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A review by ghosthermione
Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'd like to preface this by saying I have about as much interest for the French Revolution as any random French person, which is to say not a lot. It gets beaten into us in school and I've never cared much about it past that, except for the fact that most media makes it all black and white. This really wasn't the case with this book. I picked it up from the library catalogue because it's LGBT+ and fantasy(?) and the pitch intrigued me. And then... I can't remember devouring an ebook so fast or so happily.
Do you want a diverse cast of characters? Queer people of various flavours in historical settings? Bi girls who aren't judged for being bi? Women - and women of colour at that - standing up to patriarchy and injustice and holding on to their values in a morally grey world? Then this is the book for you.
I have to say I didn't think I would get into this French Rev story, and yet I did, almost from the very start. The prison break execution was kind of hilarious in its own way, the characters were all so different and flavourful and I cared about their friendships almost instantly. Add to that the discovery of Olympe (the literal girl in the iron mask) for that pinch of mystery, and I was hooked.
And I was not disappointed at any point by what followed. There were some great moments, and some heartbreaking moments, and some absolutely angry-making moments (in a good way - I just wanted to kick some characters' teeth in, not least of all Ada's father).
The main relationship was interesting and had me rooting for them but it was not the main focus of the story, but it was wrapped up satisfyingly anyway. As was the main storyline. I absolutely loved the main thread about making your own choices, and the fact that the revolution was portrayed in its complexity without ever suggesting that the ends justifies the means. And all the female characters have agency over what happens to them, even as they make mistakes and try to get better. Even when they get trapped.
The writing was so smooth I almost didn't realise I was reading so much of it. And now, I really can't wait to get my hands on the next in the series!
Do you want a diverse cast of characters? Queer people of various flavours in historical settings? Bi girls who aren't judged for being bi? Women - and women of colour at that - standing up to patriarchy and injustice and holding on to their values in a morally grey world? Then this is the book for you.
I have to say I didn't think I would get into this French Rev story, and yet I did, almost from the very start. The prison break execution was kind of hilarious in its own way, the characters were all so different and flavourful and I cared about their friendships almost instantly. Add to that the discovery of Olympe (the literal girl in the iron mask) for that pinch of mystery, and I was hooked.
And I was not disappointed at any point by what followed. There were some great moments, and some heartbreaking moments, and some absolutely angry-making moments (in a good way - I just wanted to kick some characters' teeth in, not least of all Ada's father).
The main relationship was interesting and had me rooting for them but it was not the main focus of the story, but it was wrapped up satisfyingly anyway. As was the main storyline. I absolutely loved the main thread about making your own choices, and the fact that the revolution was portrayed in its complexity without ever suggesting that the ends justifies the means. And all the female characters have agency over what happens to them, even as they make mistakes and try to get better. Even when they get trapped.
The writing was so smooth I almost didn't realise I was reading so much of it. And now, I really can't wait to get my hands on the next in the series!