Review - Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

Series: Stalking Jack the Ripper #2

Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery

Age Group: Young Adult

Hardcover - 434 pgs

Source: Purchased

Published- September 2017

Add it // Buy it

Rating: 4/5

Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe's best schools of forensic medicine...and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.

But her life's dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school's forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again.

The first installment of this series was fantastic and I think this one measures up quite well.  Personally I find Jack the Ripper more appealing and interesting than Dracula so book one appealed to me a little more, but the books are both interesting and well written.

Our two main characters, Audrey Rose and Thomas, continue on their journey. Their dynamic is a lot of fun to follow and I enjoy their banter very much.I love each of them especially Audrey Rose and her fierce independence. Her anxiety of being trapped by her father or a future husband is written so well and her desire to be an equal in any relationship is extremely relatable.

The only issue I had with this book was it’s repetitive nature. Throughout the book there were times when the characters had the same conversations or went through the same motions several times before anything new was discovered. Even so, I enjoyed the mystery and the setting of Dracula’s castle was quite creepy. The atmosphere of these books is perfect for fall and Halloween. I’m excited to read the third book soon so I can enjoy it during the spooky season.

A+ to Maniscalco for avoiding a love triangle. I hope this continues. Though Audrey Rose is unsure about her feelings about Thomas, she doesn’t spend time pining over him or turn to another boy. She is busy with her life goals and solving a mystery! Plus Thomas isn’t jealous or controlling when Audrey Rose engages with the boys in their class. He is fabulous and I adore him even though he can be petulant at times.

An excellent second installment and I’m anxious for book three.

Magic Triumphs by Kate Daniels 

Review - Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Series: Stalking Jack the Ripper #1

Genre: Historical Fiction/Horror

Age Group: Young adult
Hardcover -326 pgs

Source: Purchased 

Publishe: September 2018

Add it // Buy it

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story's shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.

This book has floated around the edges of my bookish awareness for years now.  I've seen candles inspired by it and art with hearts and knives attributed to this series. However, I never took the time to really check out what it was about.  Once I did, I could not resist the idea of a young Victorian lady learning forensic science and trying to solve the Jack the Ripper murders. This story sounded right up my street. 

Audrey Rose is a young lady from an upper class background who breaks the mold by learning anatomy and dissection at her uncle's knee. She is smart and we see her use her knowledge to solve problems throughout the novel. She is brave and brash and I absolutely loved her. 

Throughout the novel, both in the scenes in her uncle's basement and in the field, you can see how much research Maniscalco put into her novel. The gruesome details from the Jack the Ripper murders draw you into this dark story along with our intriguing main characters. The descriptions of the murder scenes and the Wadsworth home seemed to put me right there beside Audrey Rose as she struggled to predict what Jack would do next. Though a little predictable at times, this story kept me on the edge of my seat whenever I picked it up. 

I adored the almost Holmes and Watson dynamic of our two main characters. They worked so well together and were so interesting on their own and as a pair. The sexual tension almost killed me and I think I've found my newest favorite ship. Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell have an fascinating way of constantly grounding each other in reality during their murder investigations and keeping each other off balance in their personal interactions. I really enjoyed their relationship and cannot wait to see where it goes in the next books.