Synopsis

It is 1793 and the French Revolution is in full swing. Vampires—usually rich and aristocratic—have slaked the guillotine’s thirst in large numbers. The mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel, a disguised British noble, and his League are heroically rescuing dozens of aristocrats from execution, both human and vampire. And soon they will have an ace up their sleeves – Eleanor Dalton.

Eleanor is working as a housemaid on the estate of a vampire Baroness. Her highest aspiration is to one day become a modiste. But when the Baroness hosts a mysterious noble and his wife, they tell Eleanor she is the spitting image of a French aristocrat, and they convince her to journey to France to aid them in a daring scheme. Soon, Eleanor finds herself in Paris, swept up in magic and intrigue – and chaos – beyond her wildest dreams. But there’s more to fear than ardent Revolutionaries. For Eleanor stumbles across a centuries-old war between vampires and their fiercest enemy. And they’re out for blood…

Review

The French Revolution was extremely bloodthirsty… so what better creatures than vampires to incorporate into a book about said revolution?

The bulk of this story is a brilliantly written historical fiction novel, with incredible characters and a fast-paced, gripping plot. The Scarlet Pimpernel has always fascinated me and here we have his allies using a lookalike servant to hatch a daring mission to rescue Marie-Antoinette and the Dauphin.

Eleanor is a great character – perhaps one of my favourites so far this year. She’s feisty, witty and courageous, willing to risk her life to rescue aristocrats to whom she owes no loyalty. The chapters where she is on her own are the most interesting and well-developed parts of the novel.

So why the vampires?

Honestly I have no idea. Blink and you miss them. In fact, they are entirely unnecessary and add very little, except to slow the pace and reduce the impact. I expected the bloodsuckers to be lurking with Robespierre and those in charge, creating a gruesome revolution and enjoying how Madame Guillotine helped them to sate their bloodlust. But in reality, they are in hiding – members of the aristocracy, threatened with execution.

As a piece of historical fiction, Scarlet is an excellent story that is well-researched and interesting. As a fantasy however, it leaves a lot to be desired and I hope we will see more vampire action in the subsequent books.

Thanks to Tor Books and BookBreak for my proof copy. Opinions my own.