Audiobook Review: Bram Stoker's Dracula

Author: Bram Stoker
Narrator: Ella Purnell, Jonathan Bailey, & full cast

Title: Dracula

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Classic
Format: Audiobook

Published: October 1, 2026 (this rendition)
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)


Summary: 

When her fiancé vanishes in Transylvania, Mina pieces together letters, diary entries and chilling testimony to hunt the predator stalking those she loves — only to discover he's already hunting her. Dracula lurks in shadow, slips into dreams, and casts no reflection. To nearly all, he defies beyond what the eye can see, and what the mind can comprehend. When her closest friend Lucy succumbs to his thrall, the enigmatic Professor Van Helsing is summoned to wage war on this unfathomable threat. But it is Mina; her intellect, her resolve, her gift for drawing the unseen lines between clues, who may hold the key to stopping this ancient scourge. If he hasn't already found his way inside her mind…

Review:

Love me some Dracula. Esp Dracula remakes. And when I heard the cast of this one, I couldn't resist checking it out!

Mina's fiancé vanishes, and she is trying to piece together the letters, diary entries, and chilling testimony to figure out what happened. He returns, but he isn't the same. At the same time, her childhood friend is dying, and they do not know why. They bring in Professor Van Helsing to combat the threat. However, it is Mina who will connect all the dots and figure out that they are being hunted by an ancient scourge. 

The original story is good, but man, was this cast amazing. They really did a wonderful job breathing fresh air into this story. Fabulous. I was so invested. I listened to this during a long drive down to Florida, and I was in Tennessee by the time I finished it. I was surrounded by trees and darkness. Such a great way to listen to this. I was so scared by the end. I ran to the hotel to check in. 

I would listen to this rendition again. It really just flushed out the story and made me love the story all over again. I haven't read the original since 2012, and I remember it seemed to drag on and on. I didn't feel this way with this narration. They just brought this to life so well. 

5 stars, 100%. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #43

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. 

Book Review: Cloaked in Secrecy by TF Walsh

Author: TF Walsh
Titles: Cloaked in Secrecy
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: Ebook
First Published: March 2016
Where I Got It: On my shelf (given to me by an author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Death has followed Alena Novac’s circus family for years. When the police arrest her brother for a murder he didn’t commit, she has only a week to rescue him before he transforms into his wolf form in prison and exposes their wulfkin existence to the world.

Enre Ulf, a former member of the Varlac, the fearsome ruling wulfkin clan, plans to infiltrate Alena’s circus clan and take out their alpha to save his home in Transylvania. Except he never expected his wolf claiming Alena as his mate, or feeling compelled to save her brother to help protect the secrets of the wulfkin.

With the police closing in and the blood feud threatening them, Alena and Enre must overcome their pasts to save their packs’ futures.

This is the second installment of this series. The first book was amazing and I loved the world. The world continues as they switch to Enre's and Alena's POV. I'm happy to see that Enre does get some sort of happy ending, because he did get kinda screwed in the last one when his ex picked a human over him. Certainly a blow to his furry ego. 

I was really worried at first, because I thought this was going to be a super insta-love story because they made-out within the first couple of chapters. However, it was just lust. Then Alena learned who was related to and was MAD, because she hates the Varlac due to something they did a while back. GOOD. I didn't want an insta-love with these two. Lust, fine. Love? No. Too much drama going on for that nonsense. 

I adored Nic. Gah, I felt bad for him! 

Honestly....I'm not sure if I liked Alena or not. Sure, I'm glad Enre has somebody, because I loved him...but Alena herself? Mmhmmmmm, she annoyed me a lot of the time. 

The story started off fast and there was a lot going on, then it stalled out for a bit. It took a few chapters to get the locomotive moving again and then I was hooked. I finished this in the matter of a couple sessions. I simply love this world! The location is certainly refreshing and enjoyable. 

I can't wait for more from this author and this world! This could be read as a stand alone, but I feel to understand the character, Enre, and the world, the first one should be read. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 4 stars. 

Book Review: Dracula

Author:  Bram Stoker
Title: Dracula
Genre: Gothic, Fiction, Classic, Horror, Fantasy 
Pages: e-book & regular book, 492
First Published: 1897
Where I Got It: Borrowed it from library and bought my own ebook from Amazon


"The aristocratic vampire that haunts the Transylvanian countryside has captivated readers' imaginations since it was first published in 1897. Hindle asserts that Dracula depicts an embattled man's struggle to recover his 'deepest sense of himself as a man', making it the 'ultimate terror myth'."


The summary I just shared is a horrible summary of the book. It doesn't capture the whole picture of the novel. 


Anyways, this novel took me FOREVER to read! I started last year when I checked it out of the library. I got about halfway through when it was due back. There were about ten people in line to borrow that book, so I couldn't re-check it out. I waited and waited and then gave up for a while. I finally decided to just get my own copy when I got my kindle fire. A year late, but better late then never, eh?


I'm glad I decided to finish this. I really wanted to know how it would end and how everything tied up in the end. The ending was everything I hoped it would be. Bram Stoker did a wonderful job giving a satisfying and complete ending. If he ended it with a 'open-ending' and leaving it up to the readers imagination, I would have freaked out. However, he didn't and I'm happy.


It's a slow read, at least for me it was. There were a lot of slow spots and it seemed to drag on and on. I wasn't a huge fan on how Bram Stoker wrote the novel. He wanted it to look like Van Helsing and the group took clippings from everyone's diaries and put them in one big book. I feel like it took away from the story...I don't mind the different POV points, but the diary entries didn't do for me. Perhaps I'm spoiled because I seen the movie a while back and that was pretty good. I don't know; all I do know is that I'm not a fan on how this written. 


Besides for the slowness of the book and the way Bram Stoker wrote it, I liked it. I loved all the symbolisms, the characters, the characters' developments, and just the general story itself. This was a pretty creepy book and I adored the creepiness! I think I needed a good creepy book to get me out of my reading funk. Okay. I will say it...DON'T READ THIS RIGHT BEFORE BED! When your sleeping, your brain likes to process information and if Dracula was the last thing you were thinking about you WILL have odd and slightly creepy dreams. Just saying.


All-in-all, I liked this creepy novel. It may have been slow and style of which it was put together annoyed me, I found it a refreshing read. It was creepy, but in a good way. I would recommend this to the readers who love classic and/or gothic novels. This was most defiantly better than Frankenstein; story-wise and creep-level-wise (not overall creepy, but creepy enough to be interesting). I would also love for Twilight over-fans to read this. ^.^ Out of fives, I have no choice but to give this 3 stars. I'm sorry Bram Stoker! I just hated the slowness and the diary entries!


Favorite Character(s): Mina and Mr. Seward 
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Van Helsing (I mostly skimmed his overly long monologues. GAH) and the three vampire women (gag me with a spoon)

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<3CaroleRae