The Historian

The Historian dives into the world of the most well known vampire: Vlad Dracula.

In the story, many people have died when they've started to research the true Dracula (Vlad Tepes) and his actual resting place. "A young woman"/"the narrator" finds a mysterious book in her father's library with an ornate wood carving in the center of the book. What is this book, why is Drakuya written it it. Every question she has more mysterious things happen, even the death of her cat as a warning to stop looking. Mysterious figures and strange stories from her father keep her investigating even though her cat isn't the only one killed.

Kostova did a great job in researching the affairs that correlate here. Knowing a lot about Vlad Dracula and Bram Stoker as well as the places "the narrator" visits wither her father. Way to do your research!

However, I didn't finish the book. It was sooooo slow. Her father is so scared of his shadow and can only tell his story behind the book that it takes the girl months go get anything. They travel all around Europe and only get snippets of the story. It is so stock full of description and travel (unless they are eating) that it is hard to get to the actual context of the book. It also jumps from letters, to her father's stories, to her own "adventures" that it is hard to follow in parts. There were parts were she met with another girl who was reading Bram Stokers Dracula, the chapter jumps to letters and what I thought was her own adventures, but then it jumped back to her sitting at the charol in the library across from the girl again. I was so confused. It jumped so badly and went so slowly...

Also, why doesn't she have a name? It's not that hard to give characters names and use them.

It is a large book with nearly 700 pages but I could only get through 115 or so (with Hadi Girl somewhere in the middle). It was kind of depressing and dark (large portions of the story taking place at night, in dark libraries, etc. as well as people getting killed mysteriously) and I've sooo not been in the mood for that. It seemed to actually make my mood worse. So I'm stopping and probably won't pick it up again.

If it was written differently, more engaging, less jumpy, I probably would read on because the idea was interesting, but I don't want to read a 700 page book on how to research the undead and the murder warnings that happen.

If you don't mind slow reading or are super into descriptions, this book is for you. Not for me. Good luck.