If you like the story of Bram Stokers Dracula at all, do NOT read this book. What a disappointment!!! I spent half the book wondering "What is the point of this story? Where is the author going with this?" At the end of the book, those questions were never answered. I still don't understand what her point was. This was a bizarre take on the famous Bram Stoker horror/romance, in which Ms. Essex deviates from the plot of the original story to such a degree that it is complete nonsense. I have loved Dracula since I was a child, and was overjoyed to find a new, seemingly feminist take on the tale. However, when you take the primordial Vampire story, leave out the vampires, leave out Dracula, omit Mr. Renfield completely, add an absurd plot twist involving Irish faeries, and turn all of the male characters into women-hating-chauvinist-immoral idiots, this is the story you get. Needless to say when I finished reading the book, I was furious. I wont even get into the fact that the conclusion of the book is ridiculous, lest you become curious and want to read this garbage for yourself.
This book is told completely through Mina's eyes. No longer a secondary character for the men to build themselves on, but a fully formed person in her own right trying to find her way in Victorian England. Born a poor Irish child, Mina learns that there is a way to improve her station set in life and that is to learn everything she can at a boarding school to find a husband of society. After abandonment by her own parents, this is a welcome ideal even if it means suppressing her more "wild" nature that tormented her parents. She soon captures the heart of Jonathan Harker and they become engaged. However, a muse of sorts keeps pestering Mina in her dreams until she wonders if this is all life has to offer. Of course, this part is familiar to those that loved the book, Dracula, but there are also different characters involved. Kate Reed, Mina's journalistic friend and even Bram Stoker himself join the cast. These characters are necessary to place our main characters within both familiar and unfamiliar territory within the book.
This book is also not just about vampires and myth. It also holds some very real and historic issues of women of that day. Karen Essex makes it clear that the danger Mina and her female comrades face are not with preternatural "demons" but at the very hands of mortal men, some who had promised protection. Also, I found that it also speaks a bit (although lightly) about the power that was stripped away from women in some of the old traditions and religious practices. Mina rediscovers these myths and find them alive in England, but very watered down and misunderstood. Some of the myths even used as diagnosis in the "scientific" practices of Dr. Stewart and Dr. Van Helsing. I found this part to be historically accurate as well as interesting.
All in all I do give this book 4 stars. I had to take away a star because of the ending. It just didn't make sense to me. In fact, I feel that the ending could make some people not completely enjoy the book. However, taking it as a whole and not just an ending, I'd have to say that the book was well written and I really enjoyed the way she was able to add elements as well as change what we thought we knew about Dracula himself.
This book is also not just about vampires and myth. It also holds some very real and historic issues of women of that day. Karen Essex makes it clear that the danger Mina and her female comrades face are not with preternatural "demons" but at the very hands of mortal men, some who had promised protection. Also, I found that it also speaks a bit (although lightly) about the power that was stripped away from women in some of the old traditions and religious practices. Mina rediscovers these myths and find them alive in England, but very watered down and misunderstood. Some of the myths even used as diagnosis in the "scientific" practices of Dr. Stewart and Dr. Van Helsing. I found this part to be historically accurate as well as interesting.
All in all I do give this book 4 stars. I had to take away a star because of the ending. It just didn't make sense to me. In fact, I feel that the ending could make some people not completely enjoy the book. However, taking it as a whole and not just an ending, I'd have to say that the book was well written and I really enjoyed the way she was able to add elements as well as change what we thought we knew about Dracula himself.
I absolutely loved this new take on the old Dracula tale. It had been so long since I read the original and I didnt quite remember everything in it. But I like the way that Karen Essex put a whole new spin on the book. She too what was already a great supernatural book changed the POV and took it even more into the supernatural world.
I will admit that in the first hundred pages I was not sure that she was going to pull off a very good book. It was written very slow and not much had really happened. Mina had experience a few weird sleepwalking episode but other that there had just been background story development. It was not a bad story up to here but it was slow. So if you dont like slow beginnings I wouldnt suggest this book for you.
If however you love a great overall book this is for you. Somewhere around page 120 I started to get engrossed in the book and couldnt put it down until I found out how Mina knew the Count. If she would really marry John Harker and what was going to happen to the beautiful Lucy. While poor Lucys story is not a happy one I feel that the story as a whole had a happy ending. You are left with the upbeat hopeful need to believe that eventually all wrongs were righted.
I will admit that in the first hundred pages I was not sure that she was going to pull off a very good book. It was written very slow and not much had really happened. Mina had experience a few weird sleepwalking episode but other that there had just been background story development. It was not a bad story up to here but it was slow. So if you dont like slow beginnings I wouldnt suggest this book for you.
If however you love a great overall book this is for you. Somewhere around page 120 I started to get engrossed in the book and couldnt put it down until I found out how Mina knew the Count. If she would really marry John Harker and what was going to happen to the beautiful Lucy. While poor Lucys story is not a happy one I feel that the story as a whole had a happy ending. You are left with the upbeat hopeful need to believe that eventually all wrongs were righted.
Karen Essex did an incredible job retelling Bram Stokers Dracula. Dracula in love was told from Mina's perspective, and I loved it just as much as the original.
The first half of the novel was a lot of background information on Mina, which I found interesting. The novel really picked up for me when we got to the asylum. I was reading Dracula In Love in the middle of the night so yes, I was slightly creeped out but couldn't stop myself from turning the page. Essex did a great job with keeping the suspense. I also loved how on point Essex was with the treatment of women during that time period.
Essex brought on new twists and turns that held my interest all the way to the very end. I was honestly rooting for the count in this one, which is why I was a little saddened by the ending. I felt as if Jonathan Harker did not deserve Mina. I seriously thought Mina would have picked the Count especially after learning about their past and how strong their love for each other was.
There is also quite a few passionate sexual scenes, which fit perfectly with the atmosphere that was created in the novel. Dark,Sexy, and Captivating describes Dracula In Love down to a T. If you are looking for an overall great read you will not regret picking this novel up.
The first half of the novel was a lot of background information on Mina, which I found interesting. The novel really picked up for me when we got to the asylum. I was reading Dracula In Love in the middle of the night so yes, I was slightly creeped out but couldn't stop myself from turning the page. Essex did a great job with keeping the suspense. I also loved how on point Essex was with the treatment of women during that time period.
Essex brought on new twists and turns that held my interest all the way to the very end. I was honestly rooting for the count in this one, which is why I was a little saddened by the ending. I felt as if Jonathan Harker did not deserve Mina. I seriously thought Mina would have picked the Count especially after learning about their past and how strong their love for each other was.
There is also quite a few passionate sexual scenes, which fit perfectly with the atmosphere that was created in the novel. Dark,Sexy, and Captivating describes Dracula In Love down to a T. If you are looking for an overall great read you will not regret picking this novel up.
Truly enjoyed this read. At first I was unsure as the book seemed to be a bit slow getting started but as the story unfolded I found myself eagerly turning the pages. This tale encourages me to return to Dracula by Bram Stoker which I put down after about 100 pages because I couldn't get into it and my imagination was getting the best of me. Or, perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for it. At any rate Karen Essex explains how she came to be intrigued by Mina to wrote this tale. She found the cultural changes that were occurring during that period intriguing and probed the thoughts and actions of women reaching out to secure equality in society as well as those inhibited by their traditionally accepted roles. Good, good read!
This book takes the character Mina from Bram Stoker's Dracula and gives her side of the story. I found the book quite enjoyable. I thought the characters were well done and the scenery vivid. It was quite more than I expected. Dracula was not a monster according to Mina's version. Van Helsing & Seward were more scary than Dracula. The part of the book about the asylum had me cringing. Even though the title seems to hint of a romance novel, it's really only a little part of the book. Dracula doesn't even truly show up until much later in the book. The only part I didn't really like about the book was towards the end it got a bit confusing with all of the spiritual elements colliding together and the scene at the castle kind of ended more abruptly than I would have liked but other than that it was an enjoyable read.
