
Michelle S. (
Seigs) wrote on 8/4/2007...
6 member(s) found this review helpful.
I enjoyed this book very much. I notice the reviews where people felt it was a slow read. Although it is a Vampire story, it is more of a historical novel. I love both types of books.If you just want o fnd out "what happens" you may feel impatient. This book is a travelogue, a mystery and a fascinating history of Eastern Europe. This is not a fluff book. I hope you'll give it a try.
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
I was hesitant at first to read this book but once I sat down and gave it a chance I was hooked. My husband was reading it while I was and of course he got through it quicker than myself so I was constantly asking him questions lol. But being the good husband he is he never answered any of them and let me read on with the story falling into place in front of me. I enjoyed this story very much even with it being a slight history lesson. I recommend this book for any vampire lover, love story lover and historian. Enjoy!
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
I decided I had to read this after reading so many reviews that range from one extreme to the other. I'm definitely pro-Historian, but can understand why some people might not like it. I liked the mix of scholarly research, history and suspense. I like books that get me interested in parts of the world that I've never paid much attention to before. Thumbs up!

Rebecca H. (
Rebemdee) wrote on 4/14/2007...
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
I slogged through half of this and realized I wasn't enjoying it and had no desire to finish it. It's beautifully written, but it's just so SSSSLLLLLLOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. It took me a month to get through the half I did read, which is really unusual for me. Maybe somebody else will like it more.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Argh! This was a painful read. I kept hoping I'd run into someone who'd finished it already and they could tel me how it ended so I wouldn't have to keep plowing through it myself. The creative and suspenseful telling will force you to finish it, but it moves along so slooooooowly. It's like a movie that you're watching at home and don't bother to pause when you get up for more drinks or a restroom break.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
One of my favorite books, the best I've read in a long, long time. Very intricate, eloquent story exploring the lore of Dracula.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Beautifully written, an absolute treat to read. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but felt the epilogue was not only unnecessary but actually distracting. The historic detail was fabulous and the characters (particularly the ones in Turkey) were well drawn and interesting.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
I put this one down about half way through. I was really into it at first, but it didn't pick up and I was bored and impatient.
I love vampire stories and the writing is pretty, but the pacing was just painfully slow.
I know that many liked this one, so I should give it another chance.
Did I mention that the story was slow? It was slow.

Shari R. (
SLRegan) wrote on 3/23/2007...
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Really couldn't get into reading it.

Barbara (
femmefan) wrote on 5/17/2009...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Vivid history and carefully crafted writing come together to tell a terrific story, a more scholarly approach to the familiar vampire legend that still manages to be entertaining, and sinister enough to read with the lights on. The tone may be low key and matter of fact, but the tale it conveys is so subtly chilling, so almost plausible, that it kept me glued to the pages. It helps if you love history, and aren't easily bored by facts piled high, but a this is definitely a book worth the effort of reading it.