The Historian (book review)

This book was for the RIP III Challenge and the Chunkster Challenge.

The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova, is actually three stories intertwining to form a complex and fascinating novel. The first story is told from the point of view of a sixteen-year-old girl who is brought up by her father, a historian, and how, when he suddenly disappears, she sets out on a quest to find him...and find out more about the mysterious man/vampire called Vlad Dracula.

The second story is the tale of the girl's father, Paul. Orally and through letters, he tells her how, one night, he received a strange blank book with a woodcut of a dragon holding a flag with one word...Drakulya. He soon discovered that the word meant dragon, and how this related to Vlad the Impaler, the true Dracula, who had belonged to an elite organization called the Order of the Dragon, from his companion Professor Rossi. When Rossi disappeared under mysterious circumstances, Paul had evidence that led him to believe that he had actually been kidnapped by Vlad Dracula himself. Being a vampire, Dracula was still alive...and he had Rossi in his grasp. Paul was determined to get Rossi back, even if it meant facing Dracula himself. Joining him on his quest was a young Hungarian anthropologist named Helen. Together they trailed Dracula to Istanbul, Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria. Eventually they found Rossi, who had his own story to tell.

Rossi's story was one of love and pain. He had fallen in love with a young Hungarian girl, but had found himself separated from her during his own quest to find Dracula. Eventually Rossi had settled down, but he had never forgotten the elusive vampire, and then he found himself stolen away to Dracula's secret crypt...

Now, on one moonlit night, all the stories come together in the climax. Dracula will come face to face with those who have tried so hard to stop him. Who will triumph in the end?

There is SO MUCH MORE involved in the story than this, but I don't want to give away too much!

This book was phenomenal. It was packed full of horror, ancient lore, culture, romance...anything you'd want in a classic vampire story! Any fans of Gothic literature CAN'T miss this book!

I give this book a 5 out of 5. It was great!!!

Coraline (book review)

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, is certainly a special book. But my copy is even more special than most--it was signed by the author! Jean stood four hours in the pouring rain to get this book signed for me! You can read the story here. P.S.--I've read this story before, but I HAD to read it again after Jean did this for me!

Anyway, Coraline is the story of a young girl who is bored with the world around her. She has explored every inch of her flat and the surrounding area...or so she thinks. Then, on a rainy day, she finds an old, locked door. When her mother opens it with a strange black key, Coraline and her mother find that it leads to nothing. But one day, when her parents are out, Coraline steals the key and unlocks the door herself. The bricks are gone. Instead there is a dark, musty hallway that leads to a flat that seems similar to hers...until she sees the copies of her parents who inhabit the place. They are tall and pale, with buttons where their eyes should be. They embrace Coraline as their own daughter, and offer her anything she wants. But Coraline soon finds out that this world isn't perfect...the other parents want to sew buttons into her eyes, too!

After this disturbing discovery, Coraline hurries back to her own world, only to find that her parents have disappeared. The police don't believe her story about the world beyond the door, and Coraline finds herself on her own...except for a strange companion, a talking black cat. She doesn't know where her parents are, but she has a hunch. Perhaps the other parents stole her real parents to lure her back. Coraline has no choice but to return to the other flat. When she arrives there, things have changed a great deal. Coraline can now see the "people" who she used to think bore even a slight resemblance to her neighbors and parents, and they are horrible gruesome, maimed creatures who aren't so friendly to her now that she knows their true nature. And the ghosts of three dead children soon warn her that the other mother will suck her soul out if she doesn't hurry and find her parents. Moved by their speech, Coraline sets out on a quest not only to find her parents, but also to find the children's souls. The search for the souls is dangerous enough, but it all leads up to the final question...can Coraline find her parents and destroy the other mother's evil for good?

Haiku Book Review

Do you want to check out a fun contest? Head over to Fyrefly's Book Blog. To enter, you have to write a haiku review of a book that you have read recently.

Here is mine:

Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle

Two feline lovers
Ghostly girl with a dark past
Left me wanting more

The Seer of Shadows (book review)

The Seer of Shadows is yet another book by the renowned author Avi. It takes place in post-Civil War New York, where fourteen-year-old Horace Carpentine works as an apprentice to a lazy photographer by the name of Enoch Middleditch. When Middleditch comes up with the idea to make a "spirit photograph" for his latest customer, a wealthy lady named Mrs. Von Macht who has just lost her daughter, Horace reluctantly agrees. But when he befriends their servant, Pegg, she tells him a tale of deceit and horror that he won't forget. The Von Machts are hiding a dark secret about their "daughter", a girl named Eleanora. And Horace soon discovers that as a "seer of shadows" he can spy the ghost of Eleanora hovering about. She wants revenge, and she won't stop at anything to get it.

This book went very fast. It was perhaps the best of Avi's books that I have ever read! Unlike most ghost stories, where friendly people turn into friendly ghosts, kindly Eleanora has turned into a wicked spirit intent on murder. This book was genuinely spooky, and fans of this genre will eat it up!

Thank you, Carl, for such a wonderful book! I had a hard time saving it for RIP, but I'm glad I did because it was the perfect read for the season!

Triskellion (book review)

Triskellion, the first in a brand-new trilogy by Will Peterson, is the story of two twins, Adam and Rachel. They are heading to the picturesque English village of Triskellion for their vacation, and they find it an unsettling place. Deep, dark forests, unfriendly hermits, and hostile punks don't do anything to improve the mood. But Rachel, Adam, and their new friend Gabriel know the villagers are hiding something, and despite all the danger, they want to find out what it is. The mysterious three-bladed symbol of Triskellion will take them on an adventure that no one in the village will ever forget.

This was a perfect archaeological adventure with a bit of a paranormal twist to it. The mystery was complex and fascinating, and will give fans of the genre a lot to ponder over. The author wrote in such a fashion that one could almost believe that his story was really happening! Mystery-lovers will adore this book, as will fans of creepy stories. I am eagerly awaiting the second installment of the series.

R.I.P. III Reading Challenge

I am so excited that this challenge has started. I've been waiting for it forever! Thank you, thank you, thank you Carl, for hosting this great challenge!



I plan on doing Peril the First. Here's my book pool:

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

Dracula by Bram Stroker

The Hand of the Devil by Dean Vincent Carter

Carrie by Stephen King

The Seer of Shadows by Avi

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

Triskellion by Will Peterson

The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgewick

Burning Issy by Melvin Burgess

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman