The Crimson Road by AG Slatter

I would like to thank Titan for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Titan

Published – Out Now

Price – £9.99 paperback £6.99 Ebook

Violet Zennor has had a peculiar upbringing. Training as a fighter in underground arenas, honing her skills against the worst scum, murderers and thieves her father could pit her against, she has learned to be ruthless. To kill.

Until the day Hedrek Zennor dies. Violet thinks she’s free – a rich young heiress with a world of possibilities in front of her. Then, to her horror, Violet learns that her father planned to send her into the Darklands, where the Leech Lords reign. Where Violet’s still-born brother was taken years ago after Hedrek sold him to a man bearing the mark of the mysterious Anchorhold.

Her father’s solicitor and the city’s bishop are insistent she fulfil her duty, but Violet steadfastly refuses. Until one night two assassins attempt to slaughter her – and it becomes clear: if she wants to enjoy a future free of the interference of either solicitors, bishops or assassins, she’s going to have to clean up the mess her father made.

On her journey, Violet seeks the help of Miren O’Malley in the hidden estate of Blackwater, whose family once produced the purest, strangest silver; Ellie Briar of Silverton, the Briar Witch who guards the gateway to the realm of the Leech Lords; and Asher Todd of Whitebarrow, who did terrible things and found The Three Who Went Beneath.

Ultimately, Violet must go alone. Into the Darklands. To the Anchorhold where it all began. Where it will all end. To do what must be done.

Many stories in fantasy rely on someone delivering their destiny. There is some message about us relaising our inner potential but the idea of our fates being laid out even before we are born can also suggest everything was already pre-ordained. How can we make certainty interesting? What about if you don’t at all want that fate? This spin on the Chosen One is delivered really well in AG Slatter’s new novel The Crimson Road where a young woman has decided the last thing she ever wants to do is deliver her father’s greatest wish – to battle vampires. Things do not go well from that point on and it’s an engrossing ride into danger.

In the port town of St Sinwin’s 17-year old Violet Zennor finds that her father is finally dead and her own life may finally be allowed to begin. Expecting to inherit the family fortune however she finds that is off limits to her, as is simply escaping out of town and that Hedrek Zennor has made a condition of the will that she voyage to the Darklands of the North and perform the duty. Violet was trained half her life to be able to battle Leech Lords, those undead who feast on blood but she wants no part of it. Only when it is clear the Leech lords themselves are aware of her and will put any she care about in extreme danger does she begin a long journey that will take her across the world and meet other women who also had to decide their own paths before eventually meeting the power that has been influencing her own life so so many years.

So do not worry there will be battles with many vampires in this story but what makes it work is that Violet goes on a fascinating journey across the lands and in the process discovers quite a few things about herself making one of Slatter’s most interesting characters.

Told by Violet she sounds a much older woman and as we discover she’s from an early age been pulled into constant training. A fighter who can be disguised as a lady of wealth and with a fair degree of knowledge about the Leech Lords. What though comes apparent is her father is not a gruff mentor but pretty much a single minded man bent on revenge and thought nothing of making his daughter the tool of that however much abuse he could through at her. Understandably this makes her relationships fraught and she is suspicious of everyone. The first part of the book follows her desperate attempts to get out of this life and the many obstacles a dead man can throw at her. It demonstrates her resourcefulness but also how dangerous a place she had grown up is. She finally learns more family history and we as the reader will feel more than sorry she is stuck in this path once again. What I loved though is these sections are filled with colour from deadly assassins, gothic funerals, mysterious secrets and family revelations the world of Violet is created first and feels fully realised. She is capable but she is up against an ancient and powerful set of foes.

A big part of the fun of this story is nothing quite goes in the direction you’d expect. The Sourdough novels that this is part of have created a land created out of myth, folk lore and the occasional dark echo of fairy tales but Slatter plays with them into new shapes. This is an author not afraid to take a story into a new direction a battle with an ogre may become something unexpected. To aid Violet she needs information and weapons so this means she needs to travel across the lands before the Darklands are reached.

While our inner Vampire lovers may initially feel that’s a shame the good news is that instead we get several other adventures for Violet all serving the major story. If you’re new to Slatter this will mean we visit sone fascinating places and meet the women in charge of them. We find other women thrust into roles of responsibility and trying to make their own lives and live with family secrets. If though you’re familiar with Slatter’s other novels in this world then you’re going to recognise these names and place from the other books and find out what happened next. These links work very well and remind us how big and interesting the land these tales take place in. They all shape Violet’s story and perhaps remind her she is in charge of her life and no one else is. I hugely enjoyed these journeys but it’s also interesting how many character in this series are shown to have defied the rules of the game to make their own paths. It’s a firm challenge to the idea of a chosen one which this tale also takes on.

The main plot though comes calling and I really enjoyed the build up. We delve into the history of the Leech Lords how they came about and in a land of magic are see themselves as something very different I all other creatures. The mix of lore and story about them builds them up and even our first encounter shows one alone is dangerous. Now imagine a land governed by them. They’re a group filled with intrigue, some even could be seen as good from one point of view and yet Vuoletbis up against a truly nasty one and when we encounter them and what they’re capable of it’s a proper battle of equals that erupts and the stakes are personal.

The Crimson Road was a deliciously dark read. Filled with adventures, a touch of horror and dark fantasy mixed with a fascinating cast and storyline there was nothing I didn’t enjoy. Fans of Slatter’s novels are going to appreciate the bigger world this story goes back to but if you’re new then this is a great place to start and will open up many more stories for you. It is strongly recommended!