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adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Writing: 4⭐️/5
While Stoker is a fantastic writer (the book is a classic for a reason), so much attention was given to the smallest details that the book dragged in portions where it didn’t need to. I thoroughly believe this is a situation in which the prominent style has changed so much over the years that it’s hard to appreciate the detail without feeling it’s too much and unnecessary. That being said when the writing hit, it hit strong and fast, making it an overall well-written read.
Characters: 4.5⭐️/5
I did enjoy the development of the characters. While the women, though interesting, were reduced in many ways to trope-like behaviours, the characters did feel alive and vibrant during the tale. In many moments, I appreciated the attention to detail for each character, as well as the uniqueness provided by their own voice, which always came through in the writing.
Plot: 4⭐️/5
**SPOILERS HERE**
It’s the tale of Dracula – the original vampire. And yet, during the climax of the story, I felt disappointed in how little attention was given to his death. I felt the story dragged so much in sections that the plot suffered, the events pulled too far apart to keep enough tension present – or as much tension as I wanted. That being said, the story was still entertaining and intriguing, just long-winded and slow-paced.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Fans of classic fiction and gothic literature
- Those looking to appreciate a slow read
Content Warnings?
- Misogyny, sexism, classism, death of a parent, death, illness, toxic relationships, blood, gore, death of a child, murder
Post-Reading Rating: 3⭐️/5
I felt let down by the ending, personally, even if it did wrap things up relatively nicely.
Final Rating: 3.75⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Religious bigotry
adventurous
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content
Minor: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Murder, War
adventurous
dark
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
Obviously a classic, but very hard to get through. The writing in journal style is intriguing and adds to the mystery. Its very much a product of it's time and that made it hard to get immersed.
The characters however, have much more depth than I expected and it has made me question the later interpretation of some characters. If you are a horror fan and haven't read this one, I recommend putting it on your list just to understand some of the beginnings of our supernatural tales.
I do want to add that for the times Mina seems to be a particularly strong female character. The way she is described by the men is annoying "fair but having the brain of a man" but I understand that for the time that was likely a huge praise. It is her and Van Helsing that put it all together, find all the pieces and track down Dracula. Without her the men would have been lost and that is proved in a major plot point when they try to lock her away for her safety.
The characters however, have much more depth than I expected and it has made me question the later interpretation of some characters. If you are a horror fan and haven't read this one, I recommend putting it on your list just to understand some of the beginnings of our supernatural tales.
I do want to add that for the times Mina seems to be a particularly strong female character. The way she is described by the men is annoying "fair but having the brain of a man" but I understand that for the time that was likely a huge praise. It is her and Van Helsing that put it all together, find all the pieces and track down Dracula. Without her the men would have been lost and that is proved in a major plot point when they try to lock her away for her safety.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Alcohol, Colonisation
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Amazing! Admittedly, it did take me years after buying the book to actually read more than halfway and then months to commit to fully reading, but that is no fault to this classic novel. I didn't expect to enjoy it so much as I often struggle with long reads, but the narratives, imagery, and plot really pulled through. The book would've been much better if I had no prior knowledge of vampire lore, and some of the characters can be a bit stagnant, but Stoker uses his devices to deliver a chilling villain, enjoyable characters, and curious talking points to supply readers with various lenses in which to analyze and interpret this particular work. This book has definitely earned it's spot on my bookshelf and has helped reignite my interest in reading, classic novels, and horror.
However, it is important to be mindful that the work was originally published in 1897. That being said , this work does contain "weak" women, some misogynistic ideals, and ideas of the time. The characters are, for the most part, enjoyable, and there's a splash of romance that does, of course, read in the devotedly sexist fashion of the 1800s, but, hey, they do give a woman a gun, so that's nice. The book is long and can be wordy, as most older books can be, but overall, a wonderful, chilling, classic work.
However, it is important to be mindful that the work was originally published in 1897. That being said , this work does contain "weak" women, some misogynistic ideals, and ideas of the time. The characters are, for the most part, enjoyable, and there's a splash of romance that does, of course, read in the devotedly sexist fashion of the 1800s, but, hey, they do give a woman a gun, so that's nice. The book is long and can be wordy, as most older books can be, but overall, a wonderful, chilling, classic work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
As much as I enjoyed the actual book, I do feel I have to acknowledge that the experience of reading this book influenced my rating. I read this as Dracula Daily, which is a format I highly recommend. The entire story was put in chronological order (helpful for my brain), sent through email (very convenient), and was (mostly) small chunks of text (very manageable for me to tackle in one sitting). Sure, it took six months to read, there were a lot of dead spots with no Dracula (book) action whatsoever, and some days you'd get one sentence while others you'd get 50 pages (October 3 is an outlier and should not be counted), but man if I didn't have a blast. I genuinely can’t remember the last time I had this much fun reading a book.
Looking at the criticisms I have of it, this book would normally be rated lower, but I do tend to give classics a bit more leeway and there’s one aspect that was done so well that I feel it makes up for some of the deficiencies: this is a horror novel - a classic of the genre and foundational in vampire literature - and despite knowing the major plot point going in (vampires), it still manages to be scary.
Good news: unless you are a die-hard vampire fan before reading this, you’re probably going to learn new things about vampires! Personally, I am extremely disappointed in vampire writers for letting the ability to crawl on the wall like a lizard fall out of fashion as a vampire skill. This is clearly the coolest vampire ability and our society has made a grave oversight by ignoring it.
But back to the horrors. Going in, I kind of thought this wouldn’t be that scary, since I already know that Count Dracula is a vampire. That’s where all the shock comes from, right? Wrong. I would actually argue that knowing Dracula is a vampire going into this book makes it scarier, which I know sounds odd.
Take one of my favorite sequences: the log from the Demeter. For the 19th century reader, every part of this sequence is terrifying. They have no idea what’s happening. All they know is that something is very wrong. For the modern day reader, we either know immediately or very quickly figure out that Dracula is on the ship and we know he’s a vampire, so we have an explanation for what’s happening. And yet it’s still terrifying, because we know that everyone on that ship is going to die. They’re being hunted and they know it, but they can’t save themselves.
The horror of Dracula is supposed to come from the Count and what he does. Knowing that he’s a vampire and that he’s defeated at the end makes him less terrifying, but it doesn’t reduce the overall horror of the book. Whether or not you know the Count is a vampire, he’s still scary, and also the situation itself is terrifying.
We make fun of people in horror movies for making stupid decisions - don’t split up! Don’t go investigate the weird noise! Don’t open the locked door! - and sure, some of them are genuinely lacking in common sense. And it would be easy to apply that thinking to Jonathan. But when you think about his job and financial situation, it becomes harder to say those things, and that’s what is so good about this story. It doesn’t hinge on one aspect of horror to succeed, giving the reader a more well rounded sense of dread the further in they get. Not only is this smart storytelling, it’s also part of why this book has endured as a classic, I think.
But despite how much I enjoyed this novel, I do have some criticisms as well.
To start, I feel that Dracula’s sexy vampire lady roommates were underutilized. They don’t even have names. They showed up to menace Jonathan and they were there to tempt Mina at the end, but otherwise we don’t even think about them. Very disappointing.
On a related note, I Really Dislike how Stoker describes lady vampires. There is a reason I call Dracula’s roommates “sexy vampire women”. It becomes especially obvious after Lucy is turned. Prior to this, she’s described as beautiful, but in an innocent way (which feels infantilizing, which is also gross, but not the point right now). After her death, she’s still beautiful, but now it’s in a sexy temptress kind of way. Stoker gets a frankly uncomfortable amount of use out of the word “voluptuous”. Mina later gets a similar treatment, and it enrages me. Period typical sexism and misogyny sure, but holy crap I was ready to learn necromancy over this.
Same feelings for the period-typical racism, religious bigotry, and other assorted Nonsense. The Nonsense (encompassing everything listed and everything I forgot) is what makes old books hard to read, for me. Understanding the language isn’t usually that hard (though let me tell you, reading some of what Quincey Morris said, especially early on, was a Challenge in the most baffling way and I flat out gave up on Mr. Swales), but dealing with what is said, and how they think they’re right, is infuriating.
Dr. Seward and Van Helsing made me scream into a pillow a lot, for the above reasons, but also just for being themselves. Dr. Seward was probably my least favorite character. I found him very annoying and anytime he talked about his patient, Renfield, I wanted to stab him in the spleen. He talks about Renfield like he’s an animal in a zoo and he genuinely sounds like an evil scientist at times. I struggle to think that he cares about helping Renfield for his sake and not to further his own career. So glad Lucy did not pick this guy.
I wanted to strangle Van Helsing pretty much any time he appeared, because he is apparently incapable of just speaking plainly. One of the few times I liked Seward was when he called Van Helsing out on this (but it only happened once). Every conversation with Van Helsing involved went on at least twice as long as it needed to. And they had probably three times as many conversations as they needed to because Van Helsing just. Wouldn’t give them all the information at once??? So many of my notes are just things like “Van Helsing, I am begging you, stop being cryptic. You literally sound so suspicious.” and “Okay, I swear, if Van Helsing doesn’t fess up to Mina by the end of this conversation I’m going to scream.” and of course “Van Helsing what the hell dude. Use more words.” Someone on tumblr said Van Helsing thinks he’s the brave hero of this story, and they were so right.
Related to the issue of Van Helsing, but not necessarily a criticism, I will not be swayed from the belief that if Mina had been given all of the information from the start, she would have solved all of the problems before we even reached the halfway point of the book. I recognize that this would have been a much harder story to pull off successfully, but you will not convince me that this isn’t the reason that Mina gets so sidelined in the final chase sequence (or, perhaps more accurately, why the count has to bite Mina before he flees England). Mina was my favorite character, so anytime Jonathan talked about how much he loves his wife I was right there with him, and this is why I’m so disappointed that she did not get a bigger role in the end.
This was an Experience for sure and I had a fantastic time. Highly recommend this format and story for anyone interested in vampires or thinking about reading Dracula.
As a bonus, because I had a great time keeping a reading journal for this book and because so many objectively bonkers things happen in it, please enjoy a (very) brief selection from my notes, without context:
- ART promising the hot goss!!
- Jonathan that is a terrible plan, but also it is one that I cannot believe you didn't try sooner???
- Everything about this was disturbing. No thanks.
- We stan Mina, the only one with any kind of sense in this book.
- Literally the only thing preventing Lucy and Mina from being a couple is that Bram Stoker lived in an era of homophobia. And also cowardice.
- Oh I know what this is reminding me of. Rabies.
- GIRL THAT IS NOT A DREAM
- Wow okay no more Mr. Nice Vampire
- This book is about the power of friendship and a really good nap
- I am once again asking why women who become vampires remain young and beautiful, but Dracula, a man, became old and decrepit.
- All the talk of snow is making me think: They survived Dracula, but can they survive. . . Mother Nature? And then this becomes a survival story lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis