Being from Virginia, I absolutely love Civil War era books and this one was an absolute delight. An incredible blend of supernatural and history!

This book started off strong, but somewhere near the middle I felt like I had enough. I don’t like to DNF so I did finish, though it took a while to get through. First, there is the use of modern words when this takes place during the civil war. Second, the FMC does nothing but whiplash HARD back and forth between loving the MMC and trying to kill him or physically harming him for a majority of the book. The premise of vampires and other paranormals being involved in the war could have had many possibilities, none of which were used as the time period is just background noise. I’ve seen this called fun and romance and I don’t feel it’s either. It’s black pain (as the author notes) and toxic relationships.

For some reason I’ve been struggling with fantasy books this month. It’s not even the books, I just can’t really get into them for some reason.

I’m going to come back and give this book another chance in the future because I just couldn’t really get into it. I think the second time around will be better for me.

I still think others should read it and give it a shot, however. The premise alone sounds great, but for now I’ll have to settle for a 3 star.

The Dangerous Ones

Ahhhhh. The premise is so amazing. Overall the story is an enjoyable read but there are a few things that kept pulling me out of the story. The language was pretty modern and normally that wouldn’t bother me but they used a lot of modern slang and it just didn’t work for me. And then there was the romance. Alexi’s devotion was incredible, and not necessarily for the best, because he was being abused throughout the whole story. I just can’t get behind that. Especially in a young adult novel.

Content: war, slavery, gore, death, physical & verbal abuse, hate crimes, racial discrimination, gun violence, references to sexual abuse

I loved the vast cast of supernatural characters! It wasn’t explained and it was just there. I’m sure some that will bother some people, but I was just along for the ride.
Alexei and Jerusalem grew on me. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked them, as individuals or as couples, but by the end, I enjoyed their complexity and flaws. Sometimes the balance between romance and action was off, but each part was interesting to me.
I love alternate history and mostly I think this was well done. I think it would have enhanced the story if the world was broadened a little and we saw more plantations and more of the South. But that could have also introduced a lot of characters that didn’t go anywhere. So I can’t really fault the author for keeping a right focus on Jerusalem and Alexei’s mission.
Overall I enjoyed it, but it might not be for everyone. If you like stories that drop you in a world and just go, then you will like this one. If you liked Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, you will enjoy this one because the alternate history and strong woman vibes are similar in this one.

The premise of this story is so good - what would the Civil War have been like if vampires, werewolves, and humans with supernatural abilities were involved? I'm always excited to see historical fantasy and a romantic subplot doesn't hurt. I was pumped to dive in.

Our main characters fight with the Union Army. Jerusalem is a Saint, a human with supernatural abilities. She escaped slavery in Virginia one year ago and was trained to fight by Alexi. Alexi is a 3000 year old vampire (yes, another old guy paired with a young woman), one of the few fighting for the Union. Most vampires, including the one that originally "turned" him and her companion, fight for the Confederacy. No spoilers here, but suffice it to say our main characters have shared adversaries.

Unfortunately, the language used here, especially by main character Jerusalem, is so modern that it's very difficult to stay in the 1863 setting. "Dumbass" was used so often that I did a search of the word and found it 17 times. We also have "stank-ass," "cute-ass," "fancypants," "hella," and mention of thread count with sheets. At one point Jerusalem talks about having a concussion. I'm guessing it was a deliberate choice to have modern words used, but it did not serve the book. It pulled me out of the story over and over again.

Another major issue is the constant physical and verbal attacks from Jerusalem towards Alexi, who is her companion throughout the story. Alexi loves Jerusalem from the start. We get scene after scene of her calling him names and literally attacking him. He takes it every single time. Had I known I was in for an abusive relationship, I don't think I would have read this book.

In The Dangerous Ones, you can expect:
Vampires x Demigods
US Civil War Battlegrounds
1863 Historical Paranormal Fantasy
Revenge
Training & Banter
Forced Proximity
He Falls First
Star-Crossed Love
18yo Stabby FMC
Dual, 1stP POV
Upper YA

I'm always up for enemies to star-crossed lovers, and liked that we had a dual POV from both of our main characters. Both were broken for different reasons, and the Black FMC called out the White MMC on privilege and being an evil vampire, but they were able to see the true person beneath all the protective fronts they put on.

I liked the vampire lore, it reminded me of the Vampire Diaries world. They stay the same age mentally as when they were turned, so the MMC still feels and acts 18 even though he's over 300 years old. They can shapeshift, and our MMC chooses the form of a crow or wolf most often. Most of the American Vampires have taken up with the plantation owners, and keep the sky so full of smoke that they can go out in the daytime. These Vampires are working with the Confederate army. There are also other paranormal creatures, and it is interesting how they work into the Underground Railroad.

Rating 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4. This was a hard book to rate. I enjoyed the story and do think that these types of slave redemption stories to need to be told, but a lot of the writing was cringy or confusing. The FMC Jerusalem spoke as a southerner would at that time, but also used many modern phrases, so it felt out of place one way or the other.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an eARC for my honest review

I really, really wanted to enjoy this, and felt it had SO much potential at the beginning. Unfortunately, it’s very quickly fallen flat.

Let’s start with what I enjoyed: Jerusalem as a character; her unbridled rage, her determination, her wit, her singular focus on revenge for her family. I love the spin on history, with exploration of America’s deathly and unjust system of slavery, but also make it rife with magic and vampires. The set up for this is just SO good.

Unfortunately, after the first scene (which was KILLER, I might add) we jump far enough into the future that we’ve already met our ancient vampire love interest, but he is also *already* in love with Jerusalem. As the reader, I felt completely robbed of the experience of getting to follow these characters as this attachment grows. After that, everything just felt flat and rushed. I felt like I’d been a little bit pulled back in by the side characters, but then there are plot developments that inevitably leave those characters behind.

Ultimately this just wasn’t for me. Maybe some won’t be so bothered by the pacing of the romance and the time that’s been skipped, but it overall hindered my enjoyment of the story. I’ll try this author again in the future, though, as it may have just been one artistic choice that seriously didn’t work for me as opposed to the overall writing style and talent not being up my alley. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this eArc!

Jerusalem is a Saint determined to kill vampires, especially after her family had been enslaved and murdered by one. She's forced to work with Ancient Vampire Alexei against the Confederate Army and the vampires who benefitted from slavery. Alexei fights for the Union’s side and hates vampires as well. Jerusalem is determined to help Black people and change the course of the war, destroy the vampire that killed her family, and kill the god that ruined everything.

Saints are humans with extra abilities like speed or strength, and this allows them to use silvered weapons to kill vampires. There are Ancients as well as New Bloods, and the South became home to New Blood vampires using slaves for their blood. Jerusalem is the only survivor of her slave family and escapes north, using her strength to kill Southern vampires. Alexei had once been tortured by an Ancient Vampire when he was turned, so he hates the beings that most are. We see the horrors of slavery as well as his torture by vampires who see humans as little more than animals. It's a bloody and stressful situation, and the mission to kill the vampires responsible for their family’s deaths is a tense and dangerous one, triggering even more problems to overcome.

This is a vampire story as well as a romance novel, with lots of tropes for each novel type contained in it. As much as there's Black pain due to memories of slavery and the torture that it inflicted, there's also the joys of Jerusalem in freedom and getting the chance to discover what that means for her. She and Alexei are confronted with the misery of the past and strive to keep going forward. That's a great message nestled within an action romance story.

A historical fantasy with vampires, werewolves, and even a Sasquatch. Set during the Civil War, the reader watches the romance develop between an escaped slave with supernatural strength and speed and a vampire. As they fight both the Confederate army and an Ancient vampire, the pair also discover their love for each other. A fun and exciting historical romantasy!

Jerusalem is a Saint who is out for vengeance against those that enslaved her and she is a BEAST. 👏 She’s got these awesome powers that she puts to use in ☠️ slavers and vampires! Alexei is the golden retriever vampire MMC to her grumpy FMC. I love him. They deserve the world together!
I REALLY enjoyed this fantasy historical look on the Civil War. There was adventure, vengeance, romance, and some fun lore like Van Helsing being the first Saint- people who are gifted with superhuman abilities! This was so interesting and a fun read for sure!

Here is my ONE thing that I didn't like, Jerusalem is pretty mean. Like, immature mean to Alexei. So this is DEFINITELY YA.

This story just didn’t work for me. I was expecting a historical romance which didn’t deliver. There is modern slang throughout it which takes away from the historical period. The romance was completely one sided. I will pass next time on this author.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5, rounded up to 4 stars. I was extremely excited for this book, the premise of being in the civil war but let's include vampires drew me in. I both requested the audiobook and eARC and I did enjoy the audiobook more (I rated a 3.75). I think the writing is done very well, the characters (who I enjoyed) and story just fell a little flat for me overall. That being said, I would still fully recommend this book and author to others!

The Dangerous Ones is a historical fantasy set in the civil war times. It’s about a girl with demigod like abilities and her journey with those times and dealing with vampires.

I really liked this book. The story development was nice and it went well. I liked seeing the growth in the main characters as the story went on.

I recommend this book if you like historical fantasies, vampires, and stories about civil war times.

This was an interesting civil war era vampire romance…I really liked the concept and both of the main characters but felt like we just didn’t get deep enough into them, the world, or the story to be really connected or invested.

In 1863, a young black woman named Jerusalem is a Saint, someone with demi-god like abilities. After escaping slavery one year ago, she joins forces with the Union. She is taught to fight by Alexei, a 3000 year old vampire. With her weapon of choice, a spear in hand, they set off to battle the Confederates, which includes the vampire who enslaved and murdered her family.

I love me a vampire book, and was excited to pick this one up! This book had the potential to be something great, but it fell short for me. It is set in the Civil War, but there were a lot of modern words thrown in, that I kept forgetting it was in that time frame until it was mentioned again. The romance was strange, and it almost felt abusive in a way. Jerusalem was so mean to Alexei, and I didn't understand why he liked her so much. She was constantly hitting him and verbally abusing him. I loved the idea of the revenge, and I do like how it played out in the end.

I received an ARC from NetGallery. I absolutely was hooked for the first like 25% of the book. Like the concept of a black woman named Jerusalem. How sadly her family was murdered and how it dives into a little bit of slavery and how it was for Jerusalem and her family. However, they decided to run but they all got caught but her. This story broke my heart, it literally had me in tears. When she was running she got captured by Alexei. Like they are enemies since the Vampires were the ones to slaughter her family. But in a cute kinda twist they end up having feelings for each other. So now they she is battling her feelings where as he knows what he wants and that's her. What I hated the most about this was after that was all done, it fell very flat and I had to force myself to finish the book. One of my biggest issues was the language was more modern, the date is 1863 but reads as if it's in 2024. It took me out of the book so many times because my brain thinks it's modern day, then something from that time period is mentioned and it confuses me for a second. I would understand if time travel was a thing but it's not in this book. So if you are the type of reader where this doesn't bother you, then you would really love this book. Give it a try and read it for yourself. It sadly wasn't my cup of tea but it just might be yours!!
P.S I'm so sorry NetGallery for such a late review, I thought I reviewed but I did not. So here's my honest opinion of The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Actual rating: 3.5

Lauren Blackwood returns with her newest YA historical fantasy novel, The Dangerous Ones. Set in Civil War era America, readers follow Jerusalem, a former slave who escaped after her family was murdered by vampires. Jerusalem has since joined the Union army and has been quite an asset as one of the Saints- people with heightened strength, speed, senses, and endurance. Jerusalem wants revenge on her family's behalf and is willing to put in the work to develop enough skills to do it. Even if that means partnering with Alexei. Alexei is a vampire ally and member of the Union army who has made it perfectly clear all people are equal in his eyes, especially after several hundred years of life. Alexei has an enemy in common with Jerusalem, but it seems his priority is in keeping her safe.

In the interest of full disclosure, I initially attempted to read this novel and couldn't quite get on board with Blackwood's writing style. Everything seemed to fall a bit flat for me, but I was determined to give this book a full chance. As such, I borrowed the audiobook on Everand. Narrators Angel Pean (Jerusalem) and Jay Ben Markson (Alexei) did a wonderful job at humanizing the characters. Their performances were engaging and more than fulfilled the assignment. I doubt I would have finished the book without their voices being lent to Blackwood's words.

Once I got into the story, I was entertained throughout. Both Jerusalem and Alexei are characters that put up a tough front, but have backstory contriburing to how they experience and perceive the world. The romance of the story was believable, if unnecessary and a bit fast-tracked.

The setting was an interesting shift as it appeared that not only were vampires standard but werewolves and sasquatches were included as well. There was a lot of room for expansion in the world if Blackwood were to decide on a companion novel. I specify a companion novel as I truly think Jerusalem and Alexei's story is wrapped up neatly here, so it would be of benefit to follow other characters in any future installments in the world.

Overall, I think this book will appeal to readers who enjoyed Justina Ireland's Dread Nation, but wished for vampires instead of zombies. I was happy to have the opportunity to read this early, was entertained during my read, but don't know that I will remember much detail about the story down the road.

WOW! What did I just read? This book had it all. The civil war, making it historical. The vampires made it paranormal. The relationship of Jerusalem and Alexei makes it a romance. This book has everything.

There were a lot of characters, that sometimes got overwhelming, but they all added to the story. I enjoyed that most of the characters played an active part in the story so they made an impression on me. There were a few times that I skimmed over a paragraph because it seemed repetitive or not very important to the story.

Overall, The Dangerous Ones is a great YA paranormal romance. The book is not a quick read but it is entertaining.

A teenage former slave comes into her power in a battle against slave-owning vampires in this paranormal fantasy set against the backdrop of the Civil War.

Jerusalem wants nothing more than revenge against the slave owners, led by a vicious vampire, who slaughtered her family. With powerful magical strength, she joins a faction of the Union army - the Saints - who specifically train to slaughter vampires. But when she meets Alexei, an ancient Russian vampire here to help the Saints, he challenges all her prejudices and gets past her defenses. Together, they must decide how much they can trust each other as they battle a common enemy for their very lives and freedom.

I loved the blossoming romance between Jerusalem and Alexei. He's everything she's been conditioned to hate, and she's a frail human compared to Alexei. But their teasing relationship - he calls her Tiny Saint because of her size - soon gives way to real feelings. These captivating characters made me wish the book would never end.

Once again, Lauren Blackwood has created a dangerous, enthralling world, where Saints battle vampires and the Underground Railroad runs on mystic powers. I especially enjoyed the worldbuilding when they return to Jerusalem's former plantation home.

A gripping page turner with just the right amount of romance to balance the bloodshed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.