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A review by renettereads
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Despite having the physical copy, I listened to the audiobook version of The Historian and really enjoyed the narration of it. Because there are ultimately two timelines and a varied cast, it helped to have different voice actors perform this.
Now The Historian ultimately follows several historians as they track down Dracula after they each have a strange encounter with a book. Though this is an interesting take on vampire mythology, I found it very dense.
Combined with a slow pace and suspense that often didn’t pay off, I thought a book about Dracula would be more adventure and less research-based. In saying that, I did enjoy this angle, but just felt like it was a little bit too much fact and not enough vampire for my liking. Plus, in my opinion, this could’ve been a lot shorter.
Still, the prose is beautiful and the worldbuilding strong, but I couldn’t help feeling that it was a little convoluted.
Now The Historian ultimately follows several historians as they track down Dracula after they each have a strange encounter with a book. Though this is an interesting take on vampire mythology, I found it very dense.
Combined with a slow pace and suspense that often didn’t pay off, I thought a book about Dracula would be more adventure and less research-based. In saying that, I did enjoy this angle, but just felt like it was a little bit too much fact and not enough vampire for my liking. Plus, in my opinion, this could’ve been a lot shorter.
Still, the prose is beautiful and the worldbuilding strong, but I couldn’t help feeling that it was a little convoluted.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death