Thanks to Netgalley and Solaris publishing for the ARC! Unfortunately... this one was a bit of a mess for me.

Okay, first of all, can we talk about how misleading this synopsis is?? It's literally advertised as"The Vampires of Dumas" (probably the name of the series if it's gonna have multiple books), but guess when the vampires show up? THE 90% MARK. I'm not even kidding. I kept waiting and waiting for vampires to appear, and they barely make a cameo at the end. Also, there's this whole thing in the blurb about "the truth about her real mother's death from twenty years ago" and I'm sitting here like... did we read the same book? Because that simply doesn't happen in the book.

The pacing is all over the place. The first 100 pages don't have much action. Then suddenly things pick up and we're off on this adventure (which, okay, gets kind of fun), but then the last 10% is just CHAOS. It's like the author remembered "oh wait, this is supposed to be a vampire book" and crammed everything in at the end.

The whole thing has this weirdly corny vibe to it? Not necessarily in a bad way if that's what you're into, but it definitely reads more like YA than adult fiction. There are some genuinely fun adventure scenes once you get past the slow start, and I can see the bones of a good story buried in there somewhere.

I will say this, there's an interesting idea here. The adventure parts are actually pretty entertaining once they get going. But the execution... yikes. And the climax of the book uses one of my least favorite plot devices.

Here's my advice:
- If you're here for vampires, just skip it. Seriously. Go read something else.
- If you like YA-style adventure stories and don't mind the supernatural stuff being basically an afterthought, you might have fun with this.
- PLEASE, publisher people, if you're reading this, change that synopsis before the book comes out! It's doing the book zero favors and is just going to make readers mad.

TL;DR: Misleading marketing, weird pacing, corny but sometimes fun adventure story that should probably be marketed as YA. And seriously, where are the vampires??

DNFed this around 70%. The description was very promising, but ultimately it was a letdown. This was billed as an adult fantasy, but the characters were all quite YA. And for a book supposedly about vampires, it had very no vamps! Maybe they show up in the last chunk that I didn't get to. I eventually put this down because it just seemed boring and I wasn't invested enough to try to find out what happens. This might be the book for someone, but it just wasn't me.

This was a WONDERFULLY done book, and I am really pleased with the story. I was excited to see what happened in Morgane's story, and the book kept me satisfied. I was not put off by the vampires not entering the story until later on in the book, but people reading it for the vampires might be a little disappointed. (I personally love pirate stuff, so it was more than enough for me!) The only negatives were around 20% in, the author could not decide if the name was "Anne- Marie" or "Anna-Marie", which had me really confused. Other than that, I think the author knows how to draw in a reader and keep them hooked! The characters were sympathetic and I hope to read more of them soon!

Although it did take me a while to get into the story, I enjoyed this book overall!
I loved the pirate ship setting and the (eventual) introduction of the vampires - such an interesting mix of characters which really added to the plot.
Plenty of action and fast paced drama which kept me hooked throughout. I'm very interested in reading more from this author.

I was really excited for this when I saw pirates and vampires and overall I enjoyed this book but it never came together for me. I absolutely loved main character Morgane and her time with the crew and The Vengeance! Morgane was sassy and such an interesting character with her upbringing. I wish we would have had more time before Morgane left for France. For me that's when I struggled a bit because I was waiting for the vampires! I thought there would be more but that part of the story came in pretty late in the book so it never seemed to mesh for me. What I loved though were the characters! There are so many interesting characters that I hope we get to see more from. This book read like a standalone but there is definitely some open ended things that could lead to more books!

3.5/5 ⭐

The Vengeance is a pirate vampire novel – something that sounded exactly like my cup of tea. Unfortunately, the book was everything I was hoping it would be. The first part of the book was great, I found the pirate storyline and being on the ship well written, exciting and I felt like it was researched thoroughly. I lost interest in the story after the FMC left the ship in search of her mother. I was also disappointed that the vampire aspect of the story took so long to show up. I felt like when it finally was introduced, it didn’t mesh well with the pirate aspect of the story.

Overall, I am glad I was able to read the pirate aspect of this story but am unsure if I would continue with the series. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

This is a difficult review. I liked the book, I like the writer's past work, the concept of the story is great and absolutely enticed me in. Vampires and Dumas? Yes, please!

But... it was a slog in places. Our heroine is great fun, there's heaps of action and the pirate-y first half sped by. But then when it hits dry land (France), everything seemed to slow to a crawl. I know Morgane is relatively naive in the ways of the 'normal' non-seafaring world, but she struck me as too smart for the poor decisions she sometimes makes. And I admit to seeing a fair few of the twists coming in advance.

I was about 2/3 through when I started putting the book aside. Lots of running, getting caught, escaping, and repeat. Despite the blurb, there's very little vampire activity either, which was a shame - I'd been expecting that to join the plot far earlier than it did.

I'll keep a look out for the next book in the series, as hopefully things will have found their feet by then as the story moves forward. Tremendous potential here, certainly.

Longwinded and boring, the opposite of what a book about pirates, werewolves, and vampires should be. The first supernatural incident wasn't until 65% of the book was through. Good concept, but needs to be worked on.

I was immediately drawn to the setting, and I loved Morgane so much. This was a fun and exciting adventure! The magical elements don’t come in until late in this story but they’re so worth it, Came for pirates and vampires, stayed for Morgane and Lisette.

Emma Newman’s “The Vengeance” is a thrilling adventure that combines elements of piracy, fantasy, and historical fiction. The book follows Morgane, a young woman raised as a pirate, who discovers a shocking secret about her true parentage. Morgane’s journey takes her from the high seas to the decadent halls of French nobility, where she uncovers a world of corruption and danger.

The story has exciting action sequences, intriguing characters, and supernatural elements that keep the reader engaged. One of the book’s strengths is its well-developed characters. Morgane is a strong and independent heroine who is both capable and compassionate. The supporting characters, including the mysterious Captain de Valois and the enigmatic vampire Isabeau, are well-rounded and contribute to the story’s richness.

I will say that I feel the book is almost falsely advertised as a vampire book as the book takes quite some time for the vampires to appear. I feel if that expectation was not set in the beginning, it would not have felt so strange with how long it took the vampires to arrive in the book.

While the novel’s pacing can be uneven, with some sections feeling slower than others, the overall plot is engaging and satisfying. The ending leaves plenty of room for a sequel, and I eagerly await the next instalment in the series. “The Vengeance” is a thrilling and entertaining read that will appeal to fans of fantasy, historical fiction, and adventure. It’s a captivating story that blends elements of the supernatural with a strong female protagonist and a richly imagined world.

As a lover of all things piratical I enjoyed he setting of this book and Morgane's life on The Vegeance. The main story arch is a journey whereby you follow Morgane as she leaves the Caribbean to search for her birth mother in France. There are perils and love on the way and I liked the clash between Morgane and polite French society, which gave both a humerous edge as well as an interesting social commentary. The book is described as a historical fantasy, however in my view it is more historical than fantasy. I was excited when I first read this book to hear there was both pirates and vampires but was disappointed in the level of supernatural beings within it and that the vampire element came in so briefly as the end. The blurb definitely suggests there would be more vampires within the book, instead of it being a 'twist' at the end. It perhaps 'oversells' what the book is giving. I did like the book and would recommend it, however I can't help but be left feeling like the book didn't deliver all I was expecting.

I DNF
Slow, its title says vampire I made it 50% no vampire. The pirate life is cool and fun. The lesbian twist lacked real intimacy.

The Vengaence is a pirates x vampire fantasy novel. When I requested the arc on NetGalley I had high hopes, the book sounded very good. I am a sucker for vampires!

However, I DNF’d the book about 50% in with no real introduction to the vampires when the series is called “the Vampires of Dumas”. I struggled with the book at first as well because the pace was slow but there were moments I started to feel more positive; however, it just didn’t grip me in the long run.

I think the story could have had potential, the premise of a good fantasy novel is there. I appreciate being given the opportunity to read and review this book, but it just wasn’t for me.

Pirates, werewolves and vampires! So much action and new things popping up. It definitely kept me on my toes. Throw a love story in there and what more could you want. Really enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend it and read anything else by this author!

A great big, piratey, charactery, vampirey romp!

Morgane is a pirate's daughter. And a woman pirate at that. Unfortunately, Morgane's mother has an enemy, and fairly early in the book Morgane both loses her mother and finds out something *very important* about her family.

This sends her on a quest through France - chased by enemies, learning how to not be a pirate, making a great friend, experiencing many weird things and finally resolving the very important family issue (this is hard without spoilering anything).

Everything is great about this book. Morgane's character is really solid, and her character development is great. The pace and action are fast, with just enough downtime so you get a breather. There's just enough historical reference to situate it in a believable time period and understand the context.

I'm glad that I knew there was some vampire connection as it gave me just enough information about the kind of book I was reading (I dislike when I think I'm reading historical fiction then all of a sudden there is something supernatural).

If there is a sequel, I will be very excited to read it.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the ARC. This book was fun! I enjoyed reading it it was out of the normal for me but I enjoyed the fun tale including pirates, vampires and other fun things in this fictional book.

I enjoyed this story for what it gave but I wish there was a little bit more. The premise really intrigued me so I was excited to pick it up but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. I wish it would have given a bit more, but it was still an enjoyable read.

3.5 rounded up to 4
A historical fantasy about a pirate who makes her way through the royal courts of France to find her mother.

I would note - this leans more historical than fantasy in my opinion, I did have to double check the title around half way through the book as there wasn't a lot of vampire action yet!

Regardless, I did enjoy the story! Some of it was a bit predictable, but still worth a read in my opinion - especially if a sapphic pirate book sounds like something you'd like to read!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc.

I felt that the way the story was told was not comparable with an uneducated, illiterate young woman. She also seemed so young in the way she was written. The tension very seemed to hold. It was so back and forth without being sure about something. She was on a ship for that whole time but then so naive.

This just didn’t add up to me. It ended okay, I didn’t love and won’t recommend

Pirates, werewolves, and vampires? Sign me up. Morgane, knowing only a pirate’s life, embarks on a quest for truth and vengeance. Nonstop action with a sprinkle of love made this a fun, devour in one sitting book. Definitely recommend.