Blog Tour: Monstrous Design by Kat Dunn

Author: Kat Dunn

Genre: YA Historical Fantasy

Published by: Head of Zeus

Publication date: 10/06/21

Pages: 432

My rating:  ★★★★★

I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Following the thrills and spills of Dangerous Remedy, the Battalion of the Dead return in a dazzling new adventure, set amid the opulence and squalour of 18th-century London and Paris.

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?

In Paris, the Duc is playing his own dangerous games. With Ada in his thrall, old loyalties are thrown into question. The Battalion are torn apart as never before, and everything – Ada’s love for Camille, her allegiance to the battalion itself – is under threat. 

Where do I start? After reading and loving Dangerous Remedy, you can imagine the level of excitement at being asked to join the blog tour for the sequel, Monstrous Design. It was one of my most anticipated 2021 released and I was far from disappointed! It was a joy to be reunited with some of my favourite characters.

Monstrous Design picks up not long after Dangerous Remedy ends. Ada and Guil remained in Paris to track down the Duc, while Camille and Al travelled to England in pursuit of James who kidnapped Olympe. The stakes are higher than ever, loyalties tested and no small amount of danger lurking just out of sight.

To say I adored this would be an understatement, it was everything I hoped it would be, I could not put it down. Monstrous Design is the ‘oops, I forgot to eat, drink, or sleep’ book, I forgot the real world existed from the moment I opened it. That’s what makes a look brilliant, it’s safe to say my reading slump is over.

Dunn does a phenomenal job of weaving magic and adventure into such a violent and bloody historical event, without diminishing the horror of it. The plot is brilliantly crafted, every aspect put together in great detail, the authors passion shows on every page. Also, shout out to the epic and brilliantly placed My Chemical Romance lyric. They’re my favourite band and the character who delivers the line is also my favourite, so this made me way more excited than I should have been. I don’t know if this is in the finished copy as I don’t have a copy to hand, I hope it is! It was unexpected and very appropriate. This installment is set both in Paris and London, I love multiple settings, even better if the characters are split between the two. It adds to the tension and is executed brilliantly, some chapters end on little cliff hangers before switching settings and it pains me in the best possible way.

Battalion of the Dead has one of my favourite cast of characters, my favourite being Al. I have a type when it comes to favourites and he definitely fits. He brings humour, is a little bit of a dick, but there’s more to him he rarely reveals. He’s just the best! One of my favourite things about series is character development, following their journey and watching them grow. This series is no exception, Olympe has some of the best character development. She’s grown so much since we first met her in her prison cell. There’s so much I want to say about Camille and Ada, their relationship and character development. Everything is on the spoiler side so I won’t ruin it.

Monstrous Design is stunning from start to finish and a must read for anyone and everyone. This is one of my favourite books I’ve read this year so far and I know without a doubt it will make it on my ‘top ten’ list at the end of the year!

Buy from: Waterstones Hive