4.5/5 stars! I LOVED this book so much! I enjoyed it much more than the first one! A lot of that probably has to do with the fact that I live for creepy, secret passage way, castle type feels and with Audrey Rose and Thomas tucked away at Bran Castle that is exactly what this story delivered. I only fell more in love with Audrey Rose and Thomas all while being sufficiently enthralled with their surroundings and the case at hand. This has become a new favorite!
“Humans were the true monsters and villains. More real than any novel or fantasy could invent.”
Goodreads Synopsis:
Bone white. Blood red. Along this path, you’ll soon be dead.
Following the horrifying revelation of Jack the Ripper’s true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth flees her home in Victorian London to enroll as the only female student in Europe’s most prestigious forensics school. But it’s impossible to find peace in the dark, unsettling Romanian castle that houses the school—and was also once home to the depraved Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Prince Dracula.
When a series of troubling deaths brings whispers of Vlad’s bloodthirsty return from the grave, Audrey Rose and her sharp-witted companion, Thomas Cresswell, must unravel the cryptic clues that will lead them to the shadowlike killer—living or dead.
My Experience:
AHHHH! So much love for this book I can hardly contain myself. I am always enraptured with folklore and the supernatural. Have been since I was a kid. So I loved reading about all the Romanian folklore surrounding Dracula, and other beings, where this book took place. Not only that but I enjoyed the historical accuracies about Vlad the Impaler and Countess Dracula. Even though Kerri takes many historical liberties (at the back of each book she writes the real facts and what she took liberties on) there was a lot of facts about these famous historical figures that I now know more about.
I did not predict who the killer was at all this time around and that is a huge plus. Someone going around trying to feed off the superstitions of the towns people believing Dracula is back from the dead made for an exciting case to follow. The creepy secret passageways kept me glued to the book. I wanted so badly to jump in the pages and be exploring them with Audrey Rose and I needed to know what she would find or what would happen.
I also loved all the characters. I couldn’t get a read on any of them and I was suspicious of mostly everyone even though I liked everyone. Oh and the diversity! Go Kerri for writing in strong gay characters in a book set in the 1800’s. And of course there was Audrey Rose again still proving she was just as good at what she was the school for as any man.
As for what I didn’t love, I thought some parts were drawn out and at times Audrey Rose’s strength seemed too forced. She’s incredibly inspiring and empowering but sometimes it’s ok to ask for help or a guy to stand up for you. She sometimes just seemed too head strong. Not really big deals at all since this book was amazing!!
I am only slightly disappointed that the next book will be set in America. I just love books set in Europe, they’re so much more magical to me. I will just have to get over it though because I can’t wait to see what Audrey Rose and Thomas are up too next. At this point I will follow these two anywhere.
Katy's Library Blog 