October 15, 2013
Channeling the tone of a Gothic romance, Warrington presents a 1920s version of Bram Stoker's Dracula that focuses on the vampires rather than their stalkers. Powerful vampire Kristian is having trouble keeping his minions in line, especially Karl, who rebels against Kristian's heavy hand. Trying to gain scientific knowledge of vampirism to help him destroy Kristian, Karl ingratiates himself into the family of Cambridge professor Dr. Neville and wangles his way into the doctor's laboratory as one of his assistants. There he meets Charlotte, the doctor's quiet daughter, and they fall in love. Trouble besets them not only in the form of Kristian's malicious attempts to rein in Karl but also in the jealousy and spite of Charlotte's family, especially her sister and aunt, both of whom have fallen under Karl's spell. As they fight the forces against them, will Karl and Charlotte find happiness, or are they doomed to be apart in loneliness or even death? The first of Warrington's Blood Wine series will sate those hungry for classically melodramatic vampire sagas.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)