Ok I’ll start off by saying I ate this book up. The writing is kinda bad and the author’s choices took me out of it from time to time, but I found myself really wanting to know what happened, which I think is what’s important. I’ve read tons of well-written books that I did not care about. 

It’s choppy and jarring sometimes, the way the characters interact with each other is really inconsistent. Also the constant mentioning of how tiny the FMC is got super annoying, but that’s a personal problem. 

I didn’t go into this knowing it was YA, so I was wanting more from the romance that I was never going to get. Now that I know it’s YA it’s fine but I was definitely frustrated at the end. That said, I loved the characters and would prolly read more if there was more.

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this gifted review copy!

A compelling reinterpretation of traditional vampire lore set against the backdrop of the American Civil War. The narrative explores dark themes and depicts the cruel torments people can inflict upon each other. The central characters, Alexei and Jerusalem, share a deep bond forged through shared trials, providing an emotional depth to the story. The book stands as a testament to human endurance, the power of love, and the spirit that allows us to rise above our circumstances.

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. 

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. 

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.