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A Journey of Black and Red #1
A Journey of Black and Red
A conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century’s Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires.
It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable.
This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside.
-------
Note: This is the entry for the completed serialized web edition, originally published on Royal Road under the pen name Mecanimus.
It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable.
This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside.
-------
Note: This is the entry for the completed serialized web edition, originally published on Royal Road under the pen name Mecanimus.
3187 pages, ebook
Published September 7, 2023
188 people are currently reading
692 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
July 29, 2020
A unique tale about old west vampires
This is one of those books that you don’t expect much but completely surprise you.
Ariane, the MC, is a typical southern belle woman, but with a little fire on her. She is smart, well read and her father thaught her to how hunt and use firearms (scandalous!)
She wakes up in a cell without a single memory of who she is, how she got there or why she fells so thirsty. The only thing she knows is that she is a proper lady and someone changed her clothes without her permission.
Her first visitors are inhumanly pale and seem surprised that she can speak. Her next visitors are a poorly dressed hussy and a man she loves and hates, who wants only what is good for her but also tortured her. Confusing right? She also thinks so.
Anyway, she is soon fed and taken out of her cell, and thrown into a world with strange rules where everyone seems to know who she is and hate her. But under all that hate is fear. Fear of what she is and of the one who sired her (the man she loves and hates and who that hussy is too close to, so Arien WILL HUNT HER DOWN AND KILL HER)
As you may have noticed, this is not a tale about modern vampires. This is a story about the clasical vamoires that burn in the sun, that kill when they feed when they are not cautious, and who battle the beast within at all times. This is a story about predators creating theor own territories in an untamed country, while trying to keep others away.
This is frankly, one the best stories I have ever read.
If you like vampires, or you like the old west, you should buy this. You will not regret.
This is one of those books that you don’t expect much but completely surprise you.
Ariane, the MC, is a typical southern belle woman, but with a little fire on her. She is smart, well read and her father thaught her to how hunt and use firearms (scandalous!)
She wakes up in a cell without a single memory of who she is, how she got there or why she fells so thirsty. The only thing she knows is that she is a proper lady and someone changed her clothes without her permission.
Her first visitors are inhumanly pale and seem surprised that she can speak. Her next visitors are a poorly dressed hussy and a man she loves and hates, who wants only what is good for her but also tortured her. Confusing right? She also thinks so.
Anyway, she is soon fed and taken out of her cell, and thrown into a world with strange rules where everyone seems to know who she is and hate her. But under all that hate is fear. Fear of what she is and of the one who sired her (the man she loves and hates and who that hussy is too close to, so Arien WILL HUNT HER DOWN AND KILL HER)
As you may have noticed, this is not a tale about modern vampires. This is a story about the clasical vamoires that burn in the sun, that kill when they feed when they are not cautious, and who battle the beast within at all times. This is a story about predators creating theor own territories in an untamed country, while trying to keep others away.
This is frankly, one the best stories I have ever read.
If you like vampires, or you like the old west, you should buy this. You will not regret.
July 11, 2022
The author put a lot of effort into the opening of the story.
So I'll put some effort into writing a way too long review. Kidding, it just turned out that long, sorry.
I spoil quite a few details. I want to say "but nothing major" but there is nothing major I could spoil in the first place. Does this mean that more minor spoilers are now major spoilers??
Anyway, you have been warned.
It successfully hooked me very quickly with its clear commitment to show and don't tell.
There are a few strangely clunky sentences and word choices very early on but I didn't notice any more of that for quite some time.
He is going for a realistic take, pointing out to the reader how skills have to be learned and how for example pain can not just be overcome by determination as many other books so commonly do.
I very much love this kind of commitment to gritty realism but because it makes it much harder to write a planned story it might have ultimately ended up hindering the author more than it helped.
The author keeps to this premise for quite some time but he eventually falls prey to many typical clichées that fall out of exhausted and lazy writing.
The book becomes increasingly self-indulgent, and dare I say lazy in the kind of eccentric storytelling it does.
This led to some frustration as this kind of decline in quality typically does.
The book takes pains to rarely tell, and if it does, only in a natural way. But it doesn't manage to convey all the necessary information to be fully immersed in the story all the time.
I sometimes felt a bit lost because descriptions of environments, characters, as well as general and social aspects of normal and vampire society were vague or nonexistent.
There were a lot of weird dream sequences that weren't bad precisely but they felt like they didn't serve a purpose.
I think they were intended to show the subconscious of the MC without awkward inner monologue and in theory, this would've been a very good tool to do so.
But said subconscious never became relevant at all.
Despite the first-person POV I never got a handle on the core personality of the MC. I think the author himself wasn't very clear on that. Sometimes it's her old self struggling with her new vampire self, battling for control.
But her human personality is very inconsistent.
This is the reason why the entire dream subconscious thing never really worked. There wasn't any kind of consistent moral conflict that made any sense so how she felt about her situation subconsciously lost any and all impact and ended up just being a trippy waste of time.
Sometimes she seems like she was 13 before she was turned with no clue whatsoever how the world works and at other times she displays maturity and cunning that I would expect from someone well versed in political intrigue.
Her understanding of social dynamics wildly swings from utter incompetence to genius far beyond her years. I think the author excused this to himself as being inherited competence from her vampire side but he just didn't manage to convincingly keep the two personalities straight and didn't properly communicate which competence came from where and why.
Too many times magic understanding is suddenly available if necessary because muh vampire half. Especially later on the author can't resist overusing this cheap plot device.
Let me give a few somewhat concrete examples of how the writing quality deteriorated over time.
In chapter 20 she tells a story about her being cursed to explain her vampiric traits to someone she travels with. In itself that is fine but the way she does this is just completely absurd.
It's a mixture of the most melodramatic and cheesiest soap opera combined with a very unnatural kind of on-the-spot storytelling. She is basically talking in a narrator's voice which stands completely at odds with the situation.
Nobody spontaneously talks like others write carefully crafted prose. This particularly broke my immersion because this is not a general problem the book has and it came completely out of left field.
It read more like a failed attempt at an impromptu comedy section.
In chapter 25 we have a classical completely unbelievable riling and motivational speech to lead freed prisoners into battle against their jailors. It's so clichéed, it's laughable. It's like he auto-completed the scene with a clichée generator.
Again, it almost appears like borderline satire but I don't think that is intended.
Now let me get to the plot and the worldbuilding. Or rather, the lack thereof.
The vast majority of the book has only one plot which is: stay hidden and survive. That is literally the only goal after the initial story opening. And I don't mean stay hidden within a city or something. She just travels around at the end of the world and encounters people.
It's interesting but it all feels a bit empty because there is no established structure. Initially, it seems like she will be entangled deeply in vampire politics and intrigue, being stretched and squished between intricate and shifting alliances, and that is somewhat true early on but is completely forgotten about beyond a certain point, for the majority of the book.
I felt a bit left in the dark not having any tangible background of how these different vampire factions act. We only ever get to know one horrible faction but we never even learn if they are all the same way or if there are better ones. We don't learn if vampires are generally just evil with a few exceptions or if the entire situation is more ambiguous.
This also makes it hard to empathize with the crisis she has with her subconscious because we don't even know if it is justified.
Another thing that bothers me was the absence of money. They kind of just have money. They take some here and there but that is certainly not enough to travel for months. They don't offer a service or sell a product. Nothing. They are just given as much luxury as is available wherever they go. It's really weird.
There is just too much left open. Too many details missing.
Then they constantly run into these situations that seem intentionally laid out as learning and training opportunities for the MC which just seemed way too convenient. There is some vague foreshadowing where the characters themselves recognize this and they talk about some sort of fate guiding power. If you commit a writing sin, pointing it out to your audience doesn't make it better. It makes it even worse!
If your story is just the MC traveling and getting entangled in interesting situations on the way then just run with it and write actually well-crafted situations and settings for those that feel like real places with real people. Not this half-assed thing that is basically just a protracted replacement for a training montage. Yes, training montages are lazy and cheap, and actually showing how the MC acquires those skills is much more satisfying. But this combines the worst of both worlds. We have multiple months-long training skips AND low effort, drawn-out development via unbelievably convenient side-quests.
The book completely fails to communicate the actual strength of the MC and neither does it manage to convey the improvements beyond telling us that she has improved. By how much and in which area? What is she actually capable of? That essentially still seems arbitrary depending on what the author needs to create tension which makes the entire journey to become stronger feel even more pointless!
And then the book just ends. There is no climax, no nothing. It's not a cliffhanger but it's not in any way closed either.
It honestly makes it kind of hard to justify buying the next one because I would do so entirely on faith after the book basically just strung me along for 400 pages and never actually delivered anything beyond the fantastic opening.
So I know the author can write. But I also know that he doesn't necessarily hold himself to the high standard he started out with and has a tendency to fall back into tired clichées that contradict and weaken the premise of a more realistic and believable approach to story telling.
I liked the opening a lot and I didn't mind even the traveling which many might get bored by. But there are just so many weaknesses that became increasingly apparent over time. So so much vague dissonance between plot and worldbuilding elements. It all just doesn't quite fit together properly.
So I'll put some effort into writing a way too long review. Kidding, it just turned out that long, sorry.
I spoil quite a few details. I want to say "but nothing major" but there is nothing major I could spoil in the first place. Does this mean that more minor spoilers are now major spoilers??
Anyway, you have been warned.
It successfully hooked me very quickly with its clear commitment to show and don't tell.
There are a few strangely clunky sentences and word choices very early on but I didn't notice any more of that for quite some time.
He is going for a realistic take, pointing out to the reader how skills have to be learned and how for example pain can not just be overcome by determination as many other books so commonly do.
I very much love this kind of commitment to gritty realism but because it makes it much harder to write a planned story it might have ultimately ended up hindering the author more than it helped.
The author keeps to this premise for quite some time but he eventually falls prey to many typical clichées that fall out of exhausted and lazy writing.
The book becomes increasingly self-indulgent, and dare I say lazy in the kind of eccentric storytelling it does.
This led to some frustration as this kind of decline in quality typically does.
The book takes pains to rarely tell, and if it does, only in a natural way. But it doesn't manage to convey all the necessary information to be fully immersed in the story all the time.
I sometimes felt a bit lost because descriptions of environments, characters, as well as general and social aspects of normal and vampire society were vague or nonexistent.
There were a lot of weird dream sequences that weren't bad precisely but they felt like they didn't serve a purpose.
I think they were intended to show the subconscious of the MC without awkward inner monologue and in theory, this would've been a very good tool to do so.
But said subconscious never became relevant at all.
Despite the first-person POV I never got a handle on the core personality of the MC. I think the author himself wasn't very clear on that. Sometimes it's her old self struggling with her new vampire self, battling for control.
But her human personality is very inconsistent.
This is the reason why the entire dream subconscious thing never really worked. There wasn't any kind of consistent moral conflict that made any sense so how she felt about her situation subconsciously lost any and all impact and ended up just being a trippy waste of time.
Sometimes she seems like she was 13 before she was turned with no clue whatsoever how the world works and at other times she displays maturity and cunning that I would expect from someone well versed in political intrigue.
Her understanding of social dynamics wildly swings from utter incompetence to genius far beyond her years. I think the author excused this to himself as being inherited competence from her vampire side but he just didn't manage to convincingly keep the two personalities straight and didn't properly communicate which competence came from where and why.
Too many times magic understanding is suddenly available if necessary because muh vampire half. Especially later on the author can't resist overusing this cheap plot device.
Let me give a few somewhat concrete examples of how the writing quality deteriorated over time.
In chapter 20 she tells a story about her being cursed to explain her vampiric traits to someone she travels with. In itself that is fine but the way she does this is just completely absurd.
It's a mixture of the most melodramatic and cheesiest soap opera combined with a very unnatural kind of on-the-spot storytelling. She is basically talking in a narrator's voice which stands completely at odds with the situation.
Nobody spontaneously talks like others write carefully crafted prose. This particularly broke my immersion because this is not a general problem the book has and it came completely out of left field.
It read more like a failed attempt at an impromptu comedy section.
In chapter 25 we have a classical completely unbelievable riling and motivational speech to lead freed prisoners into battle against their jailors. It's so clichéed, it's laughable. It's like he auto-completed the scene with a clichée generator.
Again, it almost appears like borderline satire but I don't think that is intended.
Now let me get to the plot and the worldbuilding. Or rather, the lack thereof.
The vast majority of the book has only one plot which is: stay hidden and survive. That is literally the only goal after the initial story opening. And I don't mean stay hidden within a city or something. She just travels around at the end of the world and encounters people.
It's interesting but it all feels a bit empty because there is no established structure. Initially, it seems like she will be entangled deeply in vampire politics and intrigue, being stretched and squished between intricate and shifting alliances, and that is somewhat true early on but is completely forgotten about beyond a certain point, for the majority of the book.
I felt a bit left in the dark not having any tangible background of how these different vampire factions act. We only ever get to know one horrible faction but we never even learn if they are all the same way or if there are better ones. We don't learn if vampires are generally just evil with a few exceptions or if the entire situation is more ambiguous.
This also makes it hard to empathize with the crisis she has with her subconscious because we don't even know if it is justified.
Another thing that bothers me was the absence of money. They kind of just have money. They take some here and there but that is certainly not enough to travel for months. They don't offer a service or sell a product. Nothing. They are just given as much luxury as is available wherever they go. It's really weird.
There is just too much left open. Too many details missing.
Then they constantly run into these situations that seem intentionally laid out as learning and training opportunities for the MC which just seemed way too convenient. There is some vague foreshadowing where the characters themselves recognize this and they talk about some sort of fate guiding power. If you commit a writing sin, pointing it out to your audience doesn't make it better. It makes it even worse!
If your story is just the MC traveling and getting entangled in interesting situations on the way then just run with it and write actually well-crafted situations and settings for those that feel like real places with real people. Not this half-assed thing that is basically just a protracted replacement for a training montage. Yes, training montages are lazy and cheap, and actually showing how the MC acquires those skills is much more satisfying. But this combines the worst of both worlds. We have multiple months-long training skips AND low effort, drawn-out development via unbelievably convenient side-quests.
The book completely fails to communicate the actual strength of the MC and neither does it manage to convey the improvements beyond telling us that she has improved. By how much and in which area? What is she actually capable of? That essentially still seems arbitrary depending on what the author needs to create tension which makes the entire journey to become stronger feel even more pointless!
And then the book just ends. There is no climax, no nothing. It's not a cliffhanger but it's not in any way closed either.
It honestly makes it kind of hard to justify buying the next one because I would do so entirely on faith after the book basically just strung me along for 400 pages and never actually delivered anything beyond the fantastic opening.
So I know the author can write. But I also know that he doesn't necessarily hold himself to the high standard he started out with and has a tendency to fall back into tired clichées that contradict and weaken the premise of a more realistic and believable approach to story telling.
I liked the opening a lot and I didn't mind even the traveling which many might get bored by. But there are just so many weaknesses that became increasingly apparent over time. So so much vague dissonance between plot and worldbuilding elements. It all just doesn't quite fit together properly.
April 1, 2021
Starts solid, but I think it fails to engage as the story continues.
Ariane's character just lacks a strong focus--there's no concrete goal for her or for the plot. Being a monster that delights in being a monster doesn't really do anything to make me want to read her wanderings either.
Also, it has to be said, there are info dumps throughout the story. I don't love them.
Ariane's character just lacks a strong focus--there's no concrete goal for her or for the plot. Being a monster that delights in being a monster doesn't really do anything to make me want to read her wanderings either.
Also, it has to be said, there are info dumps throughout the story. I don't love them.
May 17, 2021
AJofBR started a web novel about Ariane, a young vampire (young by human standards, very young by vampire standards) in the America of the early 1800s. Gilbert's vampires are typical for the genre: They are dangerous apex predators, and they while away their potential eternities forming alliances that compete for power.
Ariane had the misfortune to be turned into a vampire by Nirari, who is too old and powerful to play those games. He wanders the world, a one-vampire calamity, and leaves any vampires he makes to fend for themselves. They tend to have short life expectancies - not least because they have no allies looking out for them when they are starting out and vulnerable. The very few of Nirari's children who survive are formidable - and Ariane may become one of them.
The story is told in the first person. Ariane is engaging, capable - and occasionally accident-prone. The author warns that the pacing will be unusual because the story started out as a web novel, but that did not stand out for me. He also warns that the novel includes some disturbing scenes, but they did not dominate or taint the story.
Ariane had the misfortune to be turned into a vampire by Nirari, who is too old and powerful to play those games. He wanders the world, a one-vampire calamity, and leaves any vampires he makes to fend for themselves. They tend to have short life expectancies - not least because they have no allies looking out for them when they are starting out and vulnerable. The very few of Nirari's children who survive are formidable - and Ariane may become one of them.
The story is told in the first person. Ariane is engaging, capable - and occasionally accident-prone. The author warns that the pacing will be unusual because the story started out as a web novel, but that did not stand out for me. He also warns that the novel includes some disturbing scenes, but they did not dominate or taint the story.
July 27, 2023
Wow the beginning of this book was rough. I dropped it at first because of how boring and repetitive the beginning was.
I pushed through and I started to enjoy it more when she was in the fighting pits.
Overall I liked it but I have gripes. I liked the fast paced nature of the story and the focus on action. Though I wish we got more magic throughout
I hated the protagonist. Not only did the author choose to make any moment he could show just how badass she was, But she just wasn’t a good person and that sucked.
I get that she’s a vampire with urges, but constantly thinking about how she wants to kill/maim an innocent person(or even if they weren’t innocent) is not compelling or engaging. I wished that she tried to fight her vampire instincts more, she tried to fight but not hard enough to stop her from being a straight up murderer whenever she wants to be. It was hard to ever feel bad about her situation when she became a straight up villain. Overall this type of character just doesn’t work for me
I pushed through and I started to enjoy it more when she was in the fighting pits.
Overall I liked it but I have gripes. I liked the fast paced nature of the story and the focus on action. Though I wish we got more magic throughout
I hated the protagonist. Not only did the author choose to make any moment he could show just how badass she was, But she just wasn’t a good person and that sucked.
I get that she’s a vampire with urges, but constantly thinking about how she wants to kill/maim an innocent person(or even if they weren’t innocent) is not compelling or engaging. I wished that she tried to fight her vampire instincts more, she tried to fight but not hard enough to stop her from being a straight up murderer whenever she wants to be. It was hard to ever feel bad about her situation when she became a straight up villain. Overall this type of character just doesn’t work for me
March 10, 2021
Excellent
I have read this online already, but reading it for second time is still as good as it was first time.
Characters are well developed, even non-MCs have distinct personalities and motivations.
Story is well written and different enough from common vampire novels to bring a fresh view.
And I love the subtle humor.
I have read this online already, but reading it for second time is still as good as it was first time.
Characters are well developed, even non-MCs have distinct personalities and motivations.
Story is well written and different enough from common vampire novels to bring a fresh view.
And I love the subtle humor.
February 21, 2021
Wow. Just. Wow.
Click download, buy it, and enjoy. This is a textbook on writing a first person point-of-view that should be dissected and reread a thousand times. Also, L33T speek transcends this from being a joy to being truly meme-worthy. Cannot wait for it’s sequels.
Click download, buy it, and enjoy. This is a textbook on writing a first person point-of-view that should be dissected and reread a thousand times. Also, L33T speek transcends this from being a joy to being truly meme-worthy. Cannot wait for it’s sequels.
July 23, 2021
I'm not generally a vampire novel reader but I really enjoy the setting in these books, and the MC's progression. The writing is solid and gets better as it moves along, though my eyes still cross a bit at the actiony bits. Even the politics are interesting. Recommend.
July 6, 2022
When this is funny, this is my favorite type of humor.
November 28, 2020
Enjoyed it - Looking forward to future books by the author.
August 1, 2025
3,6,
4,2 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 the complete series
The overall quality of the series really surprised me. Sure, one could argue that the narrative could have been more fluid and cohesive overall, and I do think some parts of the journey were a bit uneven in quality but I don’t feel like I can give a fully valid judgment, because I binged the entire series in one go. Reading so many pages every day tends to make the flaws stand out less. So instead of focusing on those, I’d rather talk about the strengths: I truly, truly enjoyed this world. It felt alive to me—which, in itself, is a major accomplishment for any author. Following the story from the early 1800s all the way to the World War, in a setting where magic exists, was absolutely fascinating.
And the vampires… absolutely fantastic! I think they’re some of the best vampires I’ve encountered in literature and I’ve read a lot of vampire books, so impressing me isn’t easy. The lore behind them is both intriguing and mysterious, but what really makes them stand out is their characterization. I struggle to think of another book that so clearly depicts the loss of humanity that comes with the transformation. Nowadays, vampires are often portrayed as basically human in soul, just with powers and immortality. They feel guilt about feeding on humans, they reject or fight against their nature, or at best behave ethically out of empathy. Well, forget about that kind of vampire if you decide to read this book.
In this world, becoming a vampire means undergoing a structural change, there’s a more or less profound detachment from one’s mortal roots. In essence, all vampires, by human standards, could be classified as psychopaths: they’re incapable of experiencing the full range of emotions, and are essentially almost devoid of empathy. Our protagonist even creates an ethical code to follow in order not to fall below certain standards (e.g., not killing children), because while she intellectually understands that other living beings can suffer… she simply almost doesn’t care, unless she perceives them as hers.
In short, vampires in this world are selfish creatures, true predators who don’t wrestle with their conscience and fully accept their monstrous nature. That often gave me an uncanny valley feeling while reading especially in the rare POVs told from the perspective of mortals—and that’s fantastic. The protagonist seems so human at times that we forget what she is, and then something happens that reminds us of her alien nature…
4,2 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 the complete series
The overall quality of the series really surprised me. Sure, one could argue that the narrative could have been more fluid and cohesive overall, and I do think some parts of the journey were a bit uneven in quality but I don’t feel like I can give a fully valid judgment, because I binged the entire series in one go. Reading so many pages every day tends to make the flaws stand out less. So instead of focusing on those, I’d rather talk about the strengths: I truly, truly enjoyed this world. It felt alive to me—which, in itself, is a major accomplishment for any author. Following the story from the early 1800s all the way to the World War, in a setting where magic exists, was absolutely fascinating.
And the vampires… absolutely fantastic! I think they’re some of the best vampires I’ve encountered in literature and I’ve read a lot of vampire books, so impressing me isn’t easy. The lore behind them is both intriguing and mysterious, but what really makes them stand out is their characterization. I struggle to think of another book that so clearly depicts the loss of humanity that comes with the transformation. Nowadays, vampires are often portrayed as basically human in soul, just with powers and immortality. They feel guilt about feeding on humans, they reject or fight against their nature, or at best behave ethically out of empathy. Well, forget about that kind of vampire if you decide to read this book.
In this world, becoming a vampire means undergoing a structural change, there’s a more or less profound detachment from one’s mortal roots. In essence, all vampires, by human standards, could be classified as psychopaths: they’re incapable of experiencing the full range of emotions, and are essentially almost devoid of empathy. Our protagonist even creates an ethical code to follow in order not to fall below certain standards (e.g., not killing children), because while she intellectually understands that other living beings can suffer… she simply almost doesn’t care, unless she perceives them as hers.
In short, vampires in this world are selfish creatures, true predators who don’t wrestle with their conscience and fully accept their monstrous nature. That often gave me an uncanny valley feeling while reading especially in the rare POVs told from the perspective of mortals—and that’s fantastic. The protagonist seems so human at times that we forget what she is, and then something happens that reminds us of her alien nature…
September 7, 2021
Child of Thorn and Hunger
Fantastic story heavily inspired by Vampire: The Masquerade, showcasing the unnatural dominion of vampires over humans and most other magical creatures. This includes the existence of distinct vampire clans with unique supernatural traits and an inveterate hierarchical vampire society to maintain power and secrecy.
As the main character, Ariane is painfully reborn into a warrior bloodline with an antediluvian psychopath for a progenitor. Abandoned and left to fend for herself, she must navigate the perils of vampire society as an outcast and the lawless American frontier as a woman. As much potential as she has as a vampire, her beginnings leave her weak and at the mercy of far more powerful forces. It is with intelligence and true grit that she must learn to survive and thrive.
But the real struggle for Ariane is to maintain her sense of honor and humanity as she fights against the demands of her nature and the madness of her bloodline. While far from a warrior of light, she is fearless when she chooses to fight for what she believes in and builds bonds of deep friendship with interesting and diverse people. Her acts of kindness are rare, but they shine as genuine and without the avarice and cruelty inherent to her kind.
While she definitely stumbles at times, Ariane remains steadfast to her friends and an anti-hero to those she saves along the way. I hope that her journey keeps her from succumbing to wickedness and allows her to emerge as something special. A dark star in a world of darkness.
Fantastic story heavily inspired by Vampire: The Masquerade, showcasing the unnatural dominion of vampires over humans and most other magical creatures. This includes the existence of distinct vampire clans with unique supernatural traits and an inveterate hierarchical vampire society to maintain power and secrecy.
As the main character, Ariane is painfully reborn into a warrior bloodline with an antediluvian psychopath for a progenitor. Abandoned and left to fend for herself, she must navigate the perils of vampire society as an outcast and the lawless American frontier as a woman. As much potential as she has as a vampire, her beginnings leave her weak and at the mercy of far more powerful forces. It is with intelligence and true grit that she must learn to survive and thrive.
But the real struggle for Ariane is to maintain her sense of honor and humanity as she fights against the demands of her nature and the madness of her bloodline. While far from a warrior of light, she is fearless when she chooses to fight for what she believes in and builds bonds of deep friendship with interesting and diverse people. Her acts of kindness are rare, but they shine as genuine and without the avarice and cruelty inherent to her kind.
While she definitely stumbles at times, Ariane remains steadfast to her friends and an anti-hero to those she saves along the way. I hope that her journey keeps her from succumbing to wickedness and allows her to emerge as something special. A dark star in a world of darkness.
September 13, 2021
Visceral and riveting. A Journey of Black and Red is a compelling period drama, blended well with the intrigue and danger that a vampire novel should have. The immersion makes one feel like maybe there really are vampires, and that some of them actually have a heart. The backdrop of North American history, and the well-developed hints hints that vampires may have had a hand in the shaping of our history both in the 1800s and for eons before, sell the stage upon which our heroine acts.
Ariane is an enthralling character with flaws, hopes and desires, and deserves her place as the lead role. An ambitious young woman, scarred by her transformation but refusing to lose her connection to her past humanity, will she rise to bear the slings and arrows of her situation? Gilbert has developed an engaging tale that shows the struggles and triumphs of a lone vampire in the ruthless and cutthroat USA of the 1800s. Definitely a firm favourite of mine.
As the story has progressed and we've been introduced further into the depths of vampire intrigue and the dangers and wonders of the magical world, I have not been disappointed. This story has certainly gone the distance, bringing us readers along with Ariane through thick and thin, witnessing her successes and failures.
Ariane is an enthralling character with flaws, hopes and desires, and deserves her place as the lead role. An ambitious young woman, scarred by her transformation but refusing to lose her connection to her past humanity, will she rise to bear the slings and arrows of her situation? Gilbert has developed an engaging tale that shows the struggles and triumphs of a lone vampire in the ruthless and cutthroat USA of the 1800s. Definitely a firm favourite of mine.
As the story has progressed and we've been introduced further into the depths of vampire intrigue and the dangers and wonders of the magical world, I have not been disappointed. This story has certainly gone the distance, bringing us readers along with Ariane through thick and thin, witnessing her successes and failures.
November 17, 2025
This book started off with a bang and kept things moving quickly. While I can already get the vibes of progression fantasy from it and I anticipate the growth of our protagonist, I also very much appreciate the world-building and the characters. The story starts off with limited scope, mirroring how much our protagonist cares about. As opportunities grow for our protagonist, so too does the scope of the world and things to actually care about. I really like this slow expansion of the world to mimic what our MC learns of it, as opposed to a massive info dump where I forget half the things until later on.
Additionally, the characters we meet are interesting and aren't necessarily one-note characters who exist only to prop up our MC. There were some choices by other people and actions that seemed like pure plot armor for our MC, but I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the author that he makes these actions make sense in retrospect. I've already seen that to be the case with some things, and I expect that will be the case with others.
Overall, a very fun story with interesting stakes and a fun mysterious air to the world and what's going on.
Additionally, the characters we meet are interesting and aren't necessarily one-note characters who exist only to prop up our MC. There were some choices by other people and actions that seemed like pure plot armor for our MC, but I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the author that he makes these actions make sense in retrospect. I've already seen that to be the case with some things, and I expect that will be the case with others.
Overall, a very fun story with interesting stakes and a fun mysterious air to the world and what's going on.
December 5, 2021
It's everything a vampire story should aspire to be.
So many vampire stories cop out by allowing the protagonist to deftly avoid all the drawbacks to being a vampire. Or to otherwise be just a human in a vampires body, if that makes any sense. Not this one though. Arianne quickly becomes a true predator and in many ways is more so then her peers. If there is a story that better captures the predatory nature of being a vampire then I haven't read it.
Beyond perfectly capturing vampires, Journey is also a wonderfully interesting example of alternative history combined with dark fantasy. Even as a non-American, I found it interesting to note all the divergences from real history caused by the presence of the supernatural.
TLDR: If a better vampire story exists, I haven't read or heard of it.
So many vampire stories cop out by allowing the protagonist to deftly avoid all the drawbacks to being a vampire. Or to otherwise be just a human in a vampires body, if that makes any sense. Not this one though. Arianne quickly becomes a true predator and in many ways is more so then her peers. If there is a story that better captures the predatory nature of being a vampire then I haven't read it.
Beyond perfectly capturing vampires, Journey is also a wonderfully interesting example of alternative history combined with dark fantasy. Even as a non-American, I found it interesting to note all the divergences from real history caused by the presence of the supernatural.
TLDR: If a better vampire story exists, I haven't read or heard of it.
November 2, 2025
I enjoyed this book, but it was not without its problems, some of which are caused by the way it was written as a serial.
It feels disjointed, there were several occasions when I started a new chapter and was sure I must have missed several pages. At times the sentence construction is just weird, it doesn’t make sense, and I don’t just mean when the author is trying to show Ariane is under severe stress.
Also the dream/nightmare sequences at the start of each chapter didn’t help the flow of the story, and I really wasn’t sure what was their purpose, especially when one chapter ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and then the next one starts on a complete different and irrelevant storyline. They may become more relevant later in the story, but at the moment it is just irritating.
It feels disjointed, there were several occasions when I started a new chapter and was sure I must have missed several pages. At times the sentence construction is just weird, it doesn’t make sense, and I don’t just mean when the author is trying to show Ariane is under severe stress.
Also the dream/nightmare sequences at the start of each chapter didn’t help the flow of the story, and I really wasn’t sure what was their purpose, especially when one chapter ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and then the next one starts on a complete different and irrelevant storyline. They may become more relevant later in the story, but at the moment it is just irritating.
June 25, 2023
I feel guilty because I liked this book much more than I should have. It's a little clunkily written and in the first third of the book it seemed to be a fairly boilerplate gothic vampire story set in the post-revolutionary south. But after the first third, it stopped taking itself so seriously and became kinda fun to read. Instead of centering around just vampires, it introduces dwarves, werewolves, and fae into the mix.
The vampires are clearly inspired by Vampire: The Masquerade which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a fairly solid framework to work from, plus there's enough variance to keep it from being too derivative. The dwarf isn't the stubbly little guy that you'd find in Lord of the Rings, but the more classic Norse kind where they're kind of big and intimidating. The elf is an extradimensional being stuck on earth with only a fraction of its power, and the werewolf is... just a werewolf. (We only see it briefly.)
The thing that keeps me from giving it more than three stars is that it is set in the American South about sixty years after the revolutionary war. Slavery was very much a thing, which begs the question, 'How do you write a sympathetic character who grew up as a slave owner while still condemning slavery even if the character doesn't?' Not that she explicitly states that slavery is good. She just never really condemns it either. The book just kinds of skirts around the issue which is a solution, I guess. Not really the best. It's also kind of hampered by its depiction of native cultures which is only kinda slightly racist? Really it's more that it lacks any nuance than anything else.
So all in all, despite its flaws I had a good time reading this thing and most likely will be picking up its sequels. Three stars.
The vampires are clearly inspired by Vampire: The Masquerade which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a fairly solid framework to work from, plus there's enough variance to keep it from being too derivative. The dwarf isn't the stubbly little guy that you'd find in Lord of the Rings, but the more classic Norse kind where they're kind of big and intimidating. The elf is an extradimensional being stuck on earth with only a fraction of its power, and the werewolf is... just a werewolf. (We only see it briefly.)
The thing that keeps me from giving it more than three stars is that it is set in the American South about sixty years after the revolutionary war. Slavery was very much a thing, which begs the question, 'How do you write a sympathetic character who grew up as a slave owner while still condemning slavery even if the character doesn't?' Not that she explicitly states that slavery is good. She just never really condemns it either. The book just kinds of skirts around the issue which is a solution, I guess. Not really the best. It's also kind of hampered by its depiction of native cultures which is only kinda slightly racist? Really it's more that it lacks any nuance than anything else.
So all in all, despite its flaws I had a good time reading this thing and most likely will be picking up its sequels. Three stars.
July 18, 2025
A Journey of Black and Red is a vampire story set around Ariane, a newly converted girl that is thrown into the world of immortals. I thought the book a nice introduction, with a relatable main character and easy to follow plot. I really liked that this seems to be an adult story, which fits well given the nature of vampires. Additionally, going further into the story I'd like to see a deeper exploration of secondary characters, which are quite bland and one dimensional in this first volume, especially the easily hateable vampires from Lady Moor's clan.
January 24, 2023
Interesting
This is an interesting vampire story. The tale is told from the perspective of a newly made vampire in a historical setting but it could have happened anywhere or anytime. The level of violence is high but that can be expected for the world of vampires.
I enjoyed this book. Although, the extended wordiness was hard to take at times. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
This is an interesting vampire story. The tale is told from the perspective of a newly made vampire in a historical setting but it could have happened anywhere or anytime. The level of violence is high but that can be expected for the world of vampires.
I enjoyed this book. Although, the extended wordiness was hard to take at times. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
October 21, 2023
I loved this book….but I have to admit that it took me a few chapters to get into it. Actually, the first time I started the book, I stopped. The first chapters just had me confused. Then I picked it up again a few weeks later and pushed through these first chapters. I am glad I did. The rest of the book was great, the story entertaining and the main character really cool. I highly recommend.
March 31, 2025
The book where a woman does whatever hot dudes want her to do. Typical trash bag. She constantly cries and does nothing about her situation. Clearly the author hates women. She has this person in the back of her mind that knows what to do but her annoying self always talks about how hot the people abusing her are. She's treated like a possession. Alot like Beneath the Dragoneye Moons and The Problem With Princesses in that way. Worthless book.
May 8, 2025
A traditional young Vampire story. I like this ‘new America’ backdrop, similar to Anne Rice’s Louis & Lestat origin story, and the inclusion of other magical creatures is a fun addition. The writing is a bit jumpy (common for web serials changed to novels) and there’s a few grammatical errors here and there. This is the second series I’ve read from the author (Calamitous Bob) and I really like their imagination.
July 11, 2022
overrated
It’s not a bad book, but I had high expectations and was disappointed. A liked the MC’s inner narration for most of the book. It gets old once it starts getting too choppy and short, and overall, i lost interest in her and the other characters. I don’t really like vampire genre, and this one isn’t much different.
It’s not a bad book, but I had high expectations and was disappointed. A liked the MC’s inner narration for most of the book. It gets old once it starts getting too choppy and short, and overall, i lost interest in her and the other characters. I don’t really like vampire genre, and this one isn’t much different.
December 25, 2023
Great series!
The first time i started this series I gave up after the first chapter! Big mistake, because it gets way better. I gave it another chance after reading the author's other awesome series. Also nice to see a vampire series that does NOT have a weird focus on love triangles!
The first time i started this series I gave up after the first chapter! Big mistake, because it gets way better. I gave it another chance after reading the author's other awesome series. Also nice to see a vampire series that does NOT have a weird focus on love triangles!
February 24, 2024
Entertaining
This was definitely a very entertaining read, the world building was very well done, and the main character likable. The side characters also definitely have a life of their own and are just as enjoyable. I will personally say that this book is worth giving a try if you want to have a enjoyable vampire read.
This was definitely a very entertaining read, the world building was very well done, and the main character likable. The side characters also definitely have a life of their own and are just as enjoyable. I will personally say that this book is worth giving a try if you want to have a enjoyable vampire read.
February 4, 2025
Not my usual genre but I do have a love for vampires. There are things I truly appreciate about this story and other things that make me cringe as I try to quickly skim past them.
This is set in the past and has time specific lingo and situations that are seen as quite silly or odd nowadays. The side characters are quite lovely and honestly my favorite part.
This is set in the past and has time specific lingo and situations that are seen as quite silly or odd nowadays. The side characters are quite lovely and honestly my favorite part.
April 29, 2025
YES!!
In all honesty, I was dubious about this book. It’s not hard to screw up a vampire novel. However, the great reviews convinced me to give it a shot and I’m glad I did. I do enjoy a good coming of age story and this book delivered. It’s a vampire coming of age! I highly recommend!
In all honesty, I was dubious about this book. It’s not hard to screw up a vampire novel. However, the great reviews convinced me to give it a shot and I’m glad I did. I do enjoy a good coming of age story and this book delivered. It’s a vampire coming of age! I highly recommend!
December 13, 2025
Just finished reading this completed series, and I now have a new favorite vampire story. A delight for anyone who has a small part inside that wants to BE the terror in the night. This story is adventure, not romance.
Read if:
You want an interesting FMC in a story that spans more than a hundred years
Avoid if:
You don’t want a large cast, shifting setting, and many sub-plots
Read if:
You want an interesting FMC in a story that spans more than a hundred years
Avoid if:
You don’t want a large cast, shifting setting, and many sub-plots
September 14, 2022
A fantastically dark take on vampires that really both borrows from traditional lore while adding some new bits. Characters are fun, brutal and make enough sense in the context of the world. If you want a good vampire story, this is it.
December 29, 2022
The writing is not great, but it gets much better in later arcs. The character is all over the place it's hard to understand what she will do in any given situation. Still, I enjoy a good climb to power story and there is a lot of potential here.
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