A.G (Angela) Slatter’s Sourdough Universe offer readers a doorway into a gothic, haunted world of witches, vampires, and a unique folklore. The series is largely set up that any of the books can provide an entry point, such is the case with The Crimson Road. This tale centers on Violet Zennor, who has inherited a rather unique…responsibility from her father who passes away at the outset of the novel.
Violet Zennor has had a peculiar upbringing. Training as a fighter in underground arenas, honing her skills against the worst scum, murderers and thieves her father could pit her against, she has learned to be ruthless. To kill.
Until the day Hedrek Zennor dies. Violet thinks she’s free – a rich young heiress with a world of possibilities in front of her. Then, to her horror, Violet learns that her father planned to send her into the Darklands, where the Leech Lords reign. Where Violet’s still-born brother was taken years ago after Hedrek sold him to a man bearing the mark of the mysterious Anchorhold.
Her father’s solicitor and the city’s bishop are insistent she fulfil her duty, but Violet steadfastly refuses. Until one night two assassins attempt to slaughter her – and it becomes if she wants to enjoy a future free of the interference of either solicitors, bishops or assassins, she’s going to have to clean up the mess her father made.
On her journey, Violet seeks the help of Miren O’Malley in the hidden estate of Blackwater, whose family once produced the purest, strangest silver; Ellie Briar of Silverton, the Briar Witch who guards the gateway to the realm of the Leech Lords; and Asher Todd of Whitebarrow, who did terrible things and found The Three Who Went Beneath.
Ultimately, Violet must go alone. Into the Darklands. To the Anchorhold where it all began. Where it will all end. To do what must be done.
By turns gripping and bewitching, sharp and audacious, this mesmerising story takes you on a journey into the dark heart of Slatter’s sinister and compelling fantasy world, where blood is currency and magic is a weapon.
When the novel starts off with our protagonist Violet dreaming about smothering her father, we’ve got a fair indication that this is not your typical father-daughter relationship. Violet was raised to be a fighter, think along the lines of an MMA fighter and the classic Jean-Claude Van Damme film Bloodsport. Her notions of being free of dad’s control upon his death are unfounded. This is reinforced most powerfully when an assassination attempt is made on her and she realizes if she wants to truly get out of his shadow and live truly of her own will, she must complete the task he began. Violet must enter the Darklands, the home of the Leech Lords (i.e. vampires).
Slatter’s characterization with Violet was extremely well-done. Our introduction to Violet was a powerful and shocking, but as Slatter revealed more about her, a great deal of depth was layered onto who she is. I appreciated the care, detail, and the way in which Slatter built up empathy for the character.
The world is extremely fascinating, echoes of our world in some of the familiar elements as well as the supernatural elements that sets the story and world firmly in the realm of fantastica. Her vampires were a nice take on the creature and their inner mythos felt different from what we’ve seen before, while taking some familiar elements. The same goes for the witches, who seem to be the guardians of the supernatural, at least they are a safehold of sorts along the borders of the Darklands.
This is all to say I found the book to be frustrating. Many of the elements check off boxes that essentially say, “Rob would like this!” Maybe my reading sensibilities are shifting because I’ve read similar books over the years and enjoyed them, but I can’t say I fully enjoyed this novel. It felt a little slow-going at the start, the description/cover copy isn’t a spoiler, per say, but what was laid out seemed to comprise at least the first third of the book. While I thought the character work was good and I appreciated the building of who Violet is, how she got through some of the points of the plot felt far too drawn out. I also found one element to be very over-used: Violet waking up from either a dream or in a place where she didn’t know how she got there.
Slatter has her fans, I appreciate what she was trying to do and to a larger extent, I appreciated the elements that connected with me (i.e. characterization & supernatural mythos). Unfortunately, the elements that fleshed out what I enjoyed didn’t connect with me and what I didn’t enjoy outweighed what I did enjoy.
I’ve seen very good reviews for Slatter in general, and good reviews/response to this one specifically, so perhaps I’m an outlier.
© 2025 Rob H. Bedford
Paperback | Titan Books
February 2025 | 368
https://www.angelaslatter.com/
Excerpt: https://reactormag.com/cover-reveal-and-excerpt-the-crimson-road-by-a-g-slatter/
Review copy courtesy of the publisher, Titan Books
