An in depth novel based on true historical facts- my favourite genre! This is a book to read slowly and savour, as there are many characters and the writing is detailed. I had never heard of this ‘blood countess’ before which made this book even more interesting. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to review.

The Nightingales Castle by Sonia Velton
Out 02 May 2024

This story is about the Countess Erzebet Bathory: a prolific serial killer. She was a Hungarian who was alleged to have murdered hundreds of young girls in the 16th/17th century.

Before starting this book, I had never heard of Bathory. Halfway through, I googled her so I could know more about her history. I found this historical fiction an interesting take on what possibly could have happened. Bathory comes across as a formidable force in an era when men ruled. She seemed caring and looked after those who were loyal to her. Bit of an evil streak to those who needed discipline.
Boroka is the other character in this story that we learn about. She is kind, gentle, and caring towards people and dedicated to her duties towards Bathory.

There are a lot of characters to keep up with, which I struggled with a little. As did I with the pronunciations of names and places. It didn't take anything away from the story it is beautifully descriptive in places and easy to read with its short chapters.

I would recommend this to lovers of historical fiction or who have an interest in Bathory herself. It has a touch of magic and witchcraft, too.

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4.5
You know I love a 'retelling' and this was no exception. This tells the story of Elizabeth Báthory, a real life figure, often referred to as the Blood Countess. Its a case of do you believe she really was a blood thirsty Countess who bathed in the blood of young virgin girls for eternal youth, or was she a rich, powerful, independent woman who history villainised. Based on this book, I personally believe the latter.
I really enjoyed how the POV flowed between the various people within the castle as it gave more perspective. I think the twist at the end was so well done and we got teasers of it all throughout.

Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown for the arc!

This was an incredibly good novel, I was fascinated from the start by the story of the Countess Bathory. I found it a brilliant read and would recommend it highly.

I picked this up without reading the blurb, the author alone was enough to attract me.
I was very excited to then find it's a story about Erzsébet Báthory, who is famous for having killed and tortured hundreds of virgins, and bathed in their blood.
This book goes back to the facts snd gives a slightly different account.
With a touch of witchcraft and magic thrown in, it was a fascinating read.
The afterword puts everything into place, so definitely don't skip that.
An incredibly good read.