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nikki_deanmarshall's review against another edition
2.0
When I read the description of this book I was excited as it seemed similar to Carlos Ruiz Zafón's book "Shadow of the wind".
Unfortunately I was left disappointed. I found it very hard to get into this book and by the time I had, I had read half the book and thought I might as well finish it. It improved slightly but not enough to rate it higher than 2 stars.
Unfortunately I was left disappointed. I found it very hard to get into this book and by the time I had, I had read half the book and thought I might as well finish it. It improved slightly but not enough to rate it higher than 2 stars.
pd_in_lspace's review against another edition
1.0
This was such a shame.
It's a great concept & it starts off well. The actual prose is intrusively American & one finds oneself filling in missing words or referring to Google to fill in the descriptions; similies which may be immediately familiar to an American audience are mostly mystifying to everyone else & the tone of language when referring to anything European (where the bulk of the book takes place) is very keen to underline that this is an irrelevant cultural backwater.
Then we come to the book itself. Instead of getting more & more involved, one actually seems to care less about the characters as things progress. Very few are fleshed out at all, apparent key figures just vanish & one isn't even named! The twists & turns are clumsy & abrupt & by the end you're almost hate-reading just to get to the end.
As I say, a real shame. I expected to love this & the further I read I felt the rating stars dropping away. Even when I started typing this I wanted to give it two stars but just couldn't bring myself so to do.
It's a great concept & it starts off well. The actual prose is intrusively American & one finds oneself filling in missing words or referring to Google to fill in the descriptions; similies which may be immediately familiar to an American audience are mostly mystifying to everyone else & the tone of language when referring to anything European (where the bulk of the book takes place) is very keen to underline that this is an irrelevant cultural backwater.
Then we come to the book itself. Instead of getting more & more involved, one actually seems to care less about the characters as things progress. Very few are fleshed out at all, apparent key figures just vanish & one isn't even named! The twists & turns are clumsy & abrupt & by the end you're almost hate-reading just to get to the end.
As I say, a real shame. I expected to love this & the further I read I felt the rating stars dropping away. Even when I started typing this I wanted to give it two stars but just couldn't bring myself so to do.
bev3203's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
kel_pru's review against another edition
2.0
Ehh. Interesting premise to start out but the often vague action and plot points left me wanting.
karenavila85's review against another edition
3.0
More like 2.5 stars. It wasn't a terrible novel. I actually enjoyed it. It dealt with historical and gothic vampires as they should be, not like that "Twilight" crap, mixed in with Bram's Stroker's famous novel "Dracula". It's similar to "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter" by Seth Grahame-Smith where the author mixes historical events and expands the story further.
Joseph Barkeley authenticates manuscripts and important documents for private collectors. He's offered $4 million dollars to authenticate Bram Stroker's first-edition "Dracula" for an anonymous client in Romania. What Joseph doesn't know is that there's a mystery surrounding that manuscript and wealthy families are willing to kill to get a hold off that item. As Joseph comes closer to completing his job, he realizes that his life and the life of the people he cares for are in danger if he betrays his master.
I gave it 2.5 stars because I felt it was a little too long. The narrative descriptions were great it painted a great picture of Transylvania and Romania and it gave a sense of realism. While all the descriptions were great I thought some parts of the book could have been taken out without hurting the mystery of the novel.
Joseph Barkeley authenticates manuscripts and important documents for private collectors. He's offered $4 million dollars to authenticate Bram Stroker's first-edition "Dracula" for an anonymous client in Romania. What Joseph doesn't know is that there's a mystery surrounding that manuscript and wealthy families are willing to kill to get a hold off that item. As Joseph comes closer to completing his job, he realizes that his life and the life of the people he cares for are in danger if he betrays his master.
I gave it 2.5 stars because I felt it was a little too long. The narrative descriptions were great it painted a great picture of Transylvania and Romania and it gave a sense of realism. While all the descriptions were great I thought some parts of the book could have been taken out without hurting the mystery of the novel.
erindigsegypt's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
tlfuller13's review against another edition
4.0
I truly enjoyed reading this novel. It was a fun treasure hunt, so to speak, mixed with suspense, history and adventure. I loved learning the old world superstitions, and being taken into a much different world than where I live in now. I would recommend reading this novel at night to anyone, it gives it a sense of atmosphere, so you'll feel apart of the story as Joseph has his nightly dealings.
the character of Joseph isn't my favorite, I felt he was one dimensional at times, but then complex at others. I felt for his character in many of his sticky situations but the way he handled some of them, imprisonment for example, was just acceptance with a hint of worry. I didn't feel his fear, but mostly confidence and courage. I respect that in a character, but when the nemesis says he smells fear, I didn't get that sense until much later.
One thing that annoyed me about the nemesis was how intimidating he was. towards the end he states how Joseph is not the first human to by time, which I can understand why our bad guy would be frustrated. however, he has been looking for something for a very long time, and he keeps getting timid and frustrating results because they are all scared of him and don't want to die. a good nemesis is charming, so you want to please him, how has he not thought to bait him with charm and promises of a safe end to the deal, not imprisonment, fear and death. I get why he is represented so evil and cruel, but even Bram Stocker 's Dracula was charming...
the character of Joseph isn't my favorite, I felt he was one dimensional at times, but then complex at others. I felt for his character in many of his sticky situations but the way he handled some of them, imprisonment for example, was just acceptance with a hint of worry. I didn't feel his fear, but mostly confidence and courage. I respect that in a character, but when the nemesis says he smells fear, I didn't get that sense until much later.
One thing that annoyed me about the nemesis was how intimidating he was. towards the end he states how Joseph is not the first human to by time, which I can understand why our bad guy would be frustrated. however, he has been looking for something for a very long time, and he keeps getting timid and frustrating results because they are all scared of him and don't want to die. a good nemesis is charming, so you want to please him, how has he not thought to bait him with charm and promises of a safe end to the deal, not imprisonment, fear and death. I get why he is represented so evil and cruel, but even Bram Stocker 's Dracula was charming...
squirrellygoat's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the plot. It was an interesting take on the Dracula lore. The writing was not great, but in the end I enjoyed the story, so I’ll give it 3 stars.
real_life_reading's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting enough to keep me listening, but the ending wasn't great. I feel like the title suggested more use of the manuscript than I got, although it was fascinating to see how the author incorporated Stoker's work into a modern version of the Dracula story.
devorit's review against another edition
4.0
Just the right amount of suspense, danger, and creepy. I liked the intertwining of history, fiction, and fantasy and the way the character quietly grows and develops.