Scan barcode
bookwormcp8's review
4.0
An intriguing and enjoyable read in many ways. Set as a sequel to Bram Stoker's Dracula, the book follows those surviving the events of Stoker's seminal work in a new, rising darkness. Told very much in Stoker's style through excepts of letters, telegrams and diary entries, I was fascinated how a story could evolve over such a patchwork of "source material". The read was ultimately a bit disappointing for me, but it was still a very good read, especially as the spooky season creeps up around the corner. If you're a fan of Stoker's original work, this is a must to enjoy.
More at my blog: https://tinyurl.com/43u6vscu.
More at my blog: https://tinyurl.com/43u6vscu.
katepacity's review
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
While I think the way it was written interesting, I felt the characters lacked depth in certain cases and suddenly they would just exit the story. I also found the end to be a bit cheap and cringey.
jodielk93's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
k3nzi3's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
the_reading_vampire's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Started out strong, but the ending was pretty weak. The plot progressed through a lot of coincidences and vague, ill-defined visions, characters acted illogically (like getting out of a car without stakes when you know there are vampires everywhere). Dracula was extremely overpowered, to a point where he was almost god-like (yet many of these powers didn't really have a foundation in the original novel). With this in mind, it was even weirder that he was so easily defeated in the finale (by which I was also very disappointed because Mina, the most prominent female character of the book, was almost entirely written out of it). So yeah, the beginning was promising, but it just ended up being kinda meh. (Also not the novel being literally called Dracula's Child, yet the child is only a minor character ðŸ˜).
mollyworkman1's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
draumstafur's review
2.0
DNF at 35%. I don't understand the hype. I dislike the format of alternating accounts through letters, diaries etc, it broke the immersion & suspense for me. After 125 pages of forcing myself to read and feeling bored instead of entranced by the plot, I decided to spare my eyes and time and quit.
silver_grell's review
4.0
Description
Evil never truly dies...and some legends live forever. The dark heart of Bram Stoker's classic is reborn; capturing the voice, tone, style and characters of the original yet with a modern sensibility this novel is perfect for fans of Dracula and contemporary horror.
"Inventive and spooky" Mark Gatiss, co-creator of the hit BBC series Dracula and Sherlock
It has been some years since Jonathan and Mina Harker survived their ordeal in Transylvania and, vanquishing Count Dracula, returned to England to try and live ordinary lives.
But shadows linger long in this world of blood feud and superstition - and, the older their son Quincey gets, the deeper the shadows that lengthen at the heart of the Harkers' marriage. Jonathan has turned back to drink; Mina finds herself isolated inside the confines of her own family; Quincey himself struggles to live up to a family of such high renown.
And when a gathering of old friends leads to unexpected tragedy, the very particular wounds in the heart of the Harkers' marriage are about to be exposed...
There is darkness both within the marriage and without - for new evil is arising on the Continent. A naturalist is bringing a new species of bat back to London; two English gentlemen, on their separate tours of the Continent, find a strange quixotic love for each other, and stumble into a calamity far worse than either has imagined; and the vestiges of something forgotten long ago is finally beginning to stir...
I am a huge fan of the original ‘Dracula’ and have read a number of works that have sought to expand on or continue the story. I was very impressed by ‘Dracula’s Child’ and applaud J.S. Barnes for his faithfulness to the ambience of the original ‘Dracula’.
While occasionally the language does slip, many other elements of the novel do feel authentic to the late 19th/early 20th century. There are scenes which feel very reminiscent of classic Gothic and early vampire novels without ever feeling particularly cliché. Even the aspects of vampire fiction which have been popularized by Dracula don’t really make an appearance in this novel and I didn’t mind. It was refreshing in a way.
One of the things i would like to stay before you decided to put it down is the slow start had be thinking about it also but it does pick up in such an amazing way and i am happy that i decided to keep going, Now a day's we are all kind of fast pacing ourselves through books but we should take the time and enjoy the ride if not that's when we end up missing s things like Dracula's Child.
Evil never truly dies...and some legends live forever. The dark heart of Bram Stoker's classic is reborn; capturing the voice, tone, style and characters of the original yet with a modern sensibility this novel is perfect for fans of Dracula and contemporary horror.
"Inventive and spooky" Mark Gatiss, co-creator of the hit BBC series Dracula and Sherlock
It has been some years since Jonathan and Mina Harker survived their ordeal in Transylvania and, vanquishing Count Dracula, returned to England to try and live ordinary lives.
But shadows linger long in this world of blood feud and superstition - and, the older their son Quincey gets, the deeper the shadows that lengthen at the heart of the Harkers' marriage. Jonathan has turned back to drink; Mina finds herself isolated inside the confines of her own family; Quincey himself struggles to live up to a family of such high renown.
And when a gathering of old friends leads to unexpected tragedy, the very particular wounds in the heart of the Harkers' marriage are about to be exposed...
There is darkness both within the marriage and without - for new evil is arising on the Continent. A naturalist is bringing a new species of bat back to London; two English gentlemen, on their separate tours of the Continent, find a strange quixotic love for each other, and stumble into a calamity far worse than either has imagined; and the vestiges of something forgotten long ago is finally beginning to stir...
I am a huge fan of the original ‘Dracula’ and have read a number of works that have sought to expand on or continue the story. I was very impressed by ‘Dracula’s Child’ and applaud J.S. Barnes for his faithfulness to the ambience of the original ‘Dracula’.
While occasionally the language does slip, many other elements of the novel do feel authentic to the late 19th/early 20th century. There are scenes which feel very reminiscent of classic Gothic and early vampire novels without ever feeling particularly cliché. Even the aspects of vampire fiction which have been popularized by Dracula don’t really make an appearance in this novel and I didn’t mind. It was refreshing in a way.
One of the things i would like to stay before you decided to put it down is the slow start had be thinking about it also but it does pick up in such an amazing way and i am happy that i decided to keep going, Now a day's we are all kind of fast pacing ourselves through books but we should take the time and enjoy the ride if not that's when we end up missing s things like Dracula's Child.