Thursday, June 7

Audiobook Review: Vlad - The Last Confession by C.C Humphreys

Author: CC Humphreys
Narrator: Collin Moody
Title: Vlad The Last Confession
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: Audiobook
Published: 2008  
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)

"Trust nothing that you've heard."

Winter 1431, a son is born to the Prince of Transylvania.

His father christened him "Vlad."

His people knew him as "The Dragon's Son."

His enemies reviled him as "Tepes"-The Impaler.

He became the hero of a nation.

We know him as Dracula.

Vlad: The Last Confession is a novel about the real man behind the Bram Stoker myth. It tells of the Prince, the warrior, the lover, the torturer, the survivor and, ultimately, the hero.


Honestly, I'm glad I listened to this over reading it. I do not think I would've enjoyed it as much if I read it. 

The story was just bearly okay. What really and truly made the story was the narrator. I highly enjoyed his voice and his accents. He made the story come alive. I was able to keep focused and remember who was who because of the narrator. There were a lot of characters, but the narrator gave everyone their own voice...even the females. 

Vlad was an interesting character in history. So many different sides to that tale. This did justice. You can see all the sides and opinions and you can make your final choice on the man. Yes, he was a monster in some ways. Yes, he was a hero. Yes, he was a man who did what he thought was right. Yes, he was a creature of his time who was forged by his enemy. The enemy has NO ONE to blame but themselves. They trained him and raised him and unleashed him. Not Vlad's fault he decided to turn on them. I guess that is my take. I do not approve of his impaling ways but I do not fault him entirely. He did what he was trained to do and thought he had to do to win his war. The loser of a war always becomes a monster. The victor writes down history. 

Impaling is so gross. They went into some detail but it was done well. You get a general idea but it wasn't too over-the-top in the descriptions.

There were two parts that had me scratching my head. One, why didn't Vlad tell his friend the truth. Two, in the end...how? Seems a stretch to me. I cannot say more because I fear spoilers. 

Overall, the story was just okay. What truly made the story was the narrator. I highly encourage listening to this tale. I want to listen to more by this narrator. Super good. I'll stamp this with....*does complicated math* I'll give this 3 stars. 





5 comments:

Melliane said...

ah... ok read

Blodeuedd said...

Yup, I do think that many many of my books lately have been good books, but the narrator have made them great ;) While at least he made this good rather than meh then

Carole Rae said...

Melliane, good luck!

B, yesss the narrator was good

Anachronist said...

I am still not sure. Vlad Tepes is one of those characters which can make or break a book. Usually he is overly simplified and I hate it.

Carole Rae said...

Agreed that is why I avoided this one. This was an interesting version of him.