Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed Dracula, My Love: The Secret Journals of Mina Harker on + 2527 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I got a copy of this book through Librarything's Early Reviewer program. I love the original story of Dracula but always wished that the women characters were more filled out. This book does a great job of doing that in a believable way and paints Dracula into a more complex character than he was originally portrayed as.
The whole book is told through the viewpoint of Mina Parker. Through her eyes we see Lucy's decline, hear of Jonathan's troubles in Transalvania, etc. The story line closely follows the original Dracula storyline but the interactions between Mina and Dracula are more filled out. You also see more of Mina's relationship with her husband Jonathan. This definitely comes off as more of a romance than the original Dracula, but mostly it is a Victorian fantasy of sorts.
I thought the book was well done. The language and writing style mostly stays true to the original Dracula, and the original Dracula storyline is basically followed (if embellished on quite a bit). Mina Harker is a wonderful complex character: she is dutiful, yet independent, she loves her husband, yet is drawn to Dracula. She is a character that is easy to love and empathize with, she is even admirable at points.
The characters of Jonathan and Dracula are also filled out nicely. Neither of the male leads is completely good or completely evil. Jonathan can be overly restrictive and traditional towards Mina; which suffocates her at times...yet he is also a loving husband. Dracula is more accepting and encouraging of Mina's non-traditional behavior (wanting to work outside the home and be educated) but is selfish when it comes to what he wants.
This book ends up being less about the mystery behind Dracula and more about Mina's struggle to decide between two men who truly love her but each have faults of their own. That being said there is still some mystery and urgency throughout this book. The book would have been more engaging and unpredictable if I had not already known the story of Dracula so well.
Overall the book is well done and a must read for Dracula fans, especially Dracula fans who have always wanted the role of the female characters in Dracula expanded. This take on Dracula is definitely more of a romance than a horror, although not annoyingly so, and it is aimed towards a female audience. Some of the steamy scenes in the book get pretty explicit so I would recommend for an adult audience. I enjoyed this book and would definitely consider reading other of James' books in the future.
The whole book is told through the viewpoint of Mina Parker. Through her eyes we see Lucy's decline, hear of Jonathan's troubles in Transalvania, etc. The story line closely follows the original Dracula storyline but the interactions between Mina and Dracula are more filled out. You also see more of Mina's relationship with her husband Jonathan. This definitely comes off as more of a romance than the original Dracula, but mostly it is a Victorian fantasy of sorts.
I thought the book was well done. The language and writing style mostly stays true to the original Dracula, and the original Dracula storyline is basically followed (if embellished on quite a bit). Mina Harker is a wonderful complex character: she is dutiful, yet independent, she loves her husband, yet is drawn to Dracula. She is a character that is easy to love and empathize with, she is even admirable at points.
The characters of Jonathan and Dracula are also filled out nicely. Neither of the male leads is completely good or completely evil. Jonathan can be overly restrictive and traditional towards Mina; which suffocates her at times...yet he is also a loving husband. Dracula is more accepting and encouraging of Mina's non-traditional behavior (wanting to work outside the home and be educated) but is selfish when it comes to what he wants.
This book ends up being less about the mystery behind Dracula and more about Mina's struggle to decide between two men who truly love her but each have faults of their own. That being said there is still some mystery and urgency throughout this book. The book would have been more engaging and unpredictable if I had not already known the story of Dracula so well.
Overall the book is well done and a must read for Dracula fans, especially Dracula fans who have always wanted the role of the female characters in Dracula expanded. This take on Dracula is definitely more of a romance than a horror, although not annoyingly so, and it is aimed towards a female audience. Some of the steamy scenes in the book get pretty explicit so I would recommend for an adult audience. I enjoyed this book and would definitely consider reading other of James' books in the future.
SJ C. (live2readforever) reviewed Dracula, My Love: The Secret Journals of Mina Harker on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Finally a text told from Minas perspective! I thought it followed the original story line very well and further fleshed out the characters.
This is a great read along with Dracula, The Undead by Dacre Stoker & Ian Holt.
This is a great read along with Dracula, The Undead by Dacre Stoker & Ian Holt.
Jennifer H. (editorjen) reviewed Dracula, My Love: The Secret Journals of Mina Harker on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A guilty pleasure? Sure. It's unabashedly romantic, in a way that old Bram probably would have found inappropriate, but it fills in the gaps in the classic story better than any "sequel" or knock off of the original I've read (and believe me, I've read them all). With a title like that I worried I was going to get total Mary Sue fanfic, but this novel stands on its own right as a Serious Book. While Stoker's portrayal of Mina was remarkable in its time for showing a woman as an equal of the men of her era, James takes the story into the 21st century, showing a side of Mina that makes her, psychologically, a woman of our own time.
Helpful Score: 1
If you enjoy Dracula, History of vampire or a good love story; you will find this book more than enjoyable. Seeing how the story unfolds from Mina's point of view gives a stronger, fuller, more indepth side of the Dracula tale. Mina's narration is easier to follow than John Haker and gives the reader the female voice that this story is missing.
