Kerri Maniscalco: Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2)
In the second book of Stalking Jack the Ripper series we accompany seventeen-year-old forensic students, Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell to an elite forensics academy located in the famous Bran Castle in Romania. The setting itself is enough to give one chills, but when both students and residents of a nearby village are murdered in most curious manners, Audrey Rose and Thomas have to discover the murderer before it is too late, especially as it appears that the murders are somehow connected with Thomas.
In this New York Times bestselling sequel to Kerri Maniscalco's haunting #1 debut Stalking Jack the Ripper, bizarre murders are discovered in the castle of Prince Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Dracula. Could it be a copycat killer...or has the depraved prince been brought back to life?Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe's best schools of forensic medicine...and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.But her life's dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school's forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again.
September 18th can't come fast enough (even though school starts in September and I'll probably regret ever uttering that sentence (and I did XD)). But literally, this series is amazing and I can't wait to read the next book.
Like the first book, this book was packed with action from start to finish. There is no part of the book in which you are bored or nothing is happening, but that doesn't make it overwhelming, just the opposite—the pacing felt just right. It, along with Maniscalco's wonderful writing style, made me not want to put the book down. If I had had enough time, I think I could've read this one in one go as well.
In adition to old, victorianesque English, this book featured some phrases in Romanian, which contributed to overall feeling of the book being set in Romania. Incorporating foreign phrases into a novel can be a little tricky, but here it was very well done and the words flowed naturally. It was also fun for me to read these phrases, as, although my native language is Slavic in origin, my country is relatively close to Romania and therefore there are some similiar words or phrases which made me smile every time I happened upon them.
Both the new and the old characters were wonderfully written. I liked how even characters not that significant to the main murder plot were given a chance; they were more than just background faces. Both Audrey Rose and Thomas were more deeply explored and we found out more about Thomas's past and lineage. He was also an absolute sweetheart and I think I'm even more in love with him! ♥ His and Audrey Rose's relationship deepened, and if you ship them at least as half as I do, I can promise you will fangirl your life out (I think I just made up that phrase but nvm xD) at the last chapter. I love how he respects her as his equal and how they are best friends first, lovers second.
"True, I want your father's approval. But I want you permission. No one else's. This can't work any other way. You are not mine to take. (...) You are yours to give." (mind that this is set in late 19th century and that behavior such as this was considered nearly scandalous back then, as it was customary for men to have a main role in a woman’s life and women were rarely asked about their own opinion and preferences)
We also got to meet Thomas's sister Daciana, who turned out to be a really interesting character and I hope to see more of her in the future.
Of course, not all is fun and games. In fact, there is a rather serious topic stretching throughout this novel- PTSD. Audrey Rose suffers from the aftermath of her brother's death and all the horrid murders that happened just weeks prior, which results in her doubting herself and her ability to do forensics, experiencing hallucinations and eventually pushing Thomas away from herself for a short time (I know he kinda messed up there but I still felt so sorry for him, my poor baby :() But even through all that, she still thinks of Thomas's feelings, which speaks volumes about her character: "Hearts were beautifully fierce yet fragile things. And I did not wish to break Thomas's." I was really glad that by the end of the book she more-or-less managed to find peace, with the help of Thomas and her other friends.
"You've stared Fear in its nasty face and made it tremble. You will make it through this, Wadsworth. We will make it through this"
*MAJOR spoiler in the following paragraph!*
The mystery in this book was just as... well, mysterious (XD) as in the previous book, but I liked it much better how it was solved in this one. Somehow, everything was much more connected and the thing with the Royal House of Basarab and Countess Báthory added a nice touch to everything. I never would've guessed that Anastasia was the one responsible to the murders, and I certainly wouldn't have guessed her motive. It was literally mind blowing and I enjoyed every bit of it!
Some might mind that Audrey Rose and Thomas didn't actually figure it out by themselves; they just happened upon Anastasia (or, more accurately, she lured them to her), but I think that makes it more realistic: The two of them are really young. They are far from perfect and they make mistakes, but they try their best. There was no way someone could have actually figured who was the actual killer without it being too stretched and suspiciously resembling deus ex machina. And outside of old dramas, I really dislike deus ex machina.
If you are into mystery, historical fiction, steampunk, a little bit of horror, or all of the above, I definitely recommend this book. Even if you are not into any of those genres, I promise you won't regret reading this series :)
Lara | ★★★★★
"The world is neither kind nor is it cruel. It simply exists. We have the ability to view it however we choose."
In second novel from Stalking Jack the Ripper series, two young and genius forensics apprentices, Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell attend school for forensic sciences in Romania. In four weeks, during which they must prove their talent and skill as forensics, they encounter another bloodthirsty serial killer who recreates vicious crimes from lord Vlad Tepes. Alongside solving this mystery, Audrey is facing consequences from her past case where she lost her brother. How will she deal with her PTSD and feelings for Thomas that just keep growing?
This book was exactly what I wanted it to be. Writing style and detailed historical descriptions brought this book on whole other level. Book was easy to read, despite the use of old English in dialogues (which is something I really like, especially when plot is set in Victorian/Edwardian period). I liked use of Romanian names and language in dialogues and it made the story even more enjoyable.
Plot was amazing and entertaining and there were hardly ever parts when something wasn’t going on. It was really hard to keep my eyes off this book.
Audrey Rose kept impressing me, even though I thought there isn’t much more I can learn about her. Her mental state was perfectly described after what she went trough in London. The change in her was obvious and the way she dealt with PTSD by pushing Thomas away. I’m so happy she managed to get over it (more or less, I mean, after her brother killed and massacres dozens of innocent women, brutalized body of her deceased mom, and, well, killed himself, she will never be quite all right) and kept doing what she loves the most- forensics. She remained strong and brave, deciding to end murders of innocent people. I love her as character a lot, because she is really complex and well developed.
Audrey Rose kept impressing me, even though I thought there isn’t much more I can learn about her. Her mental state was perfectly described after what she went trough in London. The change in her was obvious and the way she dealt with PTSD by pushing Thomas away. I’m so happy she managed to get over it (more or less, I mean, after her brother killed and massacres dozens of innocent women, brutalized body of her deceased mom, and, well, killed himself, she will never be quite all right) and kept doing what she loves the most- forensics. She remained strong and brave, deciding to end murders of innocent people. I love her as character a lot, because she is really complex and well developed.
As for Thomas, I adore him even more after this book. I’m glad there we saw some more of him in vulnerable and emotional state, rather than cold and sustained, but charming Thomas. Either way I love him so much! He and Audrey are just perfect for each other and *spoiler*
“For there are no limits to the stars, their numbers infinite. Which is precisely why I measure my love for you by the stars. An amount too boundless to count.”
“I refuse to believe you've misinterpreted my affections. I am wholly in love with you. And it is permanent.”
I enjoyed solving another mystery with these amazing characters and can’t wait for the third book. I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys reading about crimes and mystery 😊
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