A superhuman teen reluctantly teams up with a vampire to avenge her family and kill the monsters who enslaved her.Set during the U.S. Civil War, in an alternate universe where the real-life horrors of chattel slavery and the supernatural coexist, this story follows Jerusalem, a fearsome Black 18-year-old who recently escaped the plantation where she was held captive. She's a Saint-a member of a group of monster slayers who possess extraordinary strength and speed and who aid the Union Army in the war, hoping to abolish slavery. But Jerusalem is also personally motivated to kill the woman who enslaved and brutalized her and murdered her family. She trains with Alexei, a centuries-old Russian vampire, who's sympathetic to the Saints' cause and fights with them. Powerful, beautiful Alexei was turned against his will at 18 and carries his own traumatic past. He's drawn to Jerusalem, and despite their many differences, their contentious relationship slowly develops into a deep bond that's buoyed by a shared goal that's central to their freedom. Jerusalem and Alexei's epic journey takes them across a war-torn United States to confront their pasts, assert their autonomy, and defeat their demons once and for all. Beneath the story's bloody and brutal trappings lies a tender romance about survival, agency, and liberation. The genre-bending elements add a fresh twist to the enemies-to-lovers historical drama.A cheeky, romantic, and thrilling revenge story. (content note, author's note) (Supernatural. 14-18)

Gr 10 Up —The Civil War is raging, and Jerusalem has escaped slavery, killing the dogs and the vampire hunting her. She's always known she was different. It turns out that she is a Saint—a human gifted with incredible speed, vision, and strength. She works alongside the Union army, allying with other Saints and a vampire, Alexei, who trains her to kill his kind. Vampires are fierce predators but not indestructible. Sunlight hurts them, silver burns them, and fire kills them. But the oldest vampires, Ancients, are much harder to slay, and now one has shown up, helping General Lee and the Confederacy. It turns out this one is Jerusalem's former owner, whom she is determined to kill to avenge her slaughtered family. While they gear up for battle, each Saint with their own secrets and agendas, Alexei agonizes over his growing feelings for Jerusalem. This is problematic because he also is fighting his thirst for her blood while she absolutely hates vampires. The book culminates with an obvious outcome in the final showdown. It is unclear whether Blackwood was writing a ruthless supernatural book or an angsty vampire love affair as it oscillates between a gory vengeance plotline and a quippy romance that overuses modern vernacular. The chapters alternate between Jerusalem and Alexei, peppered with flashbacks that are not well-differentiated from the present. This also includes graphic sex scenes. VERDICT Most libraries can give this a pass because of its implausible romance, overuse of contemporary language, and obvious plot twists. Stick with Justina Ireland's fabulous Dread Nation if teen readers want reimagined historical fiction with a side of horror.—Kristen Rademacher