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adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The storytelling through different perspectives is quite good. I enjoyed the detailed explanations of the places and how the setting was established as well. I would have liked to hear some of the perspective of the Vampire himself, but it was only the perspectives of the affected humans. The ending was rather anticlimactic, but it wasn’t badly written, I was just expecting it to be a little more exciting. Overall it was well worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Child death, Violence
Minor: Alcohol
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am often daunted by the idea of reading 18th and 19th century fiction. I've loved so many classics but they are often slow and wordy. I went into Dracula feeling much the same, but I was pleasantly surprised; it's tense, clever and much scarier than I expected.
I know about vampires, I've read and watched countless vampire stuff and I thought I knew the story of Dracula. But it turns out my assumptions (the creepy castle, the unwitting guest of a tall, pale and terrifying host) are literally all over in the first 100 pages, and there's so much more to follow. I love how the whole book is told through diary entries, letters and news articles; so when a character was idly wondering to themselves why a friend was looking a little pale with puncture wounds in her neck, I took great joy in screaming at the page, "It's a bloody vampire! For the love of god shut your window!"
I actually think I got more from this story in part because I hadn't previously seen any of the film adaptations, and in part because I did know a lot of the lore surrounding vampire stories. So there was surprise and tension but I could simultaneously take pleasure in being less ignorant than most of the characters.
Another assumption I'd made was that Van Helsing would be a dark, brooding and troubled character. But it turns out he's a cheerful delight, with a slightly dodgy grasp of the English language. He does tend to make some fairly grand speeches that slowed down my reading a bit, but I also completely fell in love with him and the ragtag group of men desperately trying to save the women they loved (who of course were often more astute than them).
It does all end rather abruptly, but mostly I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book.
I know about vampires, I've read and watched countless vampire stuff and I thought I knew the story of Dracula. But it turns out my assumptions (the creepy castle, the unwitting guest of a tall, pale and terrifying host) are literally all over in the first 100 pages, and there's so much more to follow. I love how the whole book is told through diary entries, letters and news articles; so when a character was idly wondering to themselves why a friend was looking a little pale with puncture wounds in her neck, I took great joy in screaming at the page, "It's a bloody vampire! For the love of god shut your window!"
I actually think I got more from this story in part because I hadn't previously seen any of the film adaptations, and in part because I did know a lot of the lore surrounding vampire stories. So there was surprise and tension but I could simultaneously take pleasure in being less ignorant than most of the characters.
Another assumption I'd made was that Van Helsing would be a dark, brooding and troubled character. But it turns out he's a cheerful delight, with a slightly dodgy grasp of the English language. He does tend to make some fairly grand speeches that slowed down my reading a bit, but I also completely fell in love with him and the ragtag group of men desperately trying to save the women they loved (who of course were often more astute than them).
It does all end rather abruptly, but mostly I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder
Moderate: Child death
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was a slow read because it was dense, but smartly written and an interesting story as well.
The characters were very much overshadowed by Dracula, who I feel got so much notoriety later because he couldn’t be faced at his full power. They had to defeat him while he was helpless.
The humans wouldn’t succeed without Van Helsing as well, who knew all the vampire’s weaknesses.
It was also interesting to read about the many transfusions from different people Lucy got, completely ignorant of different blood types. Realistically, they should have killed her as I doubt everyone had the same type as her.
I also love that Mina had a role in the story. She was a good character, limited, of course, but with more presence than I expected for a 19th century novel.
The characters were very much overshadowed by Dracula, who I feel got so much notoriety later because he couldn’t be faced at his full power. They had to defeat him while he was helpless.
The humans wouldn’t succeed without Van Helsing as well, who knew all the vampire’s weaknesses.
It was also interesting to read about the many transfusions from different people Lucy got, completely ignorant of different blood types. Realistically, they should have killed her as I doubt everyone had the same type as her.
I also love that Mina had a role in the story. She was a good character, limited, of course, but with more presence than I expected for a 19th century novel.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Surprisingly strong female characters and definitely one of my favorite classics now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
• Primeiro livro desde que andava na escola que eu sublinhei e ainda coloquei post-its com a timeline (desliza o carrossel).
Pois, isto foi assim de confuso para mim em termos cronológicos. Eu queria perceber a história e os planos do Drácula, por isso, precisava de me organizar e ficava difícil com todos os saltos temporais e geográficos.
• O que é de criativo e inovador neste livro em comparação com outros clássicos que li foi também o que me incomodou e me impediu um pouco de me conectar com ele.
Toda a história é contada por meio de: diários, cartas e telegramas. Todas as personagens humanas têm direito a expressar-se um pouco.
Se juntarmos saltos cronológicos + cartas como meio de narração + vários narradores = muitas características grandiosas para eu gostar do mix.
Só ficou melhor quando todos se juntaram no mesmo espaço.
• Em termos de facilidade de leitura, pareceu-me ser um clássico com um passing rápido com ação constante e o vocabulário acessível.
• "Drácula" não é a história original de vampiros, aliás, conseguimos ver as semelhanças e diferenças entre este e "Carmilla". Eu queria muito ler ambos por causa do lore vampírico e comparar com o que conheço de séries modernas.
No meu Buddy Read com a bestie estava sempre a dar comparações entre o livro e as séries. Diverti-me com isso!
Ótimo manual para criar vampiros e exterminadores. O que não gostei? Os vampiros eram uns fracotes - queria luta!
• É um livro do séc. XIX e escrito por um homem branco, claro que tem aqueles elementos de: mulheres desejosas de casar; elas têm de ser protegidas e salvas; temos uma mulher inteligente, mas comparam-na a um homem, etc.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟
Pois, isto foi assim de confuso para mim em termos cronológicos. Eu queria perceber a história e os planos do Drácula, por isso, precisava de me organizar e ficava difícil com todos os saltos temporais e geográficos.
• O que é de criativo e inovador neste livro em comparação com outros clássicos que li foi também o que me incomodou e me impediu um pouco de me conectar com ele.
Toda a história é contada por meio de: diários, cartas e telegramas. Todas as personagens humanas têm direito a expressar-se um pouco.
Se juntarmos saltos cronológicos + cartas como meio de narração + vários narradores = muitas características grandiosas para eu gostar do mix.
Só ficou melhor quando todos se juntaram no mesmo espaço.
• Em termos de facilidade de leitura, pareceu-me ser um clássico com um passing rápido com ação constante e o vocabulário acessível.
• "Drácula" não é a história original de vampiros, aliás, conseguimos ver as semelhanças e diferenças entre este e "Carmilla". Eu queria muito ler ambos por causa do lore vampírico e comparar com o que conheço de séries modernas.
No meu Buddy Read com a bestie estava sempre a dar comparações entre o livro e as séries. Diverti-me com isso!
Ótimo manual para criar vampiros e exterminadores. O que não gostei? Os vampiros eram uns fracotes - queria luta!
• É um livro do séc. XIX e escrito por um homem branco, claro que tem aqueles elementos de: mulheres desejosas de casar; elas têm de ser protegidas e salvas; temos uma mulher inteligente, mas comparam-na a um homem, etc.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Grief
Minor: Suicide, Blood
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Dracula's horror has a kind of slow burn that makes it very hard to capture in movie form. This also makes it, for those of us who are used to more thriller-like horror, or for those who are already aware of vampires as a concept, a bit of a slow read. There are times when the book drags on, most notably the newspaper sections and legal proceedings. It is rife with that classic British brand of racism, which while expected, is no more pleasant than it would be now. It also has a good bit of that 19th century sexism which is annoying, if only because of how repetitive it becomes, and how much of a hindrance to the plot it is.
All in all, an interesting read, but a good bit of the charm and suspense is lost to the changing principals of time.
All in all, an interesting read, but a good bit of the charm and suspense is lost to the changing principals of time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Colonisation
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Grief
Minor: Death of parent