Heart of Dracula by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
Series : Immortal Soul #1
Genre : Villain Romance
Publication Date : July 1st, 2020
Boston, 1897.
Death comes to the city heralded by a crimson moon and screams in the night. The Vampire King has come to claim the city, unless he can be stopped…
Maxine Parker has lived a solitary life. Not because she wishes to, but because she has no choice. Her empathic ability has rendered it impossible for her to touch anyone without killing them.
But as she is thrust into the middle of a war between the enigmatic and alluring Vampire King and three stalwart hunters, she learns she cannot kill what is already dead.
Available on KU!
When one of my favorite authors writes a Dracula retelling, you bet I'm going to read it(and love it)!
Heart of Dracula has a heroine who is quite different from the ones that I've previously seen in the author's books! Maxine Parker is an empath and her gift is also a curse as it sets her apart from others and makes it difficult for her to touch others. She can literally kill people with her touch(gave me Shatter Me vibes)!
And though she hasn't let her experiences change her, she's still lonely you know? In comes a group of hunters who seek her help. Dracula has come to lay claim to Boston and the vampire hunters think that she could help them in locating and defeating him. Just by seeking her out they've put her in the sights of the vampires and there's no way out for Maxine, so she agrees to help them. Little does she know that Dracula has found her now too! And how hard he'll find it to let her go!
What I loved about this book, other than the characters, was the fact that the storyline and everything is completely original! We've got elements of the original Dracula in here, but everything else is completely new and it's more like the events in Dracula took place before this one. So that was quite refreshing and I was pulled in by this vivid, new world that Kathryn Ann Kingsley had created!
Maxine was an amazing protagonist! She is a little naive and sheltered, but that doesn't make her meek or stupid. She knows when to take her stand and when to let things go. She's also very intelligent and I loved the way she viewed the world and the people around her.
“All we are, in the end, is a product of our context.” She continued to circle her fingers along the wood grooves thoughtfully. “A series of events that surround us and define us. You are what you are because of the life you have lived. Some of it was your doing, much of it was not. But it is what created you all the same.”
I loved watching her grow and become stronger in this book! The more she interacted with the hunters and Vlad, the bolder she became! She was pulled in by the possibilities that Vlad offered her( the ones that she'd never thought were possible) and at the same time she's not blind to the danger he presents. I loved the interactions between Vlad and her!
Vlad is so ancient and mysterious, but at one point you do feel sorry for him too. It won't justify all the actions and the pain that he's caused but one can't help but root for him to get the girl.
And come on, he could charm the pants off a grandma with declarations like these!
“When this world burns to dust, and the sun swallows it whole, I will have seen all of humanity come and go before me. I can control the nature of the world around me. I am expert in what is real, my darling. If you are a dream, then it is one from which I do not ever wish to be woken.”
How can one not fall in love with Kathryn Ann Kingsley's villains? Lol.
He has almost beat Aon from the top of my list. I'll have to read the next book before I make the final judgement! :P
Plus there are so many tidbits sprinkled here and there about his past and there definitely must be a reason for him to capture a city everytime! Can't wait to find out more!
*I was provided with an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Kat has always been a storyteller. With ten years in script-writing for performances on both the stage and for tourism, she has always been writing in one form or another. When she isn’t penning down fiction, she works as Creative Director for a company that designs and builds large-scale interactive adventure games. There, she is the lead concept designer, handling everything from game and set design, to audio and lighting, to illustration and script writing. Also on her list of skills are artistic direction, scenic painting and props, special effects, and electronics. A graduate of Boston University with a BFA in Theatre Design, she has a passion for unique, creative, and unconventional experiences. In her spare time, she builds animatronics and takes trapeze classes.
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