Children of the vampire Book

The second book of the "The Diaries of the Family Dracul" trilogy continues the tale of Vlad Dracul and his descendants that began in book one, Covenant with the Vampire. The first couple of chapters take place in the immediate aftermath of that first book (1845) but then the plot takes a 26 year jump forward in time to 1871 where the rest of the novel takes place. Most of the same characters return although Vlad's role this time around is much reduced from book one. I was happy to see the major addition of Van Helsing, and in a much more fleshed out way than he usually appears in Dracula tales. Indeed, this novel is largely about Abraham Van Helsing, and his education and beginning experience as a vampire hunter. There is also a cameo appearance by Elizabeth Bathory, an alleged serial killer and Countess from the Báthory family of nobility in the Kingdom of Hungary.

This entire trilogy is a prequel to the classic story of Dracula by Bram Stoker. It's fascinating in scope and ideas and certainly well-written. But I felt this second novel was a bit too drawn out with a couple of characters belaboring their predicaments for too long. That's partly the nature of the writing style, what I tend to refer to as classical flowery and even Victorian in nature. I enjoyed the Van Helsing plot line the most but the rest seemed to be mostly marking time until book three. I do appreciate the author's research into all things Dracula and her choice to depict Vlad and other vampires with hard-core evil vampiric power. Nothing cartoony or sparkly about these undead creatures!

I am hopeful book 3 turns out to be a little more like book 1, filled with unpredictable plot lines, intriguing characters and an emotional climax.