I love Dracula. One might even say it is my favorite horror novel of all time so when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. I was not disappointed.

This book is also told in epistolary format. I thought this was a good choice. It made the story different from what we typically see in novels these days.

The story was a bit of a slow burn but I really enjoyed it and of course the characters and the story kept me intrigued and wondering what was going to happen.

I really liked this novel. I would recommend it if you liked the original Dracula and wanted to read something similar to it. It is great for October and Halloween scares.

Mina and Jonathan Harker survived the terror of Transylvania, and its shadow is falling over their marriage. As a result, Jonathan is drinking, Mina feels alone, and their son Quincey struggles to live up to their reputation. Tragedy brings them together with old friends, just as a new evil is rising.

As with the original novel Dracula, this is an epistolary fic. It's a collection of journals, telegrams, and newspaper clippings. All the survivors from Dracula are here at the outset in the prologue, and Van Helsing himself makes a dire prophecy on Quincey's twelfth birthday. As the story proper begins, we meet Maurice Hallam and Gabriel Shone, a pair of Englishmen traveling through Europe; Maurice adores Gabriel and accepts that he can't physically touch him, but can travel with him searching for new experiences. We also learn about the Council of Athelstan, which can usurp Parliament in emergencies. These seemingly disparate threads, much like in Bram Stoker's novel, appear to have little in common at first. But the traveling men are brought to Castle Dracula, the old group from the original novel are plagued by bad luck, and Quincey's behavior varies wildly. Many of the characters describe the feeling of a shadow coming in from the east, increasing the sense of dread as time goes by.

As a reader, we know what the title means and that Dracula is going to be resurrected in some way. Or perhaps we recognize the word strigoi when the Englishmen don't and recognize the odd behaviors that Gabriel begins to exhibit after they visit Castle Dracula. In a way, the second half of the book reminds me of Kim Neuman's Anno Dracula, in that vampires seed the aristocracy and entire villages are made up of vampires. Only a handful of mortals intend to thwart the Count as he tries to recreate a feudal society in England with himself at the helm. Killing the undead isn't easy, and Dracula's Child mirrors the gothic horror of Bram Stoker. Fans of the classic will love this entry in the mythos.

If you are looking for a good Halloween read, this is definitely a good option! This novel is designed to be a sequel to the original story of Dracula, and it captures the vibe of the original well.

𝚆𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚂𝚝𝚢𝚕𝚎
The novel is conveyed in a similar way as the original Dracula novel. I found this to be one of the strengths of this novel. Barnes did very well with the old-fashioned writing. Also, as with Dracula, the novel is conveyed through journal entries and letters. So, I appreciated this stylistic nod to the original and felt like it was well executed. One downfall is that it did take me time to keep everyone straight when we would switch to a new journal article / perspective and to keep track of everyone. However, the transitions between various journals / letters was smooth otherwise.

𝚂𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎
There was something that occurred in the beginning that I didn’t like (connected to one of the trigger warnings). And there were times in the beginning that the novel had a slow build up. I do tend to like novels that are a slow burn, and so I enjoyed this, and at the same time, still think the very beginning could have gone a bit faster. However, after that I thought the suspense built up nicely. While it would be hard for it to match the quality of the classic Bram Stoker version of the novel, this felt like a good follow-up, as it did such a good job of building a similar atmosphere!

"An old truth of the world is here presented: that to make a thing forbidden is to fill the souls of those who are warned against it with unquenchable thirst."

"'All over Europe,' she said, 'the shadow is falling now. we must prepare for the hour of his return."

----------------------------------------------------------

Dracula's Child perfectly recreates the tone and feel of Bram Stoker's original. The writing style reads like that of his own hand.  Through a series of letters, journal entries, telegrams and newspaper articles we rejoin Mina, Jonathan and Arthur in England some years after their showdown with the Count. Each is coping with the psychological after-effects of having lived through such terror.  The Harkers are raising their son, who is quite unusual and dare I say, a little creepy.

This is a real slow burn of a book, similar to the original.  The first third is a cozy, revisiting with our favorite characters. It feels like picking up with old friends. I will say Jonathan has taken a bit of a turn that I did not enjoy but we all respond to trauma differently.  We begin to see the elements of darkness building. The second third is a slow build of the suspense to the final showdown. This part was slightly overly long for me personally. I needed either more action or less contemplative pages.  The final third was absolutely perfect, the absolute horror of an unleashed horde of vampires and the arrogant elegance of The Count is exactly what I wanted. 

This one gets 4.5 stars from me.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Quite simply, I LOVED this book. Thank you to Net Galley and Titan Books for sending me the ARC for this. I should preface this review by saying that Dracula is among my favorite novels of all time and I will argue that it is one of the best English language novels ever written.

This book is the PERFECT sequel to Dracula, it is written in the same style as the original. Barnes uses the same diction and writing style throughout, giving it the same feel as Stoker's novel. The characters are well done and feel like the originals without being flat. The same Gothic mood permeates this book as the original and it builds the same kind of dread as the story progresses.

The pacing of the story is similar to Dracula - it is a slow building tension - the reader knows something is haunting the characters and the reader knows who it is, but the characters struggle with the realization creating additional tension.

The story is compelling, dark and exciting.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I so thoroughly enjoyed this that I am already telling everyone about. It is a must read for lovers of classic horror and Gothic novels.

This book starts quite slowly but if you persevere you will be hooked and love it, especially if you're a fan of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
There's a lot of different voices and they tell their part of the story using diaries and letters. All of them are interesting and reflects Stoker's characters.
I loved the growing tension and the last part was a roller-coaster of emotions.
I enjoyed it and it's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕀 𝕃𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕕
❶ The premise of the book was great
➋ The atmosphere created in the book is spooky, perfect for a fall read
➌ The manner in which the book was written was fun. It’s a compilation of various diaries, newspapers, and letters so you get lots of viewpoints.
.
𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝔹𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝕄𝕖 𝕆𝕦𝕥
❶ Because the book was written as an anthology I thought it was hard to follow some of the characters. There are a few different storylines going and since I didn’t read the first book I wasn’t already familiar with the characters.
➋ The child is in the book but we don’t get his viewpoint. It would have been fun to hear what he felt.
➌ The ending was eh, the rest of the book completely makes up for it. I wasn’t to upset by this and saw it coming but I liked the rest of the book better than the ending.
.
In summary: This is the perfect fall read. Vampires, creepy kids, and death 💀

I requested this book because I was intrigued by the idea of a follow up to Dracula.

The book has quite a slow start and uses the epistolary technique to shape the narrative and the story is formed from a wide range of journal entries, letters and newspaper articles. As a result of this, there are many voices and I found it a little difficult at first to keep track of who was speaking and their purpose in the story. This is a book that requires a chunk of reading time to get into the main story and follow the events that are about to take place. Whilst it is clear early on who is going to be Dracula's child, it is a long time before you will meet Dracula or the biological link to be explained. Stick with it - the final third is action packed and tense but it takes a while to get there!

Dracula's Child is deliciously dark and brilliantly written.

The atmosphere is chilling, creating a gripping tension that will keep you hooked until the very end. Written as journal entries, letters and articles Barnes fantastically evoked Stoker's original characters and story. After the events of Dracula, Jonathan and Mina Harker are back in England, but the ghosts of their past never leave...

In a world over-stuffed with Dracula re-tellings, re-workings and spin-offs, this is a sequel that no one asked for, but that you absolutely need.

Dracula's Child is a gothic novel that follows the lives of the surviving characters from Bram Stoker's Dracula some years after the events of that novel. It explores what could happen if the dark legacy from Dracula lived on and had a broader reach in society.

This book is told in journal entries, letters, and newspaper articles. At times, this helped to connect the events of the story; however, it also provide opportunities for the story to seemingly drag due to a lack of dialogue and action. Furthermore, I felt that major details were missed, creating more questions than answers. For me, things really didn't pick up until about 3/4 of the way through the book and the last 1/4 of the book seemed very rushed. The atmosphere throughout is very dark which is appropriate for this type of story. The book did tie in some nice references to events and details from Dracula, creating a sense of continuity from that story. The author gave a sense of how much of an impact these traumatic event have on the characters even some years after they occurred. This was just an okay read for me.

3.5/5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and I think the author did a fantastic job at continuing Dracula's story. I haven't read Dracula, but that is fine because this one can be read as a standalone.

It takes a little time to be able to identify all the characters (there are quite a lot), that is true, but the plot unfolds smoothly and the reader will soon find himself hooked by the growing darkness of Dracula's Child. I love monsters and I believe reading novels that portray how easy human beings can be corrupted if only one hits the right spot, is indeed fascinating. I think Mina was my favourite character -she is brave, strong and honest-, and even though Quincey can be extremely creepy at times, I cannot help but admit that I loved him too.

This novel is made up of letters, diary entries and written texts of the sort, which is usually not my cup of tea. However, in this occasion putting all the pieces together was something that I really liked as part of my reading experience. Barnes' writing is lush yet haunting; I do not think this is a novel you can read in just one sitting, but that is because you really need to assimilate all the contradictory emotions the characters go through to understand what motivates them to pick sides.

Love, hate, and fear. That is the sacred triangle that lies at the heart of Barnes' Dracula's Child.

If there were ever to be a novel worthy enough to be a sequel to Dracula by Bram Stoker, Dracula's Child by J.S. Barnes is the one. Dracula's Child is written in the same style and dialogue as its predecessor. The novel is separated not by chapters but as different journal entries by characters as well as newspaper clippings. I find this style to be intriguing much like the original Dracula because you never know from one "chapter" to the next whose diary you will be reading, therefore the narrator is constantly changing and so is the mood.

I would highly suggest that you first read Dracula by Bram Stoker as you will need to know some of the previous story and background of the characters from that novel. That being said, Dracula's Child begins twelve years after Dracula ends. At this point Jonathon Harker and Mina Murray-Harker are married and have a twelve year old son named after a previous acquaintance, Quincy. We meet back up with Arthur Holmwood, Dr. Seward and dear old Professor Van Helsing at Quincy's twelve year old birthday celebration. The reader finds out that these characters did not live happily ever after when Dracula ended as you would have hoped. Jonathon is a closet alcoholic. Mina is trying to keep up appearances and hold her family together all by herself. Arthur has now inherited a large estate that comes with more responsibilities. Dr. Seward now has his own medical practice and has moved away from the insane asylum. And dear old Professor Van Helsing has aged and doesn't pursue the nosferatu with as much vigor as he used to. The party goers revel in each others' company but then everything turns south fairly quickly and the story begins. Of course what would this story be without an appearance from our dear old Count Dracula?

One of my favorite quotes from the book is, "An old truth of the world is here presented: that to make a thing forbidden is to fill the souls of those who are warned against it with unquenchable thirst". This quote ultimately relates to every character throughout the story from those wanting to do good to those that have found themselves overwhelmed with evil. I think as human beings we can all relate to this quote too, the grass always seems greener on the other side. All of the characters in the book deal with enormous conflicts personal and physical . I enjoyed, as with the original Dracula, hearing every character's internal dialogue through their journal entries. I feel that this style helps the reader be able to understand why a character acts and reacts the way he or she does.

Ultimately, I would recommend this book to anyone who has previously read Dracula it is a fitting sequel and I think Bram Stoker would be happy to read what J.S. Barnes created out of his beloved novel. As with its predecessor Dracula's Child is a timeless novel that will be enjoyed for many years to come.

I find retelling's highly entertaining and this was no exception. The writing felt Gothic and had its own charm that pulled me into this world. One of my favourite aspects of the book is the various formats that the story is told in - through letters, diary entries, telegrams and newspaper articles which introduces a large cast of familiar and new characters with each voice standing out on their own.
I found that Mina Harker's and Sarah-Ann Dowell's perspectives were my favourite to read from.
I enjoyed the journey of the darkness growing throughout the troubling events, from the heart clenching nightmares and visions to scenes of slow suspense.
The build up to the ending was fast paced and action packed, it was very satisfying and left me with a chill down my spine. This is the perfect book to get you settled into the spooky season.

If you liked Dracula, this is the book for you!
Throughout its entirety, it felt like an official sequel to the classic. It had the same claustrophobic and gothic ambience as Stoker's work, making it an outstanding tribute. Likewise, it kept the original format, making the story unfold through letters, diary entries, news articles, telegrams, etc.
I loved the fact that we got to see the cast of characters again, a decade after the events that transpired in Dracula. Mina has always been my favourite character. Her personality, as well as the others', did not differ from the original. We also get to meet various unusual new characters. They made the journey entertaining, as the pacing was tremendously dense and slow, which isn't particularly bad. In this case, I feel like things could have gotten in motion way faster, without elongating scenes up to days or even weeks.
If you are not familiar with the story of Dracula, you probably won't understand what is happening in Dracula's Child. On the other hand, if you were a fan of the classic, this book will fulfil your vampiristic hunger for more.
As I have said, the book has a lot of strong points. But there were also a few things that were not to my fancy. The pacing, for starters, as I previously mentioned, although quite reminiscent to Stoker. The character of Ileana, who I did not find useful or necessary at all. The repetitive appearance of echoing laughter. And, the ending. That ending. Mmmm. That has been bugging me lately.
But, overall, it is a good novel. Something that I'm sure a lot of people will love.

Description
Evil never truly dies...and some legends live forever. The dark heart of Bram Stoker's classic is reborn; capturing the voice, tone, style and characters of the original yet with a modern sensibility this novel is perfect for fans of Dracula and contemporary horror.

"Inventive and spooky" Mark Gatiss, co-creator of the hit BBC series Dracula and Sherlock

It has been some years since Jonathan and Mina Harker survived their ordeal in Transylvania and, vanquishing Count Dracula, returned to England to try and live ordinary lives.

But shadows linger long in this world of blood feud and superstition - and, the older their son Quincey gets, the deeper the shadows that lengthen at the heart of the Harkers' marriage. Jonathan has turned back to drink; Mina finds herself isolated inside the confines of her own family; Quincey himself struggles to live up to a family of such high renown.

And when a gathering of old friends leads to unexpected tragedy, the very particular wounds in the heart of the Harkers' marriage are about to be exposed...

There is darkness both within the marriage and without - for new evil is arising on the Continent. A naturalist is bringing a new species of bat back to London; two English gentlemen, on their separate tours of the Continent, find a strange quixotic love for each other, and stumble into a calamity far worse than either has imagined; and the vestiges of something forgotten long ago is finally beginning to stir...



I am a huge fan of the original ‘Dracula’ and have read a number of works that have sought to expand on or continue the story. I was very impressed by ‘Dracula’s Child’ and applaud J.S. Barnes for his faithfulness to the ambience of the original ‘Dracula’.

While occasionally the language does slip, many other elements of the novel do feel authentic to the late 19th/early 20th century. There are scenes which feel very reminiscent of classic Gothic and early vampire novels without ever feeling particularly cliché. Even the aspects of vampire fiction which have been popularized by Dracula don’t really make an appearance in this novel and I didn’t mind. It was refreshing in a way.

One of the things i would like to stay before you decided to put it down is the slow start had be thinking about it also but it does pick up in such an amazing way and i am happy that i decided to keep going, Now a day's we are all kind of fast pacing ourselves through books but we should take the time and enjoy the ride if not that's when we end up missing s things like Dracula's Child.

As pastiche, J. S. Barnes’ Dracula’s Child is a remarkable sequel to Bram Stoker’s classic tale of vampiric horror, the legendary Dracula. Told in an epistolary manner similar to its predecessor, it tells the tale of the surviving vampire hunters some thirteen years past their execution of the dark Transylvanian lord, as pieced together by a young man on the eve of one of the greatest real-life horrors to sweep through Europe, the scourge of The Great War.

Having retired to the countryside, Mina and Jonathan Harker are married but not entirely happily. Their son, Quincey, is a smart, sensitive boy on the verge of adolescence. The occasion of his twelfth birthday party draws Jack Seward, Abraham Van Helsing and Lord Arthur Godalming, with his delicate lady wife Caroline in tow, to the grounds of Shore Green to celebrate. But Van Helsing is seized with a fit and collapses after suddenly warning the assembled party of dire things to come.

The Harkers immediately take on the responsibility of Van Helsing’s care, as he has no other family left. The Godalmings promise to cover any additional expenses after Dr Seward sends a beautiful young nurse, Sarah-Ann Dowell, to assist the Harkers. But Sarah-Ann’s arrival seems to stir up inappropriate feelings in the Harker men, even as she worries about her own lover back in London, a gangster she’s been trying to reform. Meanwhile in Europe, two hedonistic bachelors form an attachment that sees their paths cross that of a scientist determined to bring an unusual species of bat back to England for display. But surely none of these odd events can have anything to do with Dracula, given that he was executed and put into the earth so many years since?

Finding out exactly how all this has to do with Dracula is only part of the charm of this novel, that keeps Mr Stoker’s prosody while filing off some of the duller aspects of his writing, to tell a lively tale of a resurrected vampire hellbent not only on dominion but also revenge. In expanding the ambitions of Mr Stoker’s original, the events of Dracula’s Child take a decidedly political turn, as the press, the police and even parliament itself are pulled into the shadows of a dark cabal that believes the ends justify the means. One of my favorite passages from the book involves a motorist refusing to assist our heroes because he believes that the count is bringing order back to England: a terrifying but not at all unrealistic depiction of the kind of bullheaded arrogance seen in too many “patriotic” citizens the world over.

I do wish that an explanation had been given as to the source of the many dreams and oracular pronouncements that aided our vampire hunters tho. The emphasis on faith in the text was appropriately Edwardian but I felt that the evil was better accounted for: if God was willing to work so many miracles through the subconscious, why not do more to stop Dracula and his minions directly? The wonderful set pieces felt marred by the fact that I often had no idea why some of them were happening. There was tons of creepy Gothic/gaslight atmosphere but my critical mind kept wondering how we were getting into and out of these passes.

That said, this was a perfect novel to kick off the changing seasons, as the nights get longer and the days grow chillier, and all you want to do is enjoy hot soups and snuggle under the covers with a good, scary read. We’ve been given the opportunity to speak with Mr Barnes about Dracula’s Child, so you can look forward to that interview in the coming days! The novel itself comes out today from Titan Press, and is available from all good booksellers.

Thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was a little nervous starting this book, because the bar set by the original book by Stoker is very high and inevitably the expectations are huge too.
But this is one of the rare occasions that the continuation by another author turns out to be on par with the classic and a special gem!
Despite the many years difference between them ,the writing style is similar and so compelling and including the same characters that we all want to revisit(it is best to read Stoker's Dracula before starting this book or otherwise it would be very difficult to catch up).
The same gripping ,detailed gothic atmosphere and the dark high tension that is created is a must for all that loved Bram Stoker's masterpiece.

For fans of Dracula then this truly is a must read! Get it right up on those tbr piles! Draculas Child is a sequel to the original Dracula, set 10 years later with the same charaters it tells the tale of the Counts return through letters, extracts and diary entries from each characters point of view. It is so well written it could have been written by the same author ... proof of author reincarnation .. or Draculas true existance ha ha!

At times I was rooting for Draculas return as I loved the 'villain' characters so much, especially Illeana and the relationship between Gabriel Shone and Maurice Hallam! Every point of view I read I kept switching sides, got so wrapped up in the build up.

The build up was so long though, definately a slow burner! Struggle through the first half, it gets better and it's honestly worth it! Perfect book with Halloween approaching! 4/5 stars from me, would have been higher but nearly did not finish due to the slow start.

This will be a rant review riddled with spoilers.

Dracula's Child is written as a sequel to Stoker's novel Dracula. The book has a similar feel and writing style to Dracula, but for me personally, it lacks the excitement, and it drags a lot. I really hoped this would be a thrilling read, but it ended up being quite disappointing.

Here is where I'll separate the things that I liked about this book and the things that I didn't.

What I enjoyed:

1. The format- This book was written through newspaper articles, letters, and diaries. This was a very interesting way of telling the story, and I really enjoyed it. Also, the way it was made to look as if Quincy Harker was the one who wrote the book (the footnotes and the letter at the end of the book confirmed this), was very well done.

2. The character, Mina Harker- Mina's POV was the most enjoyable for me to follow. I loved how much she cared about her family and friends. She was a strong woman who stood her ground and was ready to do anything to protect her son, while her husband acted like a complete coward.

And that's about everything I liked when it comes to this book. I know, there isn't a lot at all. But it is how it is.

Now for the things I didn't like:

1. All the other characters- Apart from Mina Harker, I didn't care about any of the other characters. Quincy wasn't a fascinating character in the slightest, and we find out very little about him. All that I remember is that he was to be the vessel, and that he went to an all-boys school. That's all. He's our main character, yet he was the least interesting of them all. Jonathan Harker was a drunk and a coward through 3/4 of the book, but in the end he was the big hero who saved the day. I hated that. There were so many other characters who were more deserving of the role of the hero, like Mina Harker (I'm still bitter about what happened to her. But I'll get to that). Dr. Steward wasn't there half of the story, and I didn't like how the whole diary thing, the one he found, was brushed off as just being a trap. I hoped it would've had a bigger role in the story. Arthur and Caroline, and all the other characters just didn't really seem important at all.

2. What was done to all the female characters- Apparently all of the women in this book are only there to advance the plot for the male characters or die in a dramatic way. I won't get to all of them, but I'll start with Caroline, Arthur's wife. She got pregnant and then went mad (she later on lost the baby as the result of the madness). Caroline didn't really have a role in the story, well except to blow herself up by saving the other characters. The next one is the daughter of a police inspector, Ruby Parlow. This character was just there to welcome Jonathan, Dr. Steward, Arthur, and George (a police officer who worked with her father). And that's all she did. Well, she also played George's love interest, so that's something, I guess. I personally thought there was no need for her to even exist in this book. And now for my biggest disappointment, what the author did to Mina Harker. I loved her character, and she was ready for battle. But of course, she got captured and wasn't seen until the last page of the last chapter when we find out she was turned into a vampire. I hoped she would be the hero of this book, that she would save the day, but she was only used to give courage to her husband, so he can be the hero. I'm still bitter about this.

3. Characters and chapters that felt like filler- We got a lot of chapters about politicians, and newspaper articles where they wrote about what was happening in London. I thought those were the most pointless and boring chapters in the book, and I skimmed them. We got so much about the politicians who stood with the Count, but it just ended in them being turned into vampires. I really couldn't have cared less about those characters when I was reading the book.

4. The epilogue- We get this dinner with old friends at the Harker household. And guess what, Mina is there (Still a vampire, of course!). They were killing all the other vampires, one of them a little boy who begged them for mercy, yet Mina was the only exception to the rule. I hated that so much. And that made me hate the characters even more.

This book unfortunately wasn't for me. But I believe that fans of Stoker's Dracula will enjoy reading this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let me tell a little secret...
I nearly gave this book a hard pass.

How dare J.S. Barnes touch my beloved Dracula?

But this was the old me trying to get in the way. The same old me that keeps squealing whenever I pick a genre other than Horror. The old me that would rather not try to read something different.

NOPE!

Screw the old me.

I decided to go for it and see what J.S. Barnes could come up with.

As I'm writing this review, I keep thinking of fancy ways to describe what the author did in this book, but let just keep it simple: nailed it

J.S. Barnes nailed it.

The writing is impeccable and will immediately remind you of the original Dracula.

As with Dracula, if you’re not a fan of the epistolary form, this might not be for you. Just know that the format works just as great as it did in the original.

It could be classified as a slow-burner, which isn’t an issue to me. As long as I’m enjoying the story, the pace is secondary.

Overall, a fantastic surprise.

I really enjoyed this one and I’m glad I decided to give it a fighting chance.

If you’re a fan of Dracula, ‘Dracula's Child’ should be on your TBR.

Huge thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley for sending me a review copy.