I'm a big fan of Vlad The Impaler. Maybe fan is not the right word but I find him historically interesting. There's been many takes on him before but this is the first I've heard of him being part of a YA love triangle. And I'm sad to say I wasn't a huge fan. I felt that the romantic stuff didn't work but everything else was pretty good. Unfortunately the romantic stuff takes up most of the book. Sadly I would not recommend this book. 2 out of 5.

Ilona Csáki is the daughter of a nobleman who has just arranged her marriage to the voivode's oldest son, Mircea. Ilona is not at all interested in Mircea, but she will do her duty, since as a female, she doesn't have the option of refusing her father's plans for her. Ilona does, however, find herself drawn to two other young men from the royal family, Mircea's younger brother Vlad (yes, THAT Vlad) and his cousin Andrei. Ilona finds herself in danger after an assassin tries to kill her. Wallachia ends up in turmoil that is reminiscent of Ilona's turmoil. As she finds herself being drawn closer and closer to Vlad and Andrei, she realizes that her feelings pose the same amount of danger to her as an assassin's arrow. I found this to be a fascinating look into the young adult years of an infamous historical figure, the man who became known as Vlad the Impaler.

This book was an interesting take on Vlad Dracul's beginnings. I enjoyed the characters like Ilona and Andrei. Vlad was written exactly how I would expect him to be. This book kept me entertained till the end, although there wasn't a whole lot of action until close to the end. Even though it was a little flat the ending was great and I enjoyed it.

This was such an interesting book! It was not what I expected but I really enjoyed it. The characters were thrilling and I highly recommend this book.

WHAT A RIDE! This was a perfect mix of characters and fantasy world that I was left feeling breathless by the end. This is definitely an action-packed book full of mystery, history, and everything in between.

Thank you for the e-arc!

I am normally a sucker for Dracula books that are written as both historical fiction and/or fantasy. This novel follows the the story of Vlad and his love for Ilona, the woman who is engaged to marry his brother. The fact that this book was told from a female's perspective is intriguing, as it is set against the backdrop of a very violent place and time in which women are often overlooked and dismissed. In addition, this story focuses on the occurrence and the implications of political marriages. Nobility forced to marry against their wishes and often counter to their hearts. How these forces begin to shape a young Vlad is a really interesting idea, and initially grabbed my attention. However, this book was ultimately quite difficult for me to get through. I felt that the dialogue was stilted and unnatural, an issue that was particularly problematic because so much of the plot rested on the story being explained through conversation (i.e. telling rather than showing). Coupled with the fact that, even while things were happening, the story just dragged. I felt like I was always waiting for the real action to begin.

These problems ultimately affected my relationship with the characters. I did not get a clear idea of who they were, and consequently really lost interest in what happened to them.
Interesting premise but ultimately it did not work for me.

This was a very cool spin on the Dracula story. The plot was great, and involved a love triangle between Vlad Dracula and his brother, competing for a girl named Ilona. I truly enjoyed the world building on this one, and the romance writing was top-notch. I didn’t see the ending coming at all, and I was truly impressed by the detail the author included. I’d recommend this to mature romance lovers.
3/5⭐️

Could not get into this book.
I didn't like any of the characters.
Nothing had me hooked.
Too bad.

Could not get into this book.
I didn't like any of the characters.
Nothing had me hooked.
Too bad.

This book was received as an ARC from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group - Swoon Reads in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

At first I could not help but feel confused on what the theme of the story was and the motives for each of the characters involved but, as I read on and could feel the desire and passion Vlad and Andrei had for Ilona, it definitely sparked my interest and I had to continue reading. I felt like I was transported on the journey was Ilona and feeling her pain and passion towards Andrei and Vlad and the conflicts they had to endure made my heart race and my blood pumping. My blood was pumping so hard that they could even taste it. I will be curious to see how our teen book club will react to this book and find out their insights.

We will consider adding this title to our YA Fantasy collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This book had a lot of promise. Two boys, foils of each other, both vying for the heart of Ilona. There's political intrigue, court drama, violence, and war. Unfortunately I lost interest around 35% in. It personally just wasn't for me, but I can imagine how this may appeal to other readers. It is reminiscent of Emily Duncan's Wicked Saints and Kerri Maniscalco's Hunting Prince Dracula. If you enjoyed those, you might like this one.