The Crimson Road by A.G. Slatter

Book Review

Elloise Hopkins

In the coastal town of St Sinwin’s, in the great house his money purchased, Violet is at her father’s bedside when Hedrek Zennor breathes his last. And with his last breath, Violet will finally be free of his hold over her, free at last to live her life the way she chooses. It is what she has hoped and waited for long enough, as he has ailed and weakened. Violet’s life will finally be her own.

The next day, in the offices of Pendergast & Associates, her father’s lawyer, Titus Pendergast, destroys Violet’s newfound freedom. Her father’s will makes very clear that Hendrek’s hold over Violet will continue, despite his death. As Titus reads the very specific instructions, Violet realises that she will have no access to the family fortune and no freedom from its past, unless she carries out her father’s wishes. She must travel to the dark north, to the spot marked with a cross on a map, to find her brother’s corpse.

Everything becomes clear to Violet, as the whole frightening family history is eventually revealed to her. Her education and training, under the tutelage of the Harbour Guard, was to prepare her for this journey. Desperate to escape her father’s clutches, Violet considers running away, but opportunities close around her and she has no choice but to take to the road, and head north, towards the Darklands.

The Crimson Road is an entirely different and refreshing kind of vampire story, one that we sorely need to take us back to those ancient, gothic origins of the blood-draining predators. In fact, the word vampire is possibly not mentioned in the story at all, though that is what the Leech Lords Violet must eventually face are, and Slatter turns some of the lore on its head as our heroine journeys to the Darklands, to the centre of their domain.

As the narrative progresses, Violet encounters characters from fae lore, and must overcome a series of obstacles to help her along the way. Tropes are seamlessly woven through the story as Violet faces enemies in the form of leeches, supernatural tricksters, and of course, human adversaries set to help or hinder her journey. Along the way she meets witches, retrieves treasures, makes bargains, and finds unlikely allies, all in the buildup to her search for her brother, and her confrontation with the Lord of Anchorhold. 

The story is firmly rooted in gothic literature, and the prose rich with dark detail. As a protagonist, Violet is everything we would expect from the traditional, formidable Victorian heroine. She stands for no nonsense and puts all of herself into her quest. She is strong, physically and emotionally, educated, and intelligent in the ways of the world. She has a great sense of self, and a humour and resilience that carries her through her darkest moments. She faces every menace with unwavering sharpness, and hopefully has more adventures ahead of her.