Review: Dracula

In honor of the annual Dracula Daily Day, I thought I’d write my first review on one of my favorite novels! I know I’m a day late, but posting while Jonathan’s paprika hendl is still hot!

Rating: ★★★★★

I loved this novel so much more than I thought I would going into it. Ironically, I don’t think it holds up particularly well as horror (in the modern sense), but more as a heroic adventure; of which, this is one of the best I’ve read!

The thematic good-vs-evil struggle is very classic, but executed with such genuine ernesty that it made a huge impact. I love the cast of characters, each with their own unique brand of chivalry, bravery, and so-very-human goodness. Quincy was my personal favorite, but I always love a cowboy.

From the structure to the characters to the themes, every part of this felt like a quintessential classic novel. And yet each element was so charming and heartfelt that it stood on its own and resonated very truly.

Recommendations

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly: I know this is probably the most predictable recommendation, but these two books pair together far beyond the superficial “universal monsters” connection! Their structures are very similar (Dracula being told as a series of letters, Frankenstein as a series of recursive stories). The main difference between these two books, in my opinion, is that, while Dracula is ultimately a hopeful, heroic tale, Frankenstein is a good deal darker in tone, with a bleaker outlook on humanity. Still, though, who doesn’t like a melancholic, can’t-help-but-make-everything-worse protagonist? And who doesn’t like TWO?

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater: Okay, hear me out. While a very different genre than Dracula, I actually found a lot of similarities in these two books. They both follow groups of unlikely friends, who unite together in supernatural circumstances, and investigate chivalry and heroism in its varying forms.