Dracula, My Love

June 21, 2010
James (The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen) tepidly reboots the Dracula story, reimagining the classic from the point of view of Mina Harker, a minor victim. Here, Mina is torn between two men—dependable Jonathan Harker and darkly enigmatic Nicolae Dracula. While the men of the story enact the plot from the original, Mina secretly meets her lover, Dracula, and conspires to have the best of both worlds—keep Jonathan as a husband for the term of her mortal life and keep Dracula as a lover for eternity. The mood and material may put readers in mind of Coppola's Dracula movie, though James does the narrative a disservice by waiting until too late to force Mina to make a choice—the buildup isn't exactly riveting, and the hurried decision comes across as contrived. A few unexpected twists along the way offer pleasant surprises (Van Helsing, for instance, recast as a comically inept buffoon), but otherwise, this will have a hard time standing out on the increasingly packed vampire romance shelf.

October 25, 2010
James provides a rich revisiting of the Dracula story through Mina's "secret journal," which introduces an abundance of loopholes, alternate plot paths, and re-interpretations of the original characters. Justine Eyre proves a strong narrator as the first-person voice of Mina; she keeps a solid and clear English accent while switching fluently into other accented voices, including Quincy Morris, a Texan; Dr. Van Helsing, a Dutchman; and the Transylvanian Dracula. Through pauses, pace, and emphasis, she builds tension during the more pitched moments, but also keeps the exposition and contemplative moments engaging without being overdramatic. Eyre is particularly adept at vocalizing Mina's inner turmoil as Mina is torn between Dracula's erotic hold over her and the more steady (and sane) appeal of Jonathan. An Avon paperback (Reviews, June 21).