itisnatal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, and Racial slurs
spellbookspines's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Death, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
renettereads's review
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
dlrosebyh's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A young lady discovers an antique book and a stockpile of yellowing letters written ominously to 'My dear and unfortunate successor' late one night while browsing her father's library. Her revelation transports her to a world she never imagined existed - a labyrinth where the mysteries of her father's past and her mother's tragic fate are linked to an evil concealed in the depths of history.
During those few calm moments, she unintentionally embarks on a mission that she will find is her birthright: a search for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval king whose barbaric reign inspired the Dracula legend. Deciphering cryptic clues and buried passages, deciphering codes woven into the fabric of ancient monastery traditions, and escaping deadly foes, one lady gets closer to the truth about her own history and a confrontation with the very meaning of evil.
This book is different from the usual assortment of novels I read, and the very notion that it is different terrified me into picking it up. Going into this, all I hoped for was that it would be rich with history, since as someone who loves history and researches, I enjoy seeing those in books— and it did not disappoint.
The Historian has such lovely prose that if I were reading it as an owned copy, I would have underlined a lot of it. The manner the narrative was conveyed was also really interesting—though some portions felt a little protracted. This novel could have been a hundred pages shorter—and the fact that the finale wasn't really satisfying—killed my mood as I enjoyed the book for the first three quarters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Miscarriage and Racism
Minor: Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Sexism
princessxnicole's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Blood, Torture, Gun violence, Suicide, Death, War, and Miscarriage
Minor: Child death
internationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Animal death, Grief, Medical content, and Miscarriage
ruthmoog's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.75
Took me a while to get into but I thought it was great a couple of chapters in.
I really enjoyed discovering the history of Vlad and the legend of Dracula, the locations of the research making stories click together. The story also linksthe legend of St George with Dracula -the dragon- which was a lovely touch although afaik the timelines are many years apart .
The story is told through a collection of letters and research, and set in several libraries. Is this dark academia?
By the very end, the depth of the title became apparent. Very satisfying 👏
I really enjoyed discovering the history of Vlad and the legend of Dracula, the locations of the research making stories click together. The story also links
The story is told through a collection of letters and research, and set in several libraries. Is this dark academia?
By the very end, the depth of the title became apparent. Very satisfying 👏
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Stalking, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcohol, War, Suicide, and Confinement
bookbelle5_17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Review of The Historian
By: Elizabeth Kostova
Our unnamed narrator is following in her father’s, Paul, footsteps by becoming a historian. She discovers a book with a dragon on it and a note from her father’s old mentor, Bartholomew Rossi, who believed he had a come across knowledge that Dracula is still alive. After Rossi disappeared, Paul goes in search of him with help from a daughter Rossi never knew existed, Helen. In the present, Paul is telling our narrator that story and when he leaves to look for her mother, our narrator goes in search of him.
This novel mixes, the Dracula mythology and history of Vlad Dracul creating a nice blend of creepiness, suspense, and deep dives into the histories of Eastern Europe. I loved the exploration into the cultures and the superstitious beliefs of these countries. We have a lot of scenes with the characters go to libraries as they try to find answers, which is fun to read, and I liked the two other professors Paul meets. The scenes where they are doing research and going to these other countries is my favorite part. Helen Rossi is a fun and feisty female character and her emotional journey is engaging to read. She is the daughter of Rossi and she thinks he abandoned her mother. I liked our leads Paul and our narrator, who are likable and relatable. The vampire aspects aren’t as prominent, but you feel Dracula and his minions are the shadow looming in the background. It is a more literary version of a Dan Brown novel. The writing is cozy and comforting to read despite the dark story.
By: Elizabeth Kostova
Our unnamed narrator is following in her father’s, Paul, footsteps by becoming a historian. She discovers a book with a dragon on it and a note from her father’s old mentor, Bartholomew Rossi, who believed he had a come across knowledge that Dracula is still alive. After Rossi disappeared, Paul goes in search of him with help from a daughter Rossi never knew existed, Helen. In the present, Paul is telling our narrator that story and when he leaves to look for her mother, our narrator goes in search of him.
This novel mixes, the Dracula mythology and history of Vlad Dracul creating a nice blend of creepiness, suspense, and deep dives into the histories of Eastern Europe. I loved the exploration into the cultures and the superstitious beliefs of these countries. We have a lot of scenes with the characters go to libraries as they try to find answers, which is fun to read, and I liked the two other professors Paul meets. The scenes where they are doing research and going to these other countries is my favorite part. Helen Rossi is a fun and feisty female character and her emotional journey is engaging to read. She is the daughter of Rossi and she thinks he abandoned her mother. I liked our leads Paul and our narrator, who are likable and relatable. The vampire aspects aren’t as prominent, but you feel Dracula and his minions are the shadow looming in the background. It is a more literary version of a Dan Brown novel. The writing is cozy and comforting to read despite the dark story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Gore, Kidnapping, and Murder
laurenw's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Wonderfully atmospheric, with beautiful descriptions of the travels within. It did, however, ramble on a tad too much. The layers of story within the story were intriguing, and the research element was enjoyable to read, but there were a few stories that could have perhaps been culled. Ultimately, a good read, especially if you already harboured an interest in Dracula and his ilk.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Abandonment, Blood, Torture, and War
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Terminal illness and Miscarriage
eleanora's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Blood, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Suicide, Genocide, Grief, Miscarriage, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Islamophobia, Cannibalism, Murder, Racism, and War