Enjoyment (9/10):
I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed this book. At first the format of using letters to tell a story initially felt awkward but by the end I did not even realize I was reading letters. Even as I write this review 5ish years later I still remember vividly certain scenes in my head around Dracula’s castle and trying to fend off Dracula later in the plot as they were so well written. I unfortunately do not remember this well anymore but I remember being so intrigued with the plot of the jailed man which Dracula played mental games with – it was interesting enough to give me Silence of The Lambs vibes.
Learning (2/10):
While this book was fun to read, it really did not increase my knowledge in any topics except for vampire lore, which is not really valued for real-world applications. I will say I did learn more about how life worked in that era such as the use of stage-coaches and other period devices in the story.
Broadening (5/10):
I would say this did broaden my mind a bit to appreciate where many of vampire-lore stories got their start, and foolishly I did not know this was the start of Van Helsing. I would say this had everlasting impact on me as this book in and of itself peaked my interest in Transylvania which managed to bring me on a vacation to Romania to see Dracula’s castle (i.e. Bran Castle).
Closing Remarks:
Overall I would recommend this book to anyone. It is awesome to read the original story of Dracula from which so many novels have spawned. Additionally, this book is also happens to have great writing with a great plot that really keeps you interested.