Breathtaking detailed blend of historical fact and fiction

I love the novel and so had to give the full unabridged audiobook a listen. Slightly unfair comments about the voice actors, the reading is understated yet adds a little colour to proceedings. It is long, and at times thick with dense tracts about historical documents retellingthe journeys of monks through the ottoman empire etc, and at times it does start to become a bit of a slog. The story itself is interesting and well told, and the scares are kept infrequent but dramatic, with the overarching sensation of a darkness settling above the protagonists. I love the book, but it's not for everyone. Given the recording length it's certainly a way to get more listening for your book on a monthly sub, Truly mixed feelings, the author has come up with an undoubted masterpiece, a fantastic and well researched historical novel about Dracula. Worth a go if this is your thing, but not a casual listen.

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Annoying accents from narrator.

Did not finish this despite enjoying the story. The narrator does the same annoying accent for all the foreign characters regardless of their nationality. I’d rather he just didn’t attempt any accent. The female narrator also put me off. I’m going to read the book myself instead.

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1 person found this helpful

An excellent re-imagining if the Dracula myth

A wonderful period adventure \mystery that mixes the Dracula legend beautifully with the history of Vlad Tepes. Well worth a listen

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beautifully written

a long but thoroughly immersive listen. some beautifully described locations with plenty of suspense and a love story too.

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Read it!

An astonashing book, with a language and story that capture you so you don’t want to put it down or to end. Hope for a sequel. Just loved it.

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Strong story that was suddenly rushed.

First of all I’d like to say I thought the narrators did a great job. As someone with hearing issues I felt the bright, clear voices were great for understanding but did not detract from the story itself.

The story however, left a little to be desired. I won’t spoil anything but I cannot deny that 79 chapters of build up felt somewhat wasted when everything met a conclusion so suddenly. I do like how the author writes though and will definitely try some more of their work. I just feel like with this, emotional connections to characters weren’t honoured by abrupt endings.

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It gave me the horrors

5am it's dark and I didn't want to turn over, I don't think there's anything there... Suspense and pace throughout the Italian, Dutch Professor and daughters narrative.

Satisfied with the ending, of course an undead Dracula, Vlad (insert name) should be a possibility...

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Vampiric Treat

Absolutely loved this story, The mix of real history and place names intermingled with a modern take on Prince Vlad Dracul.
I enjoyed every minute.

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Brilliant, but...

This is one of my favourite audio books. I read the physical book years ago and have reread it several times since. When it popped up in Audible it was a no brained to give it a listen.
I don't usually go for horror stories but this is so much more. Part historical fiction, part travel and part thriller, it is a wonderful yarn.
My one reservation is the reading. To be more exact half of the reading. The gentleman reader is engaging, sympathetic to the nuances of the story, and generally enjoyable to listen to. unfortunately I find the lady reader to be lacking in emotional involvement with the story. There are many mispronunciations which I found grating
Once you get in to the meat of the story the male reader has the lion's share of the reading and it becomes much more enjoyable.
I still recommend it totally as it is a great, epic and unpredictable gothic tale which I have thoroughly enjoyed yet again.

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2 people found this helpful

Superb writing, story, narration. A great listen.

So very enjoyable, thought provoking, well written and well researched. A great travelogue. And powerful homage to Bram Stoker's Dracula.

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1 person found this helpful