Dracula, My Love

By: Syrie James

I have to admit it has been many years since I've read Dracula so, for all intents and purposes, I remain completely ignorant of the details in the story, but I am still aware of the basic plot. This book rightfully claims that one need not have read Dracula in order to understand what is happening in the story, as all of the characters are explained as they appear.

Mina Murray is a young, engaged woman who is vacationing in the small seaside village of Whitby with her best friend Lucy, when she unwittingly starts to fall for a handsome man who is NOT her betrothed. While Lucy encourages this "harmless" interaction with the fascinating Mr. Wagner, Mina is increasingly concerned about her fiance, who has yet to return from Transylvania while conducting a real estate transaction with one Count Dracula.

Fast foward a bit.....Mina has received word that her fiance, Jonathan, is sick with a brain fever and is in a hospital overseas. Mina leaves immediately, without saying goodbye to Mr. Wagner and sets off to rescue her beloved. Upon finding him, they are married in the hospital and Mina vows to nurse her Jonathan back to health.

What follows is the story of how Dracula comes to England for the sole purpose of meeting Mina, and his interactions with her and her friends, who are intent on destroying the "beast". Jonathan gives an account of his time in Count Dracula's castle, about how he was held prisoner against his will, and about how creepy Dracula's behavior was, etc. Later on in the story, we get to hear Dracula's side of the story and learn "what really happened." I have to admit, I really enjoyed this part. It was funny to hear Mina's recounting of Jonathan's version of events and then hear Dracula's rebuke, "is THAT what he thought he saw? No wonder he was terrified!" Dracula had a reasonable exlanation for all of the creepy behavior that Jonathan had "witnessed", as well as explanations for all of the morbid events that seemed to follow him around wherever he went.

Throughout the story, Dracula is portrayed as the misunderstood, lonely, benevolent (to a degree) vampire who never really meant to harm the few people he admits to harming. He treats Mina with utmost respect, falling into mutual temptation on occasion. He keeps every promise to her, from when and where he will contact her, to not harming any of her friends who are out to kill him. He starts to study the skills of Gregg's shorthand and typewriting, simply because they are passions of Mina's. He protects her and watches over her, and sees that no harm comes to her. Can this guy really be all that bad? Why go through all this trouble of wooing a woman that he clearly could have taken by force? As Dracula explains to Mina, "I want you willingly, or not at all." Dracula, it seems, really is in love.

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With all this said and done, why did Dracula turn into a monster at the end of the book? Why the sudden mocking, derisive behavior? This seemed totally out of character for him, seeing how respectful he was towards Mina throughout the rest of the story. Then the threats to kill her......? I simply didn't understand this sudden change of attitude. At the end of the story, we hear Dracula tell Mina "You WILL be mine, even if I must kill you here and now, and keep you here by force!" All throughout the story, Dracula repeatedly tells her that she wants her to stay with him voluntarily...that seems so important to him...yet by the end of the story, that little requirement of his is irrelevent. In the epilogue, we hear a description of Mina's young son, and we know that Dracula is obviously the father. If this is the case, there is only one instance when this child could have been conceived....and that was during Mina's "dream" of making love to the Count, as she and Jonathan never had any other children. Was this a rape? Mina most likely would have done the deed willingly with him, as she fantasized about it quite frequently, and she was so deeply in love with him. And Mina killing Dracula so suddenly and furiously, this didn't sit well with me. I realize she was angry that Dracula didn't tell her about the baby (did he even know it was his?) but she was so deeply in love with him, that her killing him just seemed a bit rash for my liking. I don't know....perhaps I'm over analyzing this because, after all, we are talking about Dracula here, but it just seems to me that he really had changed for the better and that he was so in control of his temper throughout most the story. Much too in control to simply "lose it" so suddenly like that at the end.
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So, at the end of the story, we see a different side of Dracula that we aren't privy to during the reading of the novel. Dracula behaves rather well up until the very end of the story, where we see a sudden change in temperament. This goes against the characteristics that I came to expect from him, so I was disappointed in how the story ended. I thought the ending (and Dracula's fate) should have been more suited to the character that I had come to respect throughout the novel. Instead the ending seemed rushed and, dare I say, unreasonable to me.

Other than the ending, I rather enjoyed the story and Syrie James's writing style.

The 13th Hour

By: Richard Doetsch

I honestly didn't think the author was going to be able to pull this off. When dealing with time travel, there are an enormous amount of loose ends flying around that need to be tied up, as well as an infinite number of things that can go wrong (both those that have already happened in the future, as well as those unseen ones that cropped up as a result of the trip back into time) that need to be rectified. It's a complicated process that needs to be handled delicately and thoroughly, and Richard Doetsch has done just that.

Our protagonist, Nick, is wrongfully arrested for the brutal murder of his beloved wife, Julia. He is given a never-in-a-lifetime miracle of time travel to go back and find Julia's real killer before the crime happens again. He is given a special watch to hang onto, as this watch seems to be the portal to make this time travel possible. As Nick begins his journey, he discovers clues along the way as to what really happened to cause his wife to be targeted by such a ruthless killer. Time travel being what it is, and the fact that what happens in the past will now create an alternate future, Nick finds himself messing things up on a spectacular scale, leaving a future that is far worse than the one he left. Each time he thinks he's going to "get it right this time", yet each subsequent trip back into time brings a new set of unexpected problems that mess up his future even more. After so many fabulous screw ups, I didn't think the author was ever going to be able to bring Nick out of this and leave some shred of plausibility to the story. Well, "plausibility" being a relative term here. Remember, we are talking about time travel, so nothing in this story is really "plausible" per se, but still..... And yet I was pleasantly surprised at how the author managed to pull it all together so well, *AND* manage to surprise me at the end with a twist that I totally wasn't expecting!

This book surprised me on a number of levels. The characters were very well written and the reader was able to really get into their heads and "see" what everyone was thinking, giving the reader insight into why each person behaved the way he/she did. The writing was fluid and graceful (well, as graceful as a story of murder could possible be!) and had an innumerable amount of plot twists and surprises that never failed to disappoint. With as many complications as this storyline initially presented, the author left not a single loose end. Everything was neatly tied up by the end of the book and the reader is left completely satisfied and happy about how it all turned out. Excellent book!

When Good Wishes Go Bad

By: Mindy Klasky

This was a fun and lighthearted read about a woman who finds herself suddenly broke and homeless after her boyfriend of 3 years disappears with her entire life savings, as well as 3 million dollars from the production company that they both work(ed) for. That being said, a friendly co-worker lends our protagonist a box of clothes, as well as a brass lamp, complete with a gender-bending, wish-fulfilling genie. What I didn't realize before reading this book is that the friendly co-worker's adventures with the magical genie were apparently documented in the first book in this series. However, this book stands alone just fine and I had absolutely no trouble keeping up with what was going on. Even though the two books are evidently written as a continuation of the story, one needn't necessarily read them in order. That's what I was told, anyway, and I believe it since I didn't even realize this was a continuation until I was told so. That being said......

I found this book to be the perfect brain candy. It was an effortless read, perfect for a lazy summer day. The characters were, in my opinion, very likable and well rounded. Even the Popcorn King was irritatingly well-written. The plot was well executed and the author left no loose ends when the story was over. Toss in a teaspoon of humor and a dash of romance, and you have a perfect recipe for a great book. I noticed that some reviewers didn't like this book because the plot was "unbelievable", but how believable is a genie in a lamp supposed to be? This book has very little semblance to anything believable, but that's what makes it so much fun. This book is a nice little escape from reality, and it was an escape that I truly enjoyed making.

The back of the book states that Mindy Klasky's next book (in this series) will be published in October 2010 and I look forward to reading about another 4 wishes being granted to another unsuspecting soul.

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

By: Beth Fantaskey

I enjoyed this book quite a bit.....I found it to be creative and original - somewhat different from the typical vampire stories that I see in the bookstores. It was well written and the story flowed evenly throughout the book. The ending was satisfying and fulfilling, with no loose ends.

The characters are very well written. Jessica is intelligent and independent, good characters for a teenage girl to have and she is not one to define herself by whether or not she has a boy on her arm. Lucius, the teenage (vampire) exchange student who tries to convince Jessica that she is his betrothed vampire princess, is on the flip side, arrogant and rather annoying, but shows signs of promise as well. He reminds me of the "typical" (and I use this word extremely loosely here!) male vampire. In all the vampire books I`ve read, the male seems to be on the arrogant side, so I guess my opinion is a bit predisposed there. In any event, I thoroughly enjoy reading books that have strong female characters. These types of characters are lacking in so many books these days!

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was the humor scattered throughout the story. Lucius's letters back home to his uncle Vasile were absolutely hilarious! ("...you know I have always wondered about eternity, but I need not be curious anymore. I have sampled eternity in Miss Campbell's fifth period Social Studies class...") Ha!Ha! And some of the other "nonchalent" references....."the good news was that the Dragomirs had an impressive estate of their own. The bad news is that it is open to tourists 4 days a week." (But hey, motor coach traffic is up sixty-seven percent!) I love a good sense of humor, and the author certainly doesn't lack one.

There is no sex in this book, but some of the scenes were a bit sensual. The sensuality, though, was an integral part of the story and was, in my opinion, beautifully written. And there is some language to deal with. Not a lot, but I thought it worth mentioning, just in case some might be wondering. I consider this to be 5-star writing, but I chose to remove one star for the language that was in the book. It really isn't a lot of bad language, but the author is so creative that I thought she could have written the story just as well without it. I saw no point to it.

Another theme that we deal with in this story is that of love and redemption. Our favorite arrogant vampire has feelings of worthlessness (I won't reveal why, it would spoil too much) and feels that he is unforgivable. Yet we see glimpses of kindness and love, even when he refuses to acknowledge their existence. It is a powerful, emotionally charged story that takes the reader on Lucius's emotional roller coaster ride with him, and has us sitting in the sidelines, cheering him on and hoping he finds the forgiveness he desperately craves.

All in all, I found this to be an excellent book. I finished it in 2 days, as I found myself not wanting to put it down. I originally chose this book so I could later donate it to my daughter's high school library. Now I'm actually seriously considering keeping it for myself...yes, I enjoyed it THAT much! I understand that this is the author's first book; I hope she will give serious thought to writing another one. It would be a shame not to have more wonderful books to read from such a fresh, new voice.

The Fetch

By: Laura Whitcomb

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it was creatively written and easy to follow. On the other hand, I was a bit put off by the general message of the story, which wasn't expressed until the very end of the book.

Calder, our Fetch protagonist, is a very likable and empathetic character. He has a good heart and a humble spirit. He feels unworthy of his job, yet he prods on and does what he was trained to do. The reader can't help but like the guy. He thinks he has fallen in love with a human, so he breaks his holy vows and swaps places with a human who is close with the woman he thinks he loves. From this horrific mistake to the end of the story, Calder tries to rectify what he's done and it takes the entire book for him to finally make amends with his mistake. Then, and here's where I have mixed feelings, instead of being punished or even reprimanded for his huge transgression, he is generously rewarded. To me, this implies that even in Heaven one can do whatever one wants, without fear of punishment. If that were the case, there could be anarchy in Heaven as every celestial being took it upon himself to do whatever he wants, and whenever. I just didn't think the ending was appropriate, but I still enjoyed the book overall.

One of the things that I think would enhance the reader's experience of this book is if s/he knew a litle bit about the Russian royal family before beginning to read this book. It certainly isn't necessary to know anything about them in order to understand the story, but I think the reader would enjoy this book more if s/he knew just a few basic facts about the Romanov family and, especially, Rasputin (and his many "assination" attempts!) To wit: 1) Why Alexis was so important to this family, 2) The signifigance of his illness, 3) The execution of the family, 4) Why Ana and Alexis were presumably selected out of the 5 Romnanov children. A quick Google search would suffice, as it is not necessary to study the family in depth, but just a quick preview of the lives of the royal children and Rasputin's character.

The back of this book indicates that it is a book for teens, but I hesitate to recommend it to teenagers. Not because there is anything inappropriate in it (because there isn't) but the theme seems a bit heavy and, just because the main characters are teenagers, doesn't mean a teenager will like the story. My 16 year old daugher simply couldn't get into this book....she was bored and confused by the historical signifigance of the story.

Overall, I found this book to be creative and easy flowing. I finished it in 2 days.