A review by clairetrellahill
The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
In a world where vampires exist and some humans have special powers that make them Saints, an epic confrontation takes place against the backdrop of the US Civil War. Jerusalem is a Saint and an escaped slave from a plantation run by equally horrible humans and vampires. Alexei is a vampire, but he fights on the side of the Union. They must work together to defeat the South and the vampire that they both have history with.

Vampires in the civil war is a great concept. The author instills this book with her trademark banter between love interests and antagonism that yields to something deeper. Fair warning if you are a historical purist—while the author has clearly done her research, in tone the story owes much more to urban fantasy than historical fiction. Sometimes that annoys me, but as I’ve read her other books, I expected more of that voice from the characters. I think it best to think of THE DANGEROUS ONES as a paranormal/urban fantasy set in the past rather than historical fiction with supernatural elements.

But I mean, Jerusalem fights with a spear. That’s pretty neat.

CWs for lots of language, and slavery and death and blood, and more things that have slipped my mind, but the author has a list on goodreads and her website.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC. The Dangerous Ones comes out May 14, 2024.
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