This will be a rant review riddled with spoilers.

Dracula's Child is written as a sequel to Stoker's novel Dracula. The book has a similar feel and writing style to Dracula, but for me personally, it lacks the excitement, and it drags a lot. I really hoped this would be a thrilling read, but it ended up being quite disappointing.

Here is where I'll separate the things that I liked about this book and the things that I didn't.

What I enjoyed:

1. The format- This book was written through newspaper articles, letters, and diaries. This was a very interesting way of telling the story, and I really enjoyed it. Also, the way it was made to look as if Quincy Harker was the one who wrote the book (the footnotes and the letter at the end of the book confirmed this), was very well done.

2. The character, Mina Harker- Mina's POV was the most enjoyable for me to follow. I loved how much she cared about her family and friends. She was a strong woman who stood her ground and was ready to do anything to protect her son, while her husband acted like a complete coward.

And that's about everything I liked when it comes to this book. I know, there isn't a lot at all. But it is how it is.

Now for the things I didn't like:

1. All the other characters- Apart from Mina Harker, I didn't care about any of the other characters. Quincy wasn't a fascinating character in the slightest, and we find out very little about him. All that I remember is that he was to be the vessel, and that he went to an all-boys school. That's all. He's our main character, yet he was the least interesting of them all. Jonathan Harker was a drunk and a coward through 3/4 of the book, but in the end he was the big hero who saved the day. I hated that. There were so many other characters who were more deserving of the role of the hero, like Mina Harker (I'm still bitter about what happened to her. But I'll get to that). Dr. Steward wasn't there half of the story, and I didn't like how the whole diary thing, the one he found, was brushed off as just being a trap. I hoped it would've had a bigger role in the story. Arthur and Caroline, and all the other characters just didn't really seem important at all.

2. What was done to all the female characters- Apparently all of the women in this book are only there to advance the plot for the male characters or die in a dramatic way. I won't get to all of them, but I'll start with Caroline, Arthur's wife. She got pregnant and then went mad (she later on lost the baby as the result of the madness). Caroline didn't really have a role in the story, well except to blow herself up by saving the other characters. The next one is the daughter of a police inspector, Ruby Parlow. This character was just there to welcome Jonathan, Dr. Steward, Arthur, and George (a police officer who worked with her father). And that's all she did. Well, she also played George's love interest, so that's something, I guess. I personally thought there was no need for her to even exist in this book. And now for my biggest disappointment, what the author did to Mina Harker. I loved her character, and she was ready for battle. But of course, she got captured and wasn't seen until the last page of the last chapter when we find out she was turned into a vampire. I hoped she would be the hero of this book, that she would save the day, but she was only used to give courage to her husband, so he can be the hero. I'm still bitter about this.

3. Characters and chapters that felt like filler- We got a lot of chapters about politicians, and newspaper articles where they wrote about what was happening in London. I thought those were the most pointless and boring chapters in the book, and I skimmed them. We got so much about the politicians who stood with the Count, but it just ended in them being turned into vampires. I really couldn't have cared less about those characters when I was reading the book.

4. The epilogue- We get this dinner with old friends at the Harker household. And guess what, Mina is there (Still a vampire, of course!). They were killing all the other vampires, one of them a little boy who begged them for mercy, yet Mina was the only exception to the rule. I hated that so much. And that made me hate the characters even more.

This book unfortunately wasn't for me. But I believe that fans of Stoker's Dracula will enjoy reading this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let me tell a little secret...
I nearly gave this book a hard pass.

How dare J.S. Barnes touch my beloved Dracula?

But this was the old me trying to get in the way. The same old me that keeps squealing whenever I pick a genre other than Horror. The old me that would rather not try to read something different.

NOPE!

Screw the old me.

I decided to go for it and see what J.S. Barnes could come up with.

As I'm writing this review, I keep thinking of fancy ways to describe what the author did in this book, but let just keep it simple: nailed it

J.S. Barnes nailed it.

The writing is impeccable and will immediately remind you of the original Dracula.

As with Dracula, if you’re not a fan of the epistolary form, this might not be for you. Just know that the format works just as great as it did in the original.

It could be classified as a slow-burner, which isn’t an issue to me. As long as I’m enjoying the story, the pace is secondary.

Overall, a fantastic surprise.

I really enjoyed this one and I’m glad I decided to give it a fighting chance.

If you’re a fan of Dracula, ‘Dracula's Child’ should be on your TBR.

Huge thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley for sending me a review copy.

It is not an easy task to take such a well known classic and continue the story of Mina and Jonathan Harker but the author manages to carry on the spirit of the young couple and follow their lives years after their last encounter with Count Dracula.

We follow Mina and John as they try to live a normal life with their son and still cope with the ghosts from the past. That is until one day a warning comes from Quincy, their son. He is to be the vessel of Count Dracula that is plotting his return to conquer the human race.

The story is told between journals and newspapers and this for me is what makes this story work so well and we also get to discover many new interesting characters. It is a gothic horror that definitely has some of the same vibes Dracula had.

One of my all-time favorite books is Dracula by Bram Stoker. I’d seen the movie growing up (the Gary Oldman and Keanu Reeves one) and finally read the novel my senior year of college. I fell in love with the story and the writing and the entire world. I even gave my youngest son ‘Bram’ for a middle name.

Dracula’s Child picks up a decade after the original team of Van Helsing, Johnathan Harker, Dr. Seward, etc. vanquished the frightful Count Dracula.

Johnathan and Mina, of course, marry and try to move on with life in London as normally as possible. They have a son called Quincey, named after the courageous American Quincey Morris, who had sacrificed himself in the fight against the Count the decade before.

Soon after the story begins, things start happening—evil things. Possessions, bloodthirsty creatures running amuck, government takeovers, and ultimately the return of Count Dracula soon begin.

What I loved most about this story was it read just like the original Dracula. The chapters are set up like diary entries from each character, and the tone is accurately dark with a genuine gothic horror feel. This writing style displays the literary talent of Barnes in being able to write in a way that feels like a true sequel, almost as if it’d been written by Bram Stoker himself.

My friends, if you are a fan of Dracula, then I beg you to read this book. Sit in a comfy seat next to an open window while it’s raining with a cup of hot tea beside you and read this damn book.

Evil never truly dies...and some legends live forever. The dark heart of Bram Stoker's classic is reborn; capturing the voice, tone, style and characters of the original yet with a modern sensibility, this is a fitting tribute and unofficial sequel to the Bram Stoker classic. It would be preferable to have read Dracula before diving into this as there are references to the original, the characters are the same and Barnes uses the original to give his story context.

Dracula’s Child is set just over a decade after the original novel when The Crew of Light triumphed over wicked Count Dracula. Written much in the same fashion as the original, the story is told is a series of diary entries, letters and newspaper articles collated over the course of a year. The Crew of Light, featuring Dr Seward, Lord Godalming and Professor Van Helsing, reunite to celebrate the birthday of Jonathan and Mina Harker’s 12-year-old son, Quincey. The Harker’s have retired to the Oxfordshire countryside for a quiet life. However, tragedy strikes when Professor Van Helsing falls severely ill, collapsing and slipping into unconsciousness, at the party after issuing a stark warning and everyone soon comes to the realisation that his prophecy portends Dracula’s imminent return as he vowed to seek vengeance on those who challenged him.

I was nervous about reading this book as I've tried many sequels to well-known classics that have bombed but I had no such issues here. Barnes has captured and recreated the chilling atmosphere and the epistolary form of writing works as well as it did in the original. This gothic horror has nonstop action, a number of instances where your heart is in your mouth and plenty of intrigue. I was hooked from the very beginning and found the layered plot and multiple perspectives were executed superbly. It's creepy and thrilling and the world Barnes has built is intricately designed and easy to become immersed in. This is a delightfully macabre tale that is a must-read for those who enjoy vampirism, dark gothic stories and classic horror. A captivating, masterful and entertaining book, Dracula’s Child is a sinister, high-drama novel which is utterly compulsive. Many thanks to Titan Books for an ARC.

My thanks to Titan Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Dracula’s Child’ by J. S. Barnes in exchange for an honest review.

This novel continues the story of Dracula and is presented in an epistolary format, as was Stoker’s original. Set in 1903 it follows the adventures of the surviving members of the Crew of Light, who had defeated Dracula in Transylvania years before. Yet evil never really dies.

The marriage of Jonathan and Mina Harker is hitting a rough patch. Jonathan is drinking again, leaving Mina feeling increasingly isolated. Their son, Quincey, is prone to fits and at times seems to be overcome by dark thoughts as well as exhibiting disturbing behaviour.

Meanwhile, a new evil is rising on the Continent. A naturalist is bringing a new species of bat back to London (bats are lovely but a bit of a worry when it’s captured in the Carpathian Mountains and is described as large and overly predatory). Also, two English gentlemen, initially on separate tours of the Continent, meet up and journey together. They are encouraged by an exotic woman to visit a certain Transylvanian castle.

Back in Britain there is increasing social unrest. No further plot details in order to avoid spoilers.

I am a huge fan of the original ‘Dracula’ and have read a number of works that have sought to expand on or continue the story. I was very impressed by ‘Dracula’s Child’ and applaud J.S. Barnes for his faithfulness to the ambience of the original ‘Dracula’.

The novel develops slowly and builds up a powerful sense of dread as events unfold. It is told in a very straight-faced and serious manner rather than with any post-modern irony or asides. Barnes captures the Victorian period with ease, including the etiquette of the times and social decorum.

I enjoyed it very much, and was carried along by the narrative. It was atmospheric and chilling, while also providing a number of interesting twists. Superbly Gothic.

Overall, I feel that ‘Dracula’s Child’ is a worthy continuation of the Dracula legend.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Note: as I reviewed both the ebook and audiobook editions, my review for Amazon and Goodreads combines my thoughts on both.

I really enjoyed this, I thought the author got the tone and atmosphere of Dracula just perfect, I was just drawn by how eerie, captivating yet also disturbing at times this story was. It feels so authentic, almost like it was written by Stoker, or at least in the same era. I think this really stands up well to the original, the style is true to the original, even new characters blend in seamlessly, overall a fantastic gothic story Worthy of its namesake.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I read Bram Stoker’s Dracula at the end of 2019 and when I saw this title pop up on NetGalley I was intrigued. What I’ve wanted since finishing the original late 19th century text is more of the same, and Dracula’s Child seemed to offer just that. However, whilst the novel initially offers the same eerie atmosphere and the voices of characters I’d grown to love, as the story progresses, I felt like some of those elements were lost.

When reflecting on Dracula’s Child I realise that my reading experience was one of two halves – the beginning was so authentically eerie, slow and necessarily creepy at times and the second half of the novel was paced a little quicker but my interest in the plot dropped severely. Everything about the novel just felt stronger in the first half than the second. But it was in the second half of the book I really realised what Barnes was doing with Dracula’s Child. It shows what the later stages in Dracula’s plans were. It answers the question: what if Dracula got further into what he was planning? And reveals all. I think the change in the scale of the supernatural in this book didn’t appeal to me. The threat was so much more obvious to the readers (although the characters didn’t always catch on as quickly as they perhaps should have) and I think that took away from the eeriness.

Much like the text it is inspired by, Dracula’s Child takes the form of diary entries, letters, newspaper articles and the like. It feels so true to the world that Dracula inhabits, and Barnes does a fantastic job of recreating the voices of characters such as Mina and Johnathan Harker in an authentic enough way. New characters are introduced throughout the novel and their voices do fit into the turn of the century setting seamlessly. However, whilst the first half of the novel utilised these voices in what felt like an authentic way, the latter half really lost that at some points. The most notable instance for me was when a line of Johnathan’s speech was reported, and it sounded like he was trying too hard to sound like an action hero – and that isn’t the kind of man I understand him to be. It was at those points in which I was reminded that this is a novel of the 21stcentury which somewhat tainted my reading experience. Additionally, the characterisation of a pretty significant character (guess who?) felt a little bit off as they decided to perform a little monologue explaining why they were going to get revenge. Considering other core characters were so well executed, these moments really just stuck out as being weaker.

Whilst occasionally the language does slip, many other elements of the novel do feel authentic to the late 19th/early 20th century. There are scenes which feel very reminiscent of classic Gothic and early vampire novels without ever feeling particularly cliché. Even the aspects of vampire fiction which have been popularised by Dracula don’t really make an appearance in this novel and I didn’t mind. It was refreshing in a way.

Overall, despite its dips in plot and characterisation, Dracula’s Child is worth considering if you’re a fan of the late 19th century story. It definitely feels authentically creepy at the right moments and adds something different to the lives of these characters. If you’re a fan of the original text, or perhaps just want something a little bit spooky as we approach October, Dracula’s Child might be one to pick up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of Dracula's Child by J.S. Barnes. I thoroughly enjoyed this epistolary novel set 10 years after the Harker's experience at Castle Dracula. I've never read Bram Stoker's Dracula so I was unfamiliar with the cast of characters integral to that tale but having seen a few Dracula films, Arthur Van Helsing was, of course, known to me. I don't think it's necessary to have read Dracula first because Barnes details the character's connection to that time; however, there may be nuggets nodding to Stoker's Dracula that I missed that would further engage a reader of Dracula. I felt the organization (epistolary) was masterfully done to keep all character's and their stories running effectively and excitingly towards their climaxing reunion and the conclusion of this story of Dracula's Child. It was thoroughly engaging and I give it a strong 4 stars. This would make an excellent addition to libraries for patrons that love horror - and Dracula! I will be talking favorably about the excellent novel on Episode 40 of Biggest Little Library Podcast which will drop October 6th. Thank you again NetGalley!

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre,  however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for  opening up my mind to something totally different. Characters were so well developed that I felt as though I knew them. I love when a book draws you into the story and it feels like you are living it with them.

If you enjoyed Dracula you will enjoy this book. It was well written and I loved the story. I’m new to this author and will look for more by them.

It's taken me a little longer than normal to review this book, and I have mixed thoughts. Firstly, the tone is perfect. In fact, it was so perfect that I stopped after chapter one to go and re read Dracula. And then I got sucked into an audiobook of Dracula, the perfect medium for the style of prose - hence me taking longer to read and review this one. So, in capturing the feel and delivery of the original, I have to say this book meets the mark one hundred percent. It excels in the feel of the original.
I also loved the very real effects of such trauma that happened to the original characters being evident in this 'sequel' - no one would be unaffected by the horror of Dracula. This was sad to read, but also very well written.
The bits I liked less concern the plot, unfortunately. Whilst the idea of a resurrection is certainly not bad, it felt like it was never really cohesive - I don't know why it occurred in the way it did. Secondly, there is a massive flaw (for me) involving Mina. Whilst I won't give spoilers, it feels very untrue to her character and I think made the whole book less inviting.
I felt that some of the diary entries of Salter were just filler, and found myself skipping them.
However! In all, I think this is an excellent imagining of what might have happened in the years after the count's defeat in Dracula, and absolutely is worth a look if you loved the style of the original. Be prepared to disagree with the direction the author takes, however!

It’s been more than a decade since the events of Bram Stoker’s original novel, which culminated in the true death of Dracula at the hands of Mina Harker and her champions. Life has carried on, as life tends to do. Mina and Jonathan’s little family has grown, and they now have a son, named after the redoubtable American, Quincey Morris, who died in their quest to kill the vampire. Their little group comes together again to celebrate young Quincey’s birthday, and this is where tragedy strikes - Van Helsing falls suddenly ill, but not before he delivers a startling warning.

In London, the mysterious Council of Athelstan begins to pluck the strings of the press and the British government. On the Continent, an ageing actor meets a fellow Englishman with an irresistible allure. In Roumania, an old adversary is beginning to stir. Could it possibly be that the Harkers and their friends weren’t as successful in defeating Dracula as they had believed?

You’ve got to be pretty brave to attempt to write a sequel to one of the most famous horror stories of all time. Nevertheless, it’s a feat that Barnes almost pulled off. The tone and epistolary method of writing are similar, and it’s evident that the author has put the hours in when it comes to the research. I think reception is going to vary depending on whether the reader is coming at this book as a purist or whether most of the reader’s Dracula knowledge comes more from film and TV rather than the original novel.

If I was one of the latter, then I’d probably give Dracula’s Child a four-star rating. While slow at times, and positively dragging on at least one occasion, the story builds with the same sense of menace and dark purpose as the original, and the addition of the sinister Council of Athelstan fits perfectly.

Unfortunately, I’m one of those people who sits through a film pointing out all the things they’ve got wrong and preaching the gospel of The Book Was Better, and Dracula is one of my favourite novels ever. Whilst all the bits are in the right place and all the characters are present, they’re just not right (well, apart from Jonathan, but Jonathan was useless in the original, too). I can’t add most of the comments I want to make, because they’re too spoilery, but I’ll include them at the end of the Goodreads review because they can be hidden there. Suffice to say that a disservice has been done to the other original characters, especially Mina and Van Helsing. Disappointing.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read Dracula a few years ago - it was my 'scary October read' and I couldn't understand why I waited for so long. OH MY GOD.

Dracula's Child is perfect. It's the book that Bram Stoker likely would have written, it follows the same writing style as the original.

10 years after the events in Dracula, Jonathan and Mina Harker have attempted to move on with their lives, and with each other. The years have passed in relative peace but now ...but NOW....some secrets are threatening to be revealed.

This has the same 'gothic' feel as the original book, J.S. Barnes knows how to build the tension and terror, causing chills to be just at the surface. Stoker would be proud.

Thank you to the author, J.S. Barnes, and the publisher, Titan Books, and NetGalley for this opportunity.

INSTAGRAM REVIEW TO COME.

Jonathan and Mina Harker survived their terrible vampiric ordeal and have attempted to move on with their lives, and with each other. Years have passed in relative peace but now old menaces threaten to become unearthed as new secrets and blood are spilled...

This was such a great retelling, which came with a similar prose style and epistolary accounts, as in Stoker's original Gothic text. I felt it also captured the eerie atmosphere and suspenseful narrative of the former, whilst delivering something new and entirely of Barnes' own chilling creation.

This, like Dracula itself, was a slower-paced novel, with portions of altering perspectives used to deliver moments of high drama and intrigue. It was this pace that so enamoured me, as I felt consistently kept a hair's breadth away from the sinister somethings lurking in the shadows and forever unaware for where Barnes would have them strike next.

Vampires aren't supernatural beings that illicit fear, for me, and so I found nothing here to intensely horrify. It did, however, charge my imagination and deliver a creepy read I found a dark joy in devouring long into the moonlit hours.

I tried and tried but I just couldn’t get into the story. I loved Dracula, enjoyed it immensely and I honestly thought it will be the same with Dracula’s Child. But no. Unfortunately I was bored. The premise had great promise but something was missing for me,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy.

This story intrigued me right away. I read the synopsis and wanted to read the novel itself but I was sceptical. How could anyone emulate or even live up to Bram Stoker? Especially in my Dracula loving eyes.

Well, J.S. Barnes manages to set aside what I have no doubt is an extreme amount of pressure and intimidation to deliver an exciting, tense, gripping and chilling successor to Dracula. Whilst the premise at first glance may seem like a cheap sequel to sell books and piggyback off the continued success of Dracula as vampires come in and out of popularity, the novel defies that assumption by being true to the original but offering new characters and insights.

The writing is respectful and matches the tone and practical lyricism of Stoker and by god does it scare the hell out of you. I should not have read this at night but truthfully I could not put it down. The story is truly captivating, written in the form of diary entries and the like from both Harkers, Seward, Van Helsing and others. It is a worthy successor to Bram Stoker and builds exquisitely on the legend that was left behind by him.

Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A gothic, bone-chilling revival of the most infamous vampire tale of all time that may even rival the first in its delectable thirst of the gruesome and the wicked.

"Dracula's Child," by J.S Barnes is a work of literal art. Written in a similar tone and style of Bram Stoker, the tale is delivered in a series of letters, articles, and diary entries from multi-perspectives, detailing what nobody wants to admit: Dracula is back and determined to fulfill his promise of revenge. Mina and Jonathon Harker have many reasons for trying to deny the truth of Dracula's return than most, but when their son Quincey begins to act strangely and undergoes severe fits, they begin to realize something very sinister is happening. And it's not happening to just Quincey, but violent and unexplainable acts are occurring across the country and it all leads back to Dracula.

Absolutely loved this story and the amount of effort that must've taken place to get the atmosphere, setting, and tone to liken that of Bram Stoker himself. The slow, tense build-up to action was an incredible way of being re-introduced to the characters and setting fans of the original work will enjoy. Not to mention it allowed for the eerie and overall unsettling vibes of the story to be intricately woven throughout the tale, creating a continuous feeling of paranoia and fear to make a permanent home within one's mind.

Chilling, brutal, and hauntingly gothic. "Dracula's Child" is beautifully descriptive and dark. A perfect sequel to the original we never knew we needed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for providing me with a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The first book in this genre I ever read was Dracula by Bram Stoker and I have loved this genre ever since. I have read this book so many times, delighting in the era and everything else this book has to over. Then last year I read Dracul by J D Barker which in my opinion was for me an instant classic. Now this book reads as the sequel to Dracula. A new century and England is in turmoil. Lawlessness, no confidence in government or the police force. What has caused this rift in our country? Told in a series of letters and newspaper articles this story in all its horror unfolds. He is back and demands vengeance on those who once put him down. Atmospheric, gripping and thoroughly entertaining, I have been transported back to the turn of the century and loved every minute. An immediate classic for me and a masterpiece of story telling.
Thanks to Titan Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

It must be very, very intimidating to try to write a sequel to any novel that wasn’t yours at all, nevermind one that’s so well known and such a big part of the collective knowledge. Dracula might not be the first vampire novel ever, but it’s definitely the one that richocheted the idea of vampire into the world and has inspired so many other works—from more novels, to movies, to manga, to board games. It also happens to be one of my favorite books of all time, so even though I was sympathetic to the author in what he was trying to do, here, I started reading Dracula’s Child with a lot of skepticism that it would be even half as good as the original.

Fortunately, I was wrong. I was impressed relatively early on by the amount of research and thought that went into this novel. I continued to be impressed by the spot-on consistent characterization of the returning characters and the integration of the new ones into the story. Finally, I want to acknowledge what I’m sure was the biggest difficulty of all—the way this was written flowed so well into the original. I loved the fact that it continued to be an epistolary story and I loved that the author did such a good job make it sound Victorian and Gothic. I’m sure that took more work and research than we as readers know, but the author makes it seem effortless.

Dracula’s Child is the diaries of Mina Harker, Jonathan Harker, Dr. Seward, and some new characters (don’t want to spoil anything!) as well as a few letters between them, Arthur Holmwood, Abraham Van Helsing, and some new characters, compiled by Mina and Jonathan’s son Quincey as he leaves to fight in World War I. It takes place a little more than ten years after the original story and thankfully doesn’t try to rewrite any of the Dracula legend, just builds off of what Bram Stoker left behind.

I had a little bit of a hard time caring about the new characters but that was my fault, not the author’s. Overall I really liked this—it stood up well next to the original and I think Bram Stoker would be impressed.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for a review.