of what they face grows ever more daunting, and Jerusalem and Alexei will need each other if they want to survive.
I liked Jerusalem a lot as a main character. She was complicated as a heroine: prickly and tough, but brave and vulnerable. Her quest for vengeance and inherent mistrust of others made her point of view a unique and interesting experience. The romance was well balanced with the action, and it was a very dialogue-heavy read. The issues of race and PTSD were handled well in my opinion, and I thought the use of civil war era America as the setting was a nice change of pace from other recent paranormal romances.
The story was a little difficult to follow at times, as it jumped around the past as a way to contextualize the present, and switched between Alexei and Jerusalem’s POV a bit too frequently. There were some instances of modern slang in the dialogue breaking my immersion. There are times when this doesn’t bother me as a reader, but it was a bit jarring as modern slang wasn’t consistently used throughout the book so it seemed out of place when it did appear. In general though, the setting of this book was extremely fun, the action was gripping, and the romance was sweet. Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for this ARC. This is my honest review.
3.5/5 (rounded up) Sorrow, pain, joy, and vampires.
I liked Jerusalem a lot as a main character. She was complicated as a heroine: prickly and tough, but brave and vulnerable. Her quest for vengeance and inherent mistrust of others made her point of view a unique and interesting experience. The romance was well balanced with the action, and it was a very dialogue-heavy read. The issues of race and PTSD were handled well in my opinion, and I thought the use of civil war era America as the setting was a nice change of pace from other recent paranormal romances.
The story was a little difficult to follow at times, as it jumped around the past as a way to contextualize the present, and switched between Alexei and Jerusalem’s POV a bit too frequently. There were some instances of modern slang in the dialogue breaking my immersion. There are times when this doesn’t bother me as a reader, but it was a bit jarring as modern slang wasn’t consistently used throughout the book so it seemed out of place when it did appear. In general though, the setting of this book was extremely fun, the action was gripping, and the romance was sweet. Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for this ARC. This is my honest review.
3.5/5 (rounded up) Sorrow, pain, joy, and vampires.
dark
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Jerusalem has escaped from a plantation after seeing her family killed and decided to join the union and fight alongside a vampire. Not a fan of Vampires (Due to some being slave owners) and quick to act on emotions makes this a difficult partnership for Jerusalem.
This is my 3rd novel by L Blackwood and I’ve enjoyed all 3. I’ve read mixed reviews on the novel and can agree with some of the feedback. This biggest issue is that the books takes place during the civil was era but the language and slang are more modern. If you can get past that, it’s a great book.
This is my 3rd novel by L Blackwood and I’ve enjoyed all 3. I’ve read mixed reviews on the novel and can agree with some of the feedback. This biggest issue is that the books takes place during the civil was era but the language and slang are more modern. If you can get past that, it’s a great book.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
I love a vamp & demi-god YA romance. Anything that gives Buffy vibes is my jam.
Taking place in the civil war era gives the author (Blackwood) a chance to share more of a meaningful story. The FMC, Jersualem, has escaped from slavery and is seeking revenge (She's the demi-god and hater of vampires!). OFC she is being trained for the war by a vampire. This book was amazing in some chapters which made it worth the read, especially the last 1/3rd. I listened to the audio and while different narrators for the multiple POVs was a plus, the chapters still needed to be broken down more on the audio, some have the two povs mixed into a single very long audio chapter. It took me awhile to get into it on audio, I almost gave up and ultimately and glad I did not.
Taking place in the civil war era gives the author (Blackwood) a chance to share more of a meaningful story. The FMC, Jersualem, has escaped from slavery and is seeking revenge (She's the demi-god and hater of vampires!). OFC she is being trained for the war by a vampire. This book was amazing in some chapters which made it worth the read, especially the last 1/3rd. I listened to the audio and while different narrators for the multiple POVs was a plus, the chapters still needed to be broken down more on the audio, some have the two povs mixed into a single very long audio chapter. It took me awhile to get into it on audio, I almost gave up and ultimately and glad I did not.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Had to DNF unfortunately.
I was really excited for this one, but it just wasn’t for me. It was all over the place, timeline wise. It doesn’t explain anything about the gaps, and leaves huge gaps that the reader is just supposed to fill in. The MMC is instantly in love with the FMC right when you meet him, talking about how she smells good… Edward Cullen anyone? And the FMC is a complete jerk to him the entire time… I didn’t care about a single character. None of it was believable, and as excited as I was for the civil war/vampire crossover it just didn’t work in this instance. The book was confused.
I wanted to finish it to be able to give a complete review, but I literally could not force myself to read another word.
I was really excited for this one, but it just wasn’t for me. It was all over the place, timeline wise. It doesn’t explain anything about the gaps, and leaves huge gaps that the reader is just supposed to fill in. The MMC is instantly in love with the FMC right when you meet him, talking about how she smells good… Edward Cullen anyone? And the FMC is a complete jerk to him the entire time… I didn’t care about a single character. None of it was believable, and as excited as I was for the civil war/vampire crossover it just didn’t work in this instance. The book was confused.
I wanted to finish it to be able to give a complete review, but I literally could not force myself to read another word.
This was a great book. I listened to the audio of this book for a while and then I would read a few chapters in my physical book. It made for a super quick read this way and I really enjoyed reading it on both mediums. The audio book was done nicely and it was a great experience.
I have read the author’s other books, and really enjoyed them, and this one was done just as wonderfully. The author always writes strong FMC’s and I appreciate that and think it is even more important in YA books. The banter between Alexei and Jerusalem was top notch and done so well. I think I chuckled so many times I lost count, it was great and led to a great base for their romance. I did have a few frustrations because I wanted a little more backstory as to how the characters got to where they were, but I did get past that eventually and enjoyed the story immensely. There were also some fun added historical points which I really enjoyed. This was a fantastic mash-up of genres and I think that it will appeal to a wide variety of readers.
I have read the author’s other books, and really enjoyed them, and this one was done just as wonderfully. The author always writes strong FMC’s and I appreciate that and think it is even more important in YA books. The banter between Alexei and Jerusalem was top notch and done so well. I think I chuckled so many times I lost count, it was great and led to a great base for their romance. I did have a few frustrations because I wanted a little more backstory as to how the characters got to where they were, but I did get past that eventually and enjoyed the story immensely. There were also some fun added historical points which I really enjoyed. This was a fantastic mash-up of genres and I think that it will appeal to a wide variety of readers.
When I heard Blackwood was coming out with another book, after I read the synopsis I quickly jumped and added this book to my TBR list. While I love Blackwood’s other books and her ability to craft an excellent world and story, unfortunately, this book didn’t hit the mark for me.
This is a romantic historical fantasy set in the American Civil War with vampires and people with demigod-like abilities. I was truly into the premise because I thought it would work well and it’s a creative vision.
While some elements worked in this book, many things didn’t. After reading the first chapter, which began with tons of action and was very fast-paced, I thought the book would keep that same energy, but there was a lot of chatting and not too much happening and it seemed quite slow at times.
This is a romantic historical fantasy set in the American Civil War with vampires and people with demigod-like abilities. I was truly into the premise because I thought it would work well and it’s a creative vision.
While some elements worked in this book, many things didn’t. After reading the first chapter, which began with tons of action and was very fast-paced, I thought the book would keep that same energy, but there was a lot of chatting and not too much happening and it seemed quite slow at times.