The Crimson Road by A G Slatter

Despite having one of my least favorite shared universe names, A G Slatter’s dark fantasy novels are one of my few can’t-miss series! And nowhere was I happier to have read almost all of the books in it than here in this latest installment, The Crimson Road.

As the novel opens, heiress Violet Zennor is waiting for her father to die. She has spent most of her life being trained by him to be the perfect weapon, to go on a hazardous quest — in about three months’ time — to atone for his grave mistakes. Then Hendrek dies, and she finds herself finally in charge of her own destiny.

Or so she tries to be. Despite the urging and threats of both the town bishop and her father’s solicitor, Violet mulishly refuses to start on a journey that even she can see is suicidal. She just wants to stay home and hang out with her loved ones, maybe take a nice vacation somewhere (honestly, relatable.)

This is in stark contrast to Hendrek’s carefully laid-out plans. His intentions were for her to travel to the far north, beyond the border that the Briarwitches established to keep the Leech Lords confined to the Darklands where they reign in blood (and a mostly contained madness.) A child of prophecy is growing in the north, who must be destroyed before he can reach his ascendancy. That child, Violet’s brother, was sold as a stillborn baby to a mysterious man in exchange for a fortune. Realizing too late that the corpse was likely a vessel, Hendrek tried to atone by raising Violet to infiltrate the Darklands… and kill her own brother.

Perhaps if Hendrek hadn’t been so unrelenting and cruel in his treatment of her, Violet might have seen this task as a shared goal. Instead, she can only feel relief that he’s died, and his manias with him.

But then the assassins bearing the insignia of the Leech Lords come to town.

If it was just herself she was defending, Violet would happily jump onto the next ship leaving port and sail off to parts unknown. But the assassins are ruthless, killing indiscriminately and targeting the few people she truly cares about. Reluctantly, she assumes the mantle of vampire slayer and finally begins her epic quest to end the evil festering in the Darklands.

As always, the lore is rich, the heroines sensible and feisty, and the stakes believably high. This fourth full-length novel stands out tho, in incorporating far more of the previous books than the last three had. The heroines of all three books show up here with pivotal roles, helping Violet prepare adequately for what would otherwise be a suicide mission that, even worse, she would most likely fail. I highly recommend reading the other books in the series first before reading this one!

My only actual complaint with TCR lies in the pacing. It’s not bad, it’s just not suspenseful. While I was certainly more surprised by the twists here than in The Briar Book Of The Dead, I felt very little tension leading up to each reveal, and I’m honestly not sure why. Perhaps it’s because Violet has already been so traumatised by everything else in her life that she’s become, to a certain extent, numb to any new shocks — of which there are no shortage in this action-packed book!

Definitely check out the rest of this series first before jumping in here. It’s a terrific take on the vampire slayer trope that is all the richer for being woven so firmly into Ms Slatter’s Sourdough Universe.

The Crimson Road by A G Slatter was published February 11 2025 by Titan books and is available from all good booksellers, including