Before I get into the review, a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at Solaris for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Vengeance was sold to me as The Vampires of Dumas. As someone who was surprised by how much they liked The Count of Monte Cristo, I was all in immediately. In this one, we follow Morgane who grew up on the sea as the daughter of a pirate captain. But her world is turned upside down when her mother is shot and gives Morgane a deathbed confession: she's not really Morgane's mother, she's the aunt who stole her when she was a baby. Morgane is given the choice to either stay on the ship with a new captain or set out to find her real mother. Once on the road in France, Morgane comes to realize that something's just not right. The Vengeance comes out on May 6th and is available for preorder now.

As someone who read and enjoyed The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh, I'm not going to complain about the vampires not being present for the majority of the novel. I know that this author is setting up a series and that there are bound to be more vampires. What I will say, however, is that this book felt so aimless. Or maybe it's just that it bounced from action scene to action scene with little in the way of character development. From the second that Morgane steps off the dock in France, there is nothing but a constant struggle to stay out of someone else's clutches. People lie to her over and over and she just seems to fall for it every time. She's supposed to be someone who was raised around pirates but falls for anything and everything other people put in front of her. She gets kidnapped like three times. It's so dumb. I wish we had taken the time to have fewer action sequences and more time developing the characters and their desires. When the romance hit I was kind of shocked. Not because I didn't like the couple together. It just felt like it came out of nowhere. Where were these feelings in the first half of the novel? I feel like I don't know these characters or their motivations at all.

When we did get to the vampire stuff, I enjoyed it. I wish there had been more of it, but I liked the way the vampire lore worked and I'd love to see even more of that in the future. Maybe with Morgane and her girlfriend hunting vampires? I think this author can do better with longer stories so I think the foundation is there for this as a series. This feels like it could be a good place for people who enjoy historical novels to dip their toes into fantasy. I think that's really going to be the target audience for this one.

It says a lot about an author's talent when you pick up a book you just can't stop reading; when you really care about all the characters; and when you feel like the book added to the way you see the world after you finished reading it.
This is a very well rounded standalone, but as usual, when it comes to Emma Newman, you always hope for more books with the same lovely and interesting characters and well constructed story world.

OK, so I did enjoy the book - but also feel a little mislead by the marketing.

The characters are wonderful, and often corny (almost starting to verge into cosy fantasy). Which I am here for. But the supernatural element was lacking - for a series called the Vampires of Dumas (which kind of spoilt any kind of twist the ending may have been), the vampires only feature at the end.. And it's after 60% through that any kind of supernatural thing happens (fleetingly).

It's also marketed as Adult, but I think it may lean more towards YA in how it reads. The pacing is FAST. Which again I am here for lately, but we have very little time to process things before galavanting off past that plot point. Some things do circle back which I liked, but I do wish we had seen more of certain characters and interactions. Morgane also just sailed through fights which diminished the action and tension any conflict had.

I'm interested how this series progresses, especially as this ties up nicely as a standalone.

<i><B>Thank you to Netgalley and Solaris for the arc, in exchange for an honest review.</b></i>

The premise of the book is great, pirates yes please.
I think the book is more aimed at Pre teen and for that reason I struggled.

Thanks to Netgalley and Rebellion for this eArc in exchange for a review.

I have really mixed thoughts on this one. Loved the premise, though the execution fell short. Actually really liked Morgane as a character, although I couldn't tell at times how old she was meant to be. She came across as about 10 at times.

As a book sold as a sapphic pirate book with vampires, there was no hint of fantasy until 64% with a pretty random werewolf appearance. The romance again, came from nowhere at 73% and 90% found the vampires.

Wish I could say I liked it more than I did, but I can't. Sorry.

The Vengeance is a book that has excellent plot but suffers a bit with pacing. Morgane is a pirate, kidnapped by a family member at birth who thrives in her life at sea until a mystery draws her back to France. I loved the side characters in this book and wish there had been more time spent on them-I think this is a book that actually would have done well being longer with more lore than shorter. Overall it’s still a satisfying read, more for those looking for an adventurous book than a fantasy/paranormal book. Thanks to the author and Solaris Books for this ARC!

The Vengeance was awesome in the beginning but I didn’t enjoy the entirety of it.

Absolutely loved all the pirate ship stuff. It made me wish it were more of a pirate tale I guess.

The vampire coming in late in the book just didn’t make sense to me either. Besides the beginning and the end of the book. It was the middle of it that just felt boring.

I will say Morgan, although she is dumb and too trusting I’m glad to see this author have a flawed character in the book. You do not see these kind of characters that much anymore.

Thank you for this arc. I think this has a lot of potential and the writing is great don’t get me wrong. It just felt dragged on to keep the story longer.

I actually finished this book about 3 months back, but I struggle with reviews if I DNF or if I just don't gel with it as I understand how much soul goes into the creating.
Sadly for me the fact that I was way, way, into the book before we got so much as a whiff of the vampires suggested with 'the vampires of dumas' really let the overall down, I wanted pirates and vampires and while I got the pirates to begin with they were soon left behind. I know there will be readers out there who will love this, the ships, fights, and period descriptions are well researched and well written, but to call this a book about pirates/vampires, I feel, is misleading so it's only a 3 from me.

Vengeance by Emma Newman!


This young adult novel brings you an adventure of a young woman on the search for answers involving her family. 

This adventure (without plot spoilers) has a mix of it all!


•fun new cussing expression (read it to find out what!)

•an illiterate 

•Pirates

•Kidnapping/attempted kidnapping

•Royal balls 

•Murder 

•Feminists 

•a character who's never used a fork before 


I would not recommend this for an adults enjoyment, but for a pre-teen or young teen this is a great read. It's written with juvenile humor. Something that really added to the story and characters interactions. Adult themes that could add to the story lack adult commentart making it a better read for a younger crowd! 


There are brief mentions of sexual acts and the word rape is used maybe 3 times. But the act it's self is not described. And they are in past history discussed conversationally. I think it's important to note this as a possible trigger. 

Some chapters could be used for educational purposes as well.

This book moves quickly with a death before chapter 3.  And doesn't stop until the book ends!

I absolutely adore the premises of this book. There is a lot of potential for a good story, and I am saying I enjoyed reading it but unfortunately I did feel like it was lacking a bit.

I feel like this book only scratced the surface of everything. It was lacking depth in many aspects, and I was just left wanting more. The synopsis was sightly perhaps misleading since it was marketed as having vampires. And yeah there are some... like after 90% of the book. I just felt like there was too much going on in the end which just made it somewhat confusing.

That said I did like the characters, especially the main character. The world building was nice and relatively easy to follow. I also enjoyed that it was fast paced! The adventure parts were definitely interesting!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy! All thoughts are my own.

An adventure historical fantasy filled with lots of travel, mystery, sapphic main pairing, and sword fights.

DNF at 50%

I am not sure how I feel about this one.
The writing on a prose level is exactly what I want from a YA fantasy - it's voicy and not overly dressed up, allowing a reader to enter that lovely space where you forget you're reading, and feel more like you're being told a story.
However, I'm very unforgiving of pacing, and poor pacing is one of my main reason for DNFing books. The start of this story is, for me, too slow and the mystery around Morgane's mother was not enough to keep me going. It takes until around 40% in for Morgane to get to France, and then we spend pages upon pages running around as different groups of people try to kidnap her in a series of scenes that feel more at place in scooby doo than in a YA fantasy book.
The pacing also suffers due to too much internality from Morgane. Internality, especially in YA, is vital; however, having paragraphs of reflection mid-scene breaks up the flow of the moment, and honestly, sometimes there isn't that much for Morgane to be thinking about, so she repeats things we've already spent ages agonising over.
My final quibble is not insignificant, but I was willing to let it slide given I was enjoying the voice. I cannot figure out why Anne-Marie told Morgane she wasn't her real mother. I get it - she's dying, but she uses her dying moments to tell her adopted child 'I'm not your mother, your real mother is a monster, don't go looking for her.' but if she hadn't said anything, Morgane wouldn't have known there was anyone to go looking for? The narrative tries to grapple with this, but at least insofar as I got, only handwaves it away as a 'oh she was dying and it was a big secret to keep.' For me, this doesn't hold water.
(also, I get it. She was raised on a pirate ship and doesn't know how to act like a lady. Point made x10000)

This was a delightful adventure story about a young woman discovering herself on her quest to find her parents and revenge. It was fun to read Morgane's culture shock while travelling through historical France and being baffled by the inequality inherent to that society as opposed to her more egalitarian childhood aboard a pirate ship. I can't wait to read about what happens next for these characters.

Hmm, I was really looking forward to this, Vampires and Pirates? Yes please! Except there is a very distinct lack of vampires, pretty much a footnote at the end actually that was wrapped up way way too simply. This was more just a romance, which was fine and quite lovely at times. The swashbuckling start was enjoyable but over quickly and the extent of the promised pirates. It just sadly disappointed on the two aspects I was excited to read this for. I might of enjoyed it more if I wasn't constantly waiting for the supernatural elements to appear.
Thanks to Netgalley and Rebellion for the arc, all thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

The idea of this book sounded really good, but I got bored at 27% and had to DNF.

It started well, but the FMC quickly became an idiot and I lost interest.

This book, sadly, was not for me. I ended up dnfing this book at about 75%. The book has “vampires” in the series name but I saw no signs of any vampires at the 75% mark… I was really excited for this book and I thought it had a lot of potential but it should not take that long into a book for something like that to play out.
The beginning was really fun. I enjoyed the pirate part and the initial part when she got to France and couldn’t tell who to trust. But from there I feel like it kind of fell apart… the story was really slow and I felt like her dad was a really weird character with pretty much only saying 4 words to his daughter (that he just met) and then disappearing???
Idk I just needed a lot more dark and vampire vibes (like even any subtle hinting throughout the book would’ve been nice) and more from the characters.
I’m really bummed I didn’t enjoy this one :(

Morgane, raised on the high seas by her fierce pirate “mother,” learns the shocking truth when a battle-worn captain reveals she’s not her real mum. Set on uncovering her true heritage, Morgane embarks on a journey that leads her through a world of dark secrets, powerful monsters, and royal intrigue.

While the premise holds great promise, the execution didn’t quite deliver for me. The romance between Morgane and Lisette felt rushed—one moment they’re strangers, the next they’re lovers with little development in between. The pacing was uneven, dragging in parts where it didn’t need to and speeding through key moments that could have used more depth. The story also left me with some unanswered questions, particularly around the wolves chasing Morgane—what was their role? Ultimately, while there’s potential, the story didn’t reach the heights I was hoping for.

I wanted to read this book because, pirates. I love pirates, but I got not only pirates but werewolves, vampires and beautiful sapphic romance. So, yeah, that's cool. 
I can't say it is the best book ever, but it was highly entertaining, the action never stops and keeps you hooked from the very first page. Although, I think, it had the potential of being more than one book. There are some things that could use more page time and information about, and I think the Garou were not used to their full potential. 
Also, the ending felt a bit rushed, and while I was reading I was sure the book was the first of a series/duology. I would have love to read more about certain things and extend the story. 
But despite these, the plot is solid, entertaining, the romance is sweet and the characters interesting and well-built. Overall, a great read. I would recommend to everyone who loves pirates mainly and vampires secondly.

I will always be here for a swashbuckling fantasy story; it's just written in my DNA. Unfortunately, I'm not convinced by this one. The pace was uneven and while the story was engaging enough, I feel like the author stayed on a superficial level without really exploring her characters as much as she could have. Morgane is a good MC, with potential to be a great one, but I never really felt like she had a lot of development. The supporting cast only seems to be there to further Morgane's story and that includes Lisette, so their relationship doesn't feel very real. I also felt that the supernatural vampire element that I expected to be at the center of the novel only really came in at the end. I'm not sure marketing it as a vampire book is the way to go because I really expect my vampire books to be, well, more about vampires.

Morgane grew up at sea, daughter of the fierce pirate captain of the Vengeance, raised to follow in her footsteps as scourge of the Four Chains Trading Company. But when Anna-Marie is mortally wounded in battle, she confesses to Morgane that she is not her mother.

The captain of the enemy ship reveals he was paid to kill Anna-Marie and bring Morgane home to France and her real family. Desperate to learn the truth about her lineage, Morgane spares him, leaving the Vengeance and everything she knows behind.

I went into this thinking that it may not be my cup of tea…and surprisingly I quite enjoyed it.
I felt it started off slow but then was very fast paste, there were moments that I thought could have been explored better and some that seemed too long. The relationship between our two main characters was sweet and strong and being queer it made it nice to see and not looked down upon by the other characters. Morgane was a woman of the future, not seeing to solitaries customs and ways of life and not feeling ashamed of the way she expresses herself.
The whole super nature elements felt a bit let down and rushed with nothing to explain to the reader.

Overall it was a good read and I'm looking forward to how see the story will continue.