First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Amulet Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I want to start off this review by saying that I absolutely love Dracula! It wasa one of the first classic novels I read wen I was 10 or so, and I have since been obsessed with anything and all things Dracula! So of course, when I read what this book was about, I knew I needed ot get my hands on an ARC!

Young Anna is a scullery maid for Countess Elizabeth Báthory in Hungary. When Countess Elizabeth begins to like and confide in her, she is vaulted to the position of chambermaid, with higher wage and better duties. But when she becomes isolated from anyone she knows and aa string of murders begins, Anna has no doubts about who is next.

This sounded like a really cool concept, but soething about the writing just didn't do it for me. To be honest, I want to wait until I can get my hands on a finished copy and maybe listen to the audiobook. This book has some of the horror aspect I wanted, but I'm hoping hearing it in audio format will do it for me!

Definitely worth the try if you like Dracula and you want a more female-focused cast, but something about it is jsut not quite my jam. Hoping to give it another shot once it's published!

“For all the gold and silver in her coffers, in some ways the countess is just like me. A woman, with a man’s cruel hand around her wrist.”
-Lana Popovic, Author of Blood Countess

I’m pretty disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. The author’s prose is quite good and the narrative is not deeply flawed or completely unbelievable. Yet, even as those things are true, the novel fails to suck me in. Anna, our main character, lacks the spark necessary to stand toe to toe with Elizabeth Bathory.

Plotwise, the story is fairly straightforward. There weren't many twists and turns. I liked the strong feminist undertones, even though Popovic wasn't subtle with them. Something that I did find different from other books I've read about the Countess is the sense of sisterhood and compassion Anna felt for her. The opening where the Countess' husband grabs her wrist and Anna sees something sinister and abusive in that one gesture is an interesting way of setting up why Anna feels the compassion she does for the Countess, even amidst the rumors of her treacherous methods.

Popovic does a great job of making the Countess vile and charming at the same time, something that makes me want to keep reading about her even though we all know her MO. She was a truly enjoyable villain. But because Anna is so bland a character beside the Countess, and because the story really is meant to be Anna’s, I found myself bored for a majority of the novel.

This book has some excellent elements, but ultimately they do not make up for its obvious flaws.

Solid 4/5 stars

I have pros and cons for this, but I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed it!

I'm obsessed with vampires, origins, and anything historical that has to do with that. So to be clear, this isn't a vampire novel. It IS a unique rendition of Elizabeth Bathory though, who was basically the basis for Countess Dracula! That alone made me want to read this, and when I got the ARC in the mail I was stoked! With all historical novels though, I had to prepare myself in the likely chance that I'd have trouble getting into it.

With that said, here are the things I liked! I very much enjoyed the characters in this, and I feel that they're the driving force of the book. Specifically, Anna has a naivety to her that changes shape over the course of the book. Her character is greatly developed by the end, and the girl in the beginning is a fraction of what she is in the end. Elizabeth is another character who, gratefully, develops wonderfully as her true colors begin to show. The 2 of these together made for an excellent back and forth between morals and how far one would go for someone, or something, they love. I also enjoy the writing style, despite an issue I had that I'll mention soon. The writing really let everything unfold cleanly, and you didn't feel like there were many loose ends to be tied up. It was easy to follow along, but it still kept you engaged with the great descriptions of scenes and characters.

My issue with the book... I didn't like the pacing in the middle of this. It staggered a bit, sometimes being steady and other times insanely slow. It was slightly inconsistent, but I was able to gloss over it fairly easy. However, it was still annoying to be engaged in the story, only to be knocked out of it when you were wondering why it was so slow. It's a back and forth, and it's the main reason I knocked off a star. A smaller issue was about a side character, which I won't mention since it's more towards the latter part of the book. I would've liked more resolution besides 2 sentences at the end, as I felt that was lacking due to the role they played in the resolution.

Overall, I had a really good time reading this! It's a bit slow, but very well worth the read. If you're interested in classic gothic horror or similar tales, this one is worth checking out! It's not as dark as the summary may describe, but it definitely does have its moments.

ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I do love a good histfic and this YA reimagining of the account of one of the most famous female serial killers really his the spot. The book is told from the perspective of Anna – a healer who goes to work for Countess Bathory. She discovers in time that there is no medical reason for the Countess killing as she does, by which point the net is drawing closed and it’s too late to extricate herself. As the story wends towards it’s grisly conclusion, we’re kept on the edges of our seats for Anna. This is dark, gothic, tense and well told. Highly recommend.

This book was amazing. A twist on the usual Dracula fare with Elizabeth Bathory instead, who I find incredibly terrifying as a historical figure. Popovic manages to humanize the Countess while still painting her actions as despicable. The subtitle says "a Lady Slayers Novel" and all I want to know is WILL THERE BE MORE??? Please!

I was very excited to receive an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher. I am enthralled by the story of Elizabeth Bathory and was so excited that she was going to be the topic of a book.

The book was not what I expected, in a good way. I figured that most of the book would be about her dastardly deeds, when in fact, most of it was about life leading up to it. I really enjoyed the book. However, I felt that the ending was a little anti-climatic. I would definitely recommend this to someone who wants a spine chilling read.

“For all the gold and silver in her coffers, in some ways the countess is just like me. A woman, with a man’s cruel hand around her wrist.”
-Lana Popovic, Author of Blood Countess

First Sentence:

Sarvar, Hungary – May 8, 1575 The day our Lord Nadasdy weds the countess, the sky above us is the color of bleached bone.

It’s the late 1500’s and Anna Darvulia is a highly skilled healer in her Hungarian village, learning by her mother’s side how to tend to the ill with herbs gathered by moonlight. Anna has far exceeded even her mother’s great talent and comes to the attention of The Countess Elizabeth Bathory who has the uncanny talent of seeing into another’s soul and playing on their weakness and their secrets. All for her own despicable gain.

It’s no secret that Countess Elizabeth Bathory is known for her cruelty and unending quest for youth; she is known as the most vicious female serial killer in recorded history for a reason. Ms. Popovic takes this true account and weaves an emotionally taut story with Anna as the main character and explores a fictional version of one girls experience with the cruel and murderous Countess. Anna is a great protagonist, she is so clever and gifted but most of all, she loves her family beyond all things. The love of her family is what drives her to go work at the castle. At first, she is a lowly scullery maid, sleeping with the spiders and rats but when she strives to become more useful to Elizabeth her rank is elevated to the coveted role of chambermaid. As Anna becomes closer to Elizabeth it becomes harder to make excuses for her harsh and merciless treatment of others. Elizabeth is extremely well written, she is cruel and devious, yes, but there are glimpses of her that made me understand why Anna found it hard to find fault with her in the beginning.

The story is one of hope and despair but ultimately, it shows the strength of a young woman and her desire to care for her family and eventually, herself. It is gorgeously written, incredibly rich and descriptive and it was an absolute joy to read.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Abrams Kids and Pique Beyond for providing me with Blood Countess by Lana Popovic to read and review!

Did somebody say “a dark horror book based on Elizabeth Bathory a.k.a. “Blood Countess”? And I’m not dreaming right? This book is on my shelf! My fairy God mothers a.k.a. Amazing NetGalley crew left this special gift for me! (My second favorite fairy godmothers! First one is always Olivia Colman from Fleabag!) So what am I waiting for? Jump in! I literally danced in the street, singing theme song. And I got a ticket from a police officer (he didn’t get jealous off my signature dance moves! I crossed the street at the red light, when I was dancing and he didn’t buy my act that I was tourist and I didn’t know where I am! )

So I excitedly began reading but unfortunately I found out this is another Switzerland book for me. But my “I didn’t like it but I also I didn’t hate it” definition about Switzerland kind of staying in the middle stars system worked differently for this book. Because at the beginning I loved the book and first half of it really worked well for me but then pace slowed down and story got dull, long, boring, kept repeated itself. And the ending didn’t reflect the real life events so conclusion of the story was a little dissatisfying for me. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t truly enjoy it, too. So I recently fell out love from the book and sighed slowly because I was expecting so much more.

What I liked most:
Characterization and writing:
In the late 16th century, we’re firstly introduced Anna Darvulia, a talented healer, living in a Hungary village, inherited her skill from her mother, knows how to tend to the ill herbs. Her gift attracted the attention of notorious Countess Bathory. So Anna starts to work for Countess as a maid, sleeping with the rats and spiders and then promoted to be a chambermaid.
I loved the naiveness and determination of Anna who is trying so hard to bring out the humanity and goodness the countess hid. But she chose an impossible task because she is a golden hearted lamb dealing with a vicious, dangerous, manipulative wolf, a real serial killer of the history. As she gets closer to the countess, Anna finally realizes she cannot find any concrete excuses for the countess’ cruelty.
The depiction of a killer’s psychology and her unbalanced, devious motives are impeccably told.

What I didn’t like:
Thee entire half of the book seemed like written by another writer because the pace got slower and repeating sequences bored me to death and forced me take a few nap breaks. The story seemed like going nowhere and of course predictable, not so surprising conclusion made me disappointed.

As a summary: I loved to read more books of the author and I wished this story could fit with my expectations but naturally it didn’t!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Abrams Kids/ Amulet Books to share this ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Guys. Let me introduce you to what might be one of my new favorite reads.
SALISBURY STEAK, this was good!

If you aren’t familiar with the premise, this is a fictional novel based off of the actual historical figure of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who became known as the Blood Countess because she was actually put to death in 1614 for the alleged murders of at least 600 young women. It was said she would bathe in their blood and even drink it in a quest to retain her beauty. ☠️🤢

The way that the author crafted this story was so brilliant.

I was expecting a bloody horror story, but instead I got a surprise: this was a tale that didn’t need all the gore. (So if you aren’t a fan, you’ll be happy to know that you can probably enjoy this book too!)

We are told our tale from the eyes of a young Anna Darvulia. Anna was from a poor family working as a healer when she was “fortunate” enough to be asked to work as the Countess’s chambermaid, a position that will feed her family and then some.

From the second she arrives, we begin to see the first inklings of what amounts to a delicious mindf**k that just escalates more and more.

This book didn’t need the gore because the actual horror was witnessing the manipulation, gaslighting, the cat and mouse games, the withholding of love and the punishments for not doing what was asked. Anna is tricked and trapped before she even knows what’s hit her.

We get a front row seat as a young girl is psychologicallly unraveled and its almost got this feeling like if you were watching an animal that caught it’s prey, but not to eat. When they play with it, let it go, catch it again...

THAT’S the part that was so unnerving to me in this story, to hear the story of what was happening (yes, she was doing some BAD stuff up in there!) from Anna’s perspective, but knowing that Anna was a victim too.

Aaaaah! I LOVED this book so much!
So, THANK YOU! to @abramskids @piquebeyond @netgalley for the advanced copy (all opinions are my own 😉)

So grateful for these things.

This book is coming out January 28, 2020, and I say GET IT! 🤣
#bloodcountess #netgalley #piquebeyond #abramskids

#BloodCountess #NetGalley
The relationships in this novel are what makes it such a captivating read. Elizabeth and Anna's relationship is a obsessive and unhealthy rotten apple. It is one that makes the pit of your stomach ache with how intense it becomes. They both find themselves lost in their own need to find perfection of some sort. Elizabeth is just plain scary as can be, a serial killer who justifies their own need to kill. Anna finds a weird kind of love with Elizabeth and doesn't want to see the monsters inside. I loved Lana Popovic showing the reader that monsters can be the people we love or want to love most. Blood Countess is a definite horror story, but one that transcends onto so many levels. Plus, I forgotten at times that this was a YA novel it is riveting to read.

Holy cow I absolutely loved this book. I find stories about Countess Elizabeth Bathory fascinating and while this wasn’t the pitch black monster story I wanted about her I still found it wonderful. The writing was superb and the characters enjoyable. I will definitely be buying a finished copy for myself!

Absolutely wonderful read! I enjoyed the plot, characters, and prose so much. Would definitely recommend it to anyone!

I have long been fascinated by the story of Elizabeth Bathory so I was excited to read this book. In Blood Countess we follow Anna who after a chance meeting with the Countess Bathory becomes her chambermaid, companion and later her lover allowing her to support her mother and siblings. Anna is enthralled by Elizabeth and becomes a little obsessed with her which allows her to turn a blind eye to her cruel ways. But as the story progresses Elizabeth’s behaviour grows even worse and Anna becomes even more enthralled by her and I was engrossed by their story and the intense relationship between them.
Anna is an interesting and complex character and it was interesting to see her constantly try to justify and excuse Elizabeth’s actions because of her adoration and obsession with her. The writing is very good and I was enthralled from the very first page and invested in the characters. The book is quite dark in places and very gory and I felt my unease growing from the very first page just as Anna feels her unease growing the longer she is in Elizabeth’s castle. This was a very interesting and well written book but it’s not for the faint hearted!! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book.

Blood Countess was a great fiction imagination of Elizabeth Bathory. I had previously been fascinated by the history of "Lady Dracula" and was so excited that there was going to be a fiction book based on her! It didn't disappoint! It was grueling and gruesome and grotesquely wonderful! I wasn't a huge fan of the main character, just because I don't have much sympathy for characters who stand by and watch bad things happen when they know they can do something, but it was a bit more understandable considering the circumstances. I would have liked to see more world building as well. Overall this was a good book and I think horror fans are going to love this one!

17the Century Hungary- Anna Darvulia is the eldest daughter of the towns midwife. Along with her three younger siblings they struggle to put food on the table while Anna's violent and cruel father drinks away what money they have. When Anna is summonsed to help the new Countess, Elizabeth Bathory, a bond between the women is formed. Anna is asked to work for the countess as her chambermaid, a job that would provide money to keep her family fed, but stories of Elizabeth's cruelty have spread across the village. Anna quickly falls under Elizabeth's spell and is drawn into her life as her confident and lover...but she soon realizes that Elizabeth has a dark side...and if she isn't careful she could be the next victim.

All the stars!!! Blood Countess is an exciting new fictional tale portraying Elizabeth Bathory, a Hungarian noblewoman who was a serial killer obsessed with the idea that blood could restore youth. This novel was very well written, you quickly become immersed in the characters tales. Elizabeth is charming and beautiful, but hushed discussions about her cruelty combined with the disappearance of the female staff members have Anna questioning Elizabeth's motives for hiring her. Anna is torn between her love for Elizabeth and her revulsion of the brutality she begins to display. Anna will have to save Elizabeth or end her reign of terror before she becomes the next victim. I absolutely loved this book and it was perfect for my fall reads list. This will definitely be a novel I will add to my library when it releases so I can read it again and again.

I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review (Netgalley)

I always thought Elisabeth Bathory was such an interesting character so when I read the synopsis of this book I was sold! And I was not disappointed.
I usually struggle with books that are based on true events, re-imagined, but this one was done perfectly in my opinion, the ending was soooo satisfying.

The writing was excellent and portrayed perfectly a good main character development.

I guess my only disappointment is that the book was not any longer. Considering how long Bathory lived in actuality, maybe this could have been two books? But that's not a complain the book is amazing and I guess I would've loved more.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was honestly really excited to dive into Blood Countess. It was interesting in the beginning, but then I slowly started to lose my interest in it. In this book, you will meet Anna Darvulia. She lives in Hungary as a healer of sorts. On her way home one day, after saving a little kitten from being tortured, she runs into the new Countess - Elizabeth. From this one moment, her life was forever changed.

Okay so I had high hopes on this book. I know, I know, I shouldn't do that to myself before diving into anything but I did. I was really psyched to read about the Countess Dracula. However, what I got was boredom. Not a lot happened in this book until the end. Yeah, people feared Elizabeth and at one point Anna is under her spell because she feels "loved". Yet, not a lot happened.

So (view spoiler) and that's about it. Even the ending was a smidge predictable because you just kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. In the end, I really wanted to enjoy this from start to finish BUT I just wanted this whole thing to end. The last chapter was okay but not a complete shock either.

Dark, sumptuous prose and thankfully undiluted bloody mayhem make this an excellent bit of YA horror, and Popovic's sophisticated handle on both pulp horror conventions AND the slow psychological descent into erotic obsession (not to mention the deflection and excuses made for an abusive partner) made this a far more interesting and elegant entry in queer gothic fiction than it might otherwise have been (lesbian Bathory erotica has been done before and done badly, so this was refreshing).

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC.

As soon as I saw this cover and read the synopsis I knew I had to have this book, and it gave me everything I wanted in an Elizabeth Bathory novel. Unlikable manipulative women, torture, murder, no romance, unhappy endings, and of course blood.
The ending did fall a bit flat for me, though I can't really put a finger on why other than I wanted more fight out of Elizabeth in the end. I loved the epilogue though.
I was enthralled by this gothic horror YA.