TW: Literally all of them. Abuse, torture, rape, domestic abuse, mind fuckery, bathing in blood.

I would like to thank Amulet Books for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The writing is unbelievably gorgeous. Popović has a way with words, that is for certain. The language is animated and fluid, reeling you in and making you feel as though you are in a fairytale.
But friends, this is no fairytale.
I don’t read much horror, if any really. Simply because I don’t like being scared. This book will not scare you, but you may have some serious nightmares from the sheer insanity of it all. It begins dark and progresses into a place of nightmares, but it’s a slow slide. For a relatively short book, I was impressed with the way that Popovic showed us this gradual progression of Anna and Elizabeth’s relationship.
Anna is the local midwife’s daughter and is well versed in herbs and tonics. Some call her a witch, but truly she engineers herbal remedies for birth control *gasp*, headaches and sickness. The villagers seem to appreciate and not fear her, which makes her name known to the new Countess Elizabeth Bathory. Soon, Anna finds herself working in the castle and becomes determined to be a chambermaid to the new Countess. This will secure her family the funds they need to live without starving and scraping by.
Anna finds herself witness to some SERIOUSLY horrific acts by the Count and Countess. The two are cruel and torture their staff at the drop of a hat. But Anna, knowing the Countess as she does, decides that it is truly the Count’s fault and if he were out of the way, Elizabeth would be free and no longer a cruel person.
Oh sweet summer child Anna. She is so blind to what is truly going on. Part of me hurts for her because toxic relationships blind you to reality. She is a great example of not only grooming, but a mentally abusive relationship. As a survivor of a mentally abusive relationship, my heart bled for her. But I also wanted to scream WAKE UP at her the entire time. I know that is useless and that so many others did, but ugh. It’s always hard to watch these things unravel.
This book is gorgeous and grotesque, but it is also powerful. If you can handle the triggers, and there are many, then I highly suggest checking this out. A historic serial killer book doesn’t come along often enough!

I received a free galley of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

WARNING: This book is very graphic. It contains extreme violence and murder. This book is NOT for the faint of heart.

A while ago I read a fictional book about Elizabeth Bàthory and upon discovering she was a real person and not just a fictional monster I became fascinated with the Countess, so when I saw this book available on Netgalley I requested it immediately.

Anna Darvulia suddenly becomes responsible for keeping her family financially stable during the winter after the sudden death of her father. In order to provide for her family, Anna starts working as a scullery maid for Elizabeth Bàthory. Eager to gain the Countess' favor and gain a better position with better pay, Anna does whatever she has to secure herself. She finds herself getting attached to Elizabeth and believes her feelings are reciprocated. Elizabeth takes Anna and treats her as her equal, making sure she has beautiful gowns, dines with her and even shares her bed with her. At first Anna believes the two of them share a special connection, one no one else understands. She soon learns that Elizabeth isn't who Anna thought she was. After witnessing extreme acts of violence and murder Anna tries to find a way out before Elizabeth decides she's next.

I enjoyed the majority of this book so much. The writing was so detailed and capturing. The violent scenes were extremely graphic and hard to read, which is perfect for an Elizabeth Bàthory story. The plot line was so well done. The flow of the book was great. The characters were interesting to read about. They successfully expressed string emotions of fear, hatred, lust and naivety. It all fit together perfectly and before long I was caught in its grasp with no desire to put it down.

I was completely wrapped up in this story... Until the ending. For me, the ending seemed like it could of been from another book. Nothing about it fit the story. The characters personalities and actions didn't fit with the characters from the first 95% of the book. It was abrupt and felt like the author just made the two main characters do a full 180 turn just so the story could be wrapped up and finished. It didn't work for me at all and ruined it for me. It was really disappointing because of how good the rest of the book was.

This book definitely gave me nightmares, so I think achievement...unlocked?

As soon as I read that this book was inspired by the tale of Elizabeth Báthory, the Hungarian noblewoman and serial killer, I knew I was in. This premise was just begging to be retold in a YA novel, and I think that Popovic is successful in creating a truly horrifying and dreadful atmosphere for the characters to live in. Popovic imagines intricate personal lives for many real life characters, which only added to the richness of the story. The pacing is perfect for the slow descent/reveal into total madness that takes place. The feelings of the characters jump off the page in a very compelling way.

The only real bump in the road for me was the final climax of the book. The exchange between our main character, Anna, and Elizabeth and their bargain seemed a tiny bit far fetched to me - I don't know if I really bought this particular ending, but it worked okay. Overall, a suspenseful and horrifying read of historical fiction that would be great for readers who don't mind a bit of gore.

"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time"
The Maya Angelou quote sprung to mind quite soon after starting Blood Countess. You can avoid what you don’t like about a person and refuse to see it, but it is what it is. The reality is there. Anna refused to see Elizabeth for who she was until it was almost far too late.

In 17th century Hungary, Anna Darvulia has just begun working as a scullery maid for the young and glamorous Countess Elizabeth Báthory. When Elizabeth takes a liking to Anna, she’s vaulted to the dream role of chambermaid, a far cry from the filthy servants’ quarters below. She receives wages generous enough to provide for her family, and the Countess begins to groom Anna as her friend and confidante. It’s not long before Anna falls completely under the Countess’s spell—and the Countess takes full advantage. Isolated from her former friends, family, and fiancé, Anna realizes she’s not a friend but a prisoner of the increasingly cruel Elizabeth. Then come the murders, and Anna knows it’s only a matter of time before the Blood Countess turns on her, too. Goodreads

The reader is informed via the synopsis that this historical YA horror novel is based on the infamous real-life inspiration for Countess Dracula. I not sure if that matters other than as an inspiration for the plot. I haven’t verified that assertion, so wonder just how much of Elizabeth’s cruelty is based in fact or exaggerated for literary effect.

This story revolves around Anna who longs for a better life but lives in fear, hunger and poverty from an ill-mannered, brutish father. Only her talent as a midwife, healer saves her from what she perceives as a poor lot in her life – marriage and ownership by a man, husband. Despite in her case having a fairly modern relationship with a relatively well off suitor and friend.

Anna longs for more and this desire to spread her wings, do things differently brings her to the attention of the newly married Countess Elizabeth Báthory. Once these two develop a relationship in earnest, it descends into blood-soaked misery for others and reveals an obsessive and debauched mindset

It didn’t take long for the term ‘folie à deux‘ to spring to mind

NOUN
delusion or mental illness shared by two people in close association.

Was Elizabeth the catalyst for sadism or swayed firstly her husband then Anna? Were they complicit, in awe of Elizabeth, the bon vivant, her beauty, bonhomie and social influence.

The Ladies
Anna was a let down in that she was set up and sold to me as being smarter than the average girl in her village: articulate, knowledgeable – knowing that she could want more for herself. But ultimately, she was as clueless as any other from her social class. It took her a considerable amount of time to come to the realisation that love can not change someone. It takes more. And she was no match for Elizabeth’s intellect, beauty or schemes from the very start.

When the depravity and torture becomes too hard to ignore, Anna realises that Elizabeth has no redemptive qualities whatsoever. She is truly and utterly debased, self-centred and self knowing. She is happy being a collection of wants and met needs. Happy in herself, Elizabeth hides the worst but not all of herself, until Anna is snared in the tangled web of attraction, attention, and satiety.

Elizabeth was cunning and conniving. I enjoyed her immensely. She was real and unhinged. Adept always at hiding her many faces, she is the consummate lady and formidable strategist. Always one step ahead of those around her – delaying conception, ensnaring Anna, manipulating her peers. She utilised the talents at her disposal and made a way for herself in the world. She is hedonistic and damaged.

I found that Blood Countess, rifts on a number of themes particularly women: the duality of women, Madonna and whore and the limited opportunities offered to them. This was a tale about power, social class and ultimately the role of men and women.

The Gentlemen
Elizabeth’s husband Ferenc was one dimensional in that he was the bad guy until Elizabeth revealed him to be a man of his time – no better or worse than others in this period. The reader like Anna were fed the subterfuge that his loutish demeanor contributed, in fact drove Elizabeth’s worst instincts.

Peter, Anna’s devoted friend and would be suitor is referenced little in this book and truly I wonder what was the appeal of Anna, that he spurned all other eligible girls and was always available to be her rescuer .

Men in this book were authoritarian, driven by avarice and violent. They are nonentities in relation to the women and manipulated by Elizabeth.

Conclusion
It reveals the chilling depth that one will go for love or even obligation; how we can enable and justify bad behaviour. She is less Anna the Cunning and more Anna the overwhelmed, out of her depth. It’s only when the mounting body count becomes too much to sidestep and it becomes untenably personal, that Anna allows her conscience to come to the forefront and turn into action.

I expected sinister, suspense and creepy and didn’t get it, instead, I got seduction, excess and multiple deaths. Yet that’s no bad thing. It was likable, an acceptable read.

At times I felt it was trying to out gore or horrify me but it never managed to take me there, to the place where I lived and breathed Elizabeth and prayed for her uncertain future. Ultimately I was waiting and watching for a resolution, a voyeur rather than a participant.

In summary, I liked it for the most part and only thought towards the end it lost its way slightly by tying up the majority of loose ends and leaving a few outstanding for a sequel.

My thanks to NetGalley, ABRAMS Kids and Amulet Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a candid review.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Amulet Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I want to start off this review by saying that I absolutely love Dracula! It wasa one of the first classic novels I read wen I was 10 or so, and I have since been obsessed with anything and all things Dracula! So of course, when I read what this book was about, I knew I needed ot get my hands on an ARC!

Young Anna is a scullery maid for Countess Elizabeth Báthory in Hungary. When Countess Elizabeth begins to like and confide in her, she is vaulted to the position of chambermaid, with higher wage and better duties. But when she becomes isolated from anyone she knows and aa string of murders begins, Anna has no doubts about who is next.

This sounded like a really cool concept, but soething about the writing just didn't do it for me. To be honest, I want to wait until I can get my hands on a finished copy and maybe listen to the audiobook. This book has some of the horror aspect I wanted, but I'm hoping hearing it in audio format will do it for me!

Definitely worth the try if you like Dracula and you want a more female-focused cast, but something about it is jsut not quite my jam. Hoping to give it another shot once it's published!

“For all the gold and silver in her coffers, in some ways the countess is just like me. A woman, with a man’s cruel hand around her wrist.”
-Lana Popovic, Author of Blood Countess

I’m pretty disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. The author’s prose is quite good and the narrative is not deeply flawed or completely unbelievable. Yet, even as those things are true, the novel fails to suck me in. Anna, our main character, lacks the spark necessary to stand toe to toe with Elizabeth Bathory.

Plotwise, the story is fairly straightforward. There weren't many twists and turns. I liked the strong feminist undertones, even though Popovic wasn't subtle with them. Something that I did find different from other books I've read about the Countess is the sense of sisterhood and compassion Anna felt for her. The opening where the Countess' husband grabs her wrist and Anna sees something sinister and abusive in that one gesture is an interesting way of setting up why Anna feels the compassion she does for the Countess, even amidst the rumors of her treacherous methods.

Popovic does a great job of making the Countess vile and charming at the same time, something that makes me want to keep reading about her even though we all know her MO. She was a truly enjoyable villain. But because Anna is so bland a character beside the Countess, and because the story really is meant to be Anna’s, I found myself bored for a majority of the novel.

This book has some excellent elements, but ultimately they do not make up for its obvious flaws.

Solid 4/5 stars

I have pros and cons for this, but I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed it!

I'm obsessed with vampires, origins, and anything historical that has to do with that. So to be clear, this isn't a vampire novel. It IS a unique rendition of Elizabeth Bathory though, who was basically the basis for Countess Dracula! That alone made me want to read this, and when I got the ARC in the mail I was stoked! With all historical novels though, I had to prepare myself in the likely chance that I'd have trouble getting into it.

With that said, here are the things I liked! I very much enjoyed the characters in this, and I feel that they're the driving force of the book. Specifically, Anna has a naivety to her that changes shape over the course of the book. Her character is greatly developed by the end, and the girl in the beginning is a fraction of what she is in the end. Elizabeth is another character who, gratefully, develops wonderfully as her true colors begin to show. The 2 of these together made for an excellent back and forth between morals and how far one would go for someone, or something, they love. I also enjoy the writing style, despite an issue I had that I'll mention soon. The writing really let everything unfold cleanly, and you didn't feel like there were many loose ends to be tied up. It was easy to follow along, but it still kept you engaged with the great descriptions of scenes and characters.

My issue with the book... I didn't like the pacing in the middle of this. It staggered a bit, sometimes being steady and other times insanely slow. It was slightly inconsistent, but I was able to gloss over it fairly easy. However, it was still annoying to be engaged in the story, only to be knocked out of it when you were wondering why it was so slow. It's a back and forth, and it's the main reason I knocked off a star. A smaller issue was about a side character, which I won't mention since it's more towards the latter part of the book. I would've liked more resolution besides 2 sentences at the end, as I felt that was lacking due to the role they played in the resolution.

Overall, I had a really good time reading this! It's a bit slow, but very well worth the read. If you're interested in classic gothic horror or similar tales, this one is worth checking out! It's not as dark as the summary may describe, but it definitely does have its moments.

ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I do love a good histfic and this YA reimagining of the account of one of the most famous female serial killers really his the spot. The book is told from the perspective of Anna – a healer who goes to work for Countess Bathory. She discovers in time that there is no medical reason for the Countess killing as she does, by which point the net is drawing closed and it’s too late to extricate herself. As the story wends towards it’s grisly conclusion, we’re kept on the edges of our seats for Anna. This is dark, gothic, tense and well told. Highly recommend.

This book was amazing. A twist on the usual Dracula fare with Elizabeth Bathory instead, who I find incredibly terrifying as a historical figure. Popovic manages to humanize the Countess while still painting her actions as despicable. The subtitle says "a Lady Slayers Novel" and all I want to know is WILL THERE BE MORE??? Please!

I was very excited to receive an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher. I am enthralled by the story of Elizabeth Bathory and was so excited that she was going to be the topic of a book.

The book was not what I expected, in a good way. I figured that most of the book would be about her dastardly deeds, when in fact, most of it was about life leading up to it. I really enjoyed the book. However, I felt that the ending was a little anti-climatic. I would definitely recommend this to someone who wants a spine chilling read.

The story of Elizabeth blathory is done is this Epic yet creepy story is done so well that it pulls you in from the start. I couldn’t put it down. The characters of Elizabeth reminds me of a doctor jeckell and mr Hyde type of character as she seems to switch between personalities with different characters such as nice and care ing with lady sage and mean and brutish with the servents. The cover is a beautiful and interesting design which adds to the story as well. I do hope that where is a second book soon

“For all the gold and silver in her coffers, in some ways the countess is just like me. A woman, with a man’s cruel hand around her wrist.”
-Lana Popovic, Author of Blood Countess

First Sentence:

Sarvar, Hungary – May 8, 1575 The day our Lord Nadasdy weds the countess, the sky above us is the color of bleached bone.

It’s the late 1500’s and Anna Darvulia is a highly skilled healer in her Hungarian village, learning by her mother’s side how to tend to the ill with herbs gathered by moonlight. Anna has far exceeded even her mother’s great talent and comes to the attention of The Countess Elizabeth Bathory who has the uncanny talent of seeing into another’s soul and playing on their weakness and their secrets. All for her own despicable gain.

It’s no secret that Countess Elizabeth Bathory is known for her cruelty and unending quest for youth; she is known as the most vicious female serial killer in recorded history for a reason. Ms. Popovic takes this true account and weaves an emotionally taut story with Anna as the main character and explores a fictional version of one girls experience with the cruel and murderous Countess. Anna is a great protagonist, she is so clever and gifted but most of all, she loves her family beyond all things. The love of her family is what drives her to go work at the castle. At first, she is a lowly scullery maid, sleeping with the spiders and rats but when she strives to become more useful to Elizabeth her rank is elevated to the coveted role of chambermaid. As Anna becomes closer to Elizabeth it becomes harder to make excuses for her harsh and merciless treatment of others. Elizabeth is extremely well written, she is cruel and devious, yes, but there are glimpses of her that made me understand why Anna found it hard to find fault with her in the beginning.

The story is one of hope and despair but ultimately, it shows the strength of a young woman and her desire to care for her family and eventually, herself. It is gorgeously written, incredibly rich and descriptive and it was an absolute joy to read.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Abrams Kids and Pique Beyond for providing me with Blood Countess by Lana Popovic to read and review!

"Blood Countess" is a story of a young girl, Anna, who is hoping to help her family by working for the infamous Countess in her hall of horrors.

I found this title to be intriguing and the allure of the antagonist being based on a historical figure likened to Vlad the Impaler, my morbid curiosity was piqued. Popovic delivered on this front with the numerous ways that the Countess enjoyed and took part in torturing her servants.

I found some faults in Anna's character. The attraction to Elizabeth doesn't feel authentic. Young love tends to have a blinding effect, but the legs on which Anna's attraction are built seem too fragile to overlook the blatant reports of torture coming from the chamber of Elizabeth. Moreover, Anna remains under Elizabeth's spell for much too long to be believable.

I felt the ending was unbelievable, as well. It seems unlikely that Elizabeth would so willingly give herself up despite the threats to her son. To me, Elizabeth would have fought much harder and wouldn't have succumbed so easily.

This is suitable as a secondary purchase for larger libraries.

Did somebody say “a dark horror book based on Elizabeth Bathory a.k.a. “Blood Countess”? And I’m not dreaming right? This book is on my shelf! My fairy God mothers a.k.a. Amazing NetGalley crew left this special gift for me! (My second favorite fairy godmothers! First one is always Olivia Colman from Fleabag!) So what am I waiting for? Jump in! I literally danced in the street, singing theme song. And I got a ticket from a police officer (he didn’t get jealous off my signature dance moves! I crossed the street at the red light, when I was dancing and he didn’t buy my act that I was tourist and I didn’t know where I am! )

So I excitedly began reading but unfortunately I found out this is another Switzerland book for me. But my “I didn’t like it but I also I didn’t hate it” definition about Switzerland kind of staying in the middle stars system worked differently for this book. Because at the beginning I loved the book and first half of it really worked well for me but then pace slowed down and story got dull, long, boring, kept repeated itself. And the ending didn’t reflect the real life events so conclusion of the story was a little dissatisfying for me. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t truly enjoy it, too. So I recently fell out love from the book and sighed slowly because I was expecting so much more.

What I liked most:
Characterization and writing:
In the late 16th century, we’re firstly introduced Anna Darvulia, a talented healer, living in a Hungary village, inherited her skill from her mother, knows how to tend to the ill herbs. Her gift attracted the attention of notorious Countess Bathory. So Anna starts to work for Countess as a maid, sleeping with the rats and spiders and then promoted to be a chambermaid.
I loved the naiveness and determination of Anna who is trying so hard to bring out the humanity and goodness the countess hid. But she chose an impossible task because she is a golden hearted lamb dealing with a vicious, dangerous, manipulative wolf, a real serial killer of the history. As she gets closer to the countess, Anna finally realizes she cannot find any concrete excuses for the countess’ cruelty.
The depiction of a killer’s psychology and her unbalanced, devious motives are impeccably told.

What I didn’t like:
Thee entire half of the book seemed like written by another writer because the pace got slower and repeating sequences bored me to death and forced me take a few nap breaks. The story seemed like going nowhere and of course predictable, not so surprising conclusion made me disappointed.

As a summary: I loved to read more books of the author and I wished this story could fit with my expectations but naturally it didn’t!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Abrams Kids/ Amulet Books to share this ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Guys. Let me introduce you to what might be one of my new favorite reads.
SALISBURY STEAK, this was good!

If you aren’t familiar with the premise, this is a fictional novel based off of the actual historical figure of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who became known as the Blood Countess because she was actually put to death in 1614 for the alleged murders of at least 600 young women. It was said she would bathe in their blood and even drink it in a quest to retain her beauty. ☠️🤢

The way that the author crafted this story was so brilliant.

I was expecting a bloody horror story, but instead I got a surprise: this was a tale that didn’t need all the gore. (So if you aren’t a fan, you’ll be happy to know that you can probably enjoy this book too!)

We are told our tale from the eyes of a young Anna Darvulia. Anna was from a poor family working as a healer when she was “fortunate” enough to be asked to work as the Countess’s chambermaid, a position that will feed her family and then some.

From the second she arrives, we begin to see the first inklings of what amounts to a delicious mindf**k that just escalates more and more.

This book didn’t need the gore because the actual horror was witnessing the manipulation, gaslighting, the cat and mouse games, the withholding of love and the punishments for not doing what was asked. Anna is tricked and trapped before she even knows what’s hit her.

We get a front row seat as a young girl is psychologicallly unraveled and its almost got this feeling like if you were watching an animal that caught it’s prey, but not to eat. When they play with it, let it go, catch it again...

THAT’S the part that was so unnerving to me in this story, to hear the story of what was happening (yes, she was doing some BAD stuff up in there!) from Anna’s perspective, but knowing that Anna was a victim too.

Aaaaah! I LOVED this book so much!
So, THANK YOU! to @abramskids @piquebeyond @netgalley for the advanced copy (all opinions are my own 😉)

So grateful for these things.

This book is coming out January 28, 2020, and I say GET IT! 🤣
#bloodcountess #netgalley #piquebeyond #abramskids

#BloodCountess #NetGalley
The relationships in this novel are what makes it such a captivating read. Elizabeth and Anna's relationship is a obsessive and unhealthy rotten apple. It is one that makes the pit of your stomach ache with how intense it becomes. They both find themselves lost in their own need to find perfection of some sort. Elizabeth is just plain scary as can be, a serial killer who justifies their own need to kill. Anna finds a weird kind of love with Elizabeth and doesn't want to see the monsters inside. I loved Lana Popovic showing the reader that monsters can be the people we love or want to love most. Blood Countess is a definite horror story, but one that transcends onto so many levels. Plus, I forgotten at times that this was a YA novel it is riveting to read.

Holy cow I absolutely loved this book. I find stories about Countess Elizabeth Bathory fascinating and while this wasn’t the pitch black monster story I wanted about her I still found it wonderful. The writing was superb and the characters enjoyable. I will definitely be buying a finished copy for myself!

Absolutely wonderful read! I enjoyed the plot, characters, and prose so much. Would definitely recommend it to anyone!

I have long been fascinated by the story of Elizabeth Bathory so I was excited to read this book. In Blood Countess we follow Anna who after a chance meeting with the Countess Bathory becomes her chambermaid, companion and later her lover allowing her to support her mother and siblings. Anna is enthralled by Elizabeth and becomes a little obsessed with her which allows her to turn a blind eye to her cruel ways. But as the story progresses Elizabeth’s behaviour grows even worse and Anna becomes even more enthralled by her and I was engrossed by their story and the intense relationship between them.
Anna is an interesting and complex character and it was interesting to see her constantly try to justify and excuse Elizabeth’s actions because of her adoration and obsession with her. The writing is very good and I was enthralled from the very first page and invested in the characters. The book is quite dark in places and very gory and I felt my unease growing from the very first page just as Anna feels her unease growing the longer she is in Elizabeth’s castle. This was a very interesting and well written book but it’s not for the faint hearted!! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book.