The Vengeance is the first novel in a swashbuckling historical inspired fantasy series, The Vampires of Dumas, written by Emma Newman, and published by Solaris. A great adventure story that will be following Morgane on her journey across France trying to unveil the truth about her mother, while navigating a society where she's the outsider, coming from a pirate's life.

Morgane grew up at the sea, part of the Vengeance crew, a pirate ship that is the scourge of the Four Chains Trading Company; however, when Anne Marie, her adoptive mother, is mortally wounded, Morgane discovers she's not her mother as she believed. The captain of the ship was paid to bring Morgane home to France and to meet her real family; Morgane leaves the Vengeance, embarking on a journey across a society where she's the outsider, many deceptions from various sides, and to discover the dark truth about her mother and France's aristocracy.

Honestly, I feel Morgane a bit of a contradicting character; while I absolutely love how badass and how brave she's, especially when she doesn't really get many of the ideas behind Frech society (and correctly pointing many of the failures of the monarchical system), I was also a bit disappointed with how naïve she acted at moments, leading her to dangerous situations due to her overconfidence. Lisette, however, is a character that slowly grew in me, adorable at moments, but also that anchor that Morgane needed when the trust in herself evaporated, a resourceful person in the most unexpected of situations. The rest of the cast fills well their role, even if they might be a bit plain.

While the novel is a bit light on the speculative elements, I really enjoyed how well Newman played with the historical setting, and putting it from the perspective of an outsider also gave her the opportunity to point many of the contradictions of the moment. While the pacing is a bit weak at the middle, the beginning and the ending balance it, and there are excellent action sequences that will delight the readers.

The Vengeance is a really enjoyable novel, a story that establishes the setting for a bigger series that promises much, especially in terms of setting; if you are looking for a swashbuckling adventure, mild romance and some supernatural elements in your historical inspired fantasy, Emma Newman is your author.