Writing Style (1/1)
One of the strongest points of the book was the writing style, it's full of these vivid descriptions that set the Gothic tone of the book. There's lots of foreshadowing using predatory creatures like hawks, spiders and wolves at these very specific scenes to enhance the feelings of helplessness. When Anna resolves to ignore Elizabeth's cruelty and decides to tries and "save" her, there is a scene that happens a few pages later where she walks into a giant spider web and immediately feels disgusted and trapped. Is the foreshadowing a little obvious? Probably. Nonetheless, this is a young adult novel so I think a little more obvious is good because for some teen readers this might be their first real experience with foreshadowing in a novel.

Setting (1/1)
The book only takes place in a few locations but the author uses that to her advantage. In the beginning, Anna can go wherever she pleases in her village and has a lot of freedom to express herself. As the story continues, there are fewer and fewer locations for her to explore and suddenly all that's left is this terrifying castle that Anna is trapped in. By limiting a majority of the events to the castle, Popović increases the feeling of isolation and helplessness that Anna and the reader begin to feel throughout the story. I feel like I should stress that this story is a dark story, it's about a victim slowly realizing they are being trapped by a monster.

Plot (.5/1)
In terms of plot, this story is fairly predictable if you have previous knowledge about Elizabeth Bathory. The story itself doesn't take any huge risks and instead follows a linear plot line, it relies on suspense to keep your interest rather then any big events. I wished they would have pursued the dark, blood magic a little more in detail because that's the part of the story I was actually interested in.

Character Development (.5/1)
Anna's development felt slow because she's constantly making excuses for abusive behavior and trying to reason out why she should stay. However, it's hard to fault her behavior because Anna has no power or control over the situation, even if it feels like she should. The first half of the story was painful because she was so enamored with Elizabeth she kept making excuses for behavior, which was painful to read through. Once Anna has snapped out of her savior mentality, the last half of the story becomes a fight for survival, which means standing by helpless as Elizabeth starts murdering poor peasant girls. Anna doesn't find her motivation to act until her family is actively threatened, then she decides enough is enough and puts her own plan into action.

Elizabeth is always coldblooded in the story, but her development from torturing servants to straight up murdering people is incredibly terrifying. To her the ends justify the means and she will get her beauty at whatever cost. Honestly, I enjoyed Elizabeth's development far more then Anna's because Elizabeth actively works towards her goal of becoming a terrifying villain. She uses the adoration of the people around her and manipulates them into helping her do whatever she wants. She has the power and the privilege to hurt people and get away with it.</p>

Themes (1/1)

The Role of Power
Part of what works well for this story is that the main character is literally powerless. Anna is just a peasant girl trying to provide for her poor family living in the village. She sees the horrible things happening and reasons that she can use her power as Elizabeth's favorite to try and stop the bad behavior. When that fails Anna realizes she has such limited power that she has to be careful in her interactions with Elizabeth if she is to protect her family. While some horror relies on jump scares or gory scenes to scare you, there's something to be said for a horror story where the monster is always present, leaving the reader in suspense about when they will strike.

There's also an interesting discussion of women's power in general throughout the book. In the story, Elizabeth and Anna present two different sides of the same coin when it comes to women's power. Anna is a clever and talented healer, earning the respect of the people around her because she is kind and helpful. Elizabeth is also clever but in a different respect, she tells Anna the way to control people is through great beauty and brutality. It's evident throughout the book that Elizabeth uses her power to keep Anna entranced by her and eventually trapped. While I don't necessarily like pitting two women against each other in a contest of brains versus beauty, I do think it works for the story because there are virtually no men involved to make this comparison toxic. Instead it's Elizabeth using her beauty and power to terrorize people and Anna using her brains to try and outmaneuver her. Ultimately, it makes their dynamic interesting and keeps you hooked on the story, since you want to know what will happen next.

Overall
While it has a basic plotline, Blood Countess makes up for it in haunting settings and an interesting commentary on power. I spent the last day of my winter break thoroughly engrossed in the story because I wanted to know what would happen next.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, gothic settings, and/or un-apologetically evil women (I cannot stress enough how much you have to be okay with that last one).

Countess Elizabeth Báthory is the worst. Anna isn’t. What happens when Anna falls under Elizabeth’s spell? That’s the crux of this story. How far will we go, what atrocities will we commit? Who, if anyone, can we truly trust? Anna ending up caught in Elizabeth’s debauchery is really no shock. She’s desperate to help her family, and certainly a welcome addition to any household. She’s a talented healer, and a caring sister and daughter.

But we all know this isn’t going to be a cute, cozy story. Elizabeth is going to kill plenty of folks, but the question the reader is going to want answered is why? I adored the 16th century Hungarian setting, in part because the setting itself evokes feelings of dread (no plumbing and extra-awful patriarchy has that effect). And while there’s no moral grayness surrounding Elizabeth (remember, she’s trash), there are loads of other morality questions asked throughout the book.

My only real qualm was that certain bits seemed quite predictable (and no, not just because it’s historical fiction, shh). So it wasn’t that I disliked any of it, but I was a wee bit underwhelmed by a few bits. But overall, I was definitely glad I read it.

Bottom Line: Not for the faint of heart, this historical fiction asks a lot of questions about who we are and what lengths we’d go to. Also, reminder that there’s some really evil people, lest you forget.

When you’re writing about someone as iconic as Elizabeth Bathory, you have to be careful not to fall too far into the illustrious lore that is her life. What I’m trying to say is that it would be easy to make her a completely one-sided character, devoid of any real personality or traits other than being an insatiable murderess.

This is something that I think Popovic is able to accomplish. Her Bathory certainly is evil, but it’s an evil that we can almost identify with. (Almost.) We can see the way that life has shaped and molded her, how the pressings of a patriarchal society have bent her just a little (OK, a lot) too far in the wrong direction. While she does a fair bit of killing for the fun of it, many of her atrocities have a purpose behind them, whether it is showing up her controlling husband in a game of who can inflict the most pain or finding a way to restore her beauty and youth (as it is her sole means of showing her worth).

As you can see, there’s a theme here, and it all centers around the restrictive bonds that men have over women. Even women as powerful as Elizabeth were still under the dominion of their husbands, and this is something that the headstrong Elizabeth cannot abide by. She uses every tool in her arsenal – mainly, her beauty – to get what she wants, when she wants it. This isn’t to say that the patriarchy is to blame for her insatiable demand for human souls, but… it certainly was a big factor. Elizabeth kills not only because she enjoys it, but because it is the only way for her to maintain any semblance of control in her own life.

Elizabeth’s Foil: Anna
To counterbalance the sinister and malevolent actions of Elizabeth, we have Anna Darvulia, a common girl who lives in the Hungarian countryside. The story is told through her eyes, and in this way, we can see she is a fitting match for Elizabeth’s character. She is also strong, rebellious, and suffering from the hands of men, but rather than fall to darkness as a means of independence, she is able to stay in the bounds of light (until she meets Elizabeth, that is).

Considering these two are sick of being wrapped in the bonds of patriarchy and being played like pawns by men, it should come as no surprise that they are instantly drawn to one another. At first, their relationship lets us think that Elizabeth might have a soft spot – we, like Anna, want to believe that maybe she is just misled, mistaken, misunderstood – but as the plot continues to unwind, we quickly realize that Elizabeth knows exactly what she is doing.

Just because Anna is the book’s heroine, doesn’t mean she is perfect. She also commits atrocities throughout the novel, though compared to Elizabeth’s actions, these are nothing. However, the main difference between the two is the way Anna reacts to her decision. The agony of the choice consumes her, darkening her heart and blackening her mind until she is just a shell of the bright and happy girl she once was. In some ways, the clever gaslighting by Elizabeth is even crueler than her murders, as it works to slowly steal Anna’s sanity throughout the course of the book.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, shows no regret or remorse. Rather, she lets her anger consume her, fueling the fire that is her darkness until it bursts in a lurid, unsustainable glow.

Just How Gruesome Does Blood Countess Get?
The real life Elizabeth Bathory
If you’re not familiar with the real-life tale of Elizabeth Bathory, buckle in. It’s time for an extremely short history lesson.

Elizabeth Bathory was born in 1560 as a Hungarian noblewoman. Around the age of 40, Elizabeth started collecting servant girls from local peasant families. These girls were all beaten, mutilated, or murdered in hideous fashion. Once the local villages were depleted, she sent away for daughters of lesser gentry throughout the country under the guise of a finishing school – these women were also killed in unspeakable manners – everything from being covered in honey and live ants to being burned with hot tongs and then thrown in icy water to freeze to death.

With all that in mind, you may be wondering… just how gruesome does Blood Countess get? Do we really get to see piles of bodies and cannibalism and everything else Elizabeth was accused of throughout history?

Not really. Overall, this book is mostly tame considering the real-life grisly stories it is based on. Much of what Elizabeth does happens behind closed doors, but in some ways, this makes it even more terrifying. After being blissfully ignorant for months (thanks to Elizabeth’s cunning legerdemain), Anna finally catches on to what is happening and is left to wonder what has actually occurred behind closed doors. In short, this book plays strongly on the emotional and mental horror of the situation rather than focusing on ghastly descriptions of torture and disfigurement.

Don’t worry too much – there are still scenes in the book that go into all the horrific details, pain, and suffering of Elizabeth’s victims. But just know that this isn’t all the book is about – and I think that’s a good decision.

Overall Conclusions
Blood Countess by Lana Popovic is a really interesting take on Elizabeth Bathory. I love Popovic’s female-focused view on traditionally male spaces, especially when it comes to a character like Elizabeth, who could just be written off as crazy or incompetent. Instead, Popovic breathes life into this infamous story, putting a modern, feminist twist on one of the world’s most sinister female villains.

I found the cover very enticing. I thought this was going to be about vampires or vampire slayers. Not at all. It was a quick read as it is not too many pages. It was okay. I feel the countess was too one dimensional. We never found out what drove her actions.

For someone who is too wimpy for horror movies, I'm loving the rise of YA horror and BLOOD COUNTESS is a great addition. Taking the real life story of Elizabeth Báthory, a 16th-17th century Hungarian royal, Popovic crafts a chilling tale of desire and independence.

Protagonist Anna is a midwife in training with her mother; her father is an abusive drunkard and the family is frequently threatened with physical violence. As a young girl, she unexpectedly and dangerously crosses the path of Countess Elizabeth Báthory. Years go by and the royal calls for Anna's medical help. Anna is drawn to the countess and eventually finds herself in the woman's service.

Anna is a compelling protagonist because she struggles with her fears and desires. She wants to protect and provide for her family but does not want to lose her independence through marriage. Popović layers her early modern heroine with numerous complexities. As a historian, I do wish the story fleshed out more of the historical geopolitcal context (the Ottoman-Habsburg Wars are fascinating), but overall, BLOOD COUNTESS convincingly shows class dynamics and also how few options existed for women, noble and peasant alike.

As Wikipedia will show, Báthory is perhaps the most prolific female serial killer. Local folklore said that she bathed in the blood of young woman and is reported as the inspiration for Stoker's DRACULA. Readers should always be cautious when reading about women in early modern Europe as history and historiography for centuries have been shaped by male writers. This is not to condone Báthory's butchery but to express that the folktales about her might not be verifiable fact. Popović does an excellent job showing the duality of Báthory's personality and makes Anna's desire and draw towards her understandable.

BLOOD COUNTESS is a standalone but as is part of a series (I'm imagining an anthology like the Crown or True Detective). I really enjoyed Popović's prose and look forward to the next book in LADY SLAYERS!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

★ true rating: 3.5 stars ★

★ <i>I received an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i> ★

This story is dark, but very intriguing - and started out really strong! I LOVED the MC Anna’s storyline with her family and apprenticeship under her mother as a midwife and healer. From there tragedy strikes Anna’s family and she winds up working as a scullery maid under the Countess Elizabeth. The Countess was really intriguing and layered, and the budding relationship between the two was really interesting and unique. The two characters are extremely well written and their relationship is beautifully tragic. I also enjoyed the nature vs. nurture aspect of the Countess’ cruelty and the dilemma Anna had to face when coming to terms with the Countess’ true nature. However, towards the second half of the book, the plot simmers down and becomes very bleak. Anna begins to let herself be manipulated by the Countess, even though she had a strong, clear mind through the first half of the book. The scullery maids, having turned on Anna, continue to loath her and call her a witch even after she helps them and tries to protect them. I was hoping for Anna to wake up, and for the maids to join her in taking down the Countess, especially Krisztina or Ilona. However, Anna stands by for much too long and there is no reconciliation between her and the other girls. The ending was good, I just think the climax and resolution could have been more satisfying.

Recommend for fans of And I Darken + The Deathless Girls

Thank you to Netgalley, Lana Popovič and Amulet Books for my arc of Blood Countess in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Based on the infamous Elizabeth Báthory or 'countess Dracula' said to bathe in virgins blood to preserve her youth. Anna Darvulia has just begun working as a scullery maid for Elizabeth the lady of the manor, when she is vaulted to her side as Elizabeth takes an especial liking to her. What follows is a tale of the macabre, unspeakable horrors, witchcraft, duty, honour, love, betrayal and passion.

I loved Lana's Hibiscus Daughters series and so I was really excited to read this especially as surprisingly few people of heard of Elizabeth Báthory presuming 'Countess Dracula' to simply be some kind of bride of Dracula type character. I've certainly not come across any other retellings. I loved this exploration of the character taken at this angle and the moral greyness that a lot of the characters felt. I felt that I was shocked by some of the turns of events which is always a good thing and that it didn't take quite the spin on the story that I expected it too (in a good way). I had high expectations but it surpassed even those! I hope to see more books from Lana in future!

Blood Countess by Lana Popović
Blood Countess
by Lana Popović (Goodreads Author)
36225382
Colleen Corgel's reviewJan 13, 2020 · edit
it was amazing
bookshelves: arc, f-f-romance, historical-fiction, horror

Holy cow this was pretty darn good! I love a good fiction about historical figures that inspired fiction. In this case, we follow along with sixteen year old Anna Darvulia as she is swept up by the dangerous charisma of the Countess Bathory in sixteenth century Hungary. Anna is a bit of a village pariah due to her father being the local drunk and her and her mother being the village herbalists. Anna, especially, is uniquely talented as the village's pair of healers. Because of this, the Countess comes to Anna and her mother to help save her secret son's life, and those events change Anna's life forever.

What stands out here is that Elizabeth is not a sympathetic character, nor is she a cartoonish villain. Popovic does a great job at getting us into the head of Elizabeth as she eventually rampages her way through her holdings. Part of the reason why is that Anna is in a very similar situation as Elizabeth and can empathize with her to some extent, however what drew Anna to Elizabeth - her beauty and charisma - also blinds her to the fact that Elizabeth is a monster. That push and pull between Anna and Elizabeth is what drives the story, as well as some of the very real things that Elizabeth did to her subordinates. They were seamlessly added in as Anna realizes that she is far less a friend or lover and more a prisoner of a cruel person with unchecked power.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even more so because it doesn't shy away from Elizebeth's attraction to both men and women - there's a reason why the majority of her victims were women. Anna's awakening sexuality was well handled, even though her crush was on Elizabeth. Elizabeth doesn't fall into the "evil predatory queer person" with Anna, because the story goes along way to show that Elizabeth at least cared for Anna for a short time before she went into full murderess mode. Elizabeth's murder spree has always boiled down to her need to remain beautiful (even though she is around eighteen or nineteen in the book), but Popovic fleshes this out into a more complex motivation that makes the Countess more human. It never condones Elizabeth's actions, though which I appreciate.

This is a well done historical thriller with a great protagonist, and a surprisingly well rounded villain. I highly recommend this to readers who enjoyed Stalking Jack the Ripper, or anyone who enjoys a little horror in their thrillers.

*The inspiration for this book was the real Elizabeth Blathory, a Hungarian noble woman and serial killer. Had I known that BEFORE reading this, it may have changed my thought process while reading. Sadly I did not know this information beforehand.*

Anna is the daughter of a midwife. She is trained well and surpasses her own mother's talents. When a noble woman she had a small, but pleasant encounter with years ago, needs her assistance, she is ultimately pulled into the the countess, Elizabeth's secrets. Later, when Elizabeth send for her, for Anna to be her chamber maid, Anna's cruel father declines the money offered to the family, but circumstances soon bring her to the Elizabeth's keep. Anna quickly falls in love with Elizabeth, despite the horror stories told by many of the other maids in the home. She cannot believe that the kind woman she has met is the same person these women speak of.

I was so hopeful going into this book. It sounded wonderfully dark and intriguing. And for the first 15% it was building up to something great, but I just found that I didn't like Anna's character. She is incredibly weak throughout the whole story. Even though she can plainly see certain things unfolding, she turns somewhat of a blind eye because she is holding out hope that Elizabeth will change, or that she isn't really that bad deep down. She does nothing really to help the situation she is in, or the people that Elizabeth harms , and her inner monologue whines about how she is afraid that she will lose what she and Elizabeth have if she really makes any move to stop her. Elizabeth's manipulation game is so strong in this, but it left me feeling yucky.

The ending of this is wrapped up to neatly. Anna doesn't play the one trump card that she has in her arsenal (though she absolutely could have) until the VERY end. Just left me wanting. This story had so much potential. The writing was great. And I will definitely be happy to read more from the author.

I did enjoy this book and its historical links to the real Elizabeth Báthory from Hungary in the 1500s but feel like this story was going to deliver something big, then it never really happened.

Our main character, Anna is an apprentice midwife/healer to her mother. Her mother gained notoriety for being extremely skilled in healing and midwifery but unfortunately, her hands began to fail her as she aged. Anna, having picked up skills from her mother as well as having a keen intuition for healing, began to surpass her mother.

Anna could have it easy, her best friend loves her and wants to marry her but Anna doesn't want that. She sees what her mother is going through with her abusive father and feels like her life is leading her down a different path. She encounters the new wife of the Count who is famed for having a fierce temper but finds her utterly enchanting. Likewise, the Countess has plans for Anna.

An unfortunate accident happens to Anna's family which leads her to be employed by the Countess as a scullery maid. Anna realises that she needs to make herself invaluable and does. Anna tends to the Countesses every whim and they even become lovers. Yes, there's some F/F action here!

Elizabeth's attitude and behaviour are deplorable and it's clear she has issues. She tortures and murders young women for her endless aim of keeping her youth and beauty.

The whole book felt like it was leading up to something massive but fell a little flat. Anna was naive and fell into Elizabeth's traps and in doing so, affected her own future happiness. I feel like she has some trauma from her relationship which never really let her move on.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, just wish it had a bigger climax but as it was, it was a good book. Definitely recommend a read.

I gave this book a sold 4 stars. It was everything I needed it to be but not quite a top read.

I loved the characterization of both Anna and Elizabeth. Both were such strong women and they shared a very special connection the whole way through. It was interesting to see the highs and the lows between them and how the regarded each other through each new aspect thrown at them.

As Elizabeth becomes more and more devious and blood thirsty, Anna, bless her heart tries everything in her power to bring Elizabeth back from the dark side. Only Anna sees that very small bit if good in Elizabeth but sometimes love really isn't enough.

There was only a time or two that I found the story to be “cut short”. Some things that happened I felt needed to be just a little more drawn out for effect but all in all it was a pretty solid read.

There were some interesting twists and turns and no skimp on the gruesome torture, so if you can’t handle bloody scenes, I’d suggest you skip this book. Though by the title and the history behind the Countess Bathory, I’d hope you kind of know what you are getting yourself into before you dive in.

There is so much I want to say but I feel like with this specific book, the less that is said, the better. If this is the kind of story that interests you and you have that hankering for a dark tale, I would recommend this book and just go along for the ride.

This is the first book I have read by Lana but I’m intrigued to read any other books by her.

I was kindly given a chance to read this ARC by Netgalley and the Publishers.

This is not the LGBT rep you're looking for.

Our main character, Anna, is the daughter of the village midwife. When we open, she's just rescued a scared kitten from horrible boys trying to set it on fire. In the meantime, a procession is rolling through town with the new Countess, Báthory Erzsébet. Young, beautiful, and Anna's attention is caught. And vice versa.

Through a series of most unfortunate events, Anna and Elizabeth cross paths, and Anna does her best to endear herself to the countess. She plots, schemes, and ends up as her most trusted advisor, friend, and lover.

YAY LGBT REP RIGHT?

Wait, did I mention Elizabeth Bathory sort of murdered a whole bunch of people, including her chambermaids, scullery maids, cooks, servants, whom so ever she damn well pleased?

You know this going in. Even if you don't know the story of Elizabeth Bathory, the author gives you a brief understanding in the introduction, so you know what you're getting into.

The question becomes, how is the author going to spin this? Is Elizabeth the monster history has told us she is? Was she done wrong by powerful men in a time where women held power only when it was given to them by their husband? Was something else entirely going on that history never saw?

I think the author had plans for several different scenarios, and couldn't quite decide which one she was going to pick until the very end. Which means that for the majority of this book, Anna's blind naivete is absolutely excruciating.

I am all about historical LGBT rep. But this is not. it. This is an abusive relationship taken to new heights, and the number of people excited for it shows that we need more. But we need good rep. Not....

This was painful. And I'm sad about it.

I knew this was going to be a wild, dark book and it definitely was. Anna is a sweet healer who has a special sense that most would call witchery so she hides it so her family can be kept safe. Her name none the less travels around being a great healer until Lady Elizabeth seeks her out in the middle of the night. Anna heals someone for Elizabeth and is later called on to become a maid which against her better judgement she does to feed her family.

At first, you think Elizabeth is your typical harsh Lady who the servants just dislike. Anna becomes a hidden lover to Elizabeth and thinks at first there is no wrong being done until she starts seeing the dark side of Elizabeth. Anna struggles throughout the book with how to fix what has been done to herself and others while keeping her family safe. Not every choice was easy or nice. There was a lot of abuse both physical and mental within this book so I warn anyone who can’t handle that. I loved seeing it all come around full circle and truly felt sorry for Anna.

If you like the darker, fantasy stories I definitely recommend. It’s a fast paced standalone read which makes it nice to add to the TBR pile!

Blood Countess by Lana Popovic is a YA horror novel about Elizabeth Bathory, aka history's Blood Countess. Honestly, that's entirely what sold me. I was really into the first perhaps fifty percent of the novel, especially as we meet and follow Anna's journey - and yes, she does some awful things to get what she wants. The second half though became quite boring. I suppose I was expecting more in terms of horror, blood, and guts than we ended up getting considering that Elizabeth Bathory was a real life mass murderer and probably an inspiration for Dracula along with Vlad the Impaler. Either way, the story is probably not best for the squeamish.

ARC received from Abrams/Amulet (Hard Copy) and Netgalley- will post to all sites on 1/5

The most redeeming quality about Blood Countess is Lana Popovic's beautiful prose. Her writing is lyrical. Had the execution and possibilities around Blood Countess been fulfilled, it could have been an extraordinary book.

Her prose could have lulled you into the world of a naive Anna truly being taken in by all the lush extravagance around her, going from her former life to that in the castle and then being entranced by Elizabeth. During that time the second act begins.

In this cross between the horrific acts Anna witnesses, conflicting with that Elizabeth's strangle hold on Anna's emotional dependence on Elizabeth, now lulled under her grasp that Popovic can go from that lush prose to a nightmare. The reader could have been taken on a journey with Anna as she battles what she was lured into with the realities of Elizabeth's cruelty before her.

Unfortunately, Anna is played out, from the beginning as having constant foreboding about the situation she is walking into. The first 1/3 of the book is slowly paced and provides ample opportunities for Anna to take other routes rather than going to the Countess as her handmaiden. Readers are hand-fed the entire, underlying foreshadowing of what is to come. There isn't any lulling into a false sense of too good to be true- a little dread? It is historical fiction, after all. But spoon feeding and hand holding? It is overboard and drags.

What should be the meatiest, most enthralling and enticing part of the book is the shortest and really off-page part of the book. It is like waiting for the first drop of a roller-coaster that never happens. You get a little bit here and there but never the real thing. The first and last 1/3 of the book is slow paced and quite boring. That small middle chunk that should have been the majority? Is not as spectacular, egregious or captivating as it should have been.

Elizabeth's hold over Anna is never played-up enough to really make Anna sympathetic or feel like she would be able to excuse these acts as they begin, or for any length of time. There is no sense of true seduction but merely teachings and presents. It takes more than that to make someone overlook bloody torture of others, when you are painted as a naive, good-hearted farm girl.

From beginning to end, Anna is not likable, sympathetic or interesting. She has so many bad instincts, omens and reactions that anyone with sense would have run for their lives. But she just keeps going, when she had options.

There is no sense in it or her. There is nothing to root for and off base completely from the facts it is rooted in. From beginning to end she makes herself a martyr. When truthfully she is written to deserve as much blame as Elizabeth for anything that is done.

From pacing, to the characters and which parts of the story is focused on, Blood Countess just doesn't work. And it is a shame because Popovic's style was perfect to make this story an enrapturing tale of blood lust.

Countess Bathory is known as a very successful and prolific serial killer who literally bathed in the blood of her hundreds of victims. If you’re picking up a book based on Elizabeth Bathory then you are likely not faint of heart or easily disturbed by violence but even so this story was shockingly graphic and gruesome. I was really surprised by how far it went into descriptive torture for a YA title. While it starts off as more of a psychological horror as we anticipate what we know must be coming, it fairly quickly devolves into pure torture porn. The writing is so beautiful that the torture is startlingly vivid and exquisitely described. This does not make it easier to read as the pain and misery go on and on. The last half is so unrelentingly bleak that it was hard to get through.

For those of you whom like me were hoping for an F/F love story you will be somewhat satisfied in a twisted way. Things do get physical between Anna and Elizabeth but it is only marginally sexy and not at all romantic. A relationship between a naïve young girl and a predatory psychopath is bound to be 100% tragic. Anna is blinded by her first “love” and her first sexual experiences so she can’t see Elizabeth’s true nature, and when she does see it she makes excuses for it and is sure that she can temper the bad behaviour. You don’t have to be psychic to know how that works out. Women who think their lover will change for them is a tale as old as time! I was on the edge of my seat wondering how or even if Anna was going to be able to escape. Anna may have been a bit of an oblivious twit but she had a good heart and I wanted to see her survive. No spoilers here but I was satisfied with the ending. It seemed a bit too easy but after all the despair and hopelessness of the preceding chapters I’ll take it!

Thank you to ABRAMS Kids and Amulet Books for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

YA historical fiction is a genre I feel is woefully underrated in the book community. When I heard the premise of this, which combines historical fiction with horror, and the story of the notorious Elizabeth Bathory who was said to bathe in the blood of her victims to keep herself young, I was instantly drawn in and excited..

For the most part, I found the story entertaining and unique. Set in 17th century Hungary, we follow scullery maid Anna as she begins working for the beautiful ‘Blood Countess’. I liked Anna. As our protagonist she’s naive and innocent - the polar opposite of Elizabeth. She’s a gifted healer and pure at heart, who wants to see the good in everyone. She’s also a good counterbalance to Elizabeth, who’s selfishness and darkness can sometimes pull the story down a more sinister route. Elizabeth is deeply charismatic and enthralling. Dangerous and lustful. She’s a wonderfully compelling character that’s complex and evil and her relationship with Anna reflects all of this.

The setting is also gorgeously atmospheric, with rich descriptions of Hungary that really set the tone well. I did find the pacing a little uneven in places, with the story sometimes taking a back seat to character development and descriptions with the middle part feeling particularly slow. The ending also feels quite rushed, although it concludes well.

If you enjoyed The Deathless Girls, I would definitely recommend this as it seems to share a similar vibe and strong female relationships. I really enjoy this genre.

Actual rating 3.5, rounded up.

This book had one of the most intriguing premises of 2020 - sapphic romance with one of the most prolific female serial killers of all time?! Hell yes! I enjoyed this book, particularly the first half, but I do think it lacked a little horror. Don't get me wrong, there is brutal torture and gorey murder in this book, but I felt like it needed more fear and tension. I wanted it to feel more terrifying and horrory.

The book is told from the POV of Anna, an impoverished healer who, when rescuing a kitten, runs into the new Lady of her land, Elizabeth Báthory. Elizabeth takes a shine to her, and employs her in her castle. What follows is a mix of witchcraft and lust and horror as Anna becomes bewitched by Elizabeth, and the slow realisation of all that Elizabeth is.

The first half of this book is excellent. The initial relationship between Anna and Elizabeth is incredible. The few hints of darkness behind Elizabeth's facade, the way they stare at each other, how utterly bewitched it seems they are of each other, it is so beautifully done. The way Anna reacts to Fenrec, Elizabeth's husband, and her fears he is causing the darkness in Elizabeth is both understandable and thrilling in how it causes her to react. I adored the start of their relationship and I really thought we might get an incredible villain romance.

But then the second half hit and it became a little predictable as Elizabeth begins her pursuit for youth and beauty. The ending felt very rushed compared to the first half, which languished unhurridely in the beauty of their developing relationship. I wanted more fear and terror and horror as Elizabeth deteriorated. I wanted to feel some of the passion from the first half of the book. Instead it just felt a little lucklustre in execution, just a little too descriptive to be impactful. All of the torture and murder scenes in particular lacked for me. It felt rather stilted. I understand this might be because this is a YA novel, and the need to keep it less gruesome and terrifying because of that. So perhaps this would have worked better as an adult when the true horror of Elizabeth could really be explored with more emotional impact.

Blood Countess was one I wanted to adore. And I think I would have if the passion and fire from the first half of the novel continued to the second half. But sadly, it didn't and it got a little too rushed to be a satisfying ending. This is still definitely worth a read through, for the beautiful and incredible development of the sapphic villain romance.

Review will be posted on my blog on publication date of Blood Countess (Jan 28).

**Gifted an eArc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

No one can say that Lana Popovic doesn't have beautiful writing! Her writing is beautiful and lyrical and every word is chosen to perfectly fit its purpose and I can honestly say I love that about this story as well as her previous books.

The blood countess is a story that follows the countess dracula tale and honestly I was so hyped for that because I have always been intrigued by this. Perhaps I got my hopes too high because unfortunately for me the story fell a little short and here's why:

I really couldn't get along with Anna, I didn't understand her perspective at all, and whilst I appreciate Lana Popovic's "independent females" theme, I also felt that some of Anna's decisions and reasoning were nonsensical at times. For that reason it became awfully difficult to get behind her and to really feel akin to her. She started off so strong and sure minded yet in the second half became a little meak and allowed herself to be manipulated - which I found difficult given how she had been represented in the first half of the book.

I will say that the setting was beautiful and I really appreciate the atmosphere that the Blood countess offered me, and whilst the storyline itself was good, for me personally it wasn't wow. There was great depth to the characters, particularly the countess herself and I really did enjoy getting to read her multifaceted character.

I guess in the end it came down to the fact I was frustrated by some of the paths this book took and feel like the resolve could have been better and more satisfying.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Lana Popovic tells an alternate history of famed serial killer Lady Elizabeth Bathory through the eyes of her chambermaid, Miss Anna Darvulia.

This is the first book I've read by Popovic, and I found that I very much enjoyed her writing style. Popovic manages to create an atmospheric read while still being concise, and it is an enjoyable balance.

I enjoyed her characterization of Lady Bathory and of Anna. The development of their interactions with one another was very well executed, if predictable.

My biggest complaint for the novel is that I never truly felt Anna was in danger, which is what kept me from giving this work a full five stars.

I look forward to reading novels on Popovic's backlist as well as reading her future works.