Dracul

J. D. Barker, Dacre Stoker — 2019

The prequel to Dracula, inspired by notes and texts left behind by the author of the classic novel, Dracul is a supernatural thriller that reveals not only Dracula's true origins but Bram Stoker's--and the tale of the enigmatic woman who connects them. It is 1868, and a twenty-one-year-old Bram Stoker waits in a desolate tower to face an indescribable evil. Armed only with crucifixes, holy water, and a rifle, he prays to survive a single night, the longest of his life. Desperate to record what he has witnessed, Bram scribbles down the events that led him here... A sickly child, Bram spent his early days bedridden in his parents' Dublin home, tended to by his caretaker, a young woman named Ellen Crone. When a string of strange deaths occur in a nearby town, Bram and his sister Matilda detect a pattern of bizarre behavior by Ellen--a mystery that deepens chillingly until Ellen vanishes suddenly from their lives. Years later, Matilda returns from studying in Paris to tell Bram the news that she has seen Ellen--and that the nightmare they've thought long ended is only beginning.

Reviews

Alex Landau@daetura

Dec 23, 2022

Wow. Just wow...

Let me start with say that ending... I feel like I have been punched in the gut but like... In a good way. Let's be honest. This was never going to be happy book. If anything you are walking away in awe.

The downside: the first half is slow. Add that on top of a bad reading slump and it was very difficult to get through. The second half picked up and didn't stop. Once I got there, I finished the book in three days.

I loved this. There is just enough truth to make you question what is true. Also definitely read the author notes for more context to what is in the books.

Eve@eveofrevolution

Dec 6, 2021

3.5 stars. I feel crazy for not giving this 5 stars. Unfortunately, I just didn't totally love it? Reading the first half or so felt like a chore at times, because the shifting viewpoints dropped little nuggets of information and I'm not great at remembering everything I should. There was so much build-up that it was a bit tedious to read at the start. I don't usually mind slow burns, but this one just didn't click with me. It was well-written and the characters were well-thought out though, and once the action finally started happening, I really enjoyed it and flew through the rest of the book. One final note, the Author's Note basically says that Bram Stoker meant Dracula as a nonfiction warning???? And Dacre Stoker/J.D. Barker seem to believe there's truth to it?? I'm not totally sure how to process that information.

Zoey Mikalatos@zoeymik

Aug 29, 2022

Micke Newcomb@mickejim

Feb 21, 2022

Ana@anaaniri

Feb 8, 2022

Cookie@cookiespengler

Jan 25, 2022

Elle@novellearts

Nov 22, 2021