TRIGGER WARNING: Physical/emotional/domestic abuse, torture, manipulation

Honestly, I don't think I actually knew what I was getting into when I requested this book. I mean, I thought I did but, boy, was I wrong. This book instantly pulled me in and as horrific as the following events grew to be, I couldn't actually tear my eyes from the page.

This book is based off the historical Countess Elizabeth of Bathory and, until I read the description, I didn't know she was the real life inspiration for Countess Dracula. That hooked me right then and there. What transpired next was the horrific process of Elizabeth drawing in our main character, Anna, first by offering pay beyond her wildest dreams then through a gradual process of manipulation. Only when Anna is manipulated and in way over her head, does Elizabeth reveal her true nature.

I did find this book quite gripping and it was something I could not stop myself from finishing, if only to see how in the world Anna was going to get out of the messy web Elizabeth had created. This book was quite gruesome, and I definitely wouldn't recommend it to everyone but if you're curious and it sounds like something you may like, give it a try.

As a reader, it was so frustrating (in a good way) to watch Anna believe nearly everything Elizabeth said or rationalize the questionable things she said/did. Elizabeth completely disgusted me, which I realize was the point and it was done very well. Just when you think Anna is about to triumph in some way, the author rips that possibility away.

To be totally honest, while I didn't hate or love this book, if I had known how gruesome it really was I would have given it a pass.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this early copy!

Did not finish - I did not connect with the plot and writing and decided to put it down.

I enjoyed this story and if you're looking for a book that will keep you turning the pages just so you can find out what will happen next for the characters, this is one you will want to grab. I will definitely be looking for more by this author. The characters were intriguing and even though I could see how things were going to go, I couldn't stop reading.

3/5 stars
*Trigger warnings at the end of the review*

This was without a doubt a horribly twisted romance with an absorbing retelling of the Countess of Bathory's life told from the point of view of her maid.

<u>Synopsis</u>
After Anna Darvulia performs a favor for the Countess, she is requested to come to the castle to serve as a chambermaid. What follows is a LGBT retelling of what might have happened if a witch was enamored with the twisted Blood Countess.

<u>Pacing & Points of View</u>
The pacing was decent and I loved the atmospheric writing style that helped bring this twisted magical tale to life. The main point of view for the story was Anna Darvulia.

<u>Characters</u>
Anna was a very likeable character and it made you want to keep reading to find out what truly happened to her by the end of the story. I really felt for her and believe she was the main reason I didn't put this book down. The Countess was the other main character and was slightly unpredictable. There was a lot of build up as the Countess's true personality came to light and she devolved into something dark and sinister. The romance in this story, if you could call it that, was very twisted and dark. I'll be honest and state if you're here for the LGBT romance, this is not the book for you. There were a lot of themes of gothic paranoia, obsession, mind games and unhealthy love within this story.

<u>Overall</u>
Even with wanting to know what happens to Anna and the Countess, this story just kind of ended. There was a lot of horrific events and build up to ultimately very little of an ending that felt unresolved or empty. With that being said, the story was interesting and kept me reading. I would definitely read another one of this author's novels since I loved the writing style.

*Thank you so much to Amulet Books and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

**Trigger warnings for multiple instances of emotional and physical abuse, obsession, torture, murder and death.

Holy sadism, Batman!

I thought this would be more...Fun? Vampire-y? Something other than gleeful accounts of mental and physical torment and abuse?

Truthfully, it’s more of a torture primer.

Obviously the topic of torture and sadism is unavoidable when reading historical fiction about Elizabeth Bathory, but this was billed as “Lady Dracula” and the series is called “Lady Slayers.”

But there are no vampires here. There’s no fun here either.

This is not to say it’s a bad book. It’s not. And Popović has certainly done her research on the infamous Bathory. But it’s hard not to feel mislead by the publishers descriptions of the book, which paint a very different picture of this novel than what it actually is.

Further, the relationship between Bathory and the protagonist Anna, while certainly intended to show an imbalance of power, actually feels gross to the point of being rape-y and predatory. I’ve no doubt that this is exactly how it really would have gone, but a word of caution for those thinking the romantic element of this would be queer romantic fantasy: It actually feels much more like a gross medieval #MeToo. This is not to suggest that the author is at fault for writing it this way. More that it’s not a “romance” of any sort if that’s what you’re looking for.

In all, this isn’t bad for YA historical fiction, but it’s not any fun and definitely not the light read it is purported to be.

DID NOT FINISH, stopped at 63%

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

First, this is NOT A HORROR NOVEL, which is probably the most disappointing about it as I do love the real history of Elizabeth Bathory. Second, this is NOT really a historical fiction either as they modified a great deal and you don't get that fantastic, crazy serial killer vibe that one would expect. Also, this is way more focused on a lesbian love story that I did not expect....because I thought I was reading about a psychopathic serial killer and not once did I get that. I finally gave up on the novel because it was nothing that it had been advertised and it was soooooo S L O W that I just couldn't any longer. Super bummed because I had been excited about this novel and it ended up being a pretty epic fail for all the taglines and advertisements of what it was about.

I am on the fence about purchasing this one. The writing is spectacular and the ethical dilemmas Anna faces are compelling. The healthy relationships component makes this relevant for teen readers. I, personally, loved the book and will recommend it to historical fiction buffs, but historical fiction doesn't circulate well in my library. Worthy of nomination for our 2023 Evergreen Teen Book award list which has a wider readdership.

2.5 stars for this story of Sapphic lust, witchcraft, blood, brutality, manipulation and violent assault all wrapped up in one book.
Anna is midwife with access moanying skills in herbs & medicine who falls into Elizabeth’s (Countess,) baited trap.
This is a story of single minded brutality, evil and manipulation that definitely does not shirk from the bloody details.
The world appears to be set in late middle age Eastern Europe and it definitely conveys a dark and atmospheric mood to the whole setting.
Anna is a well rounded character drawn into the web Elizabeth has weaved.
It took me a long time to read this book. I actually read a couple of others in the middle, not because the story or writing are bad. I simply struggled to engage with the characters and couldn’t face another flowery love scene or brutal and violent event.
The manipulation is clever and well-written, but the end is too sudden and tries to tie up all the loose ends far too quickly.
An interesting read, but not one I’ll return to.

"You are merely clay where I thought you to be stone. And what is clay but something to be molded by another's hand, with no native shape of its own."

Blood Countess envisions the life of real life serial killer Elizabeth Bathory, one of the most notorious women in history. Known in Eastern Europe as the female Dracula, this story describes her life through the eyes of a peasant in town who is conscripted into her house staff. Anna, an innocent young girl with the skills of a mid-wife and healer is drawn more and more into her shadowy world. Bathory succeeds in enthralling her with her wealth, inflaming her with passion, inspiring her with education and twisting her into darkness. It is a classic tale of manipulating and gas-lighting.

The story is beautifully gothic, haunting and filled with terrifying torture. It felt like a YA version of Bram Stoker's Dracula or Dacre Stoker's Dracul. The aspects of torture and madness hearken back to the original vampire masterpieces that focus more on building fear than outright gore, although there is some of that too.

Blood Countess was an interesting take on real life Elizabeth Báthory and Anna Darvulia's time together in 16th century Hungary. Lana Popović introduces the two characters in an interesting way in the very beginning of the story and slowly progresses there relationship throughout. While I enjoyed the concept of this story, there were a few things that I didn't particularly care for. Having known who Elizabeth and Anna were in real life, I kept waiting for them to expose the personalities of who they really were. While in Anna's eyes Elizabeth is only a monster because of her husband, Elizabeth never truly denies or tries to hide who she is. I loved the idea of a romantic relationship between the two of them, however I felt that Anna was extremely naive throughout the story and seemed to keep making excuses for Elizabeth in order to justify what was going on between them. I do agree with several other reviewers that the first part of the book and the second part almost seem to be written by two completely different people. The second part of the book which held more of the murders was so fast paced that it seemed too rush. The title is literally the "Blood Countess" and when we get to the blood part it is all just whisked away quickly. I felt like we watched Anna suffer so much from Ferenc's death but she doesn't seem in much turmoil when others start dying as well. I also didn't enjoy how Anna seemed to be absolved of everything in the end when she had just as much to do with the murder's as Elizabeth did, as well as the extremely boring way that Elizabeth faces her end. I will look forward to reading the next book and seeing where Lana Popović takes this series next, but I do hope that the endings will not be as rushed and somewhat poorly executed.

I received a review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow I thought this was a solid novel! I liked the world, the characters, and I was digging the romance! I loved the lgbtq aspect of it! This made me really interested in reading Lana’s other work and I can’t wait to dive into them! Highly recommend this novel!

Blood Countess was just what I wanted: a bloody romance novel! I loved the development of the relationship between the two characters so much. And, well, I'm not opposed to a ton of blood and gore, especially when it comes to Elizabeth Bathory. This was such a beautifully written and creepy story that I just could not put down!

While I was intrigued by the idea of a horror book, I do have to say that I missed more of the spooky element and was pleasantly surprised to find more of a historical romance than a spooky story. 

There are dark elements mashed in, so don't be disappointed if that's why you choose this book to pick up next. The idea of a female Dracula story was well played out and had me sucked in. 

While the plot was right up my alley, the pacing could have been a little faster. But overall, was still a wicked read. 3 out of 5 stars.

Wildly historically inaccurate, but a good read nonetheless. Got quite a bit right, changed quite a lot as well, and kind of took a long time to get to the nasty bits, but again, it's meant for teens so it was pretty well done.

This took me a long time to read. I’m not really sure why, I liked the writing and the story didn’t get boring until the halfway point. Is Anna a Mary Sue? I can’t put my finger on it but I can’t stand her character. I expected Elizabeth to be a much more nuanced villain but she’s very one dimensional. I wanted to love to hate her but I felt nothing. I think if I’d went in with no expectations that I would have loved this but this was one of my most anticipated books and it didn’t live up to the potential I saw.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting and dark read. I had never heard of the Countess Elizabeth Báthory so it was interesting to learn a little about her and her bloody life.

This is an interesting and dark read that follows Anna who has caught the eye of the Countess Elizabeth and is taken into her service however, Anna’s love for Elizabeth may be blinding her to the darker parts of Elizabeth’s psyche.

This was an enjoyable read though I did find my interest in the story waning at times. However I really loved the characters in this, learning about the thought processes behind their actions. I also loved the chemistry between Elizabeth and Anna and the many layers to their romance.

Overall, I gave this 3.5 stars.

I really did not like this book at all. It has to be my least favorite book of the year so far. I felt the plot was poorly executed and I almost dnfed it.

Blood Countess was an evocative and atmospheric read with a haunting air of superstition and plenty of bloodthirsty action. The engaging plot and beautiful prose meant I read this in mostly one sitting as I didn't want to put it down.

Anna and Elizabeth were fascinating characters and their relationship was definitely intriguing. My only niggle is that I would have liked a little more character complexity, especially with regards to the motivations of Elizabeth.

I'm definitely planning to explore the terrifying Countess of Bathory further after reading this as I barely know anything about the woman known as Countess Dracula.

This book totally worked for me!
It was dark and sinister and sexy!
I’ve always loved Elizabeth Bathory so when I saw this book, I knew I NEEDED to have it. Anything to do with Dracula or surrounding Dracula, I need to have!
I was expecting a little more blood and guts, but I guess that may be due to the YA nature of the book.
Ultimately, I loved it