Author: Karen Essex
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
ISBN: 9780767931229
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Everyone remembers Bram Stoker's "Dracula". It was a tale of horror and everyone knew that vampires were the "bad guys". But were they? Karen Essex takes Stoker's tale and gives it a twist. Following the same timeline, using the same characters and written in much of the same format "Dracula in Love" gives a total different view.
In the Prologue of the book, Mina Murray Harker states:
"Unlike most people whose lives remain private, my story has been written by another, sold for money and offered to the public for entertainment. The author of the fiction claims to be above reproach because his records are "exactly contemporary". But these "records" are falsified documents, based on the the lies of a cabal of murderers desperate to conceal their dark deeds."
She then continues on with the "real" story. The story of her life, her engagement, Lucy, the doctors, and of course, The Count. This story is a tale of erotic obsession and a romantic love that goes deep - centuries deep. It is also a tale of horror and sadness and a realization that all is not as it seems.
I adored the original "Dracula" and really was wondering how Ms. Essex was going to pull this one off. Ah, she did an impeccable job making me wonder and feel that her story was really the truth and the other was just a fabricated lie to make money. Oh, yes. Mina's story was powerful and captivating.
I took my time reading this novel. It screamed that it needed to be savored, and savor it I did. This book will be one that will stick with me for a while. Being a Dracula fan (it's one of my favorites) this novel shook and twisted my views of many of the characters. It now feels like it belongs with the original story - like the flip side of the coin.
If you haven't read Stoker's "Dracula", don't worry. You won't feel you are missing a thing, but you will most likely want to read it after you've finished "Dracula in Love" because you'll need to know what is in the original story. If you have read and enjoyed Stoker's Dracula, you will want to read this version!
This is one of my favorite reads this year! Highly recommended.
Parental warning: Contains some descriptive sexual content.
Want to see what others are saying about "Dracula in Love"? Make sure to visit the other bloggers involved in this tour! You can find them listed here.
For more information about the author you can visit Karen Essex at:
Her Website: http://www.karenessex.com/
Her Blog: http://www.karenessex.com/blog/
and her Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=1060811184
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. Make sure to stop back tomorrow as we continue this tour with a guest post from Karen. You won't want to miss it!
This book was provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for me to honestly review.
I've been reading about this for a few days now and have added it to my tbr list. Sounds really good!
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