Camille, a revolutionary’s daughter, leads a band of outcasts – a runaway girl, a deserter, an aristocrat in hiding. As the Battalion des Mortes they cheat death, saving those about to meet a bloody end at the blade of Madame La Guillotine. But their latest rescue is not what she seems. The girl’s no aristocrat, but her dark and disturbing powers means both the Royalists and the Revolutionaries want her. But who and what is she?
In these dangerous days, no one can be trusted, everyone is to be feared. As Camille learns the truth, she’s forced to choose between loyalty to those she loves and the future.
I’ve been looking forward to finally picking up this series for a while now. I saw Booksnest discuss it on her channel and it sounded like something I’d really enjoy, so I decided to pick it up. It sounded kind of similar to Six of Crows with a historical French setting.
We dive straight into the action with this first book, with the gang flying above the Paris skyline in a hot air balloon. The group of Battalion des Mortes spend their lives performing rescue missions and saving people from the Guillotine.
Hindsight always makes us into fools.
I really enjoyed a lot of elements about this book. The action was great and filled the pages, meaning it was super quick to read. The chapters were also very short so flicked by quickly, and once I picked it up I was finding it very quick and easy to read.
I’m usually not a big fan of historical fiction, but this one is different as it’s a historical fantasy, which I really enjoyed. I also liked the Paris setting and I loved the characters too. There are a few different dynamics in this book, and there’s a relationship I really loved reading about and could picture really clearly.
The only path open to us is to do the best we can with the knowledge we have.
The only thing I have to say is that I never completely felt absorbed in the story, and I never truly related to the characters in the way I wanted to. Although I liked all of the elements a lot, I couldn’t help but feel as though the story kind of passed over my head most of the time. I did still enjoy this one though, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes in the next book.
★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars
-Beth
May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽
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