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nydhoggyr's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Princess Annika meets Wlad during a visit to Arges Castle, where Wlad, the former prince, is a slave in his own home after another king has killed his parents and taken over his kingdom. Annika stands up for the young Wlad, which leads to her and her father also becoming victims of the new king and sustaining lifelong trauma and injuries. Annika and Wlad meet again 7 years later in her kingdom, after Wlad lives with a curse he accepted in return for the strength to take back his kingdom and slaughter his enemies. The two are hardly the young and innocent individuals they each met years ago, but their attraction is still present.
This was a really interesting story to read. It is an intriguing re-imagining of Vlad the Impaler/Dracula, and while a rather overt adaptation it was not entirely predictable. In fact, I was really interested to see where it would go and what would become of these two damaged but well-intentioned souls.
This story has a tortured cinnamon roll hero (I didn't know I needed this in my life but now I do, give me more!), a strong FMC who stands up for what she believes in, and a pretty slow burn, with a paranormal twist.
While it is a slow burn, exploring the lore and world of these characters was more than satisfying and interesting, so I never felt a lack of interest in continuing the story.
I do wish that it would have felt more accurate to the time period it was set in (mid-15th century), because some of the language felt quite modern and some details were entirely lacking. I think it relied on having stated that the year was 1450 rather than describing things in such a way that you could have assumed it was around the 15th century. In addition, there were a few editorial mistakes regarding punctuation and spelling that could easily be remedied.
Trigger warnings, included in the description, include off-page sexual assault and some mild on-page violence.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really interesting story to read. It is an intriguing re-imagining of Vlad the Impaler/Dracula, and while a rather overt adaptation it was not entirely predictable. In fact, I was really interested to see where it would go and what would become of these two damaged but well-intentioned souls.
This story has a tortured cinnamon roll hero (I didn't know I needed this in my life but now I do, give me more!), a strong FMC who stands up for what she believes in, and a pretty slow burn, with a paranormal twist.
While it is a slow burn, exploring the lore and world of these characters was more than satisfying and interesting, so I never felt a lack of interest in continuing the story.
I do wish that it would have felt more accurate to the time period it was set in (mid-15th century), because some of the language felt quite modern and some details were entirely lacking. I think it relied on having stated that the year was 1450 rather than describing things in such a way that you could have assumed it was around the 15th century. In addition, there were a few editorial mistakes regarding punctuation and spelling that could easily be remedied.
Trigger warnings, included in the description, include off-page sexual assault and some mild on-page violence.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Violence
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