Dracul by Dacre Stoker & J. D. Barker

Title: Dracul

Author: Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker

Page Count: 512

Rating: A

Format Read: Kindle

Genre: Fiction, Horror

Keywords: Vampires, Family, Dracula

Kid Appropriate: Teens and older

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

My review:

I eyeballed this book for a couple of years, debating whether or not I wanted to read it. I love vampire stories but my relationship with the original Dracula by Bram Stoker is iffy and made me yawn more than anything. One day Amazon recommended this book to me again, except something major had changed. The Kindle edition was only $4.99. So obviously I downloaded it immediately and got to reading.

We start with a young, sickly Bram Stoker as he lives with his family and their nanny. Already there is something mysterious about Nana Ellen and a creepy atmosphere is developed. The suspenseful creepiness and sense of adventure do not wane throughout this book as we go from one point to the next, the Stoker family fighting to get to the bottom of a mystery that has haunted them since childhood. Often the book reflected moments and scenes that I remember from reading Dracula and it would be a fun book to read either before or after the classic novel. It even inspired me to revisit the original despite my less than enthusiastic reading experience with it 15 years ago.

Stoker and Barker created a richly atmospheric novel that will appeal to fans of gothic horror. Every setting enhances the drama of the story as much as the characters endear the reader to their struggles. A common critique I find with horror books is that the pacing can lag and create an anticlimactic reading experience. I could not say that about this novel. Each night I found myself staying up later and later needing to know what happened next. Honestly, I genuinely loved this book and did not want it to end.

If you want to check out the kindle edition for $4.99 click here. I definitely recommend this one.