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A review by lefttoread
Dracul by J.D. Barker, Dacre Stoker
5.0
"Then he goes to the oil lamp and blows out the flame, plunging the room into total blackness, a room so dark no shadow could live."
Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker write a haunting prequel to the well known, DRACULA by Bram Stoker. The authors of DRACUL managed to write this brand new story, what feels like a classic because of the inspiration they found from Bram Stokers notes that he left behind.
I find it fascinating that we readers get to have a little insight to what it was like for Bram Stoker as a child, growing up with a family and their nanny, who told the children stories and who knows if they were just that, stories.
"I will gut you from groin to gullet and dance in your ruins as the blood bubbles from your lips if you do not open this door!"
DRACUL is at times, very disturbing. It gives off a Gothic, nightmarish feel as well as being written so beautifully. It is an addictive read and I found myself wanting more every time I put the book down.
As readers we are lead to experience the sickness that Bram endured as a child, we read the stories that Nanna Ellen tells the children and we are made to question everything. Surely vampires are not real, right? It's all fiction and make belief. But what you find while reading this engaging story is that even if it's just for a split second you will think, what if?
"Sometimes our deepest fears are the ones we keep closest to our hearts. You've never stopped believing, you only stopped admitting you believe."
The combination of both Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker was perfect! I loved the characters and the descriptions were written amazingly, with Nanna Ellen the children couldn't quite figure out why she looked different every time they saw her, sometimes she was young and beautiful other times she looked ill and like she had aged a thousand years, the way Nanna Ellen was described was done so effectively, I could see her changing ever so slightly every time she was mentioned. Every element of this book was worthy and I am astounded at how much love I have for it.
"Like life, there is much we do not understand about death."
There are unforgettable scenes in DRACUL, one woman's story on how she became a vampire was amazing! It felt similar to Rosalie's story in ECLIPSE which I loved. I was rooting for her throughout the full book and I wish I got more from her at the end, she was by far one of my favourite characters.
"The story they shared is extraordinary, to say the least, and while most persons would not believe a word of such a tale, I have seen and heard enough in my lifetime to know the only thing we know for certain is that there is much we do not know for certain."
I could go on and on about how amazing this story is but you won't truly know until you read it. I'm in an obsessive state right now and I'm not sure if I'll ever get out of it. DRACUL is another book I just had to hug when I finished it, for making me so so happy.
Oh, and if you do read it, make sure you read the author's notes at the end - you won't want to miss out.
"Will you stay with me for a while? she asks softly.
I will stay with you always."
Full review: https://littlereaderxoxo.wordpress.com/2019/01/27/book-review-dracul-by-dacre-stoker-j-d-barker/
Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker write a haunting prequel to the well known, DRACULA by Bram Stoker. The authors of DRACUL managed to write this brand new story, what feels like a classic because of the inspiration they found from Bram Stokers notes that he left behind.
I find it fascinating that we readers get to have a little insight to what it was like for Bram Stoker as a child, growing up with a family and their nanny, who told the children stories and who knows if they were just that, stories.
"I will gut you from groin to gullet and dance in your ruins as the blood bubbles from your lips if you do not open this door!"
DRACUL is at times, very disturbing. It gives off a Gothic, nightmarish feel as well as being written so beautifully. It is an addictive read and I found myself wanting more every time I put the book down.
As readers we are lead to experience the sickness that Bram endured as a child, we read the stories that Nanna Ellen tells the children and we are made to question everything. Surely vampires are not real, right? It's all fiction and make belief. But what you find while reading this engaging story is that even if it's just for a split second you will think, what if?
"Sometimes our deepest fears are the ones we keep closest to our hearts. You've never stopped believing, you only stopped admitting you believe."
The combination of both Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker was perfect! I loved the characters and the descriptions were written amazingly, with Nanna Ellen the children couldn't quite figure out why she looked different every time they saw her, sometimes she was young and beautiful other times she looked ill and like she had aged a thousand years, the way Nanna Ellen was described was done so effectively, I could see her changing ever so slightly every time she was mentioned. Every element of this book was worthy and I am astounded at how much love I have for it.
"Like life, there is much we do not understand about death."
There are unforgettable scenes in DRACUL, one woman's story on how she became a vampire was amazing! It felt similar to Rosalie's story in ECLIPSE which I loved. I was rooting for her throughout the full book and I wish I got more from her at the end, she was by far one of my favourite characters.
"The story they shared is extraordinary, to say the least, and while most persons would not believe a word of such a tale, I have seen and heard enough in my lifetime to know the only thing we know for certain is that there is much we do not know for certain."
I could go on and on about how amazing this story is but you won't truly know until you read it. I'm in an obsessive state right now and I'm not sure if I'll ever get out of it. DRACUL is another book I just had to hug when I finished it, for making me so so happy.
Oh, and if you do read it, make sure you read the author's notes at the end - you won't want to miss out.
"Will you stay with me for a while? she asks softly.
I will stay with you always."
Full review: https://littlereaderxoxo.wordpress.com/2019/01/27/book-review-dracul-by-dacre-stoker-j-d-barker/