Throwback Thursday Review: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Title: The Historian Written by: Elizabeth Kostova Published: June 14, 2005 by Little, Brown Books (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: To you, perceptive reader, I bequeath my history....Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of, a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.  The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself--to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive. What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends? The answers to these questions cross time and borders, as first the father and then the daughter search for clues, from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe. In city after city, in monasteries and archives, in letters and in secret conversations, the horrible truth emerges about Vlad the Impaler's dark reign and about a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive down through the ages.

I have been wanting to do this review for so long and for some reason I have not gotten around to it. This is one of my all-time favorite books and I read it years ago and just before I really started blogging but I never officially reviewed it. But I'm trying to do a monthly throwback reviews that fit the monthly theme and this is the perfect one for this month so let's dive right in.

First off I love the plot development of this book. I describe it as Dracula meets The DaVinci Code. It is one of those books where you are taken on a worldwide adventure to hunt for clues and believe me when I say it is a thrilling adventure. I am frequently whining about how much I dislike travel monologues and how they aren't plot points to me and I think it's because this book ruined all future books like this for me because it is so good. It's so well plotted as the clues unfold and you are taken along for an exciting ride. I think the thing that the author does so well is that there is not only are the stakes really high but each step along the way is purposeful and interesting. The plot was so exciting that even the second time around I was just as surprised and enthralled. And many of you will probably know that I can be a bit of a snob when it comes to mysteries. I knew how this was going to end and it still managed to keep me on my toes which really is the mark of a great read if you ask me.

The other great thing about this plot development is the historical aspect. The reason that I am doing this throwback review during this month is because this is a classic example of a historical mystery and why that is my favorite subgenre. The thing I like most about historical mystery is it takes something that happens in the past and attaches it to a mystery in the present. So because of that there are so many great elements of historical fiction, in this case Vlad the Impaler or the real Dracula, and the mystery of the main character trying to find her parents. The two elements blend together beautifully to craft a story full of mystery, fantasy, and adventure.

This book also has a great setting and world. As I said, this is one of those worldwide adventures kind of stories so there are plenty of places to explore. Most of the book takes place in different parts of Eastern Europe like different parts of Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Each different place comes alive in your mind as you can perfectly visualize the locations and the history of the place. I felt like I could perfectly imagine everything from the castles of Romania to the markets of Istanbul. The author definitely transports you to these places as you are reading and it's one of the main reasons that the travel works and the book is so enjoyable.

Finally, I really liked the characters of this book. Because this is a book with a ton of mystery and is all about secrets it should come as no surprise that this is a book full of complex and mysterious characters. Every single one of them has something to hide and because of that they keep you on your toes. I loved getting to know each of them and learning about their past and present, It made for a really interesting read to see them at their best and their worst. The other thing about this book is that main character never gets a name. She's just sort of this nameless young woman. That might sound strange and annoying but it sort of lead this great thing where you could immerse yourself into her perspective and the story. It made things even more interesting.

As I said, The Historian is one of my all-time favorite books. I absolutely love everything about it. The plot, the mystery, the setting, the world, the characters. It's engrossing and enthralling. I read it ten years ago and loved it, I read it four years ago and loved. I could read it today and I would probably still love it.

I give The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova 10 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: BUY! Is there any doubt? I love this book so much and want everyone and their dog to read it. If you like historical mysteries or books that take you on a worldwide adventure you must check this book out.

Have you read The Historian? I know a few of you out there love it as much as I do. Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

October Wrap Up

I have to admit that it was not as horrifying as I had hoped it would be. My master plan to read spooky Halloween reads was somewhat thwarted by my dislike of being scared. I did however read a bunch of good books this month.

                                       The Historian by Elizabeth Kostove

The Good: The characters. This book is a nonstop parade of interesting secondary characters. During their travels throughout Eastern Europe the main characters meet a host of funny, intelligent, and intriguing academics who help them solve their Dracula conundrums.

The Bad: Nothing. This is my favorite book and is 700 pages of awesomeness. Even the length isn't a deterrent.

The Lovely: The story. I love the mystery, the trills, and the suspense of the hunt for Dracula and his tomb. The reason that even the length isn't a deterrent is that it keeps your interest throughout the whole story.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Good: Also the characters. I like a story where it's hard to say who the main character is. The rotating perspectives and journal entries advanced the plot and kept things interesting. I was particularly a fan of Mina who, being virtually the only female, is probably the smartest, and Van Helsing who was compassionate and tough but was also the only one who knew what was going on the whole time.

The Bad: Pretty much the entire middle 250 pages. I'm not a fan of dramatic irony and I do not like being two steps ahead of the characters. It's annoying and makes them seem stupid and unlikeable.

The Lovely: The Ending. The story redeemed itself a lot by having an action-packed ending full of vampire attacks, hypnosis, and anticipation. The last 150 pages made it all worthwhile!

Rating: 8 out of 10

                                        Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

The Good: The story. I liked the internal struggle of good vs. evil manifested in a teenage witch concept. I also liked that nothing was really black or white even though you really didn't have much of a say as to how things would end up. Many of the Dark Casters had good elements about them and vice versa. 

The Bad: Instaromance. The whole I just met you and I'm going to love you forever cause it's fate makes me roll my eyes and think... Teenagers, ugh! Also the ending was kind of a cop out!

The Lovely: The magic. I loved the authors take on magical powers. There was no "silly wand waving and incantations" and everyone had their own distinctive powers. Lena's powers in particular were pretty badass. 
Rating: 7.5 out of 10

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

The Good: Wait for it... The characters. I'm noticing a trend here. But seriously folks. I actually really liked the main character Gemma Doyle and that is very rare for me. Including Gemma, most of the characters were very multi-dimensional. It was unclear whether they were good people doing bad things, curious, and downright villainous. Man characters who I viewed originally as one thing made me sympathize with them causing me to change my tune. 

The Bad: Too much world-building. Now don't get me wrong, I loved the world that was built I just felt like there was too much set up and anticipation inducing lulls in the story. It suffered from what I call "first book syndrome." It had to set the stage for future books so this one felt a bit boring at times. 

The Lovely: The Themes. I really loved the deeper meanings that this book made me feel. The idea of friendship, acceptance, loss, and being appreciated for who you truly are and not just who other people want you to be. It was so much more of a coming if age story than I had expected. 

Rating: 8 out of 10

                                       Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Check out my full review here! 

The Good: The World Building. Random Riggs created a really interesting story. I liked the world within a world concept and the peculiar children with their arguably scary powers. 

The Bad: The description. Whoever wrote the synopsis of this book either didn't understand it it didn't want to spoil anything and ended up misleading the reader. It is not the spooky fantasy story you are expecting. It is a good vs. evil superhero time travel novel. My other major problem was the main character, Jacob, and his annoying deductive reasoning skills which a lot of YA heroes and heroines have where they take forever to believe something they should and no time at all believe something they shouldn't. I didn't like him! 

The Lovely: The writing. Random Riggs is an incredible writer. His descriptions were well thought out and poetic. I could see everything in such detail and feel how the characters were feeling. The addition of old fashioned photographs to the story to a completely different, and better level.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Insurget by Veronica Roth

The Good: The world building. I really liked the ability to explore more of the world and the factions in Insurgent. I enjoyed the trips to the headquarters of the other factions and the trips outside of the fence to explore more of Tris' world. The characters are also deep and flawed, which I like. Even those viewed and good do bad things. And the concept of right and wrong because very muddied in this book. The themes of adopting a utopian society and how you should react when that society is falling apart were interesting and thought provoking. 

The Bad: The surprises were not very surprising. It felt a little predictable. There seemed to be almost a forced foreshadowing. It would make you think about something and then shortly thereafter there would be a big reveal about that thing. It was just too formulaic at times.

The Lovely: The action and suspense. Book 1 in the series was a real page-turner and I was a little nervous that this one was going to be a bit slow and suffer from "middle book syndrome" but it really didn't. It had just as much action and thrills as Divergent. And how 'bout that ending.
I'm currently listening to the audiobook for Allegiant, which I hear has a real unexpected ending and will post a full review of the series when I finish, stay tuned

I'd say in the whole it was a good month for reading. I read six books, all of which I enjoyed. If you've read any of these books and have thought, let me know in the comments section and as alway... HAPPY READING! 

To Reread or not to Read...

... That is the question.

So I just finished rereading one of my favorite books, and I thought I would share my opinion on that often debated idea of rereads. Rereading books seems to be a pretty hot button issue in the book reviewing community. Some people love it, other people hate it. In my opinion it's a good idea for a person to reread their favorite book from time to time, and here's why.

The first time you read a book you generally read it much quicker. You are enthralled by the plot and you tend to focus more on the superficial elements of the story. When you reread a book you tend to pick up on more of the subtleties of the story. Things like foreshadowing and symbolism that you never noticed the first time take the story to a deeper level. This is particularly true if a story is very action-packed. If you're like me when the action picks up in a story then you have a tendency to start reading faster. Your heart may be racing, the adrenaline starts kicking in, and you just want to get to the next page to find out what happens. When I do this I often miss portions of the story in my eagerness to turn the page. So when I reread I am able to understand the story much better. My best example of this was in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (spoilers to follow). The first time I read it, I had no idea what was happening in the "vision" Harry had in the forest after Voldemort killed him. Was he dead or not? It was all very confusing. But after taking the time to reread the story and really digest it, the scene made so much more sense. I was also able to pick up on something that I never even noticed the first, like how Snape's patronus lead Harry to the sword of Gryffindor. I got even more out of the book when I reread it because I was able to take the time I needed and read it at a more relaxed pace.

Now I understand the argument from people that there are too many books in the world to reread ones you have already experienced. That is a very true statement, there are many books in the world and many people in the book reviewing community have shelves full of books to be read. I will admit that I am guilty of this. I get it, you should try and experience new things all the time, but there is no reason not to go back and enjoy an old favorite. If you are suffering from what is known in the biz as a "reading slump" then it's probably because you're not really enjoying the current book your reading, and more than likely the last few books you read. This is understandable, you're not going to enjoy every book that you read. But when this affliction befalls you then why not try rereading a book that you loved? More than likely you will also fall back in love with reading and get inspired to start reading something new.

The argument I don't understand is when people say that the book is ruined for them if they reread it, and it takes all of the magic away. Now, I'm not really the kind of person who gets mad about spoilers. I'm actually more like the kind of person who prefers spoilers and will read ahead to make sure things are going to end in a way that I want them too (don't judge me!). To me it's like solving a maze. I know where I'm going to end up, but what I don't know is how I am going to end up there. It's all about the journey isn't it?

Admittedly, the real reason that I reread this book is because I felt like I couldn't truly say that this was my favorite book until I experienced it again. Our opinions often change over time. Have you have watched a movie or television show and really enjoyed it and then watched it again and thought, "What was I thinking? This is terrible!" I know you have, everyone's done that! Or the opposite can happen. When I first saw Mean Girls I hated it. But then I watched it over and over again, and now I absolutely love it! I don't think you can really call something a favorite until you've experienced it multiple times.

 The book that I just reread was The Historian. It is a supernatural thriller and therefore very action-packed. I read it five years ago so, I have to admit, I did not remember much of the intricacies of the plot. I knew it was about Dracula and the search for his tomb by a teenage girl and her father, but that was about it. There were still plenty of surprises throughout the story and I even figured out a connection that I never put together the first time (it happened during the big climax so I was otherwise engaged). I remembered many of the main characters but not a lot of the secondary characters and I was able to appreciate those unique and interesting characters a lot more the second time around. I was also less curious as to how it was going to end and I was able to focus more on the characters journey through Eastern Europe. The descriptions of locations which I often find annoying and needless, I now found poetic. It even rekindled my desire to visit some of these places. I enjoyed the story just as much, if not more the second time I read it.

If you have never reread a book I say to you is "SERIOUSLY? You have to be kidding!" But what I really say is, give it a try. Experience an old favorite anew. You never know, you may enjoy it.

Now these are of course just my opinions. If you agree, leave me a comment. If you disagree, leave me a comment. And as always, HAPPY READING!