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megsbookishtwins's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a copy free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Dangerous Remedy follows Camille and her battalion as they attempt daring rescues of those about to meet a bloody end at the blade of a guillotine. Camille is a revolutionary’s daughter, but she is not necessarily a friend of the Revolution. When their most recent rescue doesn’t go to plan, and they find themselves in the company of a scared but powerful girl, the team now find themselves in the sights of both the Royalists and the Revolutionaries. But who is she really? and who can she trust?
rep: bi m/c, black m/c, biracial lesbian m/c, gay m/c
trigger warnings: violence, death, human experimentations, gore
Dangerous Remedy, while quite serious and dark at times, was just a purely fun read. A f/f relationship? A bi love triangle? found family? a dark & mysterious girl? lots of witty humour? lots of swashbuckling action? the french revolution???? It’s hard not to fall in love with this book.
I really do love a good opening, and Dangerous Remedy had a really great introduction to each character – action-packed and humorous. It really drags you into the story and from the very first page, you are already rooting for this ragtag group of do-gooders.
Dangerous Remedy takes place during the French Revolution and the reign of terror led by Robespierre – a time when anyone who was suspected as not being loyal to the Revolution could be arrested and killed via guillotine. Dunn managed to create a really atmospheric and captivating setting that really drags you into the story. There was an added element of ‘magic’, but it was quite subtle and, in a way, realistic.
The writing style was easy to read so that made it a nice, quick, and enjoyable read. It’s a fast-paced novel full of twists and turns, and as a reader, you are dragged along for a fast, intense, and thrilling ride.
I loved each and every character, and there was a really great f/f relationship between Camille and Ada, complex and fully fleshed out. Each with their own wants, needs, and their own doubts about the relationship. What I would have loved more of though, is maybe a little more time spent exploring the friendships between the other characters, and also exploring Al, Guil, and Olympe in a little more depth too.
Overall, Dangerous Remedy is an exciting and fun adventure featuring a brilliant ragtag team trying to uncover the truth and protect a new friend while fighting off both royalists and revolutionaries.
Dangerous Remedy follows Camille and her battalion as they attempt daring rescues of those about to meet a bloody end at the blade of a guillotine. Camille is a revolutionary’s daughter, but she is not necessarily a friend of the Revolution. When their most recent rescue doesn’t go to plan, and they find themselves in the company of a scared but powerful girl, the team now find themselves in the sights of both the Royalists and the Revolutionaries. But who is she really? and who can she trust?
rep: bi m/c, black m/c, biracial lesbian m/c, gay m/c
trigger warnings: violence, death, human experimentations, gore
Dangerous Remedy, while quite serious and dark at times, was just a purely fun read. A f/f relationship? A bi love triangle? found family? a dark & mysterious girl? lots of witty humour? lots of swashbuckling action? the french revolution???? It’s hard not to fall in love with this book.
I really do love a good opening, and Dangerous Remedy had a really great introduction to each character – action-packed and humorous. It really drags you into the story and from the very first page, you are already rooting for this ragtag group of do-gooders.
Dangerous Remedy takes place during the French Revolution and the reign of terror led by Robespierre – a time when anyone who was suspected as not being loyal to the Revolution could be arrested and killed via guillotine. Dunn managed to create a really atmospheric and captivating setting that really drags you into the story. There was an added element of ‘magic’, but it was quite subtle and, in a way, realistic.
The writing style was easy to read so that made it a nice, quick, and enjoyable read. It’s a fast-paced novel full of twists and turns, and as a reader, you are dragged along for a fast, intense, and thrilling ride.
I loved each and every character, and there was a really great f/f relationship between Camille and Ada, complex and fully fleshed out. Each with their own wants, needs, and their own doubts about the relationship. What I would have loved more of though, is maybe a little more time spent exploring the friendships between the other characters, and also exploring Al, Guil, and Olympe in a little more depth too.
Overall, Dangerous Remedy is an exciting and fun adventure featuring a brilliant ragtag team trying to uncover the truth and protect a new friend while fighting off both royalists and revolutionaries.
kizzabell's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
darkskybooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was my second Illumicrate subscription book and I enjoyed this! I don't know what I was expecting, but this book was completely off my radar, and that was a shame because first and foremost this book is fun! I don't think it will be winning many literary awards and it is not particularly new or inventive, but it does what it does so well. The relationships between the characters are the star of the show here. You can feel that this is a well bonded group, and the easy patter of the dialogue is a delight to read.
Revolutionary France seems to be the theme of the moment, as I know at least one more very hyped book in this setting is due to be launching soon. It is a good setting to place a historical fantasy - the place was a tinderbox and the historical reality is scarcely more believable than fiction anyway.
The story is high octane stuff, with the squad moving from one caper to the next with (usually) disastrous consequences. The action set pieces are all hugely entertaining.
The book is LGBTQ, although this ultimately has little impact on the story. There is a strong emotional toll in the story with a lot of death and violence. This is tempered with some very humorous elements however.
I enjoyed this. It was a rollicking adventure in revolutionary France with strong characters and a good sense of fun. Recommended.
Revolutionary France seems to be the theme of the moment, as I know at least one more very hyped book in this setting is due to be launching soon. It is a good setting to place a historical fantasy - the place was a tinderbox and the historical reality is scarcely more believable than fiction anyway.
The story is high octane stuff, with the squad moving from one caper to the next with (usually) disastrous consequences. The action set pieces are all hugely entertaining.
The book is LGBTQ, although this ultimately has little impact on the story. There is a strong emotional toll in the story with a lot of death and violence. This is tempered with some very humorous elements however.
I enjoyed this. It was a rollicking adventure in revolutionary France with strong characters and a good sense of fun. Recommended.
katgleaf's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
umairah's review against another edition
4.0
Dangerous Remedy was an action packed read best summed up as queer Stranger Things meets Frankenstein during the French Revolution. It was a fun, enjoyable and quick read that I'd definitely recommend although I lacked the emotional investment that might have increased my rating.
Content Warnings: violence, death, execution, human experimentation
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
I loved the fast pace of the story that still kept the balance between dynamic, dramatic scenes and quieter ones. The tight structure of the book was held together with short chapters ending on cliffhangers that compelled me to keep reading (I was so grateful for the short chapters, the number of books I've read recently with massive chapters is quite honestly draining). The plot twists were exciting although I saw a few coming and I also loved how the ending gave me closure while leaving enough loose ends to make me want to read the next book.
Camille was the protagonist and one of the POV characters. Although personally, I didn't find her to be the most likeable character she was still really interesting to read about and had admirable qualities. However, I was confused as to why the other characters in the book were all either in love with or really fond of her... I didn't see what was to like. But I think that was the thing about Camille, she had a sense of purpose and drive that drew people in and made them forget about everything else. There were several mentions in the book of her having 'weak lungs' although it didn't go into detail. I haven't seen another book of this genre featuring a character with any sort of health issue before.
As I said, Camille did have admirable qualities. She had a burning desire to bring about justice and 'do the right thing' (even if she didn't always know what that was) and she was a versatile, strong and pragmatic leader not afraid to resort to intimidation or violence to achieve her goals. The main reason I didn't like her was that she had serious communication issues when it came to her personal relationships, I wished she would just sit and talk things out instead of avoiding it.
Ada was the other POV character and she was amazing. She was a smart and curious scientist and I loved to see it. I felt so angry for her not being able to go to university because she was a woman. I liked how she was kind, brave and a surprisingly good actress, making people see only what she wanted them to.
I liked her relationship with Camille and how their soft, romantic moments broke up the action. There were times when I wished Ada would set more boundaries with her but she loved her so much that she excused everything. But on the other hand, no relationship is perfect and the way they always chose each other despite their differences was lovely.
Olympe was a girl with supernatural powers after being subject to human experimentation (slightly similar to Eleven from Stranger Things). She didn't have as much of an active role in the story, there times when I wished I could read a chapter from her perspective. I did like how we see her dealing with her trauma and slowly coming into her own. I also liked Guillaume, the calm, principled and wise big brother figure full of philosophic advice. And Al was a snarky character who pretended to be self serving but I always felt like he secretly cared about everyone the most. I really liked his friendship with Ada, it was unexpected.
In general, the battalion were so lovable, Dunn definitely pulled off the found family trope- I loved their camaraderie and banter! In terms of diversity, both Ada and Guillaume were POC, Camille was bisexual, Ada was lesbian and Al was gay. I loved how they made a group where they accepted each other without question, even if the wider society didn't.
Dangerous Remedy was a high-octane read set to the historical backdrop of the French Revolution that I enjoyed very much and I can't wait to read the next book.
Thank you to Zephyr for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as a part of their blog tour. All opinions expressed are my own.
Content Warnings: violence, death, execution, human experimentation
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
I loved the fast pace of the story that still kept the balance between dynamic, dramatic scenes and quieter ones. The tight structure of the book was held together with short chapters ending on cliffhangers that compelled me to keep reading (I was so grateful for the short chapters, the number of books I've read recently with massive chapters is quite honestly draining). The plot twists were exciting although I saw a few coming and I also loved how the ending gave me closure while leaving enough loose ends to make me want to read the next book.
Camille was the protagonist and one of the POV characters. Although personally, I didn't find her to be the most likeable character she was still really interesting to read about and had admirable qualities. However, I was confused as to why the other characters in the book were all either in love with or really fond of her... I didn't see what was to like. But I think that was the thing about Camille, she had a sense of purpose and drive that drew people in and made them forget about everything else. There were several mentions in the book of her having 'weak lungs' although it didn't go into detail. I haven't seen another book of this genre featuring a character with any sort of health issue before.
As I said, Camille did have admirable qualities. She had a burning desire to bring about justice and 'do the right thing' (even if she didn't always know what that was) and she was a versatile, strong and pragmatic leader not afraid to resort to intimidation or violence to achieve her goals. The main reason I didn't like her was that she had serious communication issues when it came to her personal relationships, I wished she would just sit and talk things out instead of avoiding it.
Ada was the other POV character and she was amazing. She was a smart and curious scientist and I loved to see it. I felt so angry for her not being able to go to university because she was a woman. I liked how she was kind, brave and a surprisingly good actress, making people see only what she wanted them to.
I liked her relationship with Camille and how their soft, romantic moments broke up the action. There were times when I wished Ada would set more boundaries with her but she loved her so much that she excused everything. But on the other hand, no relationship is perfect and the way they always chose each other despite their differences was lovely.
Olympe was a girl with supernatural powers after being subject to human experimentation (slightly similar to Eleven from Stranger Things). She didn't have as much of an active role in the story, there times when I wished I could read a chapter from her perspective. I did like how we see her dealing with her trauma and slowly coming into her own. I also liked Guillaume, the calm, principled and wise big brother figure full of philosophic advice. And Al was a snarky character who pretended to be self serving but I always felt like he secretly cared about everyone the most. I really liked his friendship with Ada, it was unexpected.
In general, the battalion were so lovable, Dunn definitely pulled off the found family trope- I loved their camaraderie and banter! In terms of diversity, both Ada and Guillaume were POC, Camille was bisexual, Ada was lesbian and Al was gay. I loved how they made a group where they accepted each other without question, even if the wider society didn't.
Dangerous Remedy was a high-octane read set to the historical backdrop of the French Revolution that I enjoyed very much and I can't wait to read the next book.
Thank you to Zephyr for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as a part of their blog tour. All opinions expressed are my own.
cerysvy's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
that_dork_in_the_corner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I loved Dunn's other work 'Bitterthorn' and wanted to try her other stuff!! I love historical fiction and lgbt stories so this checked all my boxes, I did enjoy it but I dont know yet if I intend to finish the trilogy! Absolutely fell in love with Ada and Cam, and there was a whole lot of emotion going through me the whole time.
violet_pages's review against another edition
My mood shifted away from this book’s genres and themes, so I’ll probably go back to it in the future when I’m more in the mood for reading it.