Books with Bite: The Historian

Ok so by now we really know that I'm a sucker for a good vampire book/film. Especially if that vampire's name happens to be Lestat, the lovely Brat Prince. But I digress. Anything that references Dracula is obviously going to be snatched up by me (Bloodline for one, which I genuinely enjoyed. And reviewed! *cough*) so when I found The Historian in my school library I had to read it. It has quickly become a favorite.

Plot: The plot is beyond intricate that's for sure. A hunt for Dracula seems pretty straightforward, but all the traveling and delving into history that the respective characters do makes your head spin at times. The storyline is split into three main segments and it jumps around three characters' point-of-views. One is the daughter, who finds her father's letters and begins to learn about the tragedy that befell him as he sought Dracula. The second is of the father's history professor, who began the quest long before and gave up when he realized the danger. The third, (and the majority of the book) is the tale of the father's own long quest to find the now missing professor, uncovering deadly secrets and being hunted along the way. Unfortunately, the ending is a bit anticlimactic after all of the wonderful buildup, but everything else makes up for that.

Characters: The characters have very complex, developed personalities and I never dislike any of them (A huge bonus) The only complaint I have here is that perhaps the emotions of the characters tend to be a bit muted at times. There are exceptions, but sometimes their feelings seem sort of...detached? All the same, I liked all of the characters that you were meant to. I loved the portrayal of Dracula in particular.

Setting: Well she really nailed this one. The elaborate descriptions of every place they visited took my breath away. I felt like I was actually there experiencing things firsthand, and it definitely encouraged my interest in seeing more of Europe beyond Sweden.

Romance: Yes! A book that doesn't just focus on the romance between the characters. Don't get me wrong, I love a good romance, but I'm so sick of it being the focus of every book currently written. This was a nice change. A few small scenes, nothing huge that takes away from the wonderful vampire-tracking plot. And they're all meaningful relationships! Hurray!

Additional Details: Being a bit of a history enthusiast, all of the tidbits thrown in about various cultures and the focus on Constantinople made me squeal with delight. It's ridiculously accurate and detailed when it comes to the backgrounds of the people and cities they travel to. I learned so many things about Europe that I'd never even heard of before. Also, you hear bits of history from many different points of view. You recognize the bias some of the characters have, and can understand where it comes from. Then, there are moments where the history is told plainly, no sugar-coating, but not dehumanizing Dracula himself, as some adaptations have tended to do. Yes, he was a monster, but at some point he was very human. (We're speaking fictional vampire Dracula here) Everyone always talks about Dracula the Vampire. What about Dracula the soldier? Or Dracula the child and political hostage?

Also, this is either a bonus or a warning depending on the mood you're in, but this book is huge. Huge. I'm a really fast reader, but this took me a lot longer than normal. So if you're looking for something a bit more substantial to last you, this is the book for you.

So summary. Really good book. Completely recommended. Lots of vampires. Go read!