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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Having just finished this, I then looked at the reviews and WOW people LOVED this book which means that I will fall below that. Not in the "this was crap" group, but the "somewhere in the middle ground" group. First off, I liked it...well most of it. The telling of the story by using letters & journal entries and then flipping to "NOW" was interesting, but the "NOW" part got real boring, real fast until we finally caught up to the "NOW" and then things made sense.
I think I read Dracula when I was younger, but honestly don't remember if I did or not. There are so many re-tellings of Dracula or Vlad the Impaler (who may or may not be one in the same) that they kind of run together for me so reading a story of how we know of Dracula now, was interesting. For a lot of this, we are lead to believe that Nanna Ellen is this mystery to be solved, but when it is "solved" we find that things are so much worse than the Stoker family ever thought. Ellen's story is heart-wrenching and you feel bad for her, but then you also wonder if it's not all part of the plan.
One thing I hate when things (fiction or otherwise) are set in a real time & place is when the wrong name is used for that time. At the front of my book there is a map dated Dublin & Europe in 1847-1868. There is a country labeled Germany. In the story in 1868 they go to Munich in Germany. The problem with this is that the unification of the Germanic states to become "Germany" wasn't until 1871, so if they were trying to be historically accurate, they missed the mark on this one.
In the Author's Notes Dacre mentions that names were changed, but people always thought Van Helsing from the original book a real person named was Arminius Vambery. I totally didn't even put 1+1 together and never even thought about Van Helsing in the context of this novel...which means I probably haven't read Dracula, but I still ending up liking this novel.
I think I read Dracula when I was younger, but honestly don't remember if I did or not. There are so many re-tellings of Dracula or Vlad the Impaler (who may or may not be one in the same) that they kind of run together for me so reading a story of how we know of Dracula now, was interesting. For a lot of this, we are lead to believe that Nanna Ellen is this mystery to be solved, but when it is "solved" we find that things are so much worse than the Stoker family ever thought. Ellen's story is heart-wrenching and you feel bad for her, but then you also wonder if it's not all part of the plan.
One thing I hate when things (fiction or otherwise) are set in a real time & place is when the wrong name is used for that time. At the front of my book there is a map dated Dublin & Europe in 1847-1868. There is a country labeled Germany. In the story in 1868 they go to Munich in Germany. The problem with this is that the unification of the Germanic states to become "Germany" wasn't until 1871, so if they were trying to be historically accurate, they missed the mark on this one.
In the Author's Notes Dacre mentions that names were changed, but people always thought Van Helsing from the original book a real person named was Arminius Vambery. I totally didn't even put 1+1 together and never even thought about Van Helsing in the context of this novel...which means I probably haven't read Dracula, but I still ending up liking this novel.
A fast paced read, balancing creepy, gorey, mystery and sadness. I was pleased how seamlessly written especially with two authors. I appreciate the story being put together from several perspectives adding to the suspense.
I have read and watched many vampire stories but never actually read Dracula by Bram Stoker. This seems to serve as a prequel to Dracula telling some of Bram's background and his family history. After reading the author's note at the end it's interesting to contemplate truth that often permeates fiction, uneasy indeed.
A must read if you are a fan of Bram Stoker, Dracula or horror.
I have read and watched many vampire stories but never actually read Dracula by Bram Stoker. This seems to serve as a prequel to Dracula telling some of Bram's background and his family history. After reading the author's note at the end it's interesting to contemplate truth that often permeates fiction, uneasy indeed.
A must read if you are a fan of Bram Stoker, Dracula or horror.
A Dracula prequel written by a descendant of Bram Stoker?! Sign me up! Unfortunately, I had a great deal of trouble getting into the book, so much so that I nearly gave it up a few times. Why? A few factors. The first is my fault. I saw Dracula and the author and dove in without reading farther. I was therefore a bit disappointed to learn that the story didn’t deal with the Count’s story so much as it did Stoker’s. Second, the book takes quite a while to find its feet and engage the reader. The plot seems to drag along for the first few hundred pages. At 500+ pages, there’s plenty of time for the story to figure itself out, but man…that beginning is rough.
Now I will say, that once the plot begins to pick up, the book is fantastic. Stoker and Barker do a wonderful job keeping to Bram Stoker’s style and maintain a high level of gothic creepiness. Moreover, they have used historically verifiable aspects of Bram Stoker’s life to add realism to the plot. The imagery of the book is also simply fantastic. Bits and pieces strongly reminded me of elements from MR James’ classic ghost stories.
So in sum, I wound up liking this book far more by the end of it than I thought I would. Fans of Stoker’s Dracula and gothic horror in general may want to give it a go…the ending is worth the slog. More casual readers, however, may want to give this one a pass.
An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Now I will say, that once the plot begins to pick up, the book is fantastic. Stoker and Barker do a wonderful job keeping to Bram Stoker’s style and maintain a high level of gothic creepiness. Moreover, they have used historically verifiable aspects of Bram Stoker’s life to add realism to the plot. The imagery of the book is also simply fantastic. Bits and pieces strongly reminded me of elements from MR James’ classic ghost stories.
So in sum, I wound up liking this book far more by the end of it than I thought I would. Fans of Stoker’s Dracula and gothic horror in general may want to give it a go…the ending is worth the slog. More casual readers, however, may want to give this one a pass.
An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A Dracula prequel written by a descendant of Bram Stoker?! Sign me up! Unfortunately, I had a great deal of trouble getting into the book, so much so that I nearly gave it up a few times. Why? A few factors. The first is my fault. I saw Dracula and the author and dove in without reading farther. I was therefore a bit disappointed to learn that the story didn’t deal with the Count’s story so much as it did Stoker’s. Second, the book takes quite a while to find its feet and engage the reader. The plot seems to drag along for the first few hundred pages. At 500+ pages, there’s plenty of time for the story to figure itself out, but man…that beginning is rough.
Now I will say, that once the plot begins to pick up, the book is fantastic. Stoker and Barker do a wonderful job keeping to Bram Stoker’s style and maintain a high level of gothic creepiness. Moreover, they have used historically verifiable aspects of Bram Stoker’s life to add realism to the plot. The imagery of the book is also simply fantastic. Bits and pieces strongly reminded me of elements from MR James’ classic ghost stories.
So in sum, I wound up liking this book far more by the end of it than I thought I would. Fans of Stoker’s Dracula and gothic horror in general may want to give it a go…the ending is worth the slog. More casual readers, however, may want to give this one a pass.
An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Now I will say, that once the plot begins to pick up, the book is fantastic. Stoker and Barker do a wonderful job keeping to Bram Stoker’s style and maintain a high level of gothic creepiness. Moreover, they have used historically verifiable aspects of Bram Stoker’s life to add realism to the plot. The imagery of the book is also simply fantastic. Bits and pieces strongly reminded me of elements from MR James’ classic ghost stories.
So in sum, I wound up liking this book far more by the end of it than I thought I would. Fans of Stoker’s Dracula and gothic horror in general may want to give it a go…the ending is worth the slog. More casual readers, however, may want to give this one a pass.
An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Surprisingly good, but I just can't get over the map of post-WWII Europe.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A fascinating dark prequel to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, worthy of the original
Read this. if you are a fan of Dracula or Stoker, you should read this.
The story itself was gripping and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
However, the writing feels very lazy and like they haven’t bothered to do any research into 19th century Dublin at all - phrases, words, spellings, and sayings, all very American. Disappointing and so very irritating. It’s reads very modern and a little Twilight-esque in places, too much Hollywood drama. I was hoping for something that felt like a sibling companion to the original, instead it felt like an incredibly distant relative - the type of person who says “I’m 1/25th Irish #celticblood”
In short, story good and enjoyable, fell very short as a relation to the original Dracula novel and overall disappointing.
However, the writing feels very lazy and like they haven’t bothered to do any research into 19th century Dublin at all - phrases, words, spellings, and sayings, all very American. Disappointing and so very irritating. It’s reads very modern and a little Twilight-esque in places, too much Hollywood drama. I was hoping for something that felt like a sibling companion to the original, instead it felt like an incredibly distant relative - the type of person who says “I’m 1/25th Irish #celticblood”
In short, story good and enjoyable, fell very short as a relation to the original Dracula novel and overall disappointing.