4 stars
| This is a very adventurous and entertaining read.The only really downsides to this book are the time period in which it was written and its prevalence in modern pop culture. As to the first point, the time period makes the female characters fairly dull and nearly useless, although Mina is a pretty powerful character considering the setting. The story is very male-centric and when females do appear, it is often to be saved by the male characters.And to the second point regarding Dracula as a pop culture phenomenon, it is difficult to get through the first chunk of the book since all of the creepy, mysterious happenings all boil down to the fact that (spoiler alert!) Dracula is a vampire. Since most people know this without having read the book or seen any of the various film adaptations, the beginning of the book feels a little slow and lackluster. Regardless, this is a great book, despite its understandable flaws. The writing is well-done and the various perspectives add an interesting layer to an already interesting story. A timeless tale that will surely delight any vampire fan. |