Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

To be quite frank, I struggled to finish this book. Wanted to give up more often than I wanted to keep going.

The pacing is all over the place — extremely slow in the first 40%, then practically rushing through the ending. I didn’t find the character of Morgane likeable, and the multiple times throughout the book when she contradicted something she’d JUST stated irritated me greatly.

This, paired with the stiff dialogue and strange characterisation lowered my enjoyment of the book significantly, which is disappointing as the premise (vampires and pirates, hello?) promised SO much.

I can only hope that the remainder of the series delivers upon these expectations, for readers that are it’s target audience — I most certainly am not.

Atmospheric and well-written, I enjoyed this one.

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

Oh my goodness - this was such a fun read! This story gives you vampires and werewolves, the Caribbean, and 18th-century France - what's not to love?! Morgane is setting out to find out who she is, and all she learns along the way. It's truly a swashbuckling tale and not one to be missed!

I really, really wanted to like this book.

Even in hindsight, having finished it, I will admit that though somewhat basic, I actually liked the plot and the premise. The problem arose, for me, in the writing. The characters come off as disappointingly flat, every emotion expressed overwhelmingly basic and every action telegraphed pages in advance. I will admit that I didn't expect for the main couple to be a sapphic one, and that was a very pleasant surprise, but they had so little chemistry it was nearly painful. This book just did not have the writing you'd expect from something within this genre- it read like a middle grade book, complete with the tiresome overuse of exclamation marks. My main takeaway is, unfortunately, just disappointment.

I loved this one. My only real complaint is that the ending could have been less rushed. I would have enjoyed it ending where the main climax happened about her finding her mother and there being a second book and make it a duology. Like there could have been such a more wild sequel involving the supernatural parts of the book that were barely there in this book. Either that or if this book had been longer and added a lot more depth to the time where this took place. A more fleshed out love interest and seeing them maybe change stuff for the better before the end. But I am happy where Emma Newman took us and it really makes me want to read more pirate books.

The Vengeance is a really enjoyable romp, taking us the Caribbean and to 18th century France and throwing vampires and werewolves into the mix. The story follows Morgane, a young woman who's grown up at sea as a pirate, believing herself to be the daughter of Anne Marie, fearsome captain of the Vengeance. Anne Marie has a particular hatred for the French "Four Chains Trading Company", whose vessels she hunts down without mercy - and one day that leads Morgane to surprising knowledge, and danger.

Basically a "fish out of water" story as Morgane is forced to travel to France to discover who she really is, The Vengeance is at its very best showing the young pirate absorbing the ways of the land, discovering love, and trying to learn about her own origins. Her determination and courage are never in doubt, though her wisdom and self-restraint may be, as she stirs up enemies she never dreamed of. (You know, don't you, that when Anne Marie warns Morgane never to try and find her family, that the warning will be ignored, and that there will be Consequences?)

By telling a story from an outsider's viewpoint, Newman is able to show up many injustices and wrongs in her imagined France and the complacency and resignation of those involved. It's not only wrongs and tyrannies we will be familiar with from history, but a whole layer of the supernatural too. This sets up formidable obstacles for Morgane, but they don't overshadow the story, rather at its centre is a complex and tender portrayal of someone who is still a very young protagonist and who has to find her way as an adult in the world. That theme is given room to breathe, with due space too to a comedic subplot where Morgane, as a notorious pirate, thinks herself much more adult, much more experienced and much more capable than she really is. Witnessing this sea dog offered the services of a governess when her father eventually catches up with her is hilarious, but Newman doesn't only play it for laughs, the relationship with Lisette will be important to Morgane in future.

(Indeed it will I think be a strained relationship in some ways - Morgane, as a pirate born and bred, is clearly relaxed with the idea of a life driven by theft and murder. While this is something Newman perhaps chooses not to emphasise, Lisette is alive to it and will not, I think, tolerate it for long. I expect sparks to fly...)

Introducing and setting up many threads that will I'm sure be important in future stories, The Vengeance is a fun read with the sense of moral and psychological complexity I always expect from this author and I expect it to be a highlight of 2025's reading for many.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it to others.

The Vengeance is a book with teeth, dripping with dare and filled with twists that keep you perpetually on your toes. It sets sail in the high seas, where Morgane discovers that her mother, captain of the ship, is in fact not her mother at all. Thus begins Morgane's turbulent journey or running around France in search for answers-- who really is her mother, and more importantly, can Morgane trust her?

I went into this bohttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6908269708ok with so much excitement because it's my first time reading a pirate fantasy, and a supernatural one at that. I loved how intricate the world building was, detailing the period down to the clothing, food, and customs. Morgane is a charming protagonist, and I enjoyed discovering France right along with her.

The Vengeance has all the potential to become one of my favorite books, but unfortunately, I think it's let down by the pacing. Since this is the first book in a series, it feels as though it focuses too much on contextualizing backstories and characters, so I never got as immersed in the story as I would have hoped.

Overall, the book is a gem for historical fiction lovers, but I was left wanting more than I got.

This is going to be a rant review, I see it coming. So before I begin, I want to clear up two things:
1. I DNF this book at 50% aprox. then skipped to the end.
2. I had read some reviews before starting, so I knew the vampire aspect of the story would come near the end. And I thought, I don´t mind that as long the story is good.

Well... The story is not good.

There are pacing issues. It begins promising with Morgane´s mother dying (and all the chaos that provokes), but then it drags, and keeps dragging, and when I noticed, we were barely arriving in France when supposedly (according to the summary) we were going to see this great plot of vengeance for which the protagonist gets to Europe in order to find her true family and get her revenge for her aunt´s murder.
And it´s okay, I can put up with a slow narration. But my biggest problem on this one book was the protagonist, Morgane.
Morgane is supposed to be a 20 year old woman who was raised in a pirate ship... Yet, during the entire novel she behaves as an ignorant 12 year old with dreamy ideas, too naive for a pirate (I´ll put an example to this: Someone gets paid to kill her aunt and take her to France. What does Morgan do? Easy, get angry with her dead aunt for lying to her and then accept to go alone to France with the same people who murderer her aunt. She excuses before the crew she does it for vengeance, but we can see she is actually thinking in finding her true family and live happy).
I think someone described Morgane as a feral child, and I believe that is the most accurate description for her. She´s a kid with knives, and is so bad characterized that it´s as if you put a character on a ship and never let her speak with anyone nor learn anything on her own during those 20 years before the novel starts. During the entire book, the story drags because she makes all the stupid questions. And sorry, but I can´t buy the "it´s because she never lived a normal life at shore". Because even if you´re a person used to live on a ship, you still can talk to other people and visit some countries.
So yes, bad characterization.
This book is supposed to be sapphic... But we don´t get to know the love interest until past the 45% mark, a point where I was already so tired of Morgane´s behaviour that I truly couldn´t care less about who she romanced. No mention of vampires on the point I DNF either. So, in summary, don´t waste your time on this one. It´s not worth it.
(Unless you like unrealistic childish woman pirates and conveniently driven plots. Then go for it).

Thank you, Netgalley, for providing me with a free eARC.

I loved the pirate plot because it was well thought out, researched, and fun to read. I would have liked the paranormal parts of the book to have been hinted at with some elements because it felt like it was hitting me in the face when the werewolves and vampires were introduced. The romance that bloomed between the two girls was so sweet and wholesome that I almost forgot what they were supposed to be doing. I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Thanks for the ARC!
This one was much more Pirate than Vampire, so it wasn't exactly what I expected going in but I did enjoy it.
Morgane leaves her pirate life in search of her mother in France, only to be hunted and passed around as soon as she makes port.
Though she's constantly lied to by everyone in her life, she finds a trustworthy friend who helps her stay out of harms way and ironically helps her into harms way by finding her mother.
Sweet little YA romance happening, but very much in the background.
3.5*

Also, Goodreads has this as the first in a series... the story seemed pretty finished to me, so not sure how that would work.

I really enjoyed this book!! The plot was so interesting and full of adventure that I was never bored. The author did a great job with character development because I was full invested in there stories. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

In "The Vengeance," Emma Newman crafts a swashbuckling adventure that deftly intertwines themes of identity and vengeance within a richly imagined world reminiscent of Alexandre Dumas. Morgane, the fierce daughter of a pirate captain, embarks on a gripping journey to uncover her true lineage after her world is turned upside down. The novel is filled with thrilling action, dark intrigue, and moments of humor that showcase Newman’s engaging storytelling style. However, while the narrative delivers an entertaining escapade, it often feels like it could benefit from deeper exploration—particularly in Morgane’s love story and her quest for revenge, which sometimes lack the emotional heft they deserve.

I’m incredibly grateful to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel. Overall, "The Vengeance" is an enjoyable read, but I found myself wanting more depth in its characters and plot. Morgane’s sharp wit and fierce determination shine through, yet I craved a more profound exploration of her relationships and the stakes of her vengeance. Newman’s talent for storytelling is evident, and I believe the book could truly resonate with readers if it embraced a bit more complexity in its narrative layers.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I was really excited for the vengence. The first part really made me feel like I was reading Pippy Longstocking meets the Princess Diaries. Our main character has lived her whole life with a pirate crew. She sets out on a mission to find her family and runs into obstacles along the way. The pirate portions of the book are really strong as well as the character development for the main character. The last part of the book felt a little rushed and I don’t feel like the other characters were developed enough.

Really enjoyed the main character, Morgane, a feisty young tomboy raised as a pirate who—after a deathbed confession from the captain she thought was her mother—heads off to France in search of her family and discovers a much darker history than she could have ever imagined. This book is an engaging start to what I hope will be a longer series, and I’m here for it. I loved the budding relationship between Morgane and Lisette when it began so simply and subtly, but really I think it unlikely that the more prime and proper Lisette would have had no hesitation about taking a lover—this was a bit too glossed over to maintain the historical accuracy or the depth of character. Of course, it’s a world with vampires and werewolves—so we’ve already suspended our disbelief—but I do think in the end it painted Lisette as a bit too saintly, an angel to be used as emblem of faith. I disliked how simple a solution this was. I would have advised against the epilogue if I were the editor—let it end with their dreams of the future but also with some questions remaining, rather than wrapping it up quite so neatly. I would definitely read more books in the series; they will just have to begin by undoing what the epilogue has done in order to keep the momentum going.

Thank you to Solaris Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book, because neither the story nor the main character, Morgane, was compelling enough to me to read on further.

“The Vengeance,” by Emma Newman

I thought this book was good just not really for me. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. I liked how the main FMC is a pirate, and she is like a feral child, not even remotely sneaky or sly. Despite the fighting and adventure, it just didn’t feel very exciting when I was reading it.

-Pirates
-F/F

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it. It had great conversations and characters. This is a book for anytime of the year 1

The Vengeance was presented as a supernatural pirate tale, though for the majority of the novel, it was simply a well-crafted and detailed account of a pirates journey to understand her past, her family and the secrets that lie in between. And, at first, there was a part of me that was disappointed at the lack of supernatural elements throughout the first 80% or so of the novel, but that quickly fell to the wayside with how well written The Vengeance was.

Following the story of Morgane, who grew up on a pirate ship beneath the wing of her mother, the renowned Captain Anna-Marie of the Queen of Vengeance, who has dedicated her life to ridding the seas of ships owned and operated by the Four Chains Company. When one of these raids goes awry, Anna-Marie is left dying, and utters the single-most collection of sentences that sets Morgane down a whole new path. She is not Morgane’s mother, but her aunt, and her reasoning for being with Anna-Marie is the first place is one of familial vengeance and a longing to protect Morgane from what she herself feared in her sister.

There is a lot to unpack and uncover throughout Morgane’s story, but it’s difficult to describe without giving too much away, so I’ll elect to discuss the novel in broader strokes than getting as granular as I would like. The book features a swashbuckling adventure, and some romance sprinkled in. Though the romance really only becomes alight during the latter part of the book, which was refreshing as it paved the way for a more plot-driven and character-developing story rather than putting romance on the forefront.

The romance itself seemed rather rushed and forced in the place that it occurred in the story, but I have faith that Newman will flesh that out a bit more as Morgane’s story continues. Overall, I think The Vengeance is a relatively predictable story once the plot gets rolling and you start to understand the setting the motivations of the characters, and though a bit slow moving, I feel it was overall well-paced and divulged information in a timely and appropriate manner.

All in all, it was a great introduction into the world of the The Vampires of Dumas, a series name that elicited interest on its own, as I adore Alexandre Dumas and the stories that he crafted. It’s easy to see, too, where Newman got her inspirations for her own setting details knowing that these books are intrinsically linked to the environment thought bubble of Dumas.

I’m rating this 4 stars overall. It was a great foray into Emma Newman’s world, but the room for improvement prevents it from claiming that coveted fifth star.

Rating: ★★★★ | 4/5

☠️

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the premise of the book, and there were aspects which had great potential and were clearly well thought out.
However I found the pacing slow and difficult to get into. The merging of pirate aspect with the vampire brought in quite late didn’t quite gel for me. But it is the start of a series and it has scope to build on the foundations now set in book one.