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ittybittyninja12's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.25
I liked this one a tad more than the first. I think mainly due to the killer being a bit more harder to guess than the first. If they hadn't done that one thing,I would have guessed it sooner though. I liked the mysterious castle setting and everything. The women characters are written very strongly in this series and I love it. I do wish some of the males weren't so rude. The only likeable ones being Thomas and Noah really. Which I guess the author was trying to depict how men were towards women during that time but still. This series is still a very fun read and I didn't feel bored at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Confinement, Gore, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Sexism, and Misogyny
fremzz's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Blood and Body horror
Minor: Alcohol
namenotimportant's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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? N/A
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Gore, Medical trauma, Murder, and Violence
amaliewebs's review against another edition
5.0
wow wow wow this book was SO good. love the gothic/vampire vibes the mystery the dramaaaa and not to mention the romance, big audrey rose and thomas shipper right here EEEEEEEEE. i also just love the whole murder mystery aspect and the two of them trying to solve the case, as well as the forensics stuff which is morbidly fascinating. i loved daciana and ileana i hope to see more of them in the other books, and yeah just overall this was an amazing book. the final climax was so intense and i did not see the plottwist reveal coming at all ahhhhh. too good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
sydneyluxford's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Jesus Christ, Maniscalco knows how to write an entertaining story. Like, this book was so unpredictable.
Unlike the previous book, I literally had no idea who was responsible for the killings. WHEN WE FOUND OUT??? THE WAY WE FOUND OUT???? Never been more confused and scared in my life. So unexpected. Like, yeah I support women’s wrongs, BUT THIS IS TOO FAR.
Maniscalco really loves putting Audrey Rose and Thomas through absolute hell in the last 25% of her books. THE AMOUNT OF BRUSHES WITH DEATH THEY HAD IS SCARY. What they went through in the tunnels, I would’ve just given up and accepted death at that point.
If you thought the men in the first book were sexist, just wait until you read the first few chapters of this one. I want to slap them so bad.
The way Thomas’ love for Audrey Rose grows so much more in this book 😭😭😭😭😭. I didn’t even think it was possible. Not even joking, he’s actually my dream man. HE CARES SO MUCH FOR HER, IT’S INSANE. The love confessions at the end of this book killed me.
Unlike the previous book, I literally had no idea who was responsible for the killings. WHEN WE FOUND OUT??? THE WAY WE FOUND OUT???? Never been more confused and scared in my life. So unexpected. Like, yeah I support women’s wrongs, BUT THIS IS TOO FAR.
Maniscalco really loves putting Audrey Rose and Thomas through absolute hell in the last 25% of her books. THE AMOUNT OF BRUSHES WITH DEATH THEY HAD IS SCARY. What they went through in the tunnels, I would’ve just given up and accepted death at that point.
If you thought the men in the first book were sexist, just wait until you read the first few chapters of this one. I want to slap them so bad.
The way Thomas’ love for Audrey Rose grows so much more in this book 😭😭😭😭😭. I didn’t even think it was possible. Not even joking, he’s actually my dream man. HE CARES SO MUCH FOR HER, IT’S INSANE. The love confessions at the end of this book killed me.
“For there are no limits to the stars; their numbers are infinite. Which is precisely why I measure my love for you by them. An amount too boundless to count.”
Someone literally KILL me.
THE LETTERS BETWEEN THOMAS AND HIS SISTER, DACIANA, AT THE END OF THE BOOK. THEY HAD ME CLOSING THE BOOK AND STARING AT MY WALL. THE WAY HE SPOKE ABOUT AUDREY ROSE IN THEM 🤭.
Bro, at some points in this book I was convinced it was a vampire doing these killings. Because why were two victims drained of all their blood?? HOW????
On to the next book because I have no life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Gore, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Sexism and Panic attacks/disorders
sfeldmann's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Who doesn't enjoy a historical, murder mystery with two bantering, romantically tense characters?
This was a great sequel to, "Stalking Jack the Ripper," and the plot carried off well from where the last book left off. I though the portrayal of Audry's trauma from the last book was very well executed and the atmosphere of the mystery was beautiful. Overall, I would highly recommend this series to anyone who loves mystery, romance, and history.
This was a great sequel to, "Stalking Jack the Ripper," and the plot carried off well from where the last book left off. I though the portrayal of Audry's trauma from the last book was very well executed and the atmosphere of the mystery was beautiful. Overall, I would highly recommend this series to anyone who loves mystery, romance, and history.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Murder, Mental illness, and Blood
carmen_2210's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
i loved it so much CRESSWORTH FOREVER
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Body horror
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
[second read, December 2022]
These books will never not be entertaining. Audrey Rose and Thomas might actually be the most iconic duo ever. Their slow-burn friends to lovers arc is agonizing but absolutely delicious, and the fact that they’re so horny along the way is hilarious; it makes a great thing even better.
On that note—props to Kerri for some top-tier parallels. This one’s my favorite:
“What would it feel like to have my hair gently knotted in his fist, my back pressed against a wall, him tangled around me like vines wrapped around brick?” // “He didn’t hesitate to bring his mouth to mine. We stumbled against the wall, the entire length of him encompassing me in his warmth. His hands slid up my frame, knotting themselves in my hair as he deepened our kiss.”
It’s clever!! It’s brilliant!! It’s spectacular!!
And you know what else brilliant and spectacular?? THIS:
“‘You’ve got a dress with orchid blossoms embroidered on it. Ribbons in the deepest purple. You favor the color, but not nearly as much as I find myself favoring you. As to the stars? Those are what I prefer. For there are no limits to the stars; their numbers are infinite. Which is precisely why I measure my love for you by them. An amount too boundless to count.’”
Thomas Cresswell INVENTED romance and no one can tell me otherwise!! He might be an idiot sometimes, but he’s the smoothest idiot to ever walk this earth, I swear!! And the way he unequivocally adores Audrey Rose is just >>>> 🥹🥹🥹
Now it’s time for me to procrastinate starting the third book for as long as humanly possible because I don’t want to deal with Meph’s obnoxious face. :’)))
[first read, January 2022]
This series has me by the throat and I’m not even mad about it. I’ve only read the first two books, too; I can’t imagine how obsessed I’ll be when I’m finished.
Because that’s exactly what I am: obsessed. Hunting Prince Dracula is, somehow, even more amazing than Stalking Jack the Ripper. Even though both the plot and the romance had me incredibly stressed—especially the romance—I loved every page. In fact, I think most of them are highlighted, most even multiple times. I don’t think I’ve ever annotated a book as heavily as I did this one, or laughed as much while reading. Between Thomas’s witty jokes and flirty comments and the banter from him and Audrey Rose, I spent a large portion of the story audibly cackling or making other indescribable (and honestly unflattering) sounds.
Speaking of our two leads, I absolutely adore them, more than I can say. My love for them knows no bounds. I love Audrey Rose and Thomas like Thomas loves Audrey Rose, and I’m not ashamed. Add “Cressworth trash” to my list of personality traits. The angst!! The pining!! The almost-but-not-quite kisses!! The actual kisses!! I sped through the last third of the book between 2 and 3 a.m., and let me say this: the number of times I had to bite my lip to keep from squealing and/or shrieking and waking up my family was ABSURD. When it comes to my favorite ships, I have zero chill, and this is now one of my favorite ships, so… 💖💖💖
Also, Daciana and Ileana? MY SAPPHIC QUEENS. I didn’t expect to love either of them quite as much as I do, but I’m nearly as obsessed with them as I am with Audrey Rose and Thomas. And now that I’ve met Daciana, I can say that both Cresswell siblings are completely iconic, both as individuals and a duo. I want him to be my friend, and I’m crushing unbelievably hard on her. 👀
Oh, right, I should probably mention the actual plot and whatnot. I really enjoyed the Romanian setting, as that’s not a place I’ve ever read about, and the story was very well-written. Even though both this book and its predecessor feature a string of murders where the victims have been, in some way, violated, the story in this one never felt redundant. On the contrary, it was equally nerve-wracking and very suspenseful. The castle’s shadowy halls and creepy passages made the whole thing very atmospheric, too.
Whereas normally I don’t have the brain cells to put together the puzzle pieces in a mystery novel before the characters do, I did, surprisingly, manage to guess who the killer was. It was actually due to a random theory that slowly started to make an unexpected amount of sense, and then ended up being correct. Yet nothing felt predictable, as there were so many other details both large and small that I never saw coming. I’m still not over that room of spiders (*shudders*) or certain characters’ secret involvement. When I say my eyes widened and my jaw dropped, I’m not even slightly joking.
After the stress of everything else, the final chapters were so unbelievably perfect!!! I won’t spoil, but know that even as I write this review two hours after finishing the book, I’m still grinning like a fool.
I’m pretty sure I could go on about this book for a while yet, but I’m tired of typing so I’ll stop here. I’ve made my thoughts clear anyway. ;))
Representation
These books will never not be entertaining. Audrey Rose and Thomas might actually be the most iconic duo ever. Their slow-burn friends to lovers arc is agonizing but absolutely delicious, and the fact that they’re so horny along the way is hilarious; it makes a great thing even better.
On that note—props to Kerri for some top-tier parallels. This one’s my favorite:
“What would it feel like to have my hair gently knotted in his fist, my back pressed against a wall, him tangled around me like vines wrapped around brick?” // “He didn’t hesitate to bring his mouth to mine. We stumbled against the wall, the entire length of him encompassing me in his warmth. His hands slid up my frame, knotting themselves in my hair as he deepened our kiss.”
It’s clever!! It’s brilliant!! It’s spectacular!!
And you know what else brilliant and spectacular?? THIS:
“‘You’ve got a dress with orchid blossoms embroidered on it. Ribbons in the deepest purple. You favor the color, but not nearly as much as I find myself favoring you. As to the stars? Those are what I prefer. For there are no limits to the stars; their numbers are infinite. Which is precisely why I measure my love for you by them. An amount too boundless to count.’”
Thomas Cresswell INVENTED romance and no one can tell me otherwise!! He might be an idiot sometimes, but he’s the smoothest idiot to ever walk this earth, I swear!! And the way he unequivocally adores Audrey Rose is just >>>> 🥹🥹🥹
Now it’s time for me to procrastinate starting the third book for as long as humanly possible because I don’t want to deal with Meph’s obnoxious face. :’)))
[first read, January 2022]
This series has me by the throat and I’m not even mad about it. I’ve only read the first two books, too; I can’t imagine how obsessed I’ll be when I’m finished.
Because that’s exactly what I am: obsessed. Hunting Prince Dracula is, somehow, even more amazing than Stalking Jack the Ripper. Even though both the plot and the romance had me incredibly stressed—especially the romance—I loved every page. In fact, I think most of them are highlighted, most even multiple times. I don’t think I’ve ever annotated a book as heavily as I did this one, or laughed as much while reading. Between Thomas’s witty jokes and flirty comments and the banter from him and Audrey Rose, I spent a large portion of the story audibly cackling or making other indescribable (and honestly unflattering) sounds.
Speaking of our two leads, I absolutely adore them, more than I can say. My love for them knows no bounds. I love Audrey Rose and Thomas like Thomas loves Audrey Rose, and I’m not ashamed. Add “Cressworth trash” to my list of personality traits. The angst!! The pining!! The almost-but-not-quite kisses!! The actual kisses!! I sped through the last third of the book between 2 and 3 a.m., and let me say this: the number of times I had to bite my lip to keep from squealing and/or shrieking and waking up my family was ABSURD. When it comes to my favorite ships, I have zero chill, and this is now one of my favorite ships, so… 💖💖💖
Also, Daciana and Ileana? MY SAPPHIC QUEENS. I didn’t expect to love either of them quite as much as I do, but I’m nearly as obsessed with them as I am with Audrey Rose and Thomas. And now that I’ve met Daciana, I can say that both Cresswell siblings are completely iconic, both as individuals and a duo. I want him to be my friend, and I’m crushing unbelievably hard on her. 👀
Oh, right, I should probably mention the actual plot and whatnot. I really enjoyed the Romanian setting, as that’s not a place I’ve ever read about, and the story was very well-written. Even though both this book and its predecessor feature a string of murders where the victims have been, in some way, violated, the story in this one never felt redundant. On the contrary, it was equally nerve-wracking and very suspenseful. The castle’s shadowy halls and creepy passages made the whole thing very atmospheric, too.
Whereas normally I don’t have the brain cells to put together the puzzle pieces in a mystery novel before the characters do, I did, surprisingly, manage to guess who the killer was. It was actually due to a random theory that slowly started to make an unexpected amount of sense, and then ended up being correct. Yet nothing felt predictable, as there were so many other details both large and small that I never saw coming. I’m still not over that room of spiders (*shudders*) or certain characters’ secret involvement. When I say my eyes widened and my jaw dropped, I’m not even slightly joking.
After the stress of everything else, the final chapters were so unbelievably perfect!!! I won’t spoil, but know that even as I write this review two hours after finishing the book, I’m still grinning like a fool.
I’m pretty sure I could go on about this book for a while yet, but I’m tired of typing so I’ll stop here. I’ve made my thoughts clear anyway. ;))
Representation
- Indian-British protagonist
- sapphic side couple
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Misogyny, Blood, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Medical content: in-depth autopsies and discussion of and tampering with corpses. Mental illness: protagonist deals with PTSD. Not tagged but also significant: spiders. To clarify, there’s a scene where the protagonist and love interest are trapped in a room full of both benign and poisonous spiders, and at one point, there are spiders crawling on them.camiclarkbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Not quite as good as the first book in the series, but a very fun read! “Hunting Prince Dracula” explores even darker figure in history than “Stalking Jack the Ripper” did—focusing on the mystery of Dracula had returned to prey on students or if something else was going on.
The book also expands on the friendship between the two main characters, Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell. They have the same quippy banter that they did in the previous book, which was part of what makes them such compelling characters.
The book also expands on the friendship between the two main characters, Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell. They have the same quippy banter that they did in the previous book, which was part of what makes them such compelling characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Death
signebrum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is a great sequel to Stalking Jack the Ripper. We explore more of the characters, we see their relationship evolve, and there’s a new bloody murder mystery to be solved!
This book took me much by surprise by being better than the first one, and honestly, I’m looking forward to reading the final two installments.
This book took me much by surprise by being better than the first one, and honestly, I’m looking forward to reading the final two installments.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Sexism, Murder, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Vomit and Kidnapping
Trigger warnings comes from the book being a whodunnit in the Victorian times with a female protagonist.