As a huge fan of Slatter's Sourdough universe, I was thrilled to get an arc of this - and it surpassed my expectations, as it wove together so many threads from the universe's previous stories into a delightfully dark and twisty tale about not-quite vampires. I flew through the story in 2 days and only hope for more from Slatter, as her books have made themselves an auto-buy for me.

I quite like Slatter's Sourdough universe novels, but what I like best about them is how they all fit comfortably as standalone books in a shared universe. This one ffelt like it was making an uncomfortable effort to connect with the others, as if it didn't feel capable of telling a tale that stood on its own. Every character from the previous books shows up, and some -- like Asher Todd -- in a way that would have felt like an unconnected thread if I didn't know where she originally came from. Unless you'd already read the other books, it hurt the coherence of this one; and if, like me, you had read the other books, then the strands of connections felt forced and box-ticky.

The Crimson Road is fantasy novel with a new take on vampire lore that we all know and love. I really enjoyed this new take. The storytelling was extremely well thought out. These aren't your typical characters either Violet is no shrinking violet. I enjoyed this author's storytelling skills. I look forward to more of this author in the future.

I'd like to thank Titan Books for this ARC via Netgalley.

This started off fairly strong for me, but pretty quickly started to feel like it was all over the place and meandering. A lot of the lore & explanations didn't make enough sense for me, either. I simply don't have that much to say. I wanted to like it, of course, especially because I had really enjoyed Briar Book of the Dead which is in the same world... but it unfortunately fell a little flat.

A gothic fantasy set in the world of Slatter's All The Murmuring Bones, The Path of Thorns and The Briar Book of the Dead. Strong worldbuilding with a gritty atmosphere and a clever take on traditional vampire lore. Unfortunately the pacing is a little inconsistent and if you haven't read any of Slatter's other books a lot of scenes and characters won't make a ton of sense.

Ive read the first book in the Sourdough Universe, and enjoyed this book a lot-- even though I hadnt read the other novels in the series. The world building was the best part for me. i love the ambiance of a gothic fantasy. All of the mythical creatures and backdrop setting were lush and gorgeous. It was complex enough that it took me a bit to finish, it requires your full attention. Now I want to go back to the previous works to really flesh out the world Slatter has built

Give me a dark fantasy and i'm happy! Violet was a fun protagonist to follow and I really enjoyed reading about the difficulty she has reconciling her idea of her father with the reality of who he was when he dies.

My only issue was with the pacing as the plot seemed to slow down in some chapters and then quickly skip though others. Overall though, this was a pretty good read and one I'd recommend!

Full of mystery, dark rumors, family secrets and more, A.G. Slatter's The Crimson Road has all the makings of a good book. However, for me, it just fell a bit short. Violet, is full of pride, willing to take on risks with potentially life altering outcomes, and go toe to toe with anyone who stands in her way. While I cheered for Violet and wanted her to succeed, I had a hard time actually feeling any empathy for her. If you enjoy fantasy, mysteries, and tales of families full of secrets, you may enjoy The Crimson Road.

3.5 Stars

I was given a free e-copy of Crimson Road by A.G. Slatter (author), Titan Books (publisher), and Net Galley.

I do not know if Crimson Road is stand-alone or the first in a series.

Crimson Road is the first novel that I read by this author.

This review will be spoiler free.

I would characterize Crimson Road as a gothic-fantasy with strong horror elements.

The world-building is a strength of this story. The author did a solid job in creating a setting that appeared to be an alternate Europe in the pre-industrial age. The lore, to this reader, in this story is very solid as well. This story is filled with assassins, vampires, powerful and wealthy families, and political machinations.

The main character is a young woman who has extensive training in the martial arts, who recently lost her father, and her father’s final request is for her to find and retrieve her younger brother.

Crimson Road is shown from a single character pov and it is from the main character’s pov.

The main character is very engaging, three-dimensional, and I rooted for her throughout the story.
I have two issues with this novel: minor characters and the story.

I found majority of the minor characters did not have any depth. The author indicated that one of the minor characters was a friend from childhood. Also, one of the other minor characters who was a young girl was often in the company of the main character, but never shared her past or where she was from and appeared to be hiding from someone. At the end of the story, it is determined there is a connection between the childhood friend and young girl. The issue is that it was told and not shown,

The story is more told than shown in the main character’s narration. I would have preferred that some of the events that occurred in this story were described and not shown.

If Crimson Road is a stand-alone, then I would have preferred the story to more developed and minor characters a bit more fleshed out.

If Crimson Road is first in a series, then I hope that some of the plot lines referenced will be further developed and expanded in subsequent novels.

I really found the main character to be engaging and would like to read more of her adventures.

I rate Crimson Road 3.5 stars.

I would like to thank A.G. Slatter, Titan Books , and Net Galley for the free ARC.

4.5 stars Having previously read 'All the Murmering Bones' I was familiar with A.G. Slatter's captivating writing style. I always love her dark humor and her eccentric characters. The Crimson Road does have cross over characters with her previous books but it's not necessary to have read any of them first. Crimson Road starts out mysteriously with the death of a questionably sane father who in his paranoia had his daughter trained for physical combat. Imagine all this happening in a gothic world where mythical creatures are real. Violet aged 20, our main character, is understandably bitter about the whole thing until the truth comes out. I was immediately intrigued. The setting and the premise all had me interested. She is so good at painting the picture of whatever story she tells. I couldn't put this book down. The dream sequences that start some chapters are a little confusing initially but the reader quickly gets it. That's really my only critique. Otherwise 'The Crimson Road' in my opinion will be yet another feather in this author's cap. If you've read her other books you'll love this one too.

"I won’t feed you platitudes about destiny and inevitable victories.’ She shrugs. ‘But violets are symbolic of faith not just religious, but faith in things. In self. In a path. In what you’re doing.'"

This was such a fun read. Violet is left with messes her father made and must figure out what to do to clean them up and survive. She's been trained as a fighter since she was young, and now she's been upended with the death of her father.

She must learn first what he did and then figure out how to fix it so that she can go on with her life. But the path forward is anything but easy.

Unfortunately, I don't think this book is for me. Nothing against this writer, I think they're a good author but this book just didn't do it for me.

A gothic fantasy, following Violet as she travels through cruel lands to fight a terrible danger ready to pray on all of humanity: the leech lords.

In this 4th novel in the series, AG Slater reinvents the vampire very successfully and give us glimpses of all of her previous heroines. It's so much fun to meet them again, and see how they changed, or didn't. Because we are getting those glimpses, I would really recommend reading the other books before digging into that one, as you will get spoilers.

If you like gothic universes, morally grey characters and dark fairy tales, this is a series you don't want to miss.

So, I’ve never read any of the other books in the Sourdough Universe. I’ve heard of them, and know the characters who have cameos in this one were the main characters of previous books, and I know these are gothic dark fantasy (and some of the past books were fairytale retellings I think?) but never have actually read any of them. I’m a little late to the game, and it might be weird to start with the newest, but I requested this arc because of the fairytale vibes I’m getting from that awesome cover art. Not gonna lie the synopsis kind of went over my head, which was the same case is the previous books which were why I never read them, but I ended up LOVINGGGGG this. Far more than I expected to.

First off, the worldbuilding is absolutely fantastic and is the main highlight of this book. Since this book’s universe was completely unfamiliar to me before starting this, the first page I see for worldbuilding mentions a small nation that has “slaver cities” where “human cattle are bought as sold as serfs and food” lol what. And it’s not just that the dreaded Darklands that sucks to have to live in, because really, the entire book’s world as a whole is just insanely dangerous. Trolls that eat humans, kelpies, merwomen luring people beneath the waters, ghosts and ghouls, and none of it is specific to the Darklands only. The whole world just kinda sucks. The only thing that makes the Darklands different are the leeches, aka vampires, which no one knows how they even originated or created to begin with (you’ll have to pick up the book to find out!). And in this book’s world, these leeches (who once were human but are no longer) not only suck blood but also sometimes eat their victims and suck on their bones so that’s fun. I would really hate to live in the sourdough universe, yet it’s so horrendous that I’m fascinated by it.

After her father dies, Violet is tasked with journeying to the Darklands to rescue her brother who had died long ago (an explanation to how this task even makes sense comes at around a quarter into this book) a task she initially refuses to do. The Darklands are impenetrable due to the Briar Witches holding the border with magic, and though it is a place where the leeches are confined by magic, some humans still live in the Darklands and are ruled by the leeches. There is far more to the Darklands, like the mysterious anchorhold in the north, a mysterious stronghold existing for a long time without anyone knowing, and anyone sent to this place find out more is never seen again. The worldbuilding is very immense, dark, and imaginative and is by far the strongest part of this book.

I LOVED this book and this book world. BUT, it also took me foreverrrrr to finish. Like oh my gosh I think this is the only book that I actually enjoyed that took me this long to finish because books that usually take me this long are ones that I don’t. I usually can finish a book in just one or two sittings, one sitting easily if I REALLY love it, but this one took me several days. It’s a great book, but it isn’t necessarily one that has you eager to pick it back up and finish it. It doesn’t have that compulsive readability factor that I seek in a book.

And, this part isn’t really this book’s fault, but I’m just someone who doesn’t really comprehend complex fantasy worlds very easily, and as someone totally new to this book’s universe, I feel like I had to focus really hard at the beginning to just understand this world. The beginning was a bit hard to get through for that reason because I was like straining to focus so that I could understand this book’s world. If I had a sourdough universe cheat sheet guide plus map it would’ve been way easier. I think I spent the first maybe 30-40% just trying to understand the world, which took more brainpower than I desire when I’m trying to read for enjoyment (which is my biggest qualm in the fantasy genre in general and why I typically never gravitate towards high fantasy. Gothic fantasy though, I’ll almost always make an exception for!). But of course, this won’t apply to anyone who picks up on fantasy easier than I do, or readers of the previous sourdough books.

I am super fascinated by this book world and really am tempted to go back and read the previous installments. But most of all I just want a sourdough universe guide, with a map. Man, I would love a map. This book’s world captivated me and I am very interested in reading any future installments!

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

The Crimson Road was an intriguing gothic fantasy. With a strong FMC and a wide cast of characters, it is sure to delight fans of the genre.

Violet is a trained assassin, having been raised to fight since she was a little girl. Her father ensured this and set her up against a variety of foes in order to prove her skill. All the while, she was raised thinking that upon his death she would be rich. When her father, Hedrek, dies, she is horrified to discover that this is not the case, and he instead planned to send her away to a mysterious place known as the Darklands, where beasts roam free.

Resolved to clean up after her father, and after escaping assassination herself, Violet begins her journey to the Darklands, to finish what her father tried to start.

Overall I thought this book was good. The concept is intriguing and the characters, especially Violet, were fun to read about. Despite this, I felt that something was missing in the book as a whole that prevented me from giving it a higher rating. I thought that the pacing was a bit inconsistent, and in my opinion the climax and ending of the novel were glossed over, especially when it took almost 350 pages to reach it.

Still, it was a good read and I would recommend it to fans of the genre.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, particularly the setting, atmosphere, and the richly developed characters. One of the highlights for me was the strong, capable female characters who were both compelling and empowering. It was refreshing to see such well-rounded women driving the story forward.

While I would have liked to see more depth in the world-building and a clearer explanation of the fantasy elements, it didn’t detract significantly from my overall enjoyment of the book. The story was well-paced, entertaining, and thoughtfully outlined, keeping me engaged from start to finish.

Overall, it’s a highly enjoyable read with great characters and a captivating atmosphere. I would definitely recommend it, though I do wish a bit more had been explored in the fantasy world. Nonetheless, it’s a solid four-star book.

A. G. Slatter brings another lovely story for all. With darkness, action, but always hope, Slatter throws us back into the universe of her past books with a new story. I love how Slatter's characters are captivating and so true. Every character is very distinct and the world is painted very clearly. You feel as if you are right there with Violet as she weaves her way through her world. While there is always darkness in the lives of her characters the way that Slatter approaches it is so beautiful, the internal struggles that we all have (even if not relative to exact scenarios) make the themes come alive and easier to see the way that the themes live within the characters but the world and plot as well.

My first by this author but it won’t be my last! I really enjoyed this one. I was torn between not wanting it to end and wanting to race through to finish it and find out the ending.
Brilliant!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Man, #nohypeNovember feels wildly successful especially snagging A. G. Slatter’s latest ARC in her “Sourdough Universe”. (Thank you #netgalley )
This might be the Thanksgiving wine speaking, but #agslatter kinda reminds me of a mini-Sanderson. But like more digestible and less intimidating. 😂 A little more gothic. She also has characters that are easy to love and surprising world building.

So there are four very different one-off books (& a bunch of mini tales/novellas), but the same world/magic systems slowly interweaving together.

But like, Slatter’s voice also sort of reminds of #CatherynneMValente or even like a #PatriciaAMcKillip or even #alixeharrow - it sort of feels like a dreamlike fairytale while being smirk worthy.

In this installment, we get a deeper look at Leeches (🧛), their dark lands & a world shaking family prophecy that *needs*’to be destroyed. I’ve read enough vampire books where I found myself nodding along to the “species” overview. But I think where Slatter shines is when the set up is finished and she starts playing with the magic systems.

So, though I only have read two* of Slatter’s books- her other two books are moving up fast in my 2025 TBR. In fact, I’m aiming #thepathofthorns in January. If I did it all over again, I would start at the earliest pub dates, only because I think you’ll enjoy the connections on a deeper level.

*#thebriarbookofthedead had a awesome speaker-of-the-dead vibe. A solid witchy delight!

4.25/5

I can’t wait to see where this goes next. :)

I am a huge gothic fantasy fan, and when I saw that this one included vampires and assassins, I was SO excited to be granted a review copy. I read through this in 2 nights because I needed to know what happened! The main character, Violet, has to unweave the past problems her father has created for her. The writing was gorgeous, and it's set in the same universe as other books from A.G. Slatter's collection, so I'll be heading there next! If you loved Phantasma, One Dark Window, or Throne of Glass, (plus vampires) this is a great one to pick up!