Blog Tour – Scarlet

From Goodreads:

A thrilling reinvention of the tale of The Scarlet Pimpernel with the addition of magic and even more mayhem.

In Revolutionary France, the aristocrats are vampires – and they face the guillotine. However, the Scarlet Pimpernel, a disguised British noble, is determined to rescue them. These predators are being offered sanctuary by their aristocratic British kin, but at great cost to London’s ordinary people. Then an English maid discovers the only power that could stop them. Assuming she survives.

Scarlet is the first book in the trilogy, set during the turbulent French Revolution.

This was such a fun read. I am a huge fan of Cogman’s The Invisible Library series so I was expecting an adventure with this one and I wasn’t disappointed. The French Revolution, The Scarlet Pimpernel and Vampires make for a fantastic mix. I love how the concept of Vampires was used in this story and how they worked within the different societies of France and England of the time. It was a great way of getting across the political landscapes of the time and discussing the history behind the various events of this novel.

I really enjoyed Eleanor as a character, she is niave in certain aspects but savvy in others and we learn as she learns making he such a great character to follow. I love that we got her moments of whimsy, of rightous anger, of terpidations and fear. I like that a lot of the early book was about her life and how she had ownership of it even as a maid and the decisions she took as to when to conform to social norms and when to break free of them. She is no timid little mouse turning into a lion, she is more waiting patiently to choose when to roar and that makes me love her as a character. I also really the League of the Scarlett Pimpernell. There are so many nods to the original work. There is a lot of fun behind Sir Percy and his gang, you can tell a lot of love went into writing them.

The plot is great, from getting to know Eleanor and her advertures in France. Gettting to know the members of the League of the Scarlett Pimpernell, especially Charlie. The heist itself and a midpoint twist I did not see coming it was just completely entertaining. I really think a lot of people would like this fantastical twist on both the french revolution and the tales of the Scarlett Pimpernell.