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ellyrarg's review against another edition
3.0
Glad to finish this one. I wish it had been a stand alone, because I don’t necessarily want to read the sequel.
It’s dense, and heavy. Not the story (which is kind of fun and adventurous) or the world (which is a little bit grim with a lot of promise and hope)… it’s the writing. The writing is dense, and convoluted and just… blah.
I wanted to love it, and did not.
It’s dense, and heavy. Not the story (which is kind of fun and adventurous) or the world (which is a little bit grim with a lot of promise and hope)… it’s the writing. The writing is dense, and convoluted and just… blah.
I wanted to love it, and did not.
beesteele's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to the audiobook of this one, and I do wonder if my feelings on this book would have been different if I'd read the physical book. I have given this four stars, but I think 3.5 stars would be a more accurate rating based on my listening experience.
I really enjoyed the depictions and descriptions of the post-Revolutionary world in which the characters are living in France. I liked the way we were dropped right into the action, and I appreciated the efforts the author went to in order to continuously provide twists and turns. The premise, to me, was a very good one.
However (and again this may be because I listened to the audiobook), I just found the characters to be so whiny. I didn't really love the narrator, and I thought the way she delivered, in particular, Camille and Olympe's voices was just so whiny and annoying. It felt like so much of the book was spent with each character trying to claim fault for blunders. "No, it isn't your fault. It's my fault." It felt like that sort of line was repeated again and again.
I also just... couldn't really stand the way everyone seemed to be in love with Camille at some point? I won't name any names for spoiler reasons, but I always question when the main character of any book seems to have endless admirers, and that was definitely the case here. I found Camille pretty annoying most of the time myself, so I really couldn't see why all the characters were so enamored with her and were willing to follow her blindly most of the time. I really hadn't seen any reason to believe that she was a worthy leader of the Battalion.
Overall, I found this enjoyable, but I don't think it's something that will stick with me for ages. I haven't really decided if I will read/listen to the sequel, but given that it isn't out yet (though it's out soon!), I kind of doubt I will find the mental energy to come back to it.
I really enjoyed the depictions and descriptions of the post-Revolutionary world in which the characters are living in France. I liked the way we were dropped right into the action, and I appreciated the efforts the author went to in order to continuously provide twists and turns. The premise, to me, was a very good one.
However (and again this may be because I listened to the audiobook), I just found the characters to be so whiny. I didn't really love the narrator, and I thought the way she delivered, in particular, Camille and Olympe's voices was just so whiny and annoying. It felt like so much of the book was spent with each character trying to claim fault for blunders. "No, it isn't your fault. It's my fault." It felt like that sort of line was repeated again and again.
I also just... couldn't really stand the way everyone seemed to be in love with Camille at some point? I won't name any names for spoiler reasons, but I always question when the main character of any book seems to have endless admirers, and that was definitely the case here. I found Camille pretty annoying most of the time myself, so I really couldn't see why all the characters were so enamored with her and were willing to follow her blindly most of the time. I really hadn't seen any reason to believe that she was a worthy leader of the Battalion.
Overall, I found this enjoyable, but I don't think it's something that will stick with me for ages. I haven't really decided if I will read/listen to the sequel, but given that it isn't out yet (though it's out soon!), I kind of doubt I will find the mental energy to come back to it.
blogan27's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
3.5
per_fictionist's review against another edition
4.0
-3.75 stars-
'Go right ahead,' said Al. 'I think we're due to rename ourselves Battalion of the Bad Plans anyway.'
This line just about sums up 'Dangerous Remedy' and of course you are not ready for the chaotic babies of the Battalion. If you love historical fictions set in the backdrop of French Revolution, this definitely is the book you ought to pick up! I am personally biased when history and fantasy infuse in a book so Dangerous Remedy turned out just my type.
With the French Revolution on the rise and the clash between the Revolutionaries and the Royalists at its peak, Camille Laroche spearheads THE BATTALION OF THE DEAD, a rag tag group of rebels and runaways, in an attempt to save the ones confuddled and ensared in the middle. But when they stumble upon a prisoner in the Conciergerie, all their past choices and the future of the Battalion are put into question.
I immensely enjoyed Kat Dunn's rather flamboyant and easy style of storytelling with just the right dash of info dump and ofcourse the steady pacing of the book. The trope of found family hits just the right spot and the ensemble definitely delivers to their full potential with conflicts within the inner circle adding a perceptible layer to the plot. This being my first F/F fantasy, I was all in and rooting for Ada and Laroche, but ahhhh I kind of wanted them to have more screen time together (not for the sake of romance, but ah just more of them? because they are freaking adorable!).
Now, I am all in for mild paced stories but I kind of would've preferred if the first part of story would've been sped up a little? The second part is just perfect *chef's kiss* no doubt about that! But yes, the start was kind of slow and it did take time to pick up pace!
The ending was phenomenal and ahh I KNEW THAT [redacted] was no good and turns out I was right. I am really excited to see how the story moves forward and where the BATTALION des Mortes meets next!
'Go right ahead,' said Al. 'I think we're due to rename ourselves Battalion of the Bad Plans anyway.'
This line just about sums up 'Dangerous Remedy' and of course you are not ready for the chaotic babies of the Battalion. If you love historical fictions set in the backdrop of French Revolution, this definitely is the book you ought to pick up! I am personally biased when history and fantasy infuse in a book so Dangerous Remedy turned out just my type.
With the French Revolution on the rise and the clash between the Revolutionaries and the Royalists at its peak, Camille Laroche spearheads THE BATTALION OF THE DEAD, a rag tag group of rebels and runaways, in an attempt to save the ones confuddled and ensared in the middle. But when they stumble upon a prisoner in the Conciergerie, all their past choices and the future of the Battalion are put into question.
I immensely enjoyed Kat Dunn's rather flamboyant and easy style of storytelling with just the right dash of info dump and ofcourse the steady pacing of the book. The trope of found family hits just the right spot and the ensemble definitely delivers to their full potential with conflicts within the inner circle adding a perceptible layer to the plot. This being my first F/F fantasy, I was all in and rooting for Ada and Laroche, but ahhhh I kind of wanted them to have more screen time together (not for the sake of romance, but ah just more of them? because they are freaking adorable!).
Now, I am all in for mild paced stories but I kind of would've preferred if the first part of story would've been sped up a little? The second part is just perfect *chef's kiss* no doubt about that! But yes, the start was kind of slow and it did take time to pick up pace!
The ending was phenomenal and ahh I KNEW THAT [redacted] was no good and turns out I was right. I am really excited to see how the story moves forward and where the BATTALION des Mortes meets next!
sabina90's review against another edition
3.0
Memories can be complicated. The same one can bring us both joy and pain.
Short synopsis - This book takes place during the French Revolution, more exactly during The Terror; time when innocent people were executed for no other reason than being nobility, or speaking against the ruling government. Our protagonists are a group of unusual outcasts and rebels, and they're doing their best to help the innocent ones - usually through daring jailbreaks. Their most recent job took an unexpected twist - the girl they were to rescue is not who they thought she was. Soon they find themselves a part of events on a much larger scale than their usual scope of operations.
I am really upset with this book. It had so much potential, and I loved it as I was starting... I almost didn't finish it.
First things first: this book needs footnotes, extensive footnotes. There are so many things about the French Revolution and 18th century France I know nothing about. What is "15 Prairial Year II"? What is "Sans culottes" outfit? What is Supreme Being?... I found myself Googling things every now and then (on positive side, I know much more about the French Revolution than I did when I started reading this book). I just couldn't visualise the plot without knowing what I was reading about. And the constant Googling kept interrupting my train of thought, and I could never fully immerse myself into the plot. Second reason for footnotes - there are a lot of terms and places names in French, and not all readers speak French. Speaking of French, there were some inconsistencies that really bothered me, eg. one chapter title is "The Bal en Crystal" - this is literally half English, half French, it should either be "Le Bal en Cristal" or "The Crystal Ball".
There were also few minor writing or grammatical errors in English, and some sentences made no sense, eg. "But watching her get fed into that damn killing machine is still going to smart.". Shouldn't it say hurt??
Also, having a map would've been amazing. Even just a really simple one with major plot points.
I know these are all just technical details, but they get annoying really quickly and partially ruined the book experience for me.
Now for the plot - I loved the premises, but was disappointed with how it was executed. I constantly felt like something was missing (still have no idea what that is). At times the plot felt both really shallow and really complicated at the same time. I hated it was somewhat advertised as fantasy, and there was barely any fantasy in it. Feels more like a [a:H.G. Wells|880695|H.G. Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588944685p2/880695.jpg] or [a:Jules Verne|696805|Jules Verne|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1322911579p2/696805.jpg] science fiction novel, than a true fantasy novel. Even the science fiction part was barely there.
And the covers plotline:"Their latest mission is a girl possessing dark, disturbing powers..." And then she barely used those powers, and they are far from being dark or disturbing.
I absolutely loved that the book is so inclusive, most of the main characters are LGBT and/or POC.
I loved that it is pro-feminism. Main female characters are strong, independent, smart and capable. They defy the social norms of the time both through their actions and their choices.
It was a relatively fun and light read, but again some things were really annoying. I could've easily rated it 2 stars, but considering it is the author's debut I decided on 3. I enjoyed her style of writing, there is definitely potential for better books in the future.
Short synopsis - This book takes place during the French Revolution, more exactly during The Terror; time when innocent people were executed for no other reason than being nobility, or speaking against the ruling government. Our protagonists are a group of unusual outcasts and rebels, and they're doing their best to help the innocent ones - usually through daring jailbreaks. Their most recent job took an unexpected twist - the girl they were to rescue is not who they thought she was. Soon they find themselves a part of events on a much larger scale than their usual scope of operations.
I am really upset with this book. It had so much potential, and I loved it as I was starting... I almost didn't finish it.
First things first: this book needs footnotes, extensive footnotes. There are so many things about the French Revolution and 18th century France I know nothing about. What is "15 Prairial Year II"? What is "Sans culottes" outfit? What is Supreme Being?... I found myself Googling things every now and then (on positive side, I know much more about the French Revolution than I did when I started reading this book). I just couldn't visualise the plot without knowing what I was reading about. And the constant Googling kept interrupting my train of thought, and I could never fully immerse myself into the plot. Second reason for footnotes - there are a lot of terms and places names in French, and not all readers speak French. Speaking of French, there were some inconsistencies that really bothered me, eg. one chapter title is "The Bal en Crystal" - this is literally half English, half French, it should either be "Le Bal en Cristal" or "The Crystal Ball".
There were also few minor writing or grammatical errors in English, and some sentences made no sense, eg. "But watching her get fed into that damn killing machine is still going to smart.". Shouldn't it say hurt??
Also, having a map would've been amazing. Even just a really simple one with major plot points.
I know these are all just technical details, but they get annoying really quickly and partially ruined the book experience for me.
Now for the plot - I loved the premises, but was disappointed with how it was executed. I constantly felt like something was missing (still have no idea what that is). At times the plot felt both really shallow and really complicated at the same time. I hated it was somewhat advertised as fantasy, and there was barely any fantasy in it. Feels more like a [a:H.G. Wells|880695|H.G. Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588944685p2/880695.jpg] or [a:Jules Verne|696805|Jules Verne|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1322911579p2/696805.jpg] science fiction novel, than a true fantasy novel. Even the science fiction part was barely there.
I absolutely loved that the book is so inclusive, most of the main characters are LGBT and/or POC.
I loved that it is pro-feminism. Main female characters are strong, independent, smart and capable. They defy the social norms of the time both through their actions and their choices.
It was a relatively fun and light read, but again some things were really annoying. I could've easily rated it 2 stars, but considering it is the author's debut I decided on 3. I enjoyed her style of writing, there is definitely potential for better books in the future.
undervmountain's review
medium-paced
3.0
This wasn't exactly bad, it just wasn't very memorable. The settings were descriptive, I just really struggled with the generic characters, and their tragic backstories didn't move me at all. At times of mortal peril, I didn't feel anything.
emotionalbookreport's review against another edition
3.0
While this book definitely has its merits and intense scenes, it wasn’t for me. I actually really disliked Camille. She was really annoying. I wish we could’ve read from more than Ada and Camille’s POV, too. It seemed like the other characters had more interesting lives and personalities, so it would’ve added more variety than ‘whine-y martyr-ish try hard’? *shrug*
I also felt that everything was predictable. Nothing surprised me at all. Just like their foes in the book, I saw through everything.
Olympe’s powers seemed under utilized as well? I know they were trying to figure out why she had them, and Olympe was scared to hurt people, but she also seemed to have more confidence towards the end and it would’ve been nice to let her have a cool ‘hero-type’ moment.
I don’t know that I’ll invest my time in the next one.
I also felt that everything was predictable. Nothing surprised me at all. Just like their foes in the book, I saw through everything.
Olympe’s powers seemed under utilized as well? I know they were trying to figure out why she had them, and Olympe was scared to hurt people, but she also seemed to have more confidence towards the end and it would’ve been nice to let her have a cool ‘hero-type’ moment.
I don’t know that I’ll invest my time in the next one.
vickylovesreading's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this. Twisting, turning interesting historical fiction with elements of fantasy twisting through. I want to know more about Olympe.
ripavengers's review against another edition
4.0
I was told this book had heists, found family, and gay people so of course I had to pick it up and add it to the collection. There is just something about gay people in historical France that is oh so magnifique.
The relationship between Camille and Ada felt quite interesting as they clearly loved each other but personal duty often got in the way until they realised what they had was stronger and more important.
I really liked this book but I just wish we got more. Everything went by so fast and it felt to short and almost rushed. I also wish we had povs from more characters. As much as I love Camille and Ada I want to know more about Al and Guil and Olympe and even James.
I’m hoping the next book will provide more insight into these characters but I’m still excited to see where this goes.
The relationship between Camille and Ada felt quite interesting as they clearly loved each other but personal duty often got in the way until they realised what they had was stronger and more important.
I really liked this book but I just wish we got more. Everything went by so fast and it felt to short and almost rushed. I also wish we had povs from more characters. As much as I love Camille and Ada I want to know more about Al and Guil and Olympe and even James.
I’m hoping the next book will provide more insight into these characters but I’m still excited to see where this goes.