The Crimson Road by A. G. Slatter ~ a Review

by MK French

Violet Zennor was trained to fight and kill for nearly thirteen years and hoped she would be free of it when her father died. He planned to send her into the Darklands after the Leech Lords and the stillborn brother that had been brought there soon after his birth. Violet plans to refuse and escape, but assassins are after her and a prophecy predicts that her stillborn brother is key to the Leech Lords escaping. Now she must clean up the mess her father made.

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The Crimson Road by A. G. Slatter

February 2025; Titan Books; 978-1803364568
audio, ebook, print (368 pages); gothic fantasy

The Crimson Road is in the same universe as Slatter's other novels (Briar Book of the Dead and The Path of Thorns), but you don't need to have read those to understand this one. They're mentioned as vague things that Violet is told about her world, and she lives far enough away that the individual issues from those novels haven't impacted her. The Leech Lords are essentially vampires, jockeying among themselves for power and kept at bay by location, the power of witches, and treaties, but there might be a loophole now.

Violet, like many other characters in this world, is trapped by the mistakes, promises, and machinations of the prior generations. She's being used to keep the Leech Lords in place, so she's better equipped for violence and travel than most. Very little was known about what she would face, so we learn about it as she does. She doesn't trust easily, and the Leech Lords have a long reach with their infinitely long lives, Some of the stories she hears along the way have meaning, and we find out exactly what the Prophecy is. She has a surprising number of allies, and I found the finale to be very satisfying. It's fitting for her character and the world she lives in. I'm sure there will be other tales in this world, given how readily magic and mayhem seem to coincide.

Buy The Crimson Road at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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