Review by: Madeline Hobbs

You may be sitting there thinking, “A vampire book, seriously? Not my cup of tea.” I felt exactly the same way… until I read this. This prequel to Dracula, the classic which defined the horror genre, reveals not only the origin story of the renowned author Bram Stoker, but of Dracula too, a being Stoker believed was all too real.

Let me convince you to love it just as much as I did with the following review!

Synopsis: Dracul reimagines the origins of Dracula by plunging readers into the secret childhood of Bram Stoker, and the monstrous truth behind the woman who raised him. Told through diaries, letters, and witness accounts, the novel opens with a young Bram, sickly and frail, who miraculously recovers under the eerie care of his mysterious nanny, Nanna Ellen. But when Ellen suddenly disappears, strange deaths ripple through the town, and Bram becomes convinced she isn’t just human… and may not be gone for good.

As Bram grows older, he and his fiercely determined sister Matilda are forced to confront the impossible: creatures that stalk the dark, a conspiracy of silence, and a terror so ancient it predates their family. What begins as a search for answers spirals into a fight for survival against an enemy who can’t be killed by ordinary means.

Atmospheric, chilling, and brilliantly crafted, Dracul delivers a “true story” prequel that blurs the line between history and horror, inviting readers to wonder whether Bram Stoker wrote Dracula… or survived it.

TW: Themes of childhood illness, bloodletting, abuse, murder, stalking, and violence are present throughout.

Plot Twists: ****/*****

Sexual Content: */*****

Profanity: */*****

Character Development: *****/*****

Political Agenda: */*****

Overall Rating: *****/*****

My Thoughts: Dracul is one of my favorite books of all time, and no one is more surprised by that than I am. Before reading Dracula, I steered pretty well clear of the horror genre. But after loving that classic, I knew I had to read Dracul when I found out about it.

This story is criminally underrated and literally had me questioning my stances on the existence of vampires. What many people don’t know about Bram Stoker is that he originally presented the story of Dracula to publishers as a non-fiction title, only for his publishers to turn it down as too unbelievable, forcing him to label it as fiction. This is the story of why he believed that.

One thing I loved about this book was the sibling dynamics between Bram and Matilda. It really speaks volumes concerning sibling dynamics, and the bond you have with the only people who are genuinely with you your entire life.

Don’t read this title too close to bedtime… or do, if that’s your thing. Although I will warn you, once you start this book, it will be hard to stop.