This is the first of six books that I've currently collected and feel a need to finish in the next couple of weeks. This one came first because 1) it is a library book, so I needed to finish it in a timely manner, and 2) I've been trying to get my hands on a copy of it for a couple of months now. I really like Jessica Day George as you may be able to tell from the other six books I've read and reviewed. I was particularly interested in this one after my mother reported on going to hear the author talk about. George got many of the ideas from actually going to Romania and pulling on local legends. What some may not know about Romania is that within its boarders exists an area that is known around the world as the lair of a terrible beast - namely Transylvania. You can imagine some of their legends. Being a fan of the original Bram Stoker's Dracula and having spent time in Eastern Europe (if on the other side of the Black Sea, literally), I was very interested. Plus I like her stuff. I've been trying to borrow the book from my mother for a couple of months now, but my older sister, Muscles, got it first. Than Darpa, her husband, got it (pesky married couples!) so I had to wait. Fortunately our library had it this last time around and I picked it up, even though I wasn't planning on getting anything (I had enough other books to read first). However, I got sucked in and wrapped it up last night - within 72 hours or so of starting it. While that is slow in some ways, considering I have four other books I'm working my way through, it says something that I jumped straight to this one. I was not disappointed.
Plot: Dacia and Lou are cousins whose fathers are from upper crust New York and whose mothers are from a very, very old Romanian family. They are both on their way to Romania for the first time, Dacia by boat and Lou riding the Oriental Express from Paris. It is nearing the turn of the 20th century and Bucharest is known as "Little Paris" and is one of the jewels of Europe. However, Dacia and Lou are not there to enjoy the sights, they are there to learn about who they are and the tradition they bear. For two proper young ladies from cosmopolitan New York they have an awful lot to learn about what it means to have family connections.
My personal favorites: The format was great - the story was told from both of the girls' points of view as well as through letters, newspapers, and diary entries. It hearkened back to the original Dracula but also allowed for suspense and tension from the POV points. I also liked the characters and the way they developed. I thought found it plausible and believable. The story also kept me guessing, even tough it seemed like I should be able to guess where it was going.
Considerations: While some of George's other books (the Castle Glower books and I would also say the Dragon books) are more middle grade, Silver in the blood is more young adult. There is a little language, blood and violence, and rather nasty villain of the "do this or I make you watch your loved ones suffer" variety. With that said, I found nothing objectionable to a young teen .
Again, I really enjoyed the book. It was exciting, suspenseful, intriguing, and of course it was romantic. I mean that in the classical, literal sense. Since Romania takes it's name and language from ancient Rome. "Roman"-tic. (sigh).
The total length was just over 350 pages.
My personal favorites: The format was great - the story was told from both of the girls' points of view as well as through letters, newspapers, and diary entries. It hearkened back to the original Dracula but also allowed for suspense and tension from the POV points. I also liked the characters and the way they developed. I thought found it plausible and believable. The story also kept me guessing, even tough it seemed like I should be able to guess where it was going.
Considerations: While some of George's other books (the Castle Glower books and I would also say the Dragon books) are more middle grade, Silver in the blood is more young adult. There is a little language, blood and violence, and rather nasty villain of the "do this or I make you watch your loved ones suffer" variety. With that said, I found nothing objectionable to a young teen .
Again, I really enjoyed the book. It was exciting, suspenseful, intriguing, and of course it was romantic. I mean that in the classical, literal sense. Since Romania takes it's name and language from ancient Rome. "Roman"-tic. (sigh).
The total length was just over 350 pages.
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