The Dangerous Ones
by Lauren Blackwood
YA Paranormal Historical Fiction
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: May 14, 2024
St. Martin's Press
Ages: 16+

Set during the Civil War, Jerusalem escapes to the North after spending her first seventeen years as a slave on a plantation, owned by abusive humans and a single female vampire. Seeking revenge against that vampire who killed her family, she joins the Union army and also finds out she is a Saint. A rare person gifted with strength, reflexes, and endurance; perfect to fight against the vampires who have joined forces with the Confederates.

But one vampire also joined with the North, who does not agree with the other vampires and their abusive way of living.


This was a good story, a quick read. I really liked how the supernatural was incorporated into the Civil War and the Underground Railroad, though I felt as if some details about the Underground were left out. I understand the secrecy of the railroad, but I feel that a little more depth about a few of the characters would've created a more dramatic effect.

As would some backstory about the Saints. There should be a lot of explanations of who, why, how, when, etc about the Saints and how they came to be.

The romantic aspect, I didn't care for the MCs', but their friends' romance was a more 'heartfelt' romance, and I liked that one more.

Another thing that bothered me was the pet names the two MCs had for each other. It got a little confusing at times. Sure I can understand the shortening of names, but some of the 'pet names' he had for her were a tad creepy.

And the title of the book; it sounds ominous but by the end of the book...who?

There is violence and some innuendos so I think it's more suitable for 'mature' 16+ readers.

3 Stars

I found it difficult to connect with any characters as I felt they were one-dimensional, whiny, and weak. The world building was flawed and uninteresting, and the time jumping didn't flow well for me; it pulled me out of the story instead of drawing me in deeper. However, I did enjoy the fight scenes. I don't think this book is bad, but it didn't meet my expectations.

DNF @68%

I was so, so excited for this, and it started out fantastic. I admittedly know .. next to nothing about history, but I did feel sort of “transported” back to what I imagine that specific time frame to be like. The scenarios (minus the vampires ofc) felt gut-wrenchingly real, and the author really hit the mark with connecting the reader to the story.

.. but then started missing the mark, a lot 😭
I really felt in the dark a lot of the time of what Saint’s are; do they just have enhanced strength? Why? Is it inherited? The world building just felt like it fell flat, and I wanted more!

The romance also left a lot to be desired. We hear Alexei’s internal monologue of how much he love Jerusalem, and their banter is great. But with Alexei, Jerusalem was constantly back and forth, back and forth … and then even more back and forth. Granted, Jerusalem has severe trauma regarding vampires. But the way she acts in terms of romantic feelings towards Alexei felt like a complete 180 of her general personality, and it really drew me out of the story.

Seriously, this started out so great! But somewhere along the lines, the writing style almost felt like it changed, and it just wasn’t for me. (Also this felt so much like Twilight - there was even a Jasper Whitlock confederate vampire soldier 😭)

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for granting me an arc for an honest review.

Vicious read! The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood is a historical fantasy romance set during America’s Civil War about a vampire hunter falling for a vampire. Jerusalem is an escaped slave and a Saint – people with god-like strength, speed, and agility. She’s spent her life hiding who she really is, but now she’s fighting for the Northern army in the hopes of freeing others like her who were enslaved and treated as less than because of the color of their skin. Alexei is a vampire fighting beside Jerusalem in an effort to stop the Ancient Vampires who have made their home in the South. Together they make an unstoppable team. Told in dual narration, The Dangerous Ones takes a unique look at history, trauma, prejudice, and putting it all aside for love.

Jerusalem is a fierce character. You do not want to get on her bad side. At the start of the story, it’s been one year since she escaped her owners and fled to the North. Thinking her family dead, she trains daily to go back and free other slaves. Her commitment to killing vampires and hating them is easy to understand. They have ruled over her life since she was born, and every good thing she’s ever had was taken from her by them. It’s her life’s mission to end them, one at a time, and she revels in it.

Alexei is unlike the vampires from Jerusalem’s past. He sees her fear behind the anger she projects, and he finds common ground with her. This life wasn’t his choice. He had no say in becoming what he is, but he does have a say in how he acts and what he does daily. Right now, he chooses to fight on the side that wants to free slaves. He chooses to fight for humanity. He respects Jerusalem and trains her. Over the last year, they’ve built a tenuous friendship. But it is more for him.

I really enjoyed this story. It is well-written. The author’s choice of backdrop works well in highlighting both Jerusalem’s prejudice against Alexei and her PTSD from her former life. While she fights prejudice on a daily basis because of her past and her skin color, she is not immune to judging Alexei because he is the thing she hates. Overcoming this is a big part of the story. I love how the author shows how love is at the center of their story, first through friendship and then something more. Their shared trauma, how Alexei recognizes it in her, and Jerusalem’s realization of Alexei’s own trauma drive the narrative.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Dangerous Ones. Blackwood’s writing from the characters to the setting is perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better read. If you enjoy historical fantasies, adventure, and a little romance, I highly recommend it.

I wanted to like this book so much. It had the potential to be great, but it just wasn't there for me.

Jerusalem was a slave for the first 18 years of her life. She always knew she was a little different, that she would do anything for her family, and that she hated vampires. Once she escaped into freedom, she joined the Union army and found out that she is a Saint. Jer also met a vampire that isn't like any she'd ever met before. But how can she be friends with a vampire, especially a white vampire, when she hates them so much?

I am irritated because I wanted to love this so much and I hate having to rate stuff less than three stars. But I just had to!! I was so disappointed in the story. And the characters for that matter. Basically a woman and vampire team up to go on a revenge spree. And they are really heartless too. Like killing kids that are 15 and stuff like that.

But the main character Jerusalem is just terrible. She’s hateful, vengeful, crass, and overall really shitty. Almost the entire time!!!! Like there’s supposed to be this great romance, but it just seemed very unbelievable to me. I wasn’t into the two of them together. There was no heat and no chemistry!!! At all. Smh.. it was just all very disappointing.

I didn’t rate it one star because there was a fun Sasquatch, a few vaguely funny parts, and because Jerusalem finally stopped being a dick in the very end. Like the last ten pages.

So I don’t recommend this one. At all. I’d apologize, but I just can’t help what I don’t like.

I love this concept! Vampires and the Civil War? Add a romance? I'm in! I ultimately enjoyed this story but it in my opinion it is very heavy for a young adult book. As an adult in my late twenties, I found some of the discussion of sexual violence and torture difficult so I imagine it would be a lot for some teens, especially younger ones.

I did like the romantic plot. I loved how much Alexei admired Jerusalem and was glad we got his POV as well. I usually won't have liked how indecisive Jerusalem was about her feelings but I thought it made sense given her history.

I know there was a reason this book was hard to read. Black people in US history endured terrible things and I'm not saying we should not have books about them. However, I was bothered by the idea that torture described in detail was ok for a YA book. Especially when it is pretty standard that sexual acts should not be described in detail in YA books. So normal human sexuality is more disturbing than torture? I want to be very clear this is not a criticism of this author or her story, only how it has been marketed and the genre it has been put into.

I think if you are an adult reader who thinks this story sound intriguing and you are up for the heavier subject matter you will enjoy this one! I do think the idea of slave owners as vampires and the way the author explored power and trauma was very interesting.

Blackwood’s third novel is a Civil War inspired fantasy where vampires, werewolves and other creatures live amongst the war to end slavery.

Our FMC, Jerusalem, has demi-god attributes and absolutely hates vampires as the caused the death of most of her family. She pairs up with Alexei, who happens to be a 300-year old vampire who secretly loves her.

The novel is basically about them teaming up to kill the vampire who is at fault for both of their past miseries.

Thought it was okay. The theme is interesting and reminiscent a bit of Dread Nation, less the zombies, crossed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I liked the romantic pairing a bit more in this one than her previous novel where I didn’t buy into it.

Some of the language Jerusalem uses seems too modern in opinion. I know this is a fantasy and I should just go with it but it was distracting even to me who generally doesn’t care about these things.

I did enjoy the last battle. If you’ve enjoyed Blackwood’s previous works or like historical fiction fantasy novels then this one is for you.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was so intrigued by this story because it combines my favorite things - history and fantasy/romance. This book explores what the Civil War would be like if vampires and other supernatural beings existed.

My main problem, however, was the lack of knowledge of the Civil War itself and modern language/terminology. I don't want to get too deep into it, but the main character, Jerusalem, is a human with supernatural abilities who escaped slavery to fight in the Union Army. I loved the narrator of the audiobook on this one, because it is clear the narrator did some research into the "sound" of a southerner. Despite this, the modern language and blatant problems with the historical context pulled me out of the story time and time again.

I also do not like when.there is an abusive relationship between the two main love interests. I am all about enemies to lovers, and even some roughness, but it needs to be purposeful. Jerusalem will attack Alexi, both physically and verbally, which I cannot get down with.

In all, I liked the idea of the plot, but there needed to be more thorough editing and research. This could have been amazing.

This historical fantasy set during the Civil War had potential, but it fell flat. The writing was inconsistent, with modern slang mixed awkwardly into the 1860s setting, which pulled me out of the story.

The plot felt like a disjointed patchwork, making it hard to follow. The romance was particularly frustrating. Alexei was head-over-heels for Jerusalem, who mostly responded with put-downs. Their supposed connection felt one-sided and unconvincing.

By 70%, I had to DNF. Skip this one.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc.

All thoughts are my own.

The Dangerous Ones was a refreshing take on Vampires, and I thought it was really well done. The characters and storyline kept me intrigued and turning the page, and the love story was amazing. It was very well written, and the banter was *chefs kiss*.

Overall, it was a fun read, and I definitely recommend it!

My Reaction: Good from beginning to end!

I generally loved everything about this novel. It was entertaining on all fronts and delivered with a lovely punch. I am a huge fan of historical fiction. And yet, mixed with a nice serving of romance and an even bigger slice of fantasy, I was sold immediately. One of the things that worked exceptionally well for me was the chemistry and also tension that coincided between a vampire and a former enslaved girl who couldn't have been more different from one another. Alexei and Jerusalem were the perfect contrast and really personified the notion of opposites attract. And as they learn and grow together they realize they are not truly one another's enemy. A happily ever after that I could get down with. Thank you to NetGalley for the gifted copy. I highly recommend!

This was such an unusual and interesting premise The plot caught my attention. Historical fiction mixed with elements of fantasy and paranormal. The author dives into deeper themes of trauma against the back drop of Civil War times. Well written and engaging

Blackwood creates a world I could picture crystal clear from page 1. The concept of the saints was intriguing and was a nice addition to this historical setting, along with the vampires. Speaking of, I do like when the guy falls first.

3 Stars

Imaginative, stalwart, vindicating

Atmosphere/Characters
I love the concept of this story. Including vampires into the mix during the Civil War, particularly as plantation/slave owners, worked very well. We got a good backstory of the main vampire, Alexei, and how he is distinct from other vampires. He is a complex character -a feared and known fighter, loyal to the North and determined to eradicate slavery; but, also very fearful of his past. I appreciated how his fear held him back and affected his actions in a way he wasn’t proud of, which he then had to overcome. It was not easy for him, and he was reluctant to confront the source of his fear, but it paid off. The author demonstrated this well with memory flashbacks scattered throughout this story, so that as a reader you learn a little more every time this comes up as an issue.
The vampires’ counterparts, Saints, were intriguing, but poorly explained. It’s unclear what their power is and if they all have the same power. All that’s really said about them is that they are more powerful, stronger, faster healers, and better fighters than humans. I would have really enjoyed learning more about their history to understand their powers better. We primarily follow Jerusalem, a young female Saint who was previously enslaved. She is portrayed as being particularly powerful, but it is unclear what sets her apart. Her hatred of white men and vampires predominates her story, which I both appreciated and struggled with. There was so much talking in circles regarding her feelings towards Alexei, and every time was repetitive. Anytime she felt feelings of trust, friendship, or romantic interest, she quickly shut them down for the same reason every time: because he was white and a vampire. That is very understandable, but happened so often and in the same exact way that it became hard to read. This happened for about ⅔ of the book, and after this pattern ended the story improved significantly for me.
Inclusion of the Underground Railroad and how it worked was clever and exciting. It felt very random to include sasquatches at that point of the story, but I enjoyed their abilities and involvement so much that I quickly got over that. There’s not much information about them, but what I learned was enough for me. Having werewolves at this point, however, was distracting and confusing. It did not make sense that werewolves were accepted into the Railroad efforts but not vampires. The chimera was also incredibly random and did not do much for the plot, but at least added some excitement.

Relationships
Alexei and Jerusalem’s relationship was all over the place. There was an element familiar to fated mates in how Alexei was so attracted to Jerusalem’s scent and personality. But, it was very unclear if Jerusalem experienced that as well. It was hinted at, then negated, then hinted at again, then negated again. She was also overly violent towards him on multiple occasions, which was hard to forgive.
When Jerusalem finally came around to embracing her feelings for Alexei, it felt very sudden and anticlimactic given how many circles we ran around them beforehand. It was cute and sweet and a relief, but not enough of a pay off for what had been written the first ⅔ of the book.
They both helped each other overcome deep rooted fears at the end of the story. Alexei unwillingly confronted his maker and tormentor for Jerusalem’s sake; and Jerusalem allowed her brother to be turned into a vampire by Alexei in order to prevent his death. I appreciated this arc, and Jerusalem’s brother’s outcome was an unexpected and welcome twist to allow this growth to occur.
Odessa and Gael were a layer of nuanced complexity that was needed. They both had secrets they kept from Jerusalem and Alexei that ended up finally bringing them together. Their story/relationship was sad, tragic, and worked well in the plot.

Plot
The direction the plot went in ultimately fell flat for me. It was clear from the beginning Jerusalem was seeking revenge. She desired to kill her enslaver and everyone at that plantation. This blood thirst never changed throughout her arc. Even at the end, it was an afterthought for her to help free other enslaved people from their plantations. I was hopeful she’d realize her ability to turn her thirst for blood into a drive to free sooner. Instead, it was something she suggested they do only after her goal was accomplished, and only after burying their friends. It didn’t sit right that it felt like an afterthought now that she’d gotten her own vengeance.

Intrigue
There was a lot of build up towards Alexei and Jerusalem’s romance. The story as a whole would have been better for me if it had occurred sooner in the story.
There was great build up towards the reveal that Jerusalem’s enslaver was Alexei’s maker/tormenter. Unfortunately, that reveal fell flat. Jerusalem’s disbelief that she could be an ancient, and then her dismissal that they could easily kill her, diminished the drama in that moment quite a bit.

Generalized Reaction/Enjoyment in Reading
I loved the concept and I enjoyed the story once Jerusalem and Alexei were together. The first ⅔ of the book, however, was a struggle to continue reading at times. Jerusalem’s inner monologue was frustrating and made her less likable. Her persistent violence and bloodthirst was off putting, and I kept expecting her to embrace her power for the benefit of others and not just herself. Her complete 180 towards Alexei/vampires at the end was too drastic, and the inclusion of different creatures/characters at this point was also distracting. The best way to summarize my feeling towards this book is that I did not fully enjoy it, but I did appreciate it.

Thank you to Wednesday books and Macmillian audio for the arc and alc.

I loved the set up of this one. It takes place during the civil war-but make it fantastical. There are vampires and humans with advanced abilities. I wanted to love our fmc so much. She has escaped slavery to join the union army and use her powers to take down the people that hurt her. What I did not like was the relationship with our mmc. The FMC was kind of abusive towards him. She does have trauma from white people and vampires, which is understandable. But I couldn’t get past it when it was against the love interest.

The narration was well done with Angel Pean and Jay Ben Markson bringing our main characters to life.

I think this book has its audience in those that can look past the relationship issues.

I've found all of Lauren Blackwood's books to be well written and enjoyable reads. This one was no different!

A book where vampires lived among everyone and set during the Civil War era - - what a story this was! It was a creative and brilliant combination that worked so well. Yet it was so very painful and heartbreaking to read many of the parts. The abuse that Jerusalem has lived through at the hands of not just men, but vampires is horrendous. But instead of letting it break her, she is driven by it.

Her family is murdered by vampires and she escapes to the North. While there, she begins training to fight against not just the South but the vampires as well who have sided with them. But Jerusalem isn't just any former slave, she's a Saint - - a human gifted with extraordinary power and abilities. Her gifts help her to fight against vampires when others can't. While she wants nothing more than to annihilate vampires from the planet, she can't help but befriend and ultimately fall for one ancient vampire who is fighting on the side of the North - - Alexei. He's special as he has also been kept against his will and was changed against his will. And he is fine with killing most vampires. His only soft spot seems to be the newly turned that may not have had a choice - - as he can still sympathize with not having control.

This book flowed well. It is told in multiple time lines as you go back in time to when Alexei was initially captured and turned. You also flashback to when Jerusalem's family is killed. There's an undercurrent that runs between Jerusalem and Alexei. It's obvious throughout the book that he loves her but she finds it difficult to acknowledge having feelings for a vampire. Yet, he's not your typical vamp. There are times that Jerusalem finds herself frustrated with him because he can't understand exactly what she's fought against. He can understand some pieces but not all of it. From the exterior, he's a beautiful white male - - how could he understand how an escaped slave feels? He can't understand how it feels for her to walk down the street as not just a woman but a black woman. She's always looked at as something less - - and then people see her small stature and underestimate her. That's when they make a mistake for sure because she is not someone to underestimate. She might be small in stature but she's got a huge heart for battle and those she cares about.

This story was a heartbreaking story of loss and struggle - - but also in survival against all odds and love of family, friends and more.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I also listened to the audiobook and it was quite good. The narration was spot on and I felt like they really captured the character's different personalities. 4 1/2 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and the audiobook.

This one drew me in because I love anything with vampires in it. I love every second of it that when I can get to the store I will be buying me a physical copy for my bookshelf. I highly recommend to anyone that loves vampires as much as I do.

I wanted to like this book but I just didn't. The premise is so cool. Vampires during the civil war? Uh, yes please. But the writing fell flat and felt juvenile to me. It was choppy and inconsistent and used a lot of modern language which made it hard for me to stay in the story.

Thanks to MacMillan for my complimentary ALC. All opinions here are my own.

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After seventeen year old Jerusalem killed her slave master, her own family was murdered in retaliation and she had no choice but to escape north, to Union territory where the army is fighting slavery, and the vampires who benefit from it like the one who enslaved her. Alexei is an ancient vampire fighting with the Union army, but he is running from a past of his own. Driven by revenge, all Jerusalem wants is to kill the vampire that enslaved her, but she will have to team up with Alexei to do it, for her target is no ordinary vampire but an ancient herself.

I wasn’t too impressed by this author’s first book, Within These Wicked Walls, and so decided to skip the second book, but I thought I’d try out this one because the premise sounded quite promising. I’ve read fantasy retellings set during the Civil War before, most notably, Dread Nation, which I loved, so I had high hopes for The Dangerous Ones.

The Civil War, but with vampires, was such a fascinating premise, and the way the initial chapters laid out the plot blended the two concepts really well. However, I feel like between vampires and saints and everyone’s personal revenge missions, the story ended up revolving around just that and didn’t spare much time to dwell on the larger conflict at hand.

I did like that the author didn’t waste much time at the beginning explaining things or building up the tension and the story opened in the middle of the action and more or less stayed there the entire time.

This story could have used some more world building. It was never clearly explained what it meant to be a Saint, or how exactly some people happened to be born with these powers, or even what all the different powers were.

I found the language highly off-putting. Between the slang and vernacular that didn’t fit the time period I was irritated within the first five minutes because it made for a very jarring reading experience. The narrative also hopped between the main story and flashbacks to Jerusalem or Alexei’s pasts with no warning or indication and there was no particular order to it either. There were several times when a chapter started with a flashback and then abruptly moved back into present day (and vice versa). While I did enjoy the insights into the characters that these interludes provided, it needed some structure to it.

And speaking of structure, there were many other parts of this book that could have used it too, starting with the pacing. This story seemed to be in a rush the entire time, starting with Jerusalem’s rather dramatic escape, but then jumping a year ahead in the very next chapter, leaving the reader to discover how she made her way to safety and met the other central characters through dialogue between the various characters, extremely concise flashbacks, and other context clues. For me, this had a detrimental effect not only on the character arcs (more on that in a minute), but this was also a large part of why this story didn’t hook me.

On the plus side, the rapid pacing was probably the only reason why I didn’t DNF this book. Because it was moving so fast, I was able to sit down and get through the book. The action scenes were pretty decent as was the writing and the two narrative voices were distinct and easy to follow.

Going back to the characters, when we met Alexei and Jerusalem after the prologue, they were already kind of friends and the relationship was established. It would have been so much better if that developed on page – primarily because this route made the romance feel so forced and I found it very unrealistic. If this was meant to be an enemies to lovers trope, at least let it play out during the story rather than presenting the reader with a fait accompli.

I also didn’t like Jerusalem as a main character at all as she didn’t have much of an arc. The way her story started made her a highly promising MC, with so much potential for development, but by the end, it was like she hadn’t grown at all – she was still immature and annoying, not to mention snapping at Alexei all the time to the point that it was basically verbal abuse. Alexei in comparison felt like a much better written character as there was enough background given to understand his personality and motivations, but he was still a pretty bland character. Overall however, I didn’t find myself invested in either character and was mostly reading just to find out how it would end.

The ending of this story was basically all about the ending of Jerusalem’s quest to avenge her family and it all came together quite well. I am a bit disappointed however, that the author chose to conclude the book there since the war was technically still going on. An epilogue to talk about how that worked out would have been nice. I don’t know if leaving this obvious loose end means there might be a sequel planned, but I doubt I’d read it if that was the case.

This was quite interesting conceptually, but it didn’t make good use of that potential in my opinion. All in all, I didn’t enjoy this much, and it was just not my type of read. I think, after this, it’s unlikely I’ll be returning to any of this author’s books, and personally, I would not recommend The Dangerous Ones.