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srm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Blood and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
rorikae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The story twines between the story of a college student as she seeks to learn what happened to her father and his mentor as they searched for news about Vlad the Impaler and the legend of Dracula. It is mostly told through recollections that the daughter (and her father before her) have found, including letters, journals, and notes.
I’m quite conflicted about this book. I enjoyed it but I feel that the length is unnecessary (even though it is well paced). So much of this story is recollection that it feels very passive as other characters are doing things and the daughter’s story is really just a frame narrative. For the length of the book, it doesn’t feel like a great much happens, which is part of why I feel it could have been greatly cut down in length without sacrificing the story. There were some interesting revelations throughout the story, which I did enjoy. The ending was very quick (especially considering how long the book is). This is very much a book for people that want an academic focused but fictional look at Vlad the Impaler and legends of Dracula. Action is minimal but Kostova does a good job of keeping questions moving throughout the story in a way that pulls along the interest of the reader.
Important note: this book was published in 2005 and uses the slur for the Romani people multiple times.
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Grief, Car accident, and Abandonment
Minor: Confinement and Kidnapping
jelliestars's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
princessxnicole's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Grief, and War
Minor: Child death
internationalreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
eleanora's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Miscarriage, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Islamophobia, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, and War
prettiestwhistles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Islamophobia, and Abandonment
Minor: Genocide, Miscarriage, Sexism, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
aseel_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder
rini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Abandonment
malloryfitz's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Miscarriage, Torture, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy