The Deathless Girls tells the origin story for the ‘Brides of Dracula’ from a more feminist perspective.
As always, Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s writing is breathtaking. She writes the most sumptuous, delicate, beautifully crafted children’s books right now, so it’s a thrill to see her move into YA. Her lyrical style contrasts wonderfully with the brutality now allowed to her with an older audience.
17 year-old twins Lil and Kizzy are captured as slaves when their traveller community is attacked, and soon find they’re destined for the home of the mythical figure ‘the Dragon.’
Millwood Hargrave’s tale sweeps way beyond the legend, taking on themes of difference, sisterhood and an LGBT romance, but I still felt she was confined by the original story. As this was the story of the Brides of Dracula, we all know how it has to end, and I felt the ending was the book’s weakest point.
I wished the story could have been allowed to go somewhere else, although I very much enjoyed the journey to get there.

A fantastical adventure story depicting lesser known characters of Dracula - the sisters. The cover is also beautiful!

This is absolutely gorgeous - I will definitely be buying a copy of the finished book now that it's out. A fascinating and lyrical Dracula retelling.

Such a fantastic read! So incredibly compelling and powerful - a prequel about Dracula's Wives that I didn't know I needed but am so glad that we have it. Prior to reading, I hadn't really given their lack of voice all that much thought, they were just there within a classic book. But Kiran has given them a backstory and a platform they deserve. A truly un-put-down-able book!

I've already bought four copies for the school library!

A beautiful and original take on the well-known legends of Dracula. I enjoyed the pace, and felt I got to know the main players well. KMH has a very lyrical and descriptive style that brings alive the sounds, smells, feelings and atmosphere of her scenes. Heartbreaking in places, it's a very emotional and raw book, and KMH doesn't keep away from difficult plot aspects. I felt slightly annoyed at the ending, but that may be due to my own rushing to get to the end. Definitely YA / adult themes compared to some of her earlier books, but difficult topics are well-told and her younger but well-read audience should not shy away from this one. One doesn't need an interest in Dracula to enjoy this book, as this is more of an origin story of minor characters, although fans I'm sure will enjoy and notice the references. Amazing.

This is a beautifully told story delving into the history of two of the brides of Dracula, who in this retelling are Kizzy and Lil, seventeen year old twins. They are travellers and one day they are attacked by slave traders, who kill all the adults and take the children and teenagers. This leads them to be taken to a castle where they work as servants, being prepared to be serving girls (and sex slaves) for the men. But the beautiful Kizzy catches the eye of one of the prince Dracul’s servants… I really enjoyed this but for me it ended too soon! It was all about how they became the brides of Dracula, and I long to find out what happens next!

Full review in video: http://www.betterthandreams.com/2019/11/october-2019-wrap-up-nearly-finished-the-summer-project/

Traveller twins are brutally snatched from their community but their time as slaves for a local lord is merely the beginning. YA but reads older, origin story of the brides of Dracula. Good, dark, and engrossing

A beautiful, fierce and tender book.

The Deathless Girls is an origin story for the brides of Dracula, who I'm mainly aware of from the Coppola film wafting around and looking rather sexy without doing very much at all. I think that for the Victorian readers of Stoker's novel, they were also just there to add an additional element of shock and titillation.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave has taken these neglected characters and really fleshed them out in the most stunning way. Their story is now a story about family, about loss and hardship, about having to find your inner strength and what you are willing to sacrifice for the people you love.

It's also a beautiful and tragic love story, and that element was one of the most moving parts of the novel for me. The way it dealt with a forbidden romance was so delicate and touching.

The Deathless Girls isn't just about shining a light on neglected characters, but on a whole cultural group. Kizzie and Lil are travellers, an ethnic group so often ignored or abused, and it gives a fascinating look at some parts of their culture, their beliefs, their relationship with the land. It's a very sympathetic approach that really works well.

This isn't a Dracula story, though his shadow looms over it all. By leaving him very much in the background it allows the story to focus on the sisters, and the monsters are always scariest when we don't see them.

On the eve of her divining – the day she will discover her fate – Lil and her twin sister are captured by the evil Boyar Valcar. They are taken far away from their traveller community and into the hands of cruelty and slavery. Lil and Kizzy are forced to work in the castle kitchens where Lil learns about the Dragon, a terrifying figure of myth who takes girls as gifts. When Kizzy becomes one of these girls, Lil will stop at nothing to get her back.

trigger warnings: threats of sexual assault, mild horror, gore, kidnapping.

The Deathless Girls is a feminist retelling about the three brides of Dracula. Gothic and atmospheric, Kiran Millwood Hargrave weaves a magical story about revenge, survival, love, and sisterhood.

One of my favourite things about The Deathless Girls was the sister dynamic between Lil and Kizzy. The two were in conflict with how to survive. Lil wished to be quiet and meek to not attract attention, do what they say and stay alive where as Kizzy refused to go quietly – she put up a fight, she was bold and defiant. I loved how this affected their dynamic.

I loved the culture and heritage shown throughout this book. Lil and Kizzy are Romani travellers and it is shown in a very much respectful manner which I loved.

The Deathless Girls is very much a slow paced novel, and while it features vampires it isn’t really about vampires as they actually play a very small role in the novel. It is the story of sisters and of their love and of their pain and suffering but also of their revenge and their power. It isn’t Dracula’s story, it is Lil and Kizzy’s story. If you go into this expecting a supernatural horror novel you will be dissapointed as it features a much more subtle but a more prevelant horror – being a woman in a violent world where the threat of sexual assault it always there. It is an everyday horror. It is a beautifully written and atmospheric novel.

The Deathless Girls also features a f/f romance, which I wasn’t actually aware of until I read it so that was a pleasant suprise. The romance wasn’t as well developed or as fleshed out as it could have been, but a nice romance nonetheless.

Overall, The Deathless Girls is a atmospheric novel which I highly recommend.

"The beautiful damned, the brides of Dracula, the deathless girls."

This novel follows seventeen-year-old Lil and her twin sister Kizzy, who are captured and enslaved by the cruel Boyar Valcar. I was more than excited to hear about this feminist retelling of Dracula which was to focus on the brides’ story and I was not disappointed. Kiran’s prose is lyrical and compelling and her settings are gorgeous.

More importantly, this novel empowers women by foregrounding the stories of women pushed to the fringes of literary history. Dracula is one of the foremost Gothic writings in literary history but the brides are barely thought of in discussions of this text. What Kiran has done here is feminist rewriting in action, highlighting the importance of female relationships, power and strength. This is now recommended reading in my classroom.

What.a.letdown.

It's October, it' spookytime, what's better than picking up a beautiful book about the brides of Dracula - especially when Dracula is one of your favourite classics?! Yet, this book was honestly a little bit boring considering it had elements which should have been fun and exciting, and I'm going to say it - it wasn't scary at all. Not in the sense I wanted it to be anyways.

I was very excited to go into this and see Kiran Millwood Hargrave's take on the brides of Dracula because I think done right, that's a topic that could be truly epic. I did appreciate the ethnic Romani lore in this novel and the fact that Kizzy and Lilai were of a Romani family and culture. Knowing about their background, their beliefs and culture, was really interesting - from their divining day to the talents they wanted to turn into careers. I definitely cringed a bit due to the parts about bear dancing, and stealing bear cubs away from their mothers but the bears were loved and seemed to have a good life so there's that at least.

The book did pack some heartwrenching moments too (or tbh, just one when the caravans were burning and family slaughtered), and some of the descriptions were very nice though maybe not 100% my preferred style.

One of my main problems with this book is it's suppose to be tied in with the story of Dracula, yet he doesn't get really mentioned until halfway through and he doesn't even appear until almost 80% into the story and that's only for ONE, measly, underwhelming scene. If you're giving me a story about the BRIDES OF DRACULA, I ALSO WANT DRACULA. The strigoi as well only appear again 70% or so into the book.

The majority of the book took place in the castle the girls were captured in before they made their way to Dracula, which was fine but it was all just so drawn out and became a bit boring. This book was too short (less than 300 pages) for such a slowly drawn-out story. The scariest parts in this book weren't the strigoi or vampires but the mild threats of sexual assault aimed at the serving girls from the soldiers and the one attempted rape. While I appreciate the true fear in those scenes that are not just fantastical in nature but an everyday horror, I wanted actual supernatural horror and gore and I didn't get any of that.

I appreciated the attempt at an f/f romance as well. I liked Mira but I felt the relationship kind of appeared out of nowhere in a way and all of a sudden they were in love. I would have wanted more scenes between the girls before they undertook their journey and things became super intense for them.

The end of this book was a massive let down. The epilogue style of 'then we did this and this and this' is just SO lazy. We didn't learn anything about the brides of Dracula - we learned about three girls who through terrible means ended up at his castle. That's it. The story ended when they became the 'brides'. Pfft.

So my absolute favourite part of Dracula was the Vampires and the Transilvanian setting. So I was so excited when I heard of a book all about the origin story of Dracula’s Brides! I really enjoyed this lush gothic retelling and its grim atmosphere that clings to all the characters. The strongest aspect of this book shines through the relationship between the two Traveller sisters and future Dracula Brides, Lil and Kizzy. The horrors they go through expose the cracks in their relationships, the commonplace sibling envy and resentments heighten when they are both torn between survival and dignity. The strength of their love pulls through but at a heavy price as they are damned together. The Traveller folklore added really well to the creepy atmosphere and I loved the glimpses we got of their culture as it’s not something I’ve had the chance to read much about.

My only issues are with the length and pacing. This is a fairly short book and while it does make for a good quick Halloween read, I felt it could have done with an extra 50 pages. It needed a chance to breathe as it felt rushed throughout and the ending suffered for it. There are a lot of things that the book only touches on that really could have done with some more fleshing out. For instance, the ‘great love’ Lil has was yes sweet but really needed more time, their little brother who plays a pretty major role in the ending is not mentioned for ages (when he was brought back up again it took me a bit to remember who he was) and only has one line in the book and I would have liked to see more of their family before the attack on their camp so that it could have hit harder emotionally. Most importantly, I really wanted more of the Vampires! This book does nothing all that new with the Vampires and I was a little disappointed that a book on Dracula’s Brides only gives like a page to their lives as Vampires. I understand not wanting to spend to much time on Darcula since this is a feminist retelling but there was still room to look at how being a Vampire effects their relationship. It kinda made the ending a bit comical since Kizzy turns Lil without telling Dracula so now he just has another bride just thrust upon him.

Thanks to Hachette for sending me a copy in exchange for a free review.

I went into this with fairly levelled expectations. I had skipped The Way Past Winter, but I read The Girl of Ink and Stars quite a long time ago and remembered liking everything except the ending. But this book promised vampires and that inkling of perhaps something a bit gay had me tempted. 

I definitely enjoyed most of this book. I thought the writing was absolutely beautiful. There are a lot of different settings within this book from the forest to old terrifying castles and every single one of them was gorgeously described. It's hugely evocative writing and that I can't deny. 

I also thought this book captured the 'falling for someone without realising it' storyline really beautifully. You all know I'm *always* here for a queer romance and while this wasn't perfect (I'm coming to that) it was lovely to see. 

I obviously can't speak to how respectful this depiction of travellers is, so I'll have to keep an eye out for an ownvoices review of that. To me, it didn't feel overly sensationalising? 

This book was great. 

Until the ending. 

It was exactly the same problem as I had with The Girl of Ink and Stars, there's this gorgeous build-up with all this lovely writing and then the ending totally flops!

It's very rare that I'd say 'I liked this book up until the part with the vampires'?

What bothered me about this ending was, firstly that it [in a way] buries the gays - it made the entire romance plotline up until that point essentially meaningless which was about as irritating as the 'it was all a dream' ending. I was left flat and cross and I wasn't best pleased.

In addition, if you're making this book because you want to give a story and a voice to the three nameless women in Dracula I'm all here for it. But to then throw the third woman in at the last minute with zero backstories...you haven't achieved your aim! Also, the idea of giving women a chance to seize their own fate doesn't really work if they aren't sure if they consented or not!

Overall, I thought this book was alright. It was so frustrating to not have a good ending when the first 80% of the book had such promise. I can't tell whether making the book longer would have helped, or if there was a way to fix the ending as it was? I honestly don't know. 

This book is beautiful it cannot be denied but, at least in my opinion, Kiran Millwood Hargrave needs to stick a landing. 

My rating: 3/5 stars

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Like drinking a glass of cream, this is a lush and feminist prequel to Dracula. It reimagines Dracula's brides as travellers who are taken as slaves when their community is captured. Twin sisters work in the castle kitchens, where they meet Mina -who falls in love with one of the girls. Traumatic at times, it's about lost agency and regained power.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book.

I love this book. When it first came of NetGalley I didn't immediately request it because I was a bit unsure - I've read The Girl of Ink and Stars and enjoyed it, but it was middle grade so I wasn't blown away simply because I am not the right age. But I did enjoy the descriptions and ideas behind it, which was what eventually made me request it. That and a great review from a friend.

And now I reiterate - I love this book. I love the unexpected turns, the horrifying acts, the darkness and the pure determination of the protagonist. It's so dreary yet interesting and steeped in lore without being too complicated. I like how the author has written a true YA book - some YA books are overly simple, only because the definition of YA is very negotiable publisher to publisher and writer to writer. I believe YA to be 16-25. Maybe even to 30. I think this book is a great read for those age groups - it might be slightly too dark for a 14 year old for instance.

Anyway. I want a dancing bear.

4.5/5

THE DEATHLESS GIRLS’ BEAUTIFULLY DELVES INTO THE TRAGIC BACKSTORY OF TWO FIERCE WOMEN.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave has created a rich, dark world in which to tell the story of two of literature’s most mysterious women. The story she weaves is so captivating that readers will have a hard time putting down The Deathless Girls.

The Deathless Girls begins a long time prior to the setting of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, in a time where Travellers are common. Our main characters, Lil and Kizzy, are introduced in the setting of their family and Traveller way of life, which begins their wonderfully rich backstory.

I fell in love with this novel within the first few lines, as the writing immediately felt lyrical. The descriptions were constantly vivid which evoked strong reactions. Descriptions of beautiful things had me wanting to live in the world, but those of awful events had me feeling horrified.

There are some dark themes in this novel. Kiran Millwood Hargrave truly places vampires back in their traditional fearsome place. There is no hidden romance here, no dark and brooding supernatural creature come to whisk our girls off their feet. Instead, we are presented with monster upon monster, and shown the harsh realities of such a creature.

But the vampires are not the only evil in the novel. Other, human characters also fill the antagonist role. The things they do and say are shocking and devastating, but this adds to the depth of the story. The evil in this novel is varied, meaning Lil and Kizzy are tested on many levels. It brings out the best and worst in them, and I particularly loved Hargrave’s representation of people responding differently to the same situation.

There is some lovely character development in The Deathless Girls. Lil tells the story, and we watch as she struggles with being the twin of someone she considers much more beautiful and talented than herself. At the beginning, she falls victim to this insecurity, appearing weak in the shadow of her fierce sister. However, as the plot progresses she demonstrates strength without Kizzy. She develops into a much more confident character by the end.

Despite their differences, the relationship between the sisters is a delight to read. They look after each other, as well as other members of their group, with such passion that I couldn’t help but admire it. It was really enjoyable to read a novel focussed on familial bonds.

But Hargrave doesn’t stop there. Lil begins to develop feelings for another girl. The only problem any of the characters have with their relationship is that the girl is Settled, not because it is an f/f relationship. Although there are some hints that the wider world wouldn’t be as accepting of them, I thought it refreshing to see this kind of relationship come to life without being taboo.

Although I knew what the outcome of the novel had to be, I desperately wished it would somehow be different. The Deathless Girls is written so beautifully and vividly that it is impossible not to feel a connection with our main characters. I only wanted the best for them, and was devastated when they reached the inevitable ending.

I loved this take on the ‘wives of Dracula’. It wasn’t what I expected, and I am glad of Hargrave’s decision to paint vampires back in their dastardly light. I highly recommend this novel. It is a fast-paced, interesting, and beautiful read.

The only reason my rating isn’t 5/5 stars is because I felt the novel moved very quickly. Although the descriptions remained detailed and the scenes remained vivid throughout, I felt that very little time was spent in each particular setting. I would have happily read a few more chapters if it meant getting to see a little more of the secondary characters and the world of The Deathless Girls.

This review was published on 24/09/2019

Due to technical issues with my ereader, I didn't get very far with this book. However, what I did manage to read looked very promising.
It is inspired by the Dracula story and in particular, the brides of Dracula and how they came to be.

Two sisters, part of a travelling community, are foraging in the woods but on their return to the encampment find a scene of utter devastation and massacre. I will be buying the book to find out what happens to them next.

Three stars only because I didn't get far enough to give a sound judgment.

https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2019/10/1/the-deathless-girls-by-kiran-millwood-hargrave

Horror stories don’t always have to be with a threat that is supernatural we can often see that humanity can often equal and probably surpass the feats of any monster we imagine. What that can itself reap can be devastating for many. It may even create its own monsters. In Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s powerful The Deathless Girls we see the story behind the anonymous ‘dark sisters’ that feature in the legends of Dracula and it’s a haunting tale of love and loss.

The story is focused on two twins who are Travellers in 15th century Romania. This novel examines the history of this community. It notes that Travellers have their origins in Northern India; so an ethnic group with different skin colour and culture of their own soon became a regular target for abuse, attacks and enslavement. In this environment though Kizzy and Lil are just two young woman about to reach an important milestone in their life – they will sit in front of their elder who has he Sight and both girls will be told their fates. Unfortunately they arrive at the camp to find most of their family and friends, dead or dying and those left alive including the twins are being captured by the notorious Boyar Vulcar – their lives now to live in enslavement within his lands. Lil is forced to take the lead as Kizzy appears angry with everyone including her sister, but they soon find the world of the Boyars holds deeper threats to their fellow slaves and circling around it a mysterious leader known as the Dragon whose exploits no one wants to talk about.

This is an excellently well plotted gothic style tale really firing you very quickly into the horror of the twins seeing their fellow Travellers destroyed or enslaved. It’s a brutal sequence of the book as we are forced to watch someone’s world being shattered and the sheer hostility towards people because of their skin colour and ethnic background reminds us that this is a shameful episode that humanity repeats so very often. We see people captured, treated as property and clearly at risk of sexual abuse. While this is a YA range these topics are treated sensitively but intelligently. Assisting this is how the two sisters work together so well.

The twins are contrasts to each other. Kizzy is the considered the more glamourous and adult twin – poised to be the dancer while Lil is viewed as the shyer and more reserved and the Boyar’s group is happy to criticise her looks and figure to her face. But once captured Kizzy although seems to be the main focus of attention (as she meets the Boyar’s needs) she is also clearly traumatised and angry at the loss of her family so it is Lil is taking the lead and starin in protecting both of them. Our whole point of view in this tale is fully narrated by Lil and through her compelling and very honest voice I really felt for this character who has to learn to quickly grow up and stand for herself and her sister in the face of the Boyar’s various wicked servants and guards. Hargrave really makes this a very personal tale and we are meant to feel the terror and isolation the twins suffer. A bit of joy however comes into the tale though when Lil meets Mira a fellow slave who herself has recently suffered a physical injury at the hands of the Boyars., It is a really gentle blossoming relationship between the two woman that gives the novel a ray of hope; although I wish perhaps this has been progressed further in the tale.

While The Dragon aka our legendary vampire’s full appearance is held back until very near the end he is a presence felt throughout the novel. The servants and even the Boyars speak quietly of his exploits and tastes are used to build up the tension so that when Lil finally visits his lands it’s a truly unsettling set of scenes. Humans here are playthings or food. The people and creatures that work for him are clearly not quite human in their view of the world and it just builds up a sense of a confrontation to come. This final section is about choices and love. What would make you choose to give up your humanity. The choices the twins make are ultimately human and will have consequences for all they hold dear. The Dragon is not the key figure here in the tale but merely the catalyst for changes in our lead’s lives.

I think this is a very compelling debut release for Hatchette’s new Bellatrix range of YA novels and those who enjoy a gothic style story of terror, love and revenge will find this a very strong tale to dig up. A perfect way to break yourself gently into the month of Halloween

Gorgeously written 'grimdark' for teens. Or I guess more accurately 'dark fantasy gothic', although considering it's a prequel of sorts to 'Dracula' about the origin of the Brides that's hardly surprising. I liked it a lot I just didn't particularly enjoy the bleakness of it all, and it was a little on the slow side at times. There was good representation of characters and it was refreshing to have a f/f romance in teen genre fiction that didn't feel shoehorned in.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

I was really excited by the description but unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an egalley.