After discovering a history of letters and inscriptions addressed to “My dear and unfortunate successor,” she is thrust into a dark story that seems to have been born from fiction. Through detailed recordings and from those met along the way, the truth of Vlad the Impaler is brought to light. She has a to make a choice. Either turn her back on her father, or be hunted throughout her own pursuit. Enemies die along with their stories…or so she thought.

If I could describe this book in one word, it would be academic. This book is full of scholarly jargon and research. It follows several Historians’ lives, travels, interactions, and more. It is dense, but do not let this deter you from one of the best books that I have ever read.

I physically read this book for the first time several years ago, and absolutely loved its dark academia atmosphere. This time around, I listened to the audiobook version and loved it even more. The voice cast’s readings are excellent. They truly grasp the characters feelings like obsessions and fear. It is impeccable.

My favorite element of this book is all of the settings while these characters travel around Europe. Kostova’s description of dark nights and cozy, frightening libraries are wonderful. I would love to live in her depiction of the world, save for the horrors. Another element that I am almost obsessed with is how she describes food. Kostova makes the simplest bread, butter, and coffee sound delectable. I wanted nothing more than to be sitting with the narrator and her father in a coffee shop late at night as it rained.

Speaking of horrors, the creepy element of this book can, and should, be expressed as horror. I have read several comments that object to this, but I object to those! Too many people jump into highly recommended books expecting the type of blunt horror that can be found on screen. No! Kostova masterfully creates a build to moments that had me on edge every single time I listened. There are scenes that take you by surprise, but the horror lies more within realizations through the recorded encounters and findings.

Obviously, I could go on forever and ever, but who has the time? I recommend this to those craving a dark book during the fall season. If you have read The Historian, what do you think? It is a book that I have had difficulty writing about because my words do not do it justice.

Thanks for reading.

Kendall