Though I’m not big on historical books, I saw Dangerous Remedy when it came out a few years ago and was instantly intrigued. Even when I got tired of books set during the French Revolution, I still wanted to pick these up. When I saw an opportunity to be on a blog tour, I had to ask to be part of it. I’m so glad I did and that I didn’t have to wait to read this book, as it was a wild ride from start to finish.
This book starts a few months after the end of Monstrous Design. Olympe is back in the Duc’s clutches, with Ada working with him as an undercover agent. Camille, Al and James have to explore a new France now the revolution has technically ended whilst trying to find a way to stop the Duc. But it can be difficult to seem like you belong somewhere when you’re balancing the line between life and death.
As a conclusion for a trilogy, this was an excellent book. You have plenty of angst but lots of good things too. There are some scenes where they go to places from back at the start, and it was very heartwarming. It’s nice to see these teenagers who have been so changed by events just coming back together and being. Even if just for a bit.
I mentioned angst, and there’s definitely a lot. Warning for main character deaths in this book. There are definitely some scenes that tear your heart in two, even if the ending does leave you hopeful. Dunn does such a good job at writing these heavy and believable scenes. You feel so much for these characters, but you can’t stop yourself from turning the page. This book is so high intrigue that once you start, you won’t be able to stop even through your tears.
There wasn’t much on the romance front in this book. There were some sweet scenes between Ada and Camille, but the circumstances of this book make those few and far between. Al also sorts himself out romance-wise, and two other main characters have the moment we’ve been expecting since book 2. It was cute.
Speaking of Al, I’m glad he sorted himself out in this book. He’s been an interesting character, but one that’s steeped in sadness. He’s had a hard life and he’s turned to some unhealthy vices to tackle that. In book 2, he wanted to stay in England and leave his past behind. And in this book, he doesn’t expect to survive. It made me sad that even as he was trying his hardest to be good and become healthier, he still didn’t think he could have good things.
Genre-wise, I’m still not quite sure where this book sits, even at the end of the trilogy. It’s historical, yes, but is it sci-fi or fantasy? Olympe’s powers are the result of experiments, but they do have a magical vibe to them. Especially when it comes to bringing people back to life. Though we do understand the basic science of that. So it’s really interesting. I quite like that aspect though. It makes me feel like I can recommend this book to more people as it does have this mixed flavour to it, something that I don’t see very often but do very much enjoy.
I’m so glad to have read this series. I was a little leery to start it, due to the fact there were so many books set in the French Revolution at the time. And honestly, I’m not planning on picking up any others any time soon. I’m completely burned out on them. But even with that in mind, I still want to go back and reread the entire trilogy soon. This book was a perfect ending, and I’m excited to see what Dunn does next. But until then, I’ll just continue to love these books.
4/5 Stars
Title: Glorious Poison
Author: Kat Dunn
Genre: Historical SFF
Age Range: Young Adult
Publisher: Zephyr
Release Date: 9/6/22
BUY LINKS’
Lace and Dagger Books 