(Thank you to my Mum for typing this up for me).
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book follows 4 main characters, living during the time of the French Revolution, who work as a team to rescue people from prison. But, during what they thought was a standard jail break , they discovered a girl with powers that could change the outcome of the Revolution. The 4 characters are thrown into a twisted struggle for power and risk losing everything they built, and themselves.
What I Liked:
- Plot. This was a masterfully crafted book that I still cannot believe was a debut novel. The pacing was perfect, it kept me on the edge of my seat, and every time I put it down I wanted to pick it straight back up. There were so many plot points weaved together and I can't wait to see how things develop in the future books.
- Characters. This book has 5 main characters - Camille, Ada, Al, Guil and Olympe. Camille and Ada are the narrators and they were fantastic protagonists. There was a really interesting dynamic between the members of this group, Al kept everyone at a distance, Camille and Ada entered into a rocky romance and Guil tried to keep everyone together. They all feel like real characters with their flaws and miscommunication, but we also saw their compassion and devotion to the cause and each other.
- Setting. You can tell this was thoroughly researched and as a result it transported me back to the 1700's. I also learnt so much about the Revolution and it was written in an accessible and coherent way. The atmosphere was palpable and the descriptions brought everything to life.
- Feelings. This is the only book which has given me similar feeling to Six Of Crows. While this book is unique and very different to it, I felt the same levels of excitement, love for the characters and anticipation at the plot. This book just made me excited to pick it up and it's been a while since I felt this way.
Overall this was a fast-paced, engaging and thrilling read with plot twists around every corner and high stakes. I fell in love with the characters and am desperate for the second book even though this this first book has not yet been published. I am beyond excited to see what Kat Dunn does next.

“We’re in trouble, but it’s time to do what we do best. No fate. No destiny. Everything is a choice, and this time, we choose not to give up. We choose to fight.”

What a wild ride! Dangerous Remedy is the first instalment in a historical fiction series. There’s a lovable rag tag team of misunderstood misfits, prison breaks, some fantastic LGBTQ rep, and a lot of plot twists. Set in the 1700s, Camille and her group, the Battalion of the Dead, have made it their mission to break people out of prison who have been put there by the new tyrannical regime and the forces around Robespierre that make innocent heads roll.

I’ve never been the biggest history buff, but this got Paris and the French Revolution atmosphere so right! All the quips and little tidbits about electricity being seen as a form of sorcery or how the earth wasn’t round had me chuckling as I flipped the pages.

There are both Camille’s and Ada’s POV chapters and while I would have loved to hear from other characters like Al (who has been exiled from his family for being gay) and Guil (who has a few secrets up his sleeve that I hope we get to learn about in the future), their point of views definitely framed this to be a romance with a lot of action in between. Camille and Ada are both keeping secrets that influence and endanger their relationship but I loved how, even though this plays in the 1700s, their love was something accepted within their group of friends if not in their family circles. Their relationship was so natural and prominent, it made the mutual pining even though they are together even more intriguing.

The mystery around Olympe and her unusual powers keeps the reader engaged in the plot and tensed to find out what will happen once time runs out and they have to give up Olympe to the ones who paid for her to be released from prison. With a lot of adventure, the occasional miscommunication and blasts from the past making appearances, this promises to be followed by an epic sequel.

Thank you to Netgally and Zephyr for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story and I am looking forward to the next book!

This book is about a group of young friends trying to help those who have no one else to turn to and in doing so they get in way over their heads and end up in a very dangerous situation.

I loved all the characters, they each had their own storylines which also overlapped into the main story so it made them more complex and interesting. We are told the story from the point ofview of Camille and Ade so we can really get into their heads and know how they feel and what they think throughout the story but I would have loved to get a point of view for Al and Guil too as they were such interesting characters. I hope we get it in the next book!

They each have roles in their group and feel the pressures of fulfilling it especially when they feel out of their depth. I really loved seeing how they struggled along the way but that they were there for each other and supported each other even when they fought.

Olympe was another really interesting character, this is who they break out of jail and there is more to her than they were told. She has these mysterious powers that no one really understands fully but each side of the revolution wants to use in their war. As she is being hunted the group of friends try to help her hide which created interesting dynamics as they didn’t always agree on what to do.

I also loved seeing how immersed in the history of the time the book is. I actually learned quite a lot about that time period and the history nerd in me was thrilled! From the discussions of whether the earth is flat to not understanding electricity it is clear that the author has done a lot of research for the book to feel authentic.

The story is fast paced and full of action. It is brutal and dark at times and the plot twists were done so well! I especially did not see one particular twist coming and let me tell you I was left shocked and actually gasped when it was all revealed.

I cannot wait to read the next book especially after that ending I just need to know what they will do now and where the story will take us.

Five years after the French Revolution, the country is still in turmoil. A group of misfits try and save innocent people from the guillotine happy revolutionaries.
A wonderful story about love and friendship. Great world descriptions of France after the revolution. The character were all well rounded and liked. I really loved this book and cannot wait for the next one.

This was a fun concept, and one that I think will draw a lot of readers (like me, who saw French Revolution and fantasy and said 'sign me up'). I did, in fact, have a lot of fun - the setting was fantastic and I loved all the little nods to history that were included. The dialogue was also laugh out loud at several points, though it occasionally did veer past funny and into unrealistic and cheesy. The queer rep (including the bi rep!) was great, and it was nice to read a historical novel that didn't constantly dwell on how hard it was to be queer at this point in time (though I was surprised at how easily everyone seemed to accept Ada and Camille's sexuality, even if they were less impressed with their choice of partners themselves).

Unfortunately, the execution of this idea could have benefited from some more work. The book races through each plot point, changing direction as quickly as the French Revolution itself often did, and there was often no time to reflect on what had just happened or to fully engage with the character's reactions to it. The characters' backstories were hinted at but never really fleshed out, and I found it really hard to connect with any of the main characters on more than a superficial level. Additionally, while this is marketed as fantasy, I never really got that vibe - the exploration of Olympe's powers never really goes beyond the superficial, and I would have liked to see more of the characters investigating her strange talents and trying to understand them.

I'd recommend this one to anyone looking for an easy, enjoyable read - I powered through it in a day or so - but unfortunately it wasn't quite the showstopper I'd hoped for.

Camille is panicking. They're latest job was going swell until Ada and Al crashed the balloon and now it's not just their mark they have to rescue. While Guil runs off to rescue their crew mates Camille delves deeper into the Prison intent on rescuing their mark, a young woman sentenced to death by a corrupt revolutionary government. Only when she stumbles into her room she senses something is wrong, the girl is practically stitched into her clothes, and has a huge metal mask around her head. When they eventually meet back with Ada, Al and Guil they realise that things are not what they seem. This girl is wanted by both the revolutionaries and the royalists, both for a deadly purpose, and in trying to save her Camille may just be risking the lives of all her crew, herself included.

This book was breathtaking. I was swept away by post revolutionary France, as someone who has visited Paris I had little trouble imagining myself in the streets along side Camille and the crew. Dunn's descriptions of Paris and characters makes the book jump out of the pages and has you desperately gripping on for one hell of a ride.

The plot of the book is amazing but one of the things that truly makes it is the characters. Camille, a revolutionists daughter, she has seen the darker side to the revolution and knows that not everyone sentenced to Le Guillotine deserves their fate. She has a constant weight on her shoulders from her need to protect the innocent whilst also knowing she is putting the people she loves in danger. Sometimes brash and strong headed, she soon learns their is no weakness in relying on those around her.

Ada is Camille's lover and lock picked extraordinaire, she is a big part of the brains of the operation and her knowledge of the streets of Paris makes her invaluable. She is probably the character I bonded with the most, constantly questioning her place in the world, and if Camille's love for her can survive past the secrets she is keeping.

Al is their inside man, part of an aristocratic family who are on the run from the revolutionaries who want their heads. He still has numerous contacts and it is him people seek out when they need a rescue. Growing up in a family where showing love was a weakness, he is not one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but he will need the skills of his crew before long.

Guil is the brawn, an ex revolutionary soldier, he went a wall when he realised that the revolutionaries were just as bad as the royalists and found his home with Camille and the others, but there is more than just his ideals keeping him there.

Finally we have Olympe, the girl they rescued from the Prison. Her story is a dark and troubled one and you can't help but feel for this poor girl. No one, least of all her, want's her power in anybody's hands, and I loved seeing her characters growth through the story. This gang made for a truly unique and lovable literary crew, and with the new members we meet throughout the story you will be sure to fall in love.

Dunns writing style makes the story flow effortlessly, I found myself flying through the pages and had read the first half of the book without even realising it. It is fast paced, but manages to not loose any of the backstory/history that I enjoy being able to delve into. Dunn manages to write a well known story line but with a twist that keeps you glued to the pages and eager for the characters to find their happy ending. With plenty of twists and turns, some predictable but others appearing out of seemingly nowhere I really struggled to find a good place to put the book down, which certainly isn't a bad thing, unless you were reading it at work like me.

Now I will warn you, there is a love triangle in this book... I know, I know but it was well done in my opinion. I find sometimes love triangles are added simply to add some unneeded tension to the plot. Does this one add tension? Yes! However, as annoyed as I was by a certain Brits entrance, their story becomes almost pivotal to the plot in a way I did not see coming at all.

An easy 4.4/5 for me. The authors descriptive writing truly blew me away and I bonded with each and every character we get introduced too. With it ending on a brilliantly written cliffhanger I will certainly be picking up the sequel.

I really enjoyed Dangerous Remedy. A historical thriller, it takes us back to a fascinating time in history. The French Revolution has removed the monarchy and aristocracy, but it's a dark and dangerous time, the Terror. Revolutionaries are turning on each other, executing anyone within their own ranks who wavers or holds different views to the ruling powers, and the royalists are still actively working to overturn it all. This churning pool of politics and executions is where our group of heroes find themselves.

I loved the different perspectives presented by the group. There's a real mix of sexualities, genders, but also backgrounds, with a deserting soldier from Marseille, an aristocrat with a drinking problem, and Ada and Cam, two girls in love, with complex family and social backgrounds. The romantic scenes were really well done, with their ups and downs feeling important and meaningful, and the action was tense, exciting and nerve wracking. The politics was particularly well done, with the theme of revolutions eventually turning on the most principled revolutionaries, and the feeling of being caught between two opposing sides, neither of whom you feel are in the right. I liked the recurring theme of choice too, and how this was reflected in the actions of the characters.

A tense, exciting political historical thriller, with a diverse, queer cast of characters portrayed really well.

4.5 stars. A fun, fast-paced, and heart-pounding adventure set in an atmospheric Revolutionary Paris. The humour was well-placed and the romance subplot was balanced perfectly. Camille, Ada, Al and Guil have become my new favourite gang. I highly recommend preordering this one!

This is an amazing read. I could barely put it down. While at times, I felt it was a little bit too slow paced, it all worked out in the end and tied it all up nicely. I can't wait for the next book and the stories it will bring.

This is definitely a great debut novel and I recommend it for all the historical fiction fans. It has a big chunk of great queer characters, it was super easy to read and Kat Dunn's description of post French Revolution Paris is absolutely amazing. It has an intriguingly fast paced plot and I liked that it jumps straight into the story from page one.
The plot twist at the end was a huge surprise and made me drop my jaw. However, it failed to steal my heart and in this world of book series, where I am struggling to keep up with everything, I am afraid that reading the sequel will not be my priority.

A well written book, with an interesting story. However, I did not connect with any of the characters and got bored quite early in the book. I think that this is a book I will have to revisit in the future and try again, maybe I will like it more then.

This is a wonderful historical fantasy set in revolutionary France with LGBT+ main characters that are a bit of a disaster which I love. I will admit that it did take me a while to get into this book but it did engage me and I ended up really enjoying it. The story throws you tar aught in with the characters attempting a prison break and then the book follows on with the consequences of that. The story overall was interesting, I enjoyed the historical aspects and the setting. It was a little bleak in places but there are a few twists and turns in the book that made it more interesting. There is more to some characters than it seems.

The worldbuilding was good. It is set in the 1700s and I enjoyed the setting. I enjoyed how it showed revolutionary France and the horror of the guillotine that seemed to always be a threat. There is beheadings and other gore in this book. The author had done her research and I'm excited about what will happen next.

The Character
There are a number of characters in this book with a number of different goals. There are those who support the revolution and those who want the King back. Then in the middle of these two groups is the main group of characters who basically help people who would have been executed.

Camille - I'd say she was the main character and the main POV. She is the leader of the group and usually the one to make the decisions. I admit she wasn't my favourite character but she grew on me as I read.

Ada - She is the scientist of the group and can pick locks. She was my favourite character and we get to see her POV in places.

Al - His aristocrat family disowned him for being gay and he has a lot of contacts that the group uses. I really liked him and how his character was built in the book. I wished we could see his POV at points.

Guil - an ex revolutionary soldier and he is the fighter of the group. I liked what I saw and wished I got a part with his POV.

Olympe - she has electricity powers. the revolution and its opposition both want to use this girl, basically everybody wants this girl and she just wants to live her own life. She finds friends with the group and wants to help them.

There is diversity in this book as there is. There are lgbt+ characters too as Camillie, Ada and Al are all LGBT+. The relationships are there in the book and they are a part of the story but the story doesn't focus too much on it. The main relationship is f/f which I loved. The friendships felt realistic to me which I enjoyed and i love the idea of found family which this has. However there is a kind of a love triangle in the book which I didn't hate and it was there for the plot reasons.

Also the ending! Can I please have the next book? I need to know what happens next.

Overall I was excited to read this book and I enjoyed the read. I will be reading the next book if there is one and I hope there is because it wouldn't be right to leave it like that. I have tried to not say much about the plot as I don't want to spoil anything.

Dangerous Remedy was easily one of my most anticipated 2020 releases, and it does not disappoint. It is an action-packed, found family-filled historical romp that will alternately have you laughing out loud and sobbing into a hankie.

The story opens with a heist: Camille and her crew have been hired to conduct a prison break, only they soon come to realise they have not been told the whole story. What follows is dodging around Paris, trying to find out more, and uncovering dangerous secrets.

The book centres on a group of misfits, and they are, obviously, the best aspect of it. It will take you approximately one chapter to fall in love with each and every one of them (I promise you this). And from then on, you will be gripped with fear that something bad will happen to any of them. But it’s a fun kind of fear, you know. The kind of fear you get when you truly love the characters and book.

But it’s not just the characters who are great – the plot is a real ride as well. It starts with the prison break, and does not let up from there. You don’t know what’s the truth or who to trust or what’s actually going on with Olympe, so you’re as blind as the characters themselves (which is always the best way to be). And then the end happens and you’re left speechless.

If there is one teeny tiny thing I liked less about it, though, it’s that there are a couple of times where it ends a chapter or part on a cliffhanger, and then the next chapter cuts to 20 minutes later when they’ve all escaped. It’s not a bad thing, per se, it’s just that you’ve lost all that tension of will they get out of this one.

But, overall, it’s a great start to a series (duology?) and definitely one that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat, then leave you wanting more.

3.5 stars.

I had such high hopes for this book. The blurb sounded amazing and right up my alley. Unfortunately it fell flat for me.

I felt as if I never really got to know the characters, and who they are as people. I wanted to see so much more of them, how they play off each other, how they interact with each other, how they function as a group. We see and get none of that. Camile, to me, was particularly unlikable.

Secondly, this book read as if it were the second book in a series. I actually had to go back and check to make sure it wasn’t. The first chapter grabs you, but there is so much backstory to the characters and we never see that. As it is, those backstories are pretty vital to the story.

Story wise, the battalion seemed out of their depth and like children playing at games they shouldn’t have. This was never really proved otherwise.

Finally, I feel as if Olympe was never really explained. Why she was so important, who she was, how she came to be.

I was so excited to read this book, but unfortunately it didn’t do it for me. I can’t see myself continuing with the series.

I really wanted to love this book but for me it fell short. I kept going until halfway hoping it would get better, but I just don’t want to keep going with it. The characters seem to lack depth and the reader does not really get to know them that well. None of them come across as likeable except to say that they do try to rescue innocents. Having been to Paris, places like The Conciergerie and Luxembourg conjure up memories but to those that have not seen these places there is no explanation about what they really are or were in the French Revolution ot an adequate description. I am intrigued about Olympe and who she is, but I am guessing that since this is the first in the series, that information might be left until later books to explore further. At times when all four of the Battalion are speaking, it is confusing as to who is saying which lines as they don’t have distinctive voices in the story and I didn’t care enough about the characters to spend the time to figure it out. This book held such promise. The blurb reads like the Three Musketeers, with pistols and magic and a queer twist but for me, it doesn’t live up. With a bit of character development, this book could be really good.

Is there any time period more thrilling than the French Revolution? The setting in the novel lends itself to drama and intrigue and the authour did an excellent job of ensuring the plot matched that.
The Characters were enjoyable but i wasn't bowled over by them all. The pacing however was pretty good and i did very much enjoy the overall plot.


Also, because i can't resist, how beautiful is that cover?!?!

This review goes live on my blog the week of the book's release.

This debut is a whirlwind of near-death encounters, half-thought-through plans, and heart-pounding action.

DANGEROUS REMEDY's pacing is superb, switching between Cam and Ada's perspectives. The really short chapters mean you never lose track of what's happening when their stories divide and you don't have to wait long to follow their adventures. It makes for very addictive reading, with events following one after the other without the heroes having time to breathe in their manic handful of days. (I think it's just less than a week).

Despite the compacted timeline, there is still plenty of time for the characters to grow. The main idea is about choices - and believing in them. I really liked that Cam and Ada struggled with similar problems because it showed that there is more than one way to approach the same personal challenge and overcome them. It was such a nuanced take because of this dual approach.

My favourite relationship to watch develop was Cam and Al's. It's very hard to talk about it without spoilers, but I loved how my opinion of him and the way he was interacting was flipped on its head over the course of the book.

France is the in-vogue setting at the moment - and I am here for it! The revolution is such an interesting backdrop, with its social upheaval breaking down barriers but also a new, deadly elite taking control. There's an intrinsic danger of being picked up by the revolutionaries for saying the wrong thing (or being the wrong person) layered behind the main story, one that Kat Dunn weaves in alongside the more obvious tangling with the wrong people.

Thankfully, this is the start of a series, but it's over a year until I can read the next book.

Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn is a mixture of history and fantasy in one novel. Set with a backdrop of the French Revolution, a rag tag group of young people are saving people from being beheaded when suddenly they find themselves rescuing a girl with strange powers. They have to fight to keep her safe from both sides of the revolution as they hunt to find her.

I liked the idea of this book, but it didn't catch me. I found that the characters were introduced too fast with too many details about their pasts and I didn't really find myself attached to any particular characters. I also had to keep reminding myself who was who.

This book just wasn't for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Oh wow, this is a fast paced, action packed YA that you won't want to miss. Here are three reasons I couldn't put Dangerous Remedy down.

1. The setting. Revolutionary Paris is definitely underused in novels. I adored Enchantée last year and it was fascinating to see the same location only slightly later in time. I loved all the little details: the street names, the food, the clothes. There was a constant sense of threat and danger which kept me on edge throughout, and plenty of gore too! Plus the tensions and blurred lines between the royalists and the revolutionaries was really interesting to see explored.

2. The Battalion des Mortes gave me Six of Crows vibes. If you like stories about found-families and bands of misfits coming together to right wrongs and commit daring rescues, this novel is for you! The relationships between the characters are complex and intriguing and it was refreshing to read a series opener that focuses on characters staying together rather than getting together.

3. Twists! I don't want to put too much detail in here, I just want to say wow! This was a story where I never knew quite what was going to happen next. And that amazing feeling when you're 96% through a book and suddenly realise there's going to have to be a sequel? It had that too.

I really enjoyed this novel and can't wait to return to these wonderful, complex, messy characters in the next book.

I've loved the promise of this book: a fantasy novel set during the French Revolution. I thought it was well done and well researched. I'm a bit sad I didn't connect with any of the male characters, I only loved the three main girls. But the story was engaging and I always wanted to know more. I'm glad I loved it!

I also noticed every date written in french were wrong. It's not "3ème février" but "3 février".