The mix of the horrific times and conditions that were lived in during this time period and that of vampire legends was good and interesting. I thought the author gave great descriptions of the filth, cold and dank conditions that most lived in, even the noble and royal to some degree. The book ended a little abruptly but was clear and made sense. Overall, I liked the historical part, based on a real time and person. More of a 2.5 starts really. I didn’t like this half as much as The Drowning Guard, the other book I’ve read by Linda Lafferty. As is often the case with time-slip novels, I found the historical elements much more interesting than the modern day sections. I really couldn’t warm to any of the modern day characters who didn’t seem to be particularly well-drawn and either didn't engage my interest or positively annoyed me. The story of Elisabeth Bathory had potential to be intriguing and I thought the historical detail was good but I would have liked to learn more about the Countess Elisabeth’s backstory. I think I would have enjoyed it more without the modern day sections at all which seemed to be trying to turn it into a “Da Vinci Code” type thriller with a few Bram Stoker elements thrown in.
Certainly the author can keep a reader interested. Her use of telling the story between alternating the present and past was well done as I couldn't stop reading. That said, toward the end of the book I was a little tired of it. It seemed like the end of the book was not the end of the story. Why was the countess the way she was? the author wrote about how vicious she was to her servants/slaves and didn't elaborate or even touched upon her using their blood to keep young. All in all an interesting read but i wouldn't read it again.
—crystalina
This novel is divided into two parts--the historical part which focuses on the misdeeds of the Countess of Bathory and a modern part which focuses on...well, not sure really. Where the book shines is the historical part--it is well-written, flows nicely, and is rich with historical detail that made me Google for more factual information. The modern part? Just seemed cobbled together to make the book longer--I began skipping it altogether.
—carly247582
Gothic historical fiction meets Jungian psychoanalysis. Captivating
—LyssaB
