Customer Reviews

Vlad

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This novel is based on the history of the REAL Vlad Dracula, Prince of Walachia, who lived during the 1400's. The author added her own fictional characters, Nicolae of Cozia and Maria, so this story is a work of fiction. However, most of the other characters were real.

As the reviewer of my own web site, I took the liberty of placing this title under "Horror" instead of "Fiction" due to all the awful acts described in the book. Many impalings, massacres, acts of torture, etc. are revealed within these pages, all of which really happened in history. Yes, it is actually documented that Vlad would drink the blood of some of his victims, but NOT as Bram Stoker's vampire did. The truth can be found within the pages of this awesome novel.

** Author melodie Romeo did much historical research while creating this book. She more than earned the five stars I have rated it, not only for the research, but also for the well crafted story. I highly recommend it to all. **

Reviewed by Detra Fitch.

"Vlad" by Melanie Romeo promised to be a great read but sadly, didn't quite deliver. I suppose its not bad for a first novel, however there were some problems. For a work of historical fiction there were several anachronisms that in my opinion an author who is a history major could have avoided. For example, in one place, a character talking with the Impaler exclaims "But. . ." and Romeo has Dracula interupt with "Butts are for sitting." Another example is when the characters shop at a boutique and drink tea instead of wine or ale. A third is when she has the main charcters discussing the fact that Vlad requires marriage licenses of all married couples-an obvious anachronism, since, as far as I know, marriages were considered a sacrament of the Church, not under the jurisdiction of the secular authorities, hence marriage licenses wouldn't have been issued (and most people couldn't have read them even if they'd had them. Besides, who carries their marriage license with them on their person, anyway?). And then Vlad's government has ministers of trade, and he comments that he's trying to centralise his government to make it more efficient-an interpretation of Vlad favored by Romanian Communist propagandists. Perhaps these are minor anachronisms, but they're enough to distract a purist like myself. Romeo just didn't seem comfortable enough with writing in a medieval setting.

Romeo portrays Vlad as being almost prudish in requiring that couples be lawfully married with proof of marriage (hence the marriage licenses). Consequently, she has the main characters terrified that if the hero is seen leaving the heroine's house early in the morning Vlad's informants will automatically assume they're committing adultery and turn them in.

The author is obviously familiar with the history of Vlad and has studied a bit of Romanian, however the way Romeo uses the Romanian terms seems forced, rather than natural, as if she's using them to prove to you that she can. To me she didn't seem comfortable with the terms. It felt like she almost over-used them. She was no doubt attempting to capture the flavor of medieval Romania but it came off as kind of stilted.

I did like the way she used actual quotations from the pamphlets written by Dracula's detractors chronicling his atrocities as chapter headings.

All-in-all an okay first novel, but for someone who likes a bit more polish and historical detail, somewhat disappointing.

History meets horror in this real-life story of Prince Vlad Tepes (Dracula). The fast-paced writing style and engaging characters take us through a web of deceiption, intrigue, and gruesome reality as the novel's heroes try to end the bloody reign of the Impaler Prince once and for all. Action and suspense with a cast of strong characters kept me turning page after page, but my favorite part was the romance. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, I got another surprise at the end. Intentionally, I suppose, it was often difficult to separate the history part from the fiction part. Although death lurks around every corner, the scariest part for me was that most of this story actually happened - that Vlad Dracula really lived in the 15th century and killed all those people, a brutality unequaled until Adolf Hitler. I strongly recommend this book.

If you like real terrible historic characters, introduced to a fictual account, you will love this. Dracula was a complex individual, not nice, but still interesting.

Sadly disapointed. This novel is a weak attempt to capture an interesting time. The title leads you to believe that the main character is Vlad III, but he is only a minor villan in a tepid romance. She skips crucial events that might make Vlad more sypathetic, while still inserting angsty bits about the death of his family members, just to confuse the reader. The dialogue is stilted and very false, considering the era, and the writer pays too much attention to the historical accuracy of the character's clothing, as if to make up for this. Badly researched overall, it's nearly as painful as the impalements she describes. I would suggest Augustyn's Vlad Dracula: Dragon Prince over this drivel any day.