I really enjoyed this, I generally avoid historical fiction ( I am not sure why) but I picked this up because something in the synopsis drew me (probably the mention of darkness) but I was so happy I chose to read this. It completely blew me away. It was absolutely enthralling, entertaining, enjoyable (all the E’s) and I was hooked from the very start. The writing is stunning, the characterisation is great, well thought out characters with real development during the story. There is great humour and emotion between the action and it’s so twisty and turns you’ll be spinning, you don’t see anything coming. An absolutely amazing book.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book was fantastic! Highly anticipated and well worth the wait! The characters were rich and believable and it was thrilling to take this journey with them.

In the midst of a failing French Revolution, the Battalion of the Dead is saving innocents from the guillotine. They are hired to save a mysterious girl name Olympe, with a dangerous power. The group gets caught in a power tug-of-war between the Revolutionaries and the Royalists, therefore a decision to keep Olympe safe from both is made.

I am impressed with the way the author delivers her descriptions. With such vivid pictures and a lyrical tone. The action makes you gasp, the emotional scenes your heart to seize or soar. Dunn doesn't just string words together, she performs a rhapsody.

The world building is magnificent, transporting you to the essence of this revolution. I felt like I could reach out and touch the buildings, the people. The Battalion are a group of tormented but courageous characters, They are considered 'different' in their society, and you can't help but root wholeheartedly for them.

Adventurous, full of smirk-worthy dialogue (mostly and delightfully from Al) and nail-biting suspense that didn't leave me any nail intact, especially close to the end. The emotional turbulence and jaw dropping surprises are so eloquently delivered. And oh those ugly truths and betrayals, that will hit you in the gut.

Presenting such important themes like choosing your own fate. The right to be who you really are and want to be. Justice and standing up for what you believe in. No wonder this story has a revolution as its backdrop.

Ending with the promise of an even more exciting sequel, this was a thrilling ride of historical fiction, a fascinating start to a new series that cannot be missed.

Dangerous Remedy begins with an explosion. Featuring a group of outcasts, with the majority of them being queer, Dangerous Remedy is a story about found family and standing up for what's right. It is a book that celebrates choice and the power of our own agency. I was immediately hooked within the first chapter because of the action and intrigue - a girl with magical powers? Quickly I began to fall in love with the characters - whether it be Al's quirkiness, Ada's clever mind, Guil's strength, or the way Camille must deal with the burden of responsibility - and the rest was history.

I really enjoyed the setting on this, it's not one that most people go to for historical fantasy but I absolutely adored it! characters were not flat or one sided, I was really impressed.

Actual rating: 3.5

This is a very accessible and engaging historical fantasy. The book starts in the middle of the action, which is always a sure way to draw the reader in, and I had a lot of fun reading it. That said, I did miss some depth and development at times. I would have liked to see more of the historical context developed, as well as more character development. As is, the book relied quite heavily on the sequence of events, and I think those would have felt more pressing had the rest of the book, like the setting and the characters, been more developed.

ARC provided by Zephyr, an imprint of Head of Zeus, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kat Dunn’s debut, Dangerous Remedy, is an historical adventure set during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. A group of resourceful misfits opposes Robespierre’s tyrannical regime by trying to save those sentenced to death by guillotine. The troop’s last rescue mission gets them caught between two fires: both Revolutionaries and Royalists are after the young girl with powers beyond belief.

The principled battalion is led by Camille, a reckless and stubborn aristocratic orphan, who is intent on fighting the tragic times France has succumbed to, with the help of her lover Adalaide, a middle-class girl skilled in any scientific field, Aloysius, a queer disowned aristocrat in hiding with useful connections in all classes of society, and Guillaume, an idealistic and wise ex-soldier.

The historical background and the charismatic, mostly queer, band of mavericks are the clear selling points of this fascinating debut. As for the writing, I am quite fond of multiple viewpoints and as much as I liked Ada’s — Camille’s, not so much — I wished for Al’s and Guil’s to have been included as well and I hope I get to explore their minds in the next chapter of this engaging story.

Dangerous Remedy is young adult historical fiction story. The focus is around a group of four French rebels during the French revolution. They work as a team to rescue people form the guillotine. During a mission they discovered and rescued a girl who could change the world for everyone. In the following plot the four rebels are thrown into a twisted struggle for power and risk losing everything because of the mysterious girl.

It was really good read. The reasons I am giving it four stars instead of five are because there were chapters where I had to slog through (between 30-60%).At the same time there were chapters where I could not put it down. (Especially the beginning and the last 40%!) The characters are amazing. The all have their own history and story. The plot really was very twisty and the ending twist was superb.

I really liked the story and looking forward for the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I first heard of Dangerous Remedy, it was described to me as ‘Six of Crows meets Les Miserables‘ and as I LOVE both of these, I knew it was something I was going to be interested in, and for the most part it was. It had everything you could want, it had heists, LGBTQ+ rep, mysterious magic, history and friendships, and you could honestly find yourself learning a lot from a book like this. It had such a unique edge over many over books written in the YA Historical Genre, and I think this is the main reason why I carried on reading it.

I must admit though, that I found the plot very slow to kick in. Yes, you are thrust straight into some action in the first few chapters, but after that you are taken on a journey that gradually picks up towards the last 40% or so of the book. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t like the story itself, mind you, because I truly did! The characters were all incredibly fleshed out, and although the story is mainly told through the points of view of Camille and Ada, you don’t feel like the other characters are brushed to the side. If I had to choose I would probably say Al was my favourite. His little quips and sayings brought a little bit of comic relief to the story, but also I felt how vulnerable he was and the way he dealt with his issues really did get to me. You could say I just wanted to hug him and not let go. When a character does that to me, you know it’s a great one.

Dangerous Remedy, you could say had some of the best diverse rep I’ve seen in historical YA for a long time! You had LGBTQ+ rep, own voices rep and this was really brought to life throughout the story. Camille’s and Ada’s relationship was so realistic, and despite going through some pretty hard times throughout the book, they still never let go of their love for one another. You don’t see many f/f relationships in YA of any genre and seeing this warmed my heart just a little bit. Also, diversity within YA is so solely needed right now, so I applaud Dunn for featuring so much of it within Dangerous Remedy.

Now, The French Revolution and 1700’s is an area of history that I know little about, and I must say I learnt a lot about it just by reading this book. I found out things that I couldn’t believe like how people didn’t think the world revolved around the sun or how they didn’t understand electricity. It seems strange to think about really. Also, hearing about how the guillotine was used was, if I may say so, pretty frightening, but it’s also a part of history. Yet again, I salute Dunn for doing, what must have been a lot of interesting research.

Dangerous Remedy, despite starting off slow for me, ending up being an exciting, thrilling read that had me hooked overall. The diversity and astounding character building really brought out it’s uniqueness, and after that ending I am desperate to read the sequel!

I went back and forth between 3.5 or 4 stars for a while, but decided 4 stars was more fitting, given I TRULY enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dangerous Remedy is a page gripping, chaotic, fantastical young adult historical fiction story focused around a group of four French rebels - The Battalion des Mortes. Camille, Ada, Al and Guil escape death over and over and save everyone they can that is on their way to the guillotine. Their new job includes rescuing a young woman who is in prison and will no doubt be sentenced to death soon. However, this job doesn't end up being what the group signed up for and their world gets turned upside down.

In the heart of the French Revolution and its fallout, comes a tale of friendship and courage. Deciding between what is right and wrong is never an easy task, but Camille, Ada, Guil and Al always try their best to draw the line.

Dangerous remedy was an incredibly fast read and it drops you right into the action from the start. From the very first page we are pulled in to a world where justice is never achieved and innocent people are condemned all the time. It is easy to place ourselves in the situation of our heroes and the fact that the adventure never stops coming means you are glued to the page the whole time! There are so many twists and turns and revelations in this book that I was pretty much left speechless all throughout.

Kat Dunn's writing style makes for an extremely enjoyable read that will have you at the edge of your seat during the whole novel!

Dangerous Remedy was one of my top anticipated 2020 releases, so when Zephyr sent me a review copy I was so excited. A f/f romance, a band of rebels, the French revolution? These are all things I love. I ended up a little conflicted over my rating, for reasons I'll discuss below, but this a very good read and I settled at 3.75 rounded up to 4 stars.

The biggest thing that had me conflicted about this book was Camille. Camille is the main character and she’s fierce and strong and incredibly brave, fighting a hard battle to try and save innocents from the guillotine. I also… really disliked her. I can’t put a fine point on what it is that I disliked about her, she just never clicked with me. I usually love female characters that are a little rough around the edges, and I’m always shouting about how much I like characters that show ‘dislikeable’ traits, but usually that’s because I love to find the development behind them that explains their actions. Camille was rude and harsh with her makeshift family, cruel at times with Al especially, but when her backstory and ‘explanation’ was uncovered it didn’t seem to justify the way she acted. She still seemed like a cruel person to me. Because of that, the f/f romance between Camilla and Ada just did not click with me (Ada should be with Olympe, I’m saying that now), and the fact that three separate characters are in love with Camille in this story? Why? It made me disengage with the love triangle, and the romance, which lowered the stakes a little.

Fortunately, the rest of the ensemble cast; Olympe, Guil, Ada and Al, my beloved Al, were excellent. They were well-characterised and each was well-developed. There were moments when I felt like we weren’t hearing much about particular characters, but then discovered that there were well plotted reasons that they were keeping their secrets to their chests. Between the ensemble cast, and the extremely twisty and interesting plot, I was able to thoroughly enjoy this book despite the fact that I wouldn’t have flinched if Camille had been put up for the guillotine. My notes just said ‘Olympe, the coolest bitch’, and I stand by it. Olympe has been through hell. Human experimentation, torture, and she’s got powers that nobody can explain – least of all her. But she’s empathetic and I love her to pieces. I loved that her powers were rooted in science, but because this book is set in the 1700s, that science seems more magical than anything we have today.

The setting feels very authentically 1700s, and I love that Kat Dunn has clearly put the research in to make this land. Ada is a scientist, so she had some vague knowledge of the early research around electricity, but it all seems like magic to them still. There were mentions of believing the sun to orbit the earth, and other appropriate scientific principles, and I love that Kat Dunn showed us these characters without bringing in modern beliefs that didn’t make sense – a thing that really bugs me in historical YA. Their beliefs were era appropriate, and that’s impressively done with a cast of LGBTQ+ characters, and I was glad that this was done without bringing too much heavy homophobia into it. It was present, and realistic, but it was never the focus of the book.

The plot really was very twisty, and I had a rug-pull moment so good that I sat bolt upright where I was reading this in bed, which I adore. The stakes were high the whole way through, and it felt like the characters really were out of their depth. They had to make sacrifices to win the ground they did, and it felt constantly like they might suffer in very real ways. I can’t wait for the next book, to find out how they handle the events at the end of DANGEROUS REMEDY, and to hopefully see certain people get their just deserts.

*4.75 Stars*

In Revolutionary Paris, Camille, Ada, Al and Guil form the "Battalion des Mortes." They break people out of prison, no matter which side they're on. But, when they break into the Conciergerie to get Olympe, the daughter of an Aristocrat, who they found is not who they expected and their lives get that much more dangerous.

That was great. I flew through it, it was captivating. The characters were complex, layered and all around amazing. The plot was enthralling. A great crew, a great plot, a great romance, just all around great. I can't even begin to talk about the setting too. I live in Paris, I've been to school in Paris and I still learnt things about "La Terreur." Maybe that says more about my history knowledge than anything else but it just rang so true. It was so so good, I don't know what else to say. I cannot wait to read book 2.

This was a solid 3,5 stars read. I expected a bit more, the change of pov was often confusing taking me a bit to understand who was actually talking. The story started very interesting but something changed and then things were confusing and I really didn't understand why the characters were behaving the way they were. I find myself often rolling my eyes. I liked that the battalion saved innocent people from the guillotine and I liked how all of the characters had different backgrounds. What I didn't like much was that most characters were immediately forgotten, and then there were random revelations that came out of nowhere, no built up at all.

But as I said, I enjoyed the story, the way it was very well-written, easy to read, the magic/science part of it was very interesting, Olympe's character, the potential of where everything is going to go in the sequel. Nonetheless, I find it rushed and there was so much that could've been done better. I'm curious enough that I will certainly read the sequel. I want to know more about the characters.

Dangerous Remedy sounded like a fantastic historical-based fantasy that would be a very enjoyable read, but unfortunately for me it fell short of expectations. I finished the book but would not say I enjoyed it. It was a so-so read for me.

I can't really write much in my review because I don't really have feelings either way about the book. It wasn't that it was boring, but it did not capture my attention at all. I felt kind of meh about it. Overall the book felt a little superficial. I could not connect with any of the characters as they were not explored in depth. The world building was not completely fleshed out and the plot moved at a very fast pace. I often found myself asking why things were happening or why were they important. It felt disjointed and poorly explained. The plot didn't make a lot of sense and the characters weren't likeable.

Sad to say I would not recommend this book.

Well I wasn't sure what kind of ride I would get with this book plus I am always nervous about books based on the French Revolution but this book did it all justice.

There is so many twist and turns you don't know who is been honest, who is about to switch stories and what is coming around the next corner.

Would recommended this book 100% to anyone who needs a good heist books

I always knew "disaster queers in the French Revolution era" was exactly my type of s**t and this book just proved it times like a million. This was such a fun riot of chaos, when a rag tag group of teens get in way over their head when they rescue a prisoner who happens to be able to control electricity. With both the Revolutionaries currently in control of France and the Royalists desperate to return to power both searching for the girl, the Battalion of the Dead must use all their with, charm and sheer dumb luck to escape the clutches of all who chase them.

In Dangerous Remedy, the Revolution well, hasn't really improved things all that much. Instead of a free France for all, the Revolutionaries have taken over with the same terror and fear as the Royalists before them, sending all to stand against them (and even some who don't) to the guillotine, the symbol of the revolution. At the heart of this story are the Battalion of the Dead, a group of outcast teens trying to save the innocent from the guillotine. Our crew:
- Camille, leader of the Battalion: headstrong, combatant and, despite her appearance of planning for her heists, sooooooo impulsive. She is at times a difficult character to like (her unwillingness to communicate causes oh so many problems and got me so mad) but this all comes from her complete devotion and passion to the Battalion which sometimes clouds her ability to think clearly.
- Ada, our clever science researcher, desperately in love with Camille and terrified that Camille will never choose her over the Battalion. And also hiding a big secret about her father that she knows Camille will kill her for if she ever finds out.
- Al, who I think is my personal favourite: destructive, sarcastic and just as combative as Camille, terrified to let anyone close in case they don't care for him as he does for them, broken beyond belief thanks to his parents, and drinking himself to a slow death.
- Guil, ex military softie, the biggest brain of them all, calm and clear headed in a crisis and the man we all need around to get us the f**k out of situations.
- Olympe, the girl with magic, otherwise known as able to control electricity, scared and fearful of the world who hurt her but who will do whatever it takes to bring them down.
- James, the man from Camille's past, the healer who seemingly will do all he can to protect Cam.

These six will race against time to fool the Revolutionaries and Royalists in the most fun adventure ever. When Kat Dunn described this team as "queer disasters", we all really underestimated how much disasters they would be, I love all of them so much. I just adore the way Dangerous Remedy opens and we're immediately thrown into a prison break, that keeps going wrong and then wrong again and then wrong again. I adore Ada's complete "for the love of God/sounds about right" attitude throughout as disaster after disaster follows the team. They are simply the most fun to be around. I love the way Dunn both plays into and laughs at common tropes. The humour and snark really added to this book and made it into even more of the delightful fun romp it is.

The setting is of course also fabulous. We are embedded in the artsy underworld that made Paris such a centre of the art scene, from the decadent, absinthe clubs, to the theatre scenes, I thought it perfectly captured the essence of Revolution France.

All in all this was a fabulously fun read and I can't wait to see what happens to the Battalion of the Dead next. More disasters probably.
Viva la revolution.

This is a story about an unusual group of friends who save people sentenced to death by Guillotine, set in Paris post-French Revolution. Their latest job turns out to be far more than a simple rescue mission and they find themselves stuck between the French Revolutionists and the Royalists, with no way out. I felt this book was more of a historical fiction than a fantasy book, the fantasy element is quite low-key and is passed off as more ‘scientific’ than anything else. Having said that, I still really enjoyed the book!

The beginning of the story was fast-paced and interesting - I mean, crashing a hot air balloon into a prison and calling it a ‘distraction’ definitely caught my attention! The prison-break had me hooked, but I’ll admit that I felt the pace slowed a fair bit afterwards and I didn’t feel like it picked up again until halfway through. I’m glad I stuck with it though because the latter half of the book was full of plans gone wrong, betrayals and plot twists.

The main character is a bit of a disaster, bless her, but I actually think that makes her likeable and relatable - after all, there’s enough books out there with a perfect MC/ringleader. The side characters were also fun and interesting, I loved Al the most, a sarcastic ex-aristocrat on the run, who doesn’t always agree with the others, which I like. The plot twist at the end made my jaw drop (quite the feat, as I’m usually pretty good at predicting outcomes) and their last job had my heart in my throat, I was so nervous for the outcome.

This is a really solid debut novel, with beautiful descriptions and some lovely character relationships - not just the (mostly gay) romances but the core friendships that make up the Battalion.
Whether you’re a historical fiction enthusiast or a fantasy fan like me, you should definitely give this book a go. Not only is it an easy read, but it’s gory, badass and queer, and I’m really looking forward to reading the sequel.

Thank you to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for providing me with an e-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

Camille is a revolutionary's daughters and, with her friends, a runaway girl, an aristocrat in hiding and a deserter, she created the Battalion des Mortes and their mission is to save those condemned to the guillotine. But the girl they were hired to save is not what she seems and their job and their own lives become more and more dangerous when both sides, the Revolutionaries and the Royalists, want the girl.

Set in the dangerous world of the French Revolution, Dangerous remedy is the first book in a magical and brilliantly written new series. This book is a rollercoaster of action, plot twists, revelations, magic, science, .love, daring escapes with a band of unforgettable characters, unable to even catch a break for a second in their job, during all the book.

What I loved the most, beside whirlwind of action, is the characterization, because each character is skillfully written and it's impossible not to love or emphatize with them. They are painfully human and really relatable in their faults, mistakes, in their jealousy, rage, anger, hope and love.
Camille is the leader of the group, she's smart and brilliant, planning plan after plan to save people and those she loves, but she's painfully grieving for her parents' loss and she feels the responsibility of her friends' lives if her plans go wrong.
Ada is in love with Camille, she is a scientist, inquisitive, resourceful, but she is torn between their relationship and her father, who wants to take her away from Cam.
Guil is a deserter, stubborn, smart, who could come back to his family, but choose to fight for the right thing and help his battalion.
And Al is sarcastic and he escapes his pain for his family's rejection and fate in alcohol and sneers. They get involved in a dangerous game, finding themselves between two sides, while trying to protect the girl they saved, Olympe, and her right to be free, while dealing with their own emotions, unexpected past lover, secrets and doubts.

I really liked this band of rebels, Al with his jokes, Guil with his calm, and, above all, Cam with her trousers and Ada with her knowledge and resources, fighting against the idea of the women as damsels in distress, same as Olympe, who was hurt and used all her life, but she stubbornly ready to fight back and get her own freedom.

Dangerous remedy took my breath away, because it's captivating, full of complex characters, set in a cruel and dangerous world and it deals with homosexuality, love, friendship, revolution, death, torture and scientific experiments and the lenght someone would go for the country, to be at the winner's side.

(Thank you to my Mum for typing this up for me).
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book follows 4 main characters, living during the time of the French Revolution, who work as a team to rescue people from prison. But, during what they thought was a standard jail break , they discovered a girl with powers that could change the outcome of the Revolution. The 4 characters are thrown into a twisted struggle for power and risk losing everything they built, and themselves.
What I Liked:
- Plot. This was a masterfully crafted book that I still cannot believe was a debut novel. The pacing was perfect, it kept me on the edge of my seat, and every time I put it down I wanted to pick it straight back up. There were so many plot points weaved together and I can't wait to see how things develop in the future books.
- Characters. This book has 5 main characters - Camille, Ada, Al, Guil and Olympe. Camille and Ada are the narrators and they were fantastic protagonists. There was a really interesting dynamic between the members of this group, Al kept everyone at a distance, Camille and Ada entered into a rocky romance and Guil tried to keep everyone together. They all feel like real characters with their flaws and miscommunication, but we also saw their compassion and devotion to the cause and each other.
- Setting. You can tell this was thoroughly researched and as a result it transported me back to the 1700's. I also learnt so much about the Revolution and it was written in an accessible and coherent way. The atmosphere was palpable and the descriptions brought everything to life.
- Feelings. This is the only book which has given me similar feeling to Six Of Crows. While this book is unique and very different to it, I felt the same levels of excitement, love for the characters and anticipation at the plot. This book just made me excited to pick it up and it's been a while since I felt this way.
Overall this was a fast-paced, engaging and thrilling read with plot twists around every corner and high stakes. I fell in love with the characters and am desperate for the second book even though this this first book has not yet been published. I am beyond excited to see what Kat Dunn does next.

“We’re in trouble, but it’s time to do what we do best. No fate. No destiny. Everything is a choice, and this time, we choose not to give up. We choose to fight.”

What a wild ride! Dangerous Remedy is the first instalment in a historical fiction series. There’s a lovable rag tag team of misunderstood misfits, prison breaks, some fantastic LGBTQ rep, and a lot of plot twists. Set in the 1700s, Camille and her group, the Battalion of the Dead, have made it their mission to break people out of prison who have been put there by the new tyrannical regime and the forces around Robespierre that make innocent heads roll.

I’ve never been the biggest history buff, but this got Paris and the French Revolution atmosphere so right! All the quips and little tidbits about electricity being seen as a form of sorcery or how the earth wasn’t round had me chuckling as I flipped the pages.

There are both Camille’s and Ada’s POV chapters and while I would have loved to hear from other characters like Al (who has been exiled from his family for being gay) and Guil (who has a few secrets up his sleeve that I hope we get to learn about in the future), their point of views definitely framed this to be a romance with a lot of action in between. Camille and Ada are both keeping secrets that influence and endanger their relationship but I loved how, even though this plays in the 1700s, their love was something accepted within their group of friends if not in their family circles. Their relationship was so natural and prominent, it made the mutual pining even though they are together even more intriguing.

The mystery around Olympe and her unusual powers keeps the reader engaged in the plot and tensed to find out what will happen once time runs out and they have to give up Olympe to the ones who paid for her to be released from prison. With a lot of adventure, the occasional miscommunication and blasts from the past making appearances, this promises to be followed by an epic sequel.