Dracula’s Child Review

Dracula is running for office. Let’s talk about it. Here’s my review for Dracula’s Child.

Synopsis

It has been some years since Jonathan and Mina Harker survived their ordeal in Transylvania and, vanquishing Count Dracula, returned to England to try and live ordinary lives.

But shadows linger long in this world of blood feud and superstition – and, the older their son Quincey gets, the deeper the shadows that lengthen at the heart of the Harkers’ marriage. Jonathan has turned back to drink; Mina finds herself isolated inside the confines of her own family; Quincey himself struggles to live up to a family of such high renown.

And when a gathering of old friends leads to unexpected tragedy, the very particular wounds in the heart of the Harkers’ marriage are about to be exposed…

There is darkness both within the marriage and without – for new evil is arising on the Continent. A naturalist is bringing a new species of bat back to London; two English gentlemen, on their separate tours of the Continent, find a strange quixotic love for each other, and stumble into a calamity far worse than either has imagined; and the vestiges of something forgotten long ago is finally beginning to stir…

My Thoughts on Dracula’s Child

A few years after the events in Transylvania, Dracula is back and he has his eyes set on London and revenge. I believe this was a good place to start with this retelling. There was a lulled sense of peace, but the atmosphere still wasn’t exactly right.

My favorite part of this retelling was the fact that the author kept the epistolary format. I just think that helped to create a flow that is quite similar to Dracula’s. However, I do think it was a touch too slow. There were parts that just didn’t feel completely necessary and could have been tightened up in editing.

Once the story got on its feet, I was quite shocked by how political this supernatural story was. I didn’t hate that and I think it was an interesting twist. The Count was a political figure in Transylvania so to me it seems completely in character that he would try to manipulate politics in London as well. And even with the inclusion of the political machinations, it still firmly lives in horror territory. While it’s not an edge of your seat type read it does have its gory parts for sure.

And obviously, it’s in the title so there is a child involved in the story. I don’t want to go too far into the details and spoil it, but it’s pretty obvious when you get into it. I enjoyed the way that played out and I think it was quite creative.

Overall, this is a decent retelling. It didn’t knock my socks off by any means, but I did enjoy most of my time with it. If you’re a fan of Dracula and retellings you might want to add this one to your list.

My Rating: 3/5