Book Review: Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2) by Kerri Maniscalco

Blurb:

In this hotly anticipated sequel to the haunting #1 bestseller Stalking Jack the Ripper, bizarre murders are discovered in the castle of Prince Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Dracula. Could it be a copycat killer...or has the depraved prince been brought back to life?

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.

My Review

I dove into this book blind after seeing the cover and having instant cover love and reading an excerpt from the first chapter on Entertainment Weekly. I hadn't read the first book, although I have since rectified that, but I found this book easy to get into. 

The world-building in Hunting Prince Dracula is fantastic and the story-telling was enchanting. I felt as if I stepped right into the pages and was living the story. Audrey Rose is the definition of a strong female lead, a term I find to be overused lately but the term definitely describes Audrey. She's brave, fearless, unafraid to get her hands dirty, and easily proves that girls can do all of the things that guys can do. I find sometimes that some characters take some time to like, but I liked Audrey instantly. 

Audrey and Thomas reminded me of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Their investigative skills blew me away and I loved all of the details of late-nineteenth-century autopsies and forensic studies, the author definitely did her research. 

I loved both the setting (having read other books set roughly in the same region and time period and loving those it felt like I was returning to something familiar) and the secondary characters that brought the story together perfectly. I never saw the ending coming! 

Overall, I was hooked on Hunting Prince Dracula from the first page. I didn't want to put it down and I'm already eager to read the next book! 

My Rating:

5 of 5 Stars!