Book Review: Monstrous Design - Kat Dunn (Battalion of the Dead series Book 2)

1794, London: Camille and Al are desperately hunting Olympe's kidnapper. From the glamorous excesses of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens to the city's seedy underbelly, they are caught in a dangerous game of lies and deceit. And a terrible new enemy lies in wait with designs more monstrous than they could ever imagine... Can Camille play on to the end or will she be forced to show her hand?

This is the fast-paced sequel to Dangerous Remedy (Battalion of the Dead, Book 1).

We pick up mere minutes after the previous book, on a madcap dash to London. The revolution continues in France, and our heroes are scattered to the winds. Death! Intrigue! Electromagnetism!

It is an enjoyable, and tangled tale, deftly making use of the multiple locations and the fear which attracts people to each other. At its heart is a story about love, betrayal, and class envy. When you trust someone - with your life - and they let you down, how do you find the strength to forgive them?

Of course, as the middle of a trilogy, it is a good deal darker than its predecessor. It gets a bit grim and bloody at times - but, thankfully, never needlessly gratuitous. As before, the chapters are short and snappy - never letting you catch your breath. With a dozen characters stabbing each other in the back, it can bit a little tricky to work out who is double-crossing who - but it builds to a dizzying finale.

Thanks to NetGalley for the preview copy. The book is published later this year - you can buy it via the below links.