Scan barcode
meganpbennett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
All of the characters keep a journal of some form, and it's all dated. In the standard printing of the novel, all of Johnathon's several months at Castle Dracula would have been first, then followed up by Mina and Lucy's correspondence. In this case, it's in real time, so you only see what happens on any given day. There are long gaps between Harker's entries, as he starts to realize what is really going on and how he is trapped in the castle. Lucy's death scene, a chapter or so in the book, is stretched over the almost a month Dracula fed on her until she became a vampire, making it all the more emotional when they have kill her. Or when the group heads to Castle Dracula, and it takes the same number of days for us as it did for them. Very interesting way of reading a novel, and one that several other people are putting together.
Edit: 2023-11-07: After forgetting to unsubscribe from Dracula Daily before the novel reset, I decided to reread it. Still a fascinating way to read a novel, in chronological order.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Medical trauma, Rape, Stalking, Body horror, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Grief, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
prettiestwhistles's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Violence, Blood, Death, and Misogyny
Moderate: Medical content, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Animal death, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Classism
Minor: Alcohol, Gun violence, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
lilifane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Loved that the story only consists of letters, diary entries and newspaper articles. Loved all the atmospheric settings and the characters. And loved how all the different parts of the story came together.
I just don't know if I chose the right method to consume it for the first time. I read it through Dracula Daily (while listening to the audiobook along the way, which was a good decision btw) and although it was a great motivator to finally start the book, and it was fun to experience the story on the same days of the year it took place, I had a few issues with it.
First of all, I didn't know that the letters etc. were not always presented in chronological order in the book. So I missed the original intention of the author who chose to withhold things and present them later (for example, letters that were delayed or articles that were read later than their publication date). This didn't happen often, but I feel, some scenes would have had a different impact on me if I had read the material at the intended point in the book. They still had an impact the way I read them, knowing more than the characters sometimes. But again, for the first read I probably would have chosen otherwise if I had known this.
Then there are several weeks in between where nothing happens. And so I was forced to take these breaks before continuing with the story. Towards the end, this worked really well for me because I really wanted to know what happens next and the anticipation kept me excited. But at the beginning, especially with so much repetition (Lucy's part basically), the story was dragging. It felt like the first half of the book took forever and the pacing was off, when in reality it would probably have been much quicker if I had just continued reading without waiting for the next appropriate date. I guess we'll never know. :D
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Blood, Confinement, Grief, Murder, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexism, Forced institutionalization, and Misogyny
aardwyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Medical content, Confinement, Gun violence, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Child death, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, and Terminal illness
leanne_miron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Murder, Blood, Death, Gore, and Stalking
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Animal death, Confinement, Ableism, Xenophobia, and Sexism
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Sexism, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Antisemitism, Homophobia, Racism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Classism
Minor: Drug use
roaze's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Medical content, Gore, Grief, Animal death, Death, Murder, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Classism, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, and Xenophobia
leoniefnk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Violence
kstericker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Self harm, and Sexual content
anxiousnachos's review against another edition
5.0
Content warnings: death, blood, sexual assault, murder, violence, mental illness, institutionalisation, confinement, medical content, body horror, animal death, racial slurs (G-slur), antisemitism, misogyny, sexism, ableism
Graphic: Murder, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Sexual assault, Violence, Antisemitism, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content