This modern day loose retelling of Dracula was a great, entertaining read. I was hooked from the get go and ended up reading the whole book in less than 24 hours.

I went in without realizing it was a Dracula retelling, but thinking of the characters names and wondering when the vampires would make an appearance. Before that, though, I really enjoyed what I thought was a very well written horror book, with a slightly psychotic FMC and an extremely interesting storyline.

I really enjoyed this book. The action kept me on the edge of my seat, and I was so invested in finding out what was going to happen, I had a hard time putting the book down. What a great read. Totally recommend for any Dracula, vampire and horror fans!

Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had absolutely no idea what world I would be entering when I clicked on #TheMadness. This unique tale blends gothic horror with strong female characters. It boasts perfect atmospheric settings that make your heart pound! Castles and secret underground clubs are the places young women discover they have become prey.

The story revolves around Mina, a psychiatrist, who notices patterns in her friend as well as a patient that are peculiar. This causes her to set out to figure out what the connection could be.

Thank you so much @htpbooks for granting me access through @netgalley. Mark your calendar! This one will be out at the end of August!

The Madness by Dawn Kurtagich follows our main character—who is a doctor—as she explores multiple mysterious cases of an unknown illness among young female patients. She returns to her childhood home to uncover the truth, not knowing what really awaits her, lurking in the shadows in the small Welsh town!

This book was an absolute blast to read! It was fun, exciting and left me wanting more! The character dynamics and relationships as well were well written and fleshed out, and the writing was brilliantly vivid and detailed.

A five star read for me. A huge recommendation if you’re a fan of gothic horror!

_The Madness_ by Dawn Kurtagich is a contemporary reimagining of the story of the vampire Dracula intertwined with details of Welsh folklore and folk practices. Mina is a psychiatrist who fled her home for London after a traumatic experience, but is called back to Wales by her close friend Lucy who is suffering from a mysterious sickness. Lucy’s symptoms are similar to those of one of Mina’s patients, leading Mina to research missing girl cases and how Lucy is connected. It’s an interesting retelling told from the perspectives of strong female characters.

A modern retelling of Dracula with a feminist twist, The Madness tells the story of a psychiatrist named Mina who has to uncover a sinister mystery surrounding multiple missing women.

The novel itself wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I'm not entirely into the gothic chiller subgenre, but it was by no means a flop. I went into it blind and simply didn't connect with any of the characters. The opening hooked me, but soon after I was finding myself losing the plot.

If you're a fan of strong female protagonists, psychological horror, and Dracula, definitely check this one out!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!!

THE MADNESS was the perfect book to cuddle up to on Halloween night! Cleverly plotted, with just the right balance of mystery, paranormal and horror, this book is perfect for readers who embrace the spookier side of fiction!

The Madness is an excellent rendering of the Dracula mythos from a kickass female perspective. Dr. Mina Murray vacated her small hometown in Wales to pursue a career as a psychiatrist in London. The incident that caused her to her abandon her family and friends for going on twelve years remains a mystery.
The time is the present. Mina receives a text from her old friend Lucy from back home in Wales.. Lucy is very ill. Could Mina please come visit?
After a long drive north, Mina finds Lucy weakened with a strange rash. Mina's mother, "the witch on the hill," uses Welsh magic to ward off evil. She and Mina don't get along.
Then there's the brooding and damaged Jonathan Harker, nursing a broken heart for his old love Mina.
Dr. Murray discovers Lucy's illness mirrors one of her patients in London, a young girl found wandering the streets.
Could the two be related?
As Lucy grows weaker, Mina joins forces with her "mam," local policewoman Quincy Morris and a strange old woman named Helen Singer (yep, Van Helsing!).
Together, the ladies cook up a plan to enter the old castle where women are taken to never be seen again. Mina is the bait. Will it be her final mission?
Dawn Murtagich blends Bram Stoker with modern day feminism to brew up a bloody good and thrilling adventure. The Madness will have your heart pounding like a good vampire movie with a cast that drives a stake into the evil that men make.

This book is crazyyyy but worth the read 🤣🤣 I went into “the Madness” blind not knowing anything about the plot other than the cover intrigued me!!

The plot follows our FMC Mina who has escaped from her small town childhood and judgemental townsfolk in Wales, and made a successful career for herself in the heart of London, caring for and assessing mentally unwell patients.

I found the FMC gave me the feel of Freida Mcfaddens intelligent, STEM, quirky OCD characters who exhibit obsessive behaviours, and the familiarity gave me comfort whilst going into a darker horror style of mystery.

Mina is estranged from her mother, childhood best friend and boyfriend, yet drops everything to rush home when her old BFF tells her she’s sick and needs her help.

Coinciding with this, we have a Jane Doe at Minas hospital who is exhibiting mental distress and strange behaviour. We also have a back story from a different POV of a young girl entering an unknown world of the rich and salacious, blacked out vehicles and secret clubs.

How these stories will intertwine is up to the reader to find out. I thoroughly enjoyed the building of suspense and the Easter eggs dropped for me to connect the dots and guess as to what is going on here with all the strange Occurrences.

I thoroughly enjoyed the setting, the Welsh superstitions and folklore, the essence of the boogeyman and things that go bump in the night. I loved the end climax where everyone comes together and also enjoyed the romantic side plot.

I would definitely recommend this book if you would enjoy any of the above!

Thank you to Dawn Kurtgaich, Harlequin trade publishing and NetGalley for the EARC

"The Madness" by Dawn Kurtagich is a modern retelling of Dracula. Our protagonist, Dr. Wilhelmina Murray, works in a psyche-ward for female trauma patients in London. She herself suffers from trauma and left home as a teen, leaving behind her dear friend Lucy, her mother Vanessa and her boyfriend Jonathan. But after a disturbing encounter with the patient Renee and a distressing email from Lucy, Mina returns as the prodigal daughter. She finds that Lucy is suffering from unpredictable violent seizures and an undiagnosable rash. With the help of Quincey Morris, Lucy's ex-girlfriend and the local police inspector, and the hacker Singer, whose own daughter is missing, she discovers an underground ring dealing in unimaginable horror. Mina realizes that it's going to take inner strength, healing and the trust of family to fight such formidable evil.

The story moves rather quickly, and leaves little room for character development outside of Mina. It is written with the assumption that the reader has already read Dracula. But even as a retelling, you still have to develop all the characters if the story is ever going to stand on its own merits. The male characters come off as one-dimensional and with minimal dialogue, even the villains. Despite being the love interest, Jonathan Harker is a passive character, appearing only to assist in Mina's growth. To be fair, Mina is dealing with trauma and admits that keeping people at arm's length wasn't a healthy solution. It goes both ways though, and her friends learn a valuable lesson about grudges and neglect. Problem is, Mina's characterization is "The Only One" trope, which I do understand is a metaphor for overcoming her trauma. She "knows" she's the only one who can save Lucy. The final confrontation was intense for sure, but I wanted more action from her companions.

Thank you Harper Collins and Graydon House Books for approving this one for me!

I’ll start by saying this was 100% NOT what I was expecting in the slightest, and I can’t decide if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. This type of horror just isn’t my cup of tea, so I know my review will be disagreed with! It is intended to be a modern spin on Dracula from what I understand, and I did enjoy a lot of the characters and the feminist aspect of it! For me the pacing was off. It took me awhile to get into it, then it picked up, then it lagged again, and then all of sudden it was over! I was left with questions! I’m not a fantasy or folklore person, so I know it will be great for some! I love this author, so I can’t wait to see what more they do! 😍

It is a great Halloween read and perfect for those who love monsters!

The Madness is out August 27, 2024! 🖤

Thank you to NetGalley and Dawn Kurtagich for the ARC!

A unique spin on the ubiquitous Dracula tale, this book had its fangs in me as soon as I started. I really enjoyed this version of Mina Murray and one of my favorite horror tales, and rushed through it to see where the story ended up. Very atmospheric and gothic, it felt contemporary and new while also honoring the best parts of the original tale. Parts of it started to blend together in the middle, but I still had a fun time and would reread it in a heartbeat. (All the vampire puns intended.)

This one had me shaking my head…at myself.

It’s an absolutely fabulous homage to a classic and I missed it for far too long. All of a sudden, it was like the proverbial lightbulb went off over my head. *Ding Ding Ding* and that’s what this is based on.

It was absolutely a me problem.

Even before my personal enlightenment, I loved this. It was so creepy and mysterious. And once I figured out (again, wayyyyy slower than most readers will), I was creeped out and delighted at the same time!

An excellent read!

• ARC via Publisher

This uses the horror element perfectly and enjoyed getting into this world. The characters were everything that wanted and enjoyed the Dracula elements. It took the story that I knew and made it more modern. It was everything that I was hoping for and enjoyed the overall story. Dawn Kurtagich has a great writing style and made the characters work with the original story and with this world.

The Madness was a modern retelling/reimagining of Dracula. You can the feel of the original story but this one has a twist and is a bit darker, which I liked. It was like gothic horror vibes with psychological elements. I like when they include audio recording snippets, patient info, etc., that kind of stuff is intriguing to me. I may be the odd one out and say that this wasn't really my vibe. It was an alright read, I wasn't that hooked though.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free e-ACR copy, my own thoughts.

A European setting is always an automatic draw for me, I love the culture and the edge it brings to an eery suspenseful story. This one is well crafted and carefully crafter to build suspense in all the right places. The strong female roles in the story help the reader connect and imagine themselves in a world where there are more questions than answers. The mental illness is debilitating at times and the reader feels for the women in the story. This was an excellent read and one that will sit with the reader far after the book is actually complete.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me digital ARC of The Madness. The minute I read the synopsis I knew I had to read this book. Although I have not read Dracula in its entirety (I know SHAME SHAME SHAME) I absolutely adore the film adaptions and gothic vampire novels in general so I knew this retelling/inspired by tale would be right up my dark alley.

(left, left, spiral down, right, right, spiral down, left, left, right, straight).

However, there was a word plaguing me the entire time I was reading—MORE.

I loved all the elements of horror, folklore and paranormal in the story, but I wanted there to be more of them. It felt like the murder mystery and thriller parts of the book made up the bulk of the story until the last act, so by the time they arrived, it made the story a little disjointed for me. I also selfishly would have loved more time with Johnathon and Mina together because I just loved how broody he was! The scene in Pride and Prejudice when it’s raining and Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are having their intense exchange—that was their vibe to me the entire book and I ate it up!

The second chapter was sensational, the psychiatric tape session bone chilling, and the setting so gritty and furlong—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‘s.

A story that starts in full force turned into something I truly wasn’t expecting.

I went into this totally blind so I didn’t know what to expect aside from my assumptions I made from the title and cover. This was incredibly well paced, so utterly compelling and definitely had me on the edge of my seat.

Mina doesn’t let her inability to function at her full capacity to limit her when it comes to caring for her patients. Not even her worst phobias hinder her, which is a huge feat considering the work she does.

When a blast from the past reaches out to Mina, she drops everything to go home to the place she left behind without a single lifeline. Lucy, her childhood best friend needs her help and she finds that Lucy is suffering from some of the same issues that a patient in her current home of London is exhibiting. Strange and alarming, the commonalities are vivid, but how are they so connected being so far apart?

What follows is a terrifying chain of events that bring past and present together, shining light on some dark truths that Mina has always tried so hard to ignore.

This was riveting and super gross, but I loved every minute of it. The end was perfection!

@htpbooks is truly the undisputed champion and prized publisher of my heart! So happy to be part of the @htp_hive and have access to some of THE best books that I’ve ever read (this one included)❤️🐝

Thank you to @graydonhousebooks for access to this review copy of The Madness by @dawnkurtagich ! It’s deliciously creepy (trypophobia warning…iykyk), slightly alarming, heart rate rising, and oh so entertaining…the way a true horror should be! Special shout out to the author for the oh so relatable OCD/intrusive thought rep!

I was totally sucked in and read it in under 48hrs and still I wanted it to be 5000 pages longer…the vibes were just righttt👌🏾

5.0⭐️

⭐️THE MADNESS out AUGUST 27TH⭐️(I’ll have a more in depth review closer to pub day!)

#themadness #dawnkurtagich #graydonhousebooks #htppartner #htphive

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

This was a pretty good Gothic horror with a lot of psychological elements. A twist on Bram Stoker's Dracula with a modern, almost feminist touch. Enjoyed that the main character, MIna, was a psychiatrist, which gave an interesting layer to the tale as it unfolded. Her character was interesting and well written. Some of the supporting characters were not, and felt a little bit thrown together. (Ex: Jonathan) The climax was great, if even a bit rushed to truly comprehend, but still held interest. Good pick for Halloween or monster lovers! #themadness #dawnkurtagich #netgalley #goodreads