The selection this month was the novel Bloodline by Kate Cary.
plot: John Shaw, having been injured in the war, finds himself returned home to London, but the events having left him plagued with nightmares. He can no longer tell if the visions he saw of beasts and wolves on the front lines are real or just his damaged mind trying to make sense of it all? While recovering, he falls quickly in love with Mary Seward, the young daughter of Dr. Jack Seward. After having secretly read John's diary, Mary Seward has reason to believe that what John witnessed was real, and fears her best friend Lily; John's sister, has fallen pray to the very monster John talks about in his diary. Quincey Harker. Whom Mary learns is the son of her father's friends. As lies become uncovered, Mary finds herself on a race against time which takes her to the very heart of Transylvania.
This is done in the same style of the original Dracula by Bram Stoker, told from the point of view of each character's diaries and letters. Nearly all the original characters are mentioned in one way or another.
Okay, I didn't love this, but I didn't hate it. I thought the story was great up until the last chapter. For me, the ending just didn't sit right.
For me, I kept waiting for there to be more linking it to the original. I loved the little wink and nod to Renfield's cell, and the fact the heroine is the daughter of Dr. Jack Seward. His appearance was the big highlight for me. I did not care for the sub-plot of the Mina Harker/Tepes character at all. For me, it pulled away from the how the rest of the tapestry was flowing. I also wasn't at all thrilled with the Count Tepes character. He felt like he was just tossed in to fill in a blank. He is mentioned more than a few times in the last half of the novel, but when we finally get any real evidence of him, he's dispatched too easily.
Normally, I find the more common themes and what I think the story was a metaphor for; but I didn't really get a whole ton out of this other than the idea of trust. Everyone seems to be lying to each other in one way or another.
Next month's selection will be Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice. I'll be back later in the week with the official announcement for it.
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