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fmcfranny's review
1.0
So I had great hopes for this book. A daughter of dracula the most well known vampire of all time. Sounds epic interesting right? wrong. it was all pornish and dead animals. no plot, no character development, nothing interesting unless you are interested in irrational sex scenes that seem pointless and have nothing to do with the supposed story-line. The other thing you would read about is an attempt to decimate the animals of anywhere miss princess is. thats it. nothing else happened in this book.
kyleoftherats's review
1.0
This book is an excellent example of the importance of good cover art. John Patrick Kennedy may have written a misogynistic, oversexualised, thinly plotted, badly characterised mess of a space-filler, but he had the good sense to hire the utterly brilliant Carlos Quevedo to design the cover so idiots like me would buy it without reading the reviews. Truth be told, I don’t regret spending eight quid on this book. It looks beautiful on my shelf. I just wish I’d never opened the bloody thing.
The writing is very good, I enjoyed the gore, and I thought the way in which Ruxandra became a vampire was fascinating. I also liked poor Neculai’s fate a lot- it was the most unpredictable part of the plot. However, the problems with this book massively outweigh the positives. As I said before, it is extremely thinly plotted. This feels like a hundred-page-long prologue to the rest of the series.
Ruxandra’s actions didn’t always make sense, she seemed to undergo the same blip of character development over and over again (give into instincts, kill someone, feel bad, give up on feeling bad, cast off humanity, kill someone, FEEL BAD DESPITE CASTING OFF HUMANITY), and even the important plot elements felt like spontaneous decisions on the author’s part, let alone the reams and reams of filler content. I felt Ruxandra’s thought process was often lacking from scenes- the author, who would often tell us her feelings instead of showing them so that we could feel them too, often described her actions without explaining the thought process behind them.
From page one, it’s clear that the author doesn’t understand women. Ruxandra is utterly flat, and has no personality whatsoever besides her obsession with sex and men. For example, a kind man finds her naked in the forest and offers her some clothes (of course, instead of being grateful that the dress will fend off the cold, or the bugs, or the scratchiness of the straw she sleeps on, she only thinks of how good her breasts will look in it), but instead of being floored or charmed by his kindness, she thinks obsessively of his looks and wonders how well-endowed he is. Now, I know some women think like this, and that thinking like this is not something to be ashamed of in the least, but Ruxandra thought of NOTHING else. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that so many women in male-driven novels behave like this. As well as Ruxandra’s personality, her treatment in the story by the author- and of the other women too- was absurd.
Ruxandra is turned into a vampire by a fallen angel, summoned by her father to take her as a sacrifice. I found most of this scene incredibly cool, HOWEVER- and it’s a big however- the fallen angel absolutely HAD to be a gorgeous woman, and a naked one at that, with perfect breasts which are described in agonising detail. The angel also grows a penis at one point- this moment was utterly baffling for a million reasons, but the most prominent one is the fact that it was completely unnecessary to the story.
Ruxandra herself is also naked at every opportunity. She and her friends are stripped off as part of their punishment in the convent. She is stripped off again in order to be sacrificed to the fallen angel, which by consequence means she is also naked throughout the duration of the novel’s first major massacre scene- the blood gets all over her breasts and in her pubic hair, which I’m glad the author decided to mention, because otherwise how could the reader have possibly pictured the scene? She has a screaming fit after discovering what she has become- a fit which causes her to tear off her dress. I think- although I’m not sure- her clothes also burn away in the sunlight at one point. She gets naked in order to wash her dress in a river, and is consequently so disturbed by the dirtiness of the dress that she decides to remain naked, despite constantly having complained about being cold. She doesn’t put her clothes back on after a session of lovemaking goes terribly wrong because “Monsters don’t need clothing” and by consequence remains naked for the entire final action scene.
I have no problem with sex scenes at all, and a few were completely necessary- I also acknowledge that sex is a very integral part of vampire lore, and that many vampire books contain sex scenes to enhance the mood. However, most of the sexual content in this book was unnecessary, and ridiculously gratuitous. I think it’s great that Ruxandra is bisexual, although I don’t think Kennedy made her that way for diversity’s sake, nor do I think her two female friends from the convent needed to be sexually involved with her at all for the plot to function. What’s more, I found it very frustrating that she seemed to be gay until she met Neculai, at which point she immediately fell in love and declared that he was so much better than any woman she had had before. I see this so much in bisexual characters- they always ‘experiment’ with the same sex, but end up with a person of the opposite sex- and find it very disappointing. If Kennedy was so desperate to fulfil his quota for ‘hot’ lesbian scenes in his book, why couldn’t Neculai have been a woman instead, and Ruxandra gay? Besides this, Ruxandra masturbates at random- once after breaking into Neculai’s house in a bizarre Goldilocks-esque fashion and getting into his bed, and once during a mental breakdown, utterly ruining the scene’s emotional weight.
The author also seems completely incapable of conveying that a character is cold without mentioning their nipples.
The most frustrating scene in the entire book for me was the scene in which Ruxandra acknowledges she has lost weight- this was the scene that cemented in my mind the fact this woman existed to fulfil a male fantasy. I don’t remember exactly what I read, but something at the very start of the book clued me into the fact that Ruxandra was a little plump. I thought this was amazing, especially since I knew she was going to become very desirable later in the book. But unfortunately, less than a third into the book, she realises she has lost all that weight, despite having spent the vast majority of her month in the forest eating. Well, I say ALL that weight- this is a lie. None of the weight comes off her breasts, seemingly whatsoever. She is not a beautiful fat woman, nor is she a beautiful thin woman. She is a thin woman with a fat woman’s breasts. Because God forbid she possess any physical ‘imperfections’ whatsoever.
Many of the scenes were bafflingly funny, but not intentionally. The scene that springs to mind is the one in which she repeatedly falls on her face whilst attempting to catch animals for the first time, but there were more.
I hate giving scathing reviews, and this book did have potential- the author’s writing was fabulous and I’ll reach for anything vampire-related, especially if it focuses on the inner turmoil and gore- but these were its only redeeming qualities. I’ve heard that the other books in the series are better, and I will be buying them- as I said earlier, I can’t resist the gorgeous covers. I wish they were posters. Or just better books.
The author’s note at the end made me feel very guilty- the author seems like a very sweet person, and he is a very, very good writer. Unfortunately, he picked a plot a bad writer would pick.
The writing is very good, I enjoyed the gore, and I thought the way in which Ruxandra became a vampire was fascinating. I also liked poor Neculai’s fate a lot- it was the most unpredictable part of the plot. However, the problems with this book massively outweigh the positives. As I said before, it is extremely thinly plotted. This feels like a hundred-page-long prologue to the rest of the series.
Ruxandra’s actions didn’t always make sense, she seemed to undergo the same blip of character development over and over again (give into instincts, kill someone, feel bad, give up on feeling bad, cast off humanity, kill someone, FEEL BAD DESPITE CASTING OFF HUMANITY), and even the important plot elements felt like spontaneous decisions on the author’s part, let alone the reams and reams of filler content. I felt Ruxandra’s thought process was often lacking from scenes- the author, who would often tell us her feelings instead of showing them so that we could feel them too, often described her actions without explaining the thought process behind them.
From page one, it’s clear that the author doesn’t understand women. Ruxandra is utterly flat, and has no personality whatsoever besides her obsession with sex and men. For example, a kind man finds her naked in the forest and offers her some clothes (of course, instead of being grateful that the dress will fend off the cold, or the bugs, or the scratchiness of the straw she sleeps on, she only thinks of how good her breasts will look in it), but instead of being floored or charmed by his kindness, she thinks obsessively of his looks and wonders how well-endowed he is. Now, I know some women think like this, and that thinking like this is not something to be ashamed of in the least, but Ruxandra thought of NOTHING else. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that so many women in male-driven novels behave like this. As well as Ruxandra’s personality, her treatment in the story by the author- and of the other women too- was absurd.
Ruxandra is turned into a vampire by a fallen angel, summoned by her father to take her as a sacrifice. I found most of this scene incredibly cool, HOWEVER- and it’s a big however- the fallen angel absolutely HAD to be a gorgeous woman, and a naked one at that, with perfect breasts which are described in agonising detail. The angel also grows a penis at one point- this moment was utterly baffling for a million reasons, but the most prominent one is the fact that it was completely unnecessary to the story.
Ruxandra herself is also naked at every opportunity. She and her friends are stripped off as part of their punishment in the convent. She is stripped off again in order to be sacrificed to the fallen angel, which by consequence means she is also naked throughout the duration of the novel’s first major massacre scene- the blood gets all over her breasts and in her pubic hair, which I’m glad the author decided to mention, because otherwise how could the reader have possibly pictured the scene? She has a screaming fit after discovering what she has become- a fit which causes her to tear off her dress. I think- although I’m not sure- her clothes also burn away in the sunlight at one point. She gets naked in order to wash her dress in a river, and is consequently so disturbed by the dirtiness of the dress that she decides to remain naked, despite constantly having complained about being cold. She doesn’t put her clothes back on after a session of lovemaking goes terribly wrong because “Monsters don’t need clothing” and by consequence remains naked for the entire final action scene.
I have no problem with sex scenes at all, and a few were completely necessary- I also acknowledge that sex is a very integral part of vampire lore, and that many vampire books contain sex scenes to enhance the mood. However, most of the sexual content in this book was unnecessary, and ridiculously gratuitous. I think it’s great that Ruxandra is bisexual, although I don’t think Kennedy made her that way for diversity’s sake, nor do I think her two female friends from the convent needed to be sexually involved with her at all for the plot to function. What’s more, I found it very frustrating that she seemed to be gay until she met Neculai, at which point she immediately fell in love and declared that he was so much better than any woman she had had before. I see this so much in bisexual characters- they always ‘experiment’ with the same sex, but end up with a person of the opposite sex- and find it very disappointing. If Kennedy was so desperate to fulfil his quota for ‘hot’ lesbian scenes in his book, why couldn’t Neculai have been a woman instead, and Ruxandra gay? Besides this, Ruxandra masturbates at random- once after breaking into Neculai’s house in a bizarre Goldilocks-esque fashion and getting into his bed, and once during a mental breakdown, utterly ruining the scene’s emotional weight.
The author also seems completely incapable of conveying that a character is cold without mentioning their nipples.
The most frustrating scene in the entire book for me was the scene in which Ruxandra acknowledges she has lost weight- this was the scene that cemented in my mind the fact this woman existed to fulfil a male fantasy. I don’t remember exactly what I read, but something at the very start of the book clued me into the fact that Ruxandra was a little plump. I thought this was amazing, especially since I knew she was going to become very desirable later in the book. But unfortunately, less than a third into the book, she realises she has lost all that weight, despite having spent the vast majority of her month in the forest eating. Well, I say ALL that weight- this is a lie. None of the weight comes off her breasts, seemingly whatsoever. She is not a beautiful fat woman, nor is she a beautiful thin woman. She is a thin woman with a fat woman’s breasts. Because God forbid she possess any physical ‘imperfections’ whatsoever.
Many of the scenes were bafflingly funny, but not intentionally. The scene that springs to mind is the one in which she repeatedly falls on her face whilst attempting to catch animals for the first time, but there were more.
I hate giving scathing reviews, and this book did have potential- the author’s writing was fabulous and I’ll reach for anything vampire-related, especially if it focuses on the inner turmoil and gore- but these were its only redeeming qualities. I’ve heard that the other books in the series are better, and I will be buying them- as I said earlier, I can’t resist the gorgeous covers. I wish they were posters. Or just better books.
The author’s note at the end made me feel very guilty- the author seems like a very sweet person, and he is a very, very good writer. Unfortunately, he picked a plot a bad writer would pick.
allisoninfictionland's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
wannabekingpin's review
2.0
All reviews in one place: Night Mode Reading
Ruxandra Dracula, daughter to Walachian prince Vlad the Impaler, has been raised in a covenant for most of her life. One of these nights he comes to collect his daughter, and Ruxandra can only pray it is so he can marry her off to someone kind and handsome, like one of the knights that came with him. Instead Dracula takes her into a cave where a ritual for demon summoning is being prepared. He offers the demon his own daughter, confident he’ll be able to control the powers given, and use them against the Ottoman Empire. But demon only laughed, for it had spiteful plans of its own.
Ruxandra craves blood. At times her own body fights her, and all too often completely overpowers her, with this need to survive, while she herself is not exactly feeling like it. But she’s a Dracula, meaning she’s stubborn and determined. Determined to not hurt people, and find a way to die eventually. Until a beautiful young man finds her in the woods. Kind and caring he inspires hope in Ruxandra’s dead heart.
Too much work was put into explaining the logic of why the female protagonist has to be naked time and again. Too little work left, thus, on the plot, which was mediocre at best.
Ruxandra Dracula, daughter to Walachian prince Vlad the Impaler, has been raised in a covenant for most of her life. One of these nights he comes to collect his daughter, and Ruxandra can only pray it is so he can marry her off to someone kind and handsome, like one of the knights that came with him. Instead Dracula takes her into a cave where a ritual for demon summoning is being prepared. He offers the demon his own daughter, confident he’ll be able to control the powers given, and use them against the Ottoman Empire. But demon only laughed, for it had spiteful plans of its own.
Ruxandra craves blood. At times her own body fights her, and all too often completely overpowers her, with this need to survive, while she herself is not exactly feeling like it. But she’s a Dracula, meaning she’s stubborn and determined. Determined to not hurt people, and find a way to die eventually. Until a beautiful young man finds her in the woods. Kind and caring he inspires hope in Ruxandra’s dead heart.
Too much work was put into explaining the logic of why the female protagonist has to be naked time and again. Too little work left, thus, on the plot, which was mediocre at best.
fragiledragon64's review against another edition
3.0
The premise...it was good. I liked the different origin of “Dracula”. I appreciated the struggle of the protagonist, the struggle between what she wished to be and what she was becoming.
As many others have said, the sex scenes seem mostly gratuitous and slightly out of place. But you could almost view this book as a “coming of age” story - almost.
I just felt there was a lot of missed opportunity in this book. So much more could have been explored. But it does feel as if this was more of a prologue for the next book. A scene setting, if you wish.
I’m not unhappy that I read it. I appreciated the effort of the author to weave another vampire tapestry. But will I keep reading the series? I’m not sure yet.
As many others have said, the sex scenes seem mostly gratuitous and slightly out of place. But you could almost view this book as a “coming of age” story - almost.
I just felt there was a lot of missed opportunity in this book. So much more could have been explored. But it does feel as if this was more of a prologue for the next book. A scene setting, if you wish.
I’m not unhappy that I read it. I appreciated the effort of the author to weave another vampire tapestry. But will I keep reading the series? I’m not sure yet.
lattes_lipstick_literature's review
1.0
The synopsis and the gorgeous cover is what made me start reading this book, but oh how I really wanted to love it. I wanted Ruxandra to be bad-ass while at the same time find out who she is. While Ruxandra is bad-ass with her new supernatural powers I felt like she never did learn if she should continue trying to embrace her humanity or if she lets her power control her.
Honestly I felt like I read one giant PWP.
I don’t mind sex scenes. I am a adult if I want to read about two (maybe more) people getting it on I am not going to shy away from that, this book however found needless ways to include sex. Honestly sometimes the sexual situations got me bored and I just wanted them to get to the story.
The story was not noteworthy. I found it predictable and yawn worthy. I know what the story was suppose to be, but I felt like Kennedy failed to deliver which was a huge disappointment. It was not until the very end that something actually caught my attention enough to be noteworthy but it looks like that story won’t be told until the second book, which just makes this book a huge tease! It’s almost as if the author had no real plot but then had a spark of an idea but realized that he hit his word limit.
Ruxandra has so much potential to be a character who could really be lovable. With her uncontrollable badass powers but her desire not to harm anyone could be for some amazing character development and conflict, but it just didn’t happen in Princess Dracula maybe the second book is better or maybe I am just being too harsh. Kennedy is able to beautifully describe some of the gore and death scenes in this book so he’s not a bad writer in any sense. I just don’t know.
Honestly I felt like I read one giant PWP.
I don’t mind sex scenes. I am a adult if I want to read about two (maybe more) people getting it on I am not going to shy away from that, this book however found needless ways to include sex. Honestly sometimes the sexual situations got me bored and I just wanted them to get to the story.
The story was not noteworthy. I found it predictable and yawn worthy. I know what the story was suppose to be, but I felt like Kennedy failed to deliver which was a huge disappointment. It was not until the very end that something actually caught my attention enough to be noteworthy but it looks like that story won’t be told until the second book, which just makes this book a huge tease! It’s almost as if the author had no real plot but then had a spark of an idea but realized that he hit his word limit.
Ruxandra has so much potential to be a character who could really be lovable. With her uncontrollable badass powers but her desire not to harm anyone could be for some amazing character development and conflict, but it just didn’t happen in Princess Dracula maybe the second book is better or maybe I am just being too harsh. Kennedy is able to beautifully describe some of the gore and death scenes in this book so he’s not a bad writer in any sense. I just don’t know.
sshpurple1's review
5.0
First time I've read this author
New take on the Dracula legend. Its a steady paced with a character you what to read more about. Its an interesting journey of discovery of where she had come from to what has happened to her and what she has become.
New take on the Dracula legend. Its a steady paced with a character you what to read more about. Its an interesting journey of discovery of where she had come from to what has happened to her and what she has become.
peppermintbat's review
2.0
I really wanted to like this more. I love the concept- Dracula's daughter, newly-made vampire, set loose on the world by a fallen angel... But the gratuitous sex scenes were jarring and ill-placed, all the characters besides Ruxandra had absolutely zero development or depth, and Ruxandra herself was rather grating. She spent most of her time crying and eating rabbits. I'm all for creating a multi-dimensional character who grows into her newfound power, but the book was so truncated we really saw very little of that growth. It really feels like more a short prequel than a stand-alone novel.
In addition, you can very much tell this is written by a man. I can promise you that no woman thinks that much about her boobs. For heaven sakes, why are we spending so much time focused on what Ruxandra's nipples feel like? Male writers, when they write from a woman's perspective, always seem to focus so much on their character's breasts, but I can promise you I've never in my life thought about my tits that much, except to be vaguely annoyed when they get in my way. And although I appreciate the attempt made at a queer lady-on-lady sex scene, it felt more like a Penthouse letter written for a 15 year old boy to jerk off to, rather than women making love.
In addition, you can very much tell this is written by a man. I can promise you that no woman thinks that much about her boobs. For heaven sakes, why are we spending so much time focused on what Ruxandra's nipples feel like? Male writers, when they write from a woman's perspective, always seem to focus so much on their character's breasts, but I can promise you I've never in my life thought about my tits that much, except to be vaguely annoyed when they get in my way. And although I appreciate the attempt made at a queer lady-on-lady sex scene, it felt more like a Penthouse letter written for a 15 year old boy to jerk off to, rather than women making love.
littlemisswitch's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75