If you're looking for historical accuracy, this isn't the book. Blood Countess is almost a historical fantasy in the way that it plays around with the mythology, picking up details or putting them down depending on if they suit the story. A few descriptions of Bathory play around with the legends and stories about her, while her children with her husband are cut from the story completely.

We all knew that the main character, Anna Darvulia, saying "I'm going to bang Elizabeth Bathory. RIP to everyone else but I'm different" was going to turn into a disaster.

One thing I didn't care for was the disconnect between the prose and the perspective. With a first person narration, you're in the main character's head, what you're reading is supposedly their inner monologue. My issue was that Anna, while an adept midwife and herbalist, she's admittedly illiterate and that makes the expansive vocabulary of her narration seem slightly off. ( )

This one was interesting. The writing was well done, however, I didn't connect with it being a YA book. It felt more along the lines of an adult book. It was as if I were reading about two 20 somethings. The protagonist was just as insane as the antagonist. Obsessive, easily manipulated. The ending felt rushed. ( )

I stopped reading at page 50. Nothing was pulling at me to keep reading.

From the synopsis to the characters, my expectations for this read was very high. Were they met? Sorta kinda but not really. There were certainly a few elements that could've been improved to make this a worthwhile read such as the ending. The epilogue to some extent was fine (despite me hoping something between Anna and her childhood friend Peter would lead somewhere) but leading up to it, the finale was lackluster and the anticipation of what could happen next quickly diminish. Sadly enough the built-up was a lot better than the reward itself. Besides those disappointing aspects to the novel, I did very much enjoy reading the story in Anna POV and what her feelings and thoughts towards one of the most prolific female serial killers of all time were. Sure she was oblivious at times (let’s be real more often than not) and too lovestruck to pay mind to the warning signs of this infamous murderous treacherous ways (one of her many flaws I must say), nevertheless the author was able to showcase impressive writing style and created interesting story content that left me wanting more. Overall the "Blood Countess" is a decent retelling worth checking out.

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Hello Darkness, my old friend. What began as pure, turns dark and deadly in this bleak fantasy. Anna, sixteen, is a budding midwife and healer. When her mother's age and weak hands make plying her crafts challenging, Anna takes on much of the work, hoping to earn enough to feed her family. It's challenging because her father, a cruel drunk, swills away most of the family coin. When Anna is summoned to heal a child, it begins a very dark, gory and frightening journey. It's one that is not for the faint of heart, but very fascinating and well crafted. ( )