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abrittaney's review
1.0
DNF
Not really my cup of tea. The writing style was all over the place and important details were introduced at strange times, often with no context.
Not really my cup of tea. The writing style was all over the place and important details were introduced at strange times, often with no context.
mad_about_books's review
5.0
THE VAN HELSING PARADOX is a cerebral and subtle look at the fine art of vampire hunting. In fact, the word vampire appears a mere eleven times in the entire book.
Clara Grey is orphaned at a very young age and whisked off to an orphanage run by nuns. She is curious, adventurous, and mischievous… these traits push her to an even more arduous training at the Tower where she learns the power of faith, prayer, and combat. The Tower put me somewhat in mind of the Shaolin temple training prominent in the old TV series "King Fu."
Along with monsters that go bump in the night, there is a soupçon of steampunk to be found in the devices of the mysterious Georgians. When I think of Georgians, I think of the era following the Victoria era. This makes THE VAN HELSING PARADOX a bit of genre bending novel.
I'm finding it hard to put into words exactly why I found THE VAN HELSING PARADOX as compelling as I did. Part of it was surely the very different coming of age story combined with very adult themes. Don't let Clara Grey's childhood adventures lull you into thinking this is just another young adult series with vampires. It is so much more.
I have been a collector of vampire fiction and lore for many years. The Dracula mythos is but one surrounding the blood sucking undead. As I read my way through both classic and modern tales, I am always on the lookout for new takes on this universal theme. Invoking Van Helsing in the title is what attracted me to THE VAN HELSING PARADOX; the new interpretation of the vampire hunter made me want to keep reading the next books in the series.
Clara Grey is orphaned at a very young age and whisked off to an orphanage run by nuns. She is curious, adventurous, and mischievous… these traits push her to an even more arduous training at the Tower where she learns the power of faith, prayer, and combat. The Tower put me somewhat in mind of the Shaolin temple training prominent in the old TV series "King Fu."
Along with monsters that go bump in the night, there is a soupçon of steampunk to be found in the devices of the mysterious Georgians. When I think of Georgians, I think of the era following the Victoria era. This makes THE VAN HELSING PARADOX a bit of genre bending novel.
I'm finding it hard to put into words exactly why I found THE VAN HELSING PARADOX as compelling as I did. Part of it was surely the very different coming of age story combined with very adult themes. Don't let Clara Grey's childhood adventures lull you into thinking this is just another young adult series with vampires. It is so much more.
I have been a collector of vampire fiction and lore for many years. The Dracula mythos is but one surrounding the blood sucking undead. As I read my way through both classic and modern tales, I am always on the lookout for new takes on this universal theme. Invoking Van Helsing in the title is what attracted me to THE VAN HELSING PARADOX; the new interpretation of the vampire hunter made me want to keep reading the next books in the series.
katkinney's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a delight! Part historical fantasy, part detective story and supernatural thriller, we follow Clara from her humble origins (I seriously loved all the details of early 1900’s life) freezing her toes off and tiptoeing out to the outhouse in the morning to joining a religious order of hunters who take out evil paranormals. This work spans decades as we follow Clara across various hunting quests, many of which feel like Indiana Jones type adventures Wonderfully detailed world-building, a wide cast of monsters and vampires and other supernatural creatures, and bonus points for oh-so creative use of holy water in a certain scene!
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
Spoiler
(the pyramid scene was a special favorite.)Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
auroranoir's review against another edition
3.0
Despite the fact that I gave the book 3 stars (would really give 3.5 but alas it's not an option) I quite enjoyed it. The premise of the book is very interesting. I like the take the author has on vampires and other creatures of various mythologies. And it's such a different take on the hunters and how they're trained. It's dark fantasy with a bit of sci-fi/technology thrown in though that aspect is not fully developed. It also sticks to the roots of the church being involved in hunting however the protagonist isn't fully into the ideals of the church and relishes her freedom. I enjoyed reading the book and I wasn't bored at any point.
However despite the fact that the book has promise...it felt very disjointed to a degree and lacking a smooth transition from one chapter to the next sometimes. The book follows the life and story of Clara. And that's what it does almost to a fault. We are introduced to other characters who fade away at some point and then reappear and we have no idea what really happened with them in the interim (eg Edith). The ending as well was strange in the way the transition happened. Maybe it's just the way I read it but to me some scenes were really good and then others were too abrupt. Parts of it reads like...well this happened and then this and then this. And then even the end where it was supposed to give closure to the reader.....I didn't really get that feeling.
I think the plot of the book tried to take on too much. She introduced several things that were not ever fully developed. They were thrown in there and we get hints of it but they aren't fleshed out. I honestly think she either needed to turn this into a short series or make it a longer book. Clara is also quite a static character. We don't have any dynamic characters really. From beginning to end the protagonist didn't have any real development. Sure she grew more powerful...but she had the instincts to become powerful from the beginning. She was also a pretty cold character. Which is good for her line of work but sort of...doesn't really add up to what she is at the end. She was quite a strong character though to an extent.
However despite the fact that the book has promise...it felt very disjointed to a degree and lacking a smooth transition from one chapter to the next sometimes. The book follows the life and story of Clara. And that's what it does almost to a fault. We are introduced to other characters who fade away at some point and then reappear and we have no idea what really happened with them in the interim (eg Edith). The ending as well was strange in the way the transition happened.
Spoiler
Clara fulfills her mission of killing Drusilla....dies with her and lands up in heaven and becomes an angel. But by the end Clara literally has nobody in her life not even friends. She just eats, breathes, and kills. When she dies it's sort of...abrupt. Then we cut to her being in heaven and coming back to Earth to help them out.I think the plot of the book tried to take on too much. She introduced several things that were not ever fully developed. They were thrown in there and we get hints of it but they aren't fleshed out. I honestly think she either needed to turn this into a short series or make it a longer book. Clara is also quite a static character. We don't have any dynamic characters really. From beginning to end the protagonist didn't have any real development. Sure she grew more powerful...but she had the instincts to become powerful from the beginning. She was also a pretty cold character. Which is good for her line of work but sort of...doesn't really add up to what she is at the end. She was quite a strong character though to an extent.
jferrell526's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this!
We get to follow a hunter through her training and her hunting. It's a great ride. Evelyn Chartres tell a here is story that you can't put down. You lose yourself in the adventure!
We get to follow a hunter through her training and her hunting. It's a great ride. Evelyn Chartres tell a here is story that you can't put down. You lose yourself in the adventure!
diedradrake's review against another edition
5.0
What a fabulous historical fantasy story! This adventure begins with a young girl, Clara Grey, who has a unique encounter with something otherworldly. She's noticed for her special ability to see what others are trying to hide, as well as her added resistance to their different kinds of charm.
Her natural gift gathers the attention of someone who is a member of an elite Order - an Order which sets themselves up as hunters against the monsters who prey on humans. His influence allows him to shift her off the boring path her life would have otherwise taken. This Order sweeps her into a magical tower world full of higher education, monsters, combat training, and magic of a different name.
The story follows Clara into womanhood, and along the path toward getting her revenge against one of the first monsters who killed someone close to her. One of the best aspects of this character is that she's well-developed. Sometimes she's vulnerable and unsure of herself, and other times she's almost cruel, but all the while she's a real person with the complexity of a deep character who has a lot to accomplish.
If you're a fan of the Supernatural TV show and Harry Potter, you'll love this book. There are people trained to be monster Hunters, Vampires, Ghouls, Ghosts, religious figures, and lots of holy water!
Her natural gift gathers the attention of someone who is a member of an elite Order - an Order which sets themselves up as hunters against the monsters who prey on humans. His influence allows him to shift her off the boring path her life would have otherwise taken. This Order sweeps her into a magical tower world full of higher education, monsters, combat training, and magic of a different name.
The story follows Clara into womanhood, and along the path toward getting her revenge against one of the first monsters who killed someone close to her. One of the best aspects of this character is that she's well-developed. Sometimes she's vulnerable and unsure of herself, and other times she's almost cruel, but all the while she's a real person with the complexity of a deep character who has a lot to accomplish.
If you're a fan of the Supernatural TV show and Harry Potter, you'll love this book. There are people trained to be monster Hunters, Vampires, Ghouls, Ghosts, religious figures, and lots of holy water!
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