The Dangerous Ones is an extremely creative historical fantasy! What if vampires were real AND exploited America’s slave trade for their own gain? I loved getting both Jerusalem’s and Alexei’s POVs and how different they were, right down to their speech patterns. Those differences helped to develop their characters and bring them to life.

Jerusalem’s and Alexei’s motivations are clear right from the start - both had very valid reasons for joining the Union’s cause, both experiencing trauma through enslavement. Despite their differences, they are very similarly driven and it’s no surprise they fell for each other. The timeline jumped around a bit, sometimes it was clearly noted, and other times it wasn’t, which occasionally made the plot hard to follow. However, these flashbacks provide pivotal moments that define both Jerusalem’s and Alexei’s growth.

Overall, this was my favorite book of Blackwood’s to date. While I still have questions about the role of Saints in this world, I found the plot compelling, the characters are strong, easily relatable, and the writing engaging. A great addition to the historical fantasy romance subgenre!

Thank you to Netgalley, Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to review this eARC.

It’s been a looong time since I’ve read a book about vampires and I’m so happy I got the opportunity to read this one. I loved Alexei’s personality, and just pictured Astarion the whole time, and Jerusalem had me cackling throughout the story. I really enjoy historical fiction, and fantasy, and I feel like Lauren delivered so well for both. The story telling and themes explored were intentional and powerful, and I felt engaged throughout the book. I will definitely be recommending this read to others and can’t wait to read more by this author.

This is one of those stories that had SO. MUCH. Potential for me. I mean; vampires, vampires in love with human badasses... Human badasses that TOOK OUT VAMPIRES. I wanted to love this so much.
But, unfortunately, even though the characters seemed promising, the vernacular just took me out of the story. It was supposed to take place during the Civil War era. But it reads like a 21-century YA. Honestly, I could see some people LOVING that. And I'm okay with that. Because besides that, the writing was fabulous. I just couldn't get past the first quarter.
Much love to this author--you are talented. I'm just not the intended audience here.

The chapters were a bit too long so I found the story dragging on and struggled to get into so this is a DNF for me but I know I have students who would enjoy it

I can't really give this one a rating because i didn't finish reading it. time ran out but it also didn't keep me interested as much as it could have beyond the first or second chapters. I loved the idea of vampires and vampire hunters during the time period chosen but i didn't like the romantic element. The direction of that ruined it for me. I may pick it up at a later date but ultimately I don't think I'm the reader this book is meant for.

This is my first book by Lauren Blackwood and I LOVED it. I had a hard time at first with the writing but once I got used to it, I flew through this book.

I’m a sucker (no pun intended) for any book that has vampires in it. 🖤🥀

Once again, I didn't get to this one before I was sent a free copy, but I've loved all of Lauren's books and I'm sure the same will hold true for this. :)

Hello,

this book ended up not being my cup of tea, and I would prefer not to review it, as I had to DNF it. I don't think I have anything to say that would have a positive impact on this.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book

Finally finished! I loved the ending. This was a creative story combining real history, The Civil War, with fantasy. The vampires being involved on both sides of the war was interesting and even more so Alexei being the vampire that wanted to save not only black people and fight for freedom but also feeling empathetic to the New Bloods being turned against their will to help the Confederates chances.

This novel had a good amount of character development giving me a sense of who the main characters are and what they believed in. The author even gave them a path to change and evolve over time.

The only thing that annoyed me was the back and forth between Alexei and Jerusalem. It was childish, but I had to keep reminding myself that they are both 18 and have the mindset of a teen even though they are fighting adult battles internally and externally. I also felt as though the flashbacks were thrown in randomly at times as they didn’t truly flow into the present storyline, but other times it did.

Overall, this novel was action packed and is highly recommended for readers that want a story of historical fiction with a “happy ending” infused with fantasy and humor. There are some triggers, but similar triggers associated with most black historical fiction.

***I was given the ARC copy of this book by St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review.***

I love vampires in The Civil War; it....fits! Jerusalem, a Saint (or human with the strength to fight vampires), is a fearless fighter for the Union Army. She has a more than complicated relationship with Alexi, an Ancient Vampire fighting for the Union's cause. Though on the same side of the war, they still have plenty of obstacles to overcome--a vampire in the south had enslaved Jerusalem. Told through Dual POVs, the story is packed with action, heartache, and strength.

This was a book that I was hesitant about whether I would like it at the start. Vampires and the civil war seemed like a topic I wouldn’t enjoy. But within 20-30 pages I was hooked. The relationship between Jerusalem and Alexei was fun to read as it is an enemy to lovers’ type of story, at least for Jerusalem. Alexei clearly loves Jerusalem and is willing to do what he must for her. The idea of vampires owning slaves makes complete sense. There are a few violent scenes that can be a little hard to read, but nothing too intense. What happens to Jerusalem’s sister is a bit graphic and might be difficult for some readers to handle. This book was different from what I would normally read, but I enjoyed it.

**Features:**
-Explores themes of race, slavery, war, and trauma
-What if an escaped slave fighting in the American Civil War…but with vampires?
-A blend of forbidden and enemies to lovers romance
-Strong, black female main character as well as a diverse cast of other characters

Oh dear. This one is definitely a diamond in the rough. I have so many thoughts that it’s going to be hard to sum up, but here we go! Main characters Jerusalem and Alexei are well realized and have great chemistry on the page. I enjoyed their banter and the evolution of their relationship, but we don’t really get to see how they meet until much later in the book and not in a way that feels particularly meaningful. There are a lot of interesting ideas in the world building that I desperately want to see fully realized, but they were never woven together and developed in a way that felt truly cohesive. If you are into history like me, I am going to warn you away from this one right now. However, if you like stories that are action driven and/or vampire romances, I think this could be one you could enjoy.

**Pro: Character Chemistry**

This book switches between two perspectives. The first is Jerusalem, an escaped slave with enhanced abilities. After running from her captors, Jerusalem joins a group of other people with enhanced abilities known as “Saints” and trains hard in order to exact her revenge. The other perspective is Alexei, an old world vampire of Eastern European descent with a complicated past of his own that he finds himself running both towards and away from in equal measure. Both of these characters are strong and independent, but Blackwood does a good job allowing space for vulnerability and errors that are clearly connected to their past experiences.

The first time we see Alexei and Jerusalem together, they are sibling-like in the way they antagonize each other while also quietly respecting and trusting one another. Unfortunately, we don’t get to live through the process of them meeting and getting to this point. However, they have great chemistry and it is easy to see how this friendship could bloom into something more. There are definitely some missed opportunities with both characters, but I found myself invested in them all the same. The other “Saints” each followed an archetype without much else to make them feel extremely unique and most characters beyond that were minimally characterized. However, I think the ‘blend’ of archetypes played well with the main characters and I wasn’t too upset by it.

**The Breakdown: What’s the Rush?**

I’m just going to say it: structure is a real problem with this book. There is a version of this book that could be 5 stars and all it would really have to do is pump the brakes a little bit. We start with Jerusalem’s dramatic escape (which is very well done) and then in the very next chapter, we have jumped 2 years ahead and she is already well established in this group and close with Alexei. That in and of itself could probably be its own novel and the rest of this story would be better for it. Instead, the story tries to fill in the gaps with flashback chapters that find themselves competing with the present day action that unfolds at breakneck speed. As a result, the flashbacks themselves only cover the essentials and the memories shared don’t always have a strong correlation to what is happening in the present. I imagine at least some of this is intended to create curiosity in the reader to hook them in, but it falls short in execution and just feels a little thrown together.

Action is definitely prioritized in this book and there is nothing wrong with having a fast paced book. However, the themes this book tries to explore and the characters it uses to do so need to be given more time to develop in meaningful ways. Without giving any spoilers, I will say that there are some big reveals in the early parts of the story that could have been really amazing moments if more time was spent getting me invested in the characters and/or situation. As a result, I wasn’t really affected by some of the developments in the way I knew I should be. Additionally, you can tell that there is more to the world building and characters that we never really get to see or explore in the rush from one thing to the other.

I am not a big believer that an alternate history needs to be as close to the real historical event/time period as possible. However, I think that it is important to have a clear vision of what this version of history looks like and that it remains cohesive and consistent. I understand and appreciate the story the author was trying to tell and there is enough here that I can even see how it could work in a wonderfully weird way. That’s why it pains me to say that this, my friends, is a glorious mess. I can’t even tell how much is intentional in order to ‘reach younger readers’ and how much is simply not spending enough time researching and editing. Unfortunately, this book is largely missing its sense of time and place and loses some of its power as a result.

The Dangerous Ones
by Lauren Blackwood
Pub Date: May 14 2024

War doesn’t scare Jerusalem. She’s a Saint. Thanks to powerful demigod-style reflexes, endurance, and strength, she’s fearless. And she has one goal - revenge.

But she never expects to team up with the handsome, arrogant Alexei to accomplish it. He’s one of those Ancient Vampires. And ever since her family was enslaved and murdered by one, Jerusalem hates vampires.

But in the year they've been fighting alongside one another against the Confederate Army and the vampires who benefitted off slavery, Alexei’s never done anything but prove he’s on the Union’s side and hers. She may know the enemy better, hate the enemy more than anyone in her battalion, but so does he. And she’ll use that to her advantage. Because if she can get her revenge by helping Black people gain freedom and equality without having to steal it for themselves like she had to, then all the better.

Together, she and Alexei set out to change the course of the war, risking their hearts and themselves as they attempt to take down the vampire who destroyed everyone Jerusalem held dear. But for Jerusalem, it’s about more than love and justice.

It's about killing a god.

♡ Audiobook & eBook Review ♡
♤ Release May.14 ♤
4.25 🌟
•Duel POV
•Duel Timeline
•Slavery
•Shapeshifter | Vampires
•Romantic Historical with Fantasy
*Trigger Warnings ⚠️
•This story contains depictions of war and slavery, blood and gore, murder, death, physical abuse, hate crimes, racial discrimination, gun violence, and references to sexual abuse.
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If I judged a book by its cover, it's me because this cover is gorgeous to me! Also, if you enjoyed or loved the movie "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," this book is highly recommended for you!
The premise of this storyline is well done. We have mixed historical romance, fantasy, and vampire! I did feel like the romance subplot of the story fell a little by the wayside. The romance wasn't believable to me.
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Thank you, Netgalley and St.Martin Press, for the (eArc) ebook for my honest review.

Lauren Blackwood just doesn't miss! I've been a fan of hers since her debut, and each book is unique and different. While this book was difficult at times considering the content, it was so beautifully written. A must read!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This author's books keep getting better and better! The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood is the newest book by the author of Within These Wicked Walls and Wildblood. The story revolves around Jerusalem, who is a Black Saint with superpowers in an alternate 19th century America. Her family was enslaved and killed by Vampires, so she understandably doesn't like them. But to reach her goal, saving Black people from enslavement by the Ancient Vampires, she has no choice but to team up with Alexei, who is an Ancient Vampire himself, Can Jerusalem get over her feelings toward Vampires, or will she develop new feelings for one Vampire in particular?

Here is a gripping excerpt from the Opening Chapter, which is from Jerusalem's point of view:

"The sky was pitch, and my tears blinding, so outrunning them hounds was tricky. Three times faster than the men, but just as hateful, trained from pups to big old beasts to despise dark skin as much as the rest of them. But it wasn’t so much the dogs I was worried about. It was getting through these daggone woods in the dead of night. I’d been born with better night vision than anyone, but the brush was harsh, and the trees grew close, making it hard to keep a pace. My stupid full skirt kept catching on branches. Thank the Lord the thunder and wind that had been threatening for hours hadn’t yet turned to rain. And that I was still faster than anyone on any day.
My bare feet hurt, was probably bleeding, but I couldn’t stop. Not unless I wanted to be torn to shreds like they’d just done to my brother—"

Overall, The Dangerous Ones is an amazing fantasy book that is like Kindred meets X-Men. Even though it's shelved as YA, I feel like this book is on the verge of adult fantasy, and many adult readers will enjoy it as well. One highlight of this book is how the author highlights the tragic horrors that slaves had to go through during the CIvil War. Some of the descriptions were heartbreaking to read, and others were so horrible that I didn't want to keep reading. Another highlight of this book were the action-packed and bloody fighting scenes.

I took off 1 star, because there were several parts where the format of the book - dual first person POV between Alexei and Jerusalem - just flat-out confused me. For example, Alexei alternates between calling Jerusalem "Jerusalem" and his nickname for her "Tiny" - sometimes in the next paragraph. At one point, I wondered if Tiny and Jerusalem were two different characters. Then, there were many flashbacks that were labeled something vague like "One Year Later" but actually took places many years earlier. Maybe this will be fixed by the time the book is published. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fantasy books in general, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!

**Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC**

Vampires and werewolves during the Civil War? SIGN ME UP! But did this book deliver? Eh, not so much.

I loved the fantasy aspect mixed with real history. It has been done before, and in a YA setting... I instantly hit the Request button for this book. For the last few months, I have gone back and forth with this. Jerusalem started off strong for me, but the way she treats Alexi, the love interest and the vampire who has trained her, rubbed me the wrong way. Also, the modern language used felt wrong. Yes, this is a historical fantasy, or fantasy historical, but if you're going to have the setting be during a certain time period, then make sure to use the language of said time period.

The beginning of this book was rough as I was unsure as to what was going on. Quickly I jumped in and it started to make sense. It was tragic and hard to read with tons of trauma experienced by all the characters but it was still great.

It did not have quite the impact of Within These Wicked Walls but I would still recommend it.

The use of vampires with enslavement was interesting and made some sense.

Thank you to St. Martins Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the eARC.

I've enjoyed the other two books I've read by this author, but after nearly 30% this one failed to hook me. As I'm always a vampire fan, I love the concept but just couldn't get into the story. I also have to note that although the setting is 1863 during the Civil War, several phrases used were more modern and took me out of the story. I have no doubt this novel will find an audience, but it just wasn't for me.

I thought The Dangerous Ones was such an interesting concept for a book. Vampires and Vampire hunters in the Civil War? The potential was fantastic. And I will say, I felt it lived up to that potential.

Jerusalem was such an interesting and dynamic character. Her one-track-mind and focus on revenge through the majority of the book really propelled her character, but I loved seeing her grow and change through the foiling of Alexei. Her relationship with him challenging her views on an entire group was so potent to how we need to, as humans, take everyone as individuals and stop generalizing and bucketing people into their stereotypes. I also thought Alexei was an interesting character as well. His fearlessness in everything but when facing his trauma was really deep.

I also really liked the Civil War setting, and how Blackwood kept the historical accuracies while mixing in the fantasy elements. This was a story that really intrigued me and kept me engaged throughout the entire book.

4.5/5 stars