Hunting Prince Dracula: 2 (Stalking Jack the Ripper)

This series just keeps getting better and better. Hunting Prince Dracula is the much-awaited sequel to Maniscalo’s Stalking Jack the Ripper, a retelling from the point of view of a high-class young lady with a passion for forensic medicine, named Audrey Rose. Audrey Rose finds herself involved with the various murders of the infamous Ripper and with the help of a fellow apprentice, a devilishly handsome Thomas Creswell. Without spoiling the first book, the second book follows directly from the events of the first, this time the duo finds themselves caught up in yet another murder mystery but rather than hiding throughout the streets of London, the killer is lurking in the shadows of a Romanian castle, the legendary home to Vlad the Impalar, another infamous murderer. I have to say I enjoyed the second more than the first. Although I rated the first book at 5/5 stars I do recall moments where I felt the book slowed down and did drag slightly. With the sequel, however, this wasn’t an issue, I was gripped throughout, the background to the story was perfect for the murderous mystery unfolding, it was the perfect form of horror for me. Audrey Rose has to be one of my favourite fictional characters, she’s strong, fearless and not afraid to stand up to those who try to treat her as though she is unworthy or incapable based purely on her gender (which is quite common with the book being set in 1888) she stands out in a way which is admirable in characters, and despite the growing feelings between herself and another character, she continues to put her own needs first, pushing romance to the back to ensure she succeeds in what she wants. Thomas was as flirty and funny as he always was, I liked the tension between him and Audrey Rose as, despite his attitude otherwise, it shows that underneath he is a true gentleman. I liked how they were both in sync at times, and rather than Thomas attempting to take control and ‘save’ her. I liked how he truly understood her feelings towards forensic medicine and the troubles she regularly goes through while battling to prove that she is just as good as the men around her. I enjoyed the twist in the reveal, I was concerned that after the first book, the second would struggle with keeping people in the dark with the big reveal, but it did not disappoint. Despite the frustration in trying to work out who it was, I loved the surprise that came with the reveal. I can only hope that the series continues to be as surprising since my expectations on what will happen to keep rising as I finish each book. Overall this book was incredible.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but it was a bit of a strange one for me because I liked it better than Stalking Jack the Ripper in some respects and less in others. I found Hunting Prince Dracula to be slower paced than Stalking Jack the Ripper and as such, I struggled a little at the start of it. It seemed like I was waiting forever for the real action and investigation to start, but when it did eventually kick in, it was worth the wait. In regards to what I liked more in this book than in Stalking Jack the Ripper, I wasn't able to work out who the killer was. This is a big win for me in crime/thriller/whodunit books. If I can work out who the killer is, especially half way through the book, the author hasn't done a good enough job (my deduction skills aren't that fantastic). I was constantly toying between multiple players and could not make my mind up who I thought was to blame. Maniscalco did a good job with the red herrings. I liked the setting for this book. It was so different to the streets of London and felt very atmospheric and at times creepy. Yet again, the dynamic between Audrey Rose and Thomas was brilliant. They are so perfect together and compliment each other brilliantly. It is nice to read a book that contains a healthy relationship, rather than an even slightly toxic one. It is plain to see the characters adore each other, even when they are sniping at one another. The back and forth between them is great and makes for lightening the mood of the books. I wasn't quite so thrilled with Audrey Rose in this instalment of the series. Whilst I understand that she suffered some major trauma in the first book, it still felt like it was being thrown in my face too often and was made to make Audrey Rose struggle just a bit too much. Also, I wasn't keen on the outbursts she had towards Thomas each time he tried (albeit in a misguided fashion) to help her. Credit to him though, he always took the criticism on the chin and learned from it. Audrey Rose does get better by the end of the book, when she seems to have dealt with the bulk of her demons, but there didn't seem to be any major turning point; it just happened. I enjoyed the puzzle element of this book, but found the large amounts of information bestowed on the reader, regarding Vlad Dracula and the Order of the Dragon was a bit much and found it a bit info dumpy at times. It wasn't always easy to remember what I had been told earlier in the book and then string it all together. I loved the end of this book. It was so lovely and positive and a perfect way to end this book, given all the horrors they had encountered, and lead onto the next book. I am looking forward to the next instalment and more of Audrey Rose and Thomas.

Kerri Maniscalco has done it again! I thought this was a great sequel to Stalking Jack The Ripper. The descriptive paragraphs making me truly feel I’ve been transported back to 1888. I love a good, whodunnit story and the unpredictability, never knowing what the outcome will be and where the story will take you. I have always loved the Victorian era and the legends surrounding vampires so this book was a perfect read. Mr Thomas Cresswell being as charming as ever and Audrey-Rose being the most wonderful protagonist. I am oh so very excited for Escaping From Houdini. Here’s to the next adventure!

I loved this series and enjoyed this book! I enjoyed the setting and found myself feeling genuinely freaked out as the story advanced. I think the author has an exceptional gift at building the scene, and I lost myself in this book, like a film was playing in my mind. I really recommend this book and by extension the series.

After solving the Jack the Ripper case, Audrey and Thomas continue their journey to Romania, where they study forensic medicine at Bran Castle. I really wish this part had been real—the idea of a medical academy inside the castle is amazing. I also loved the underground passages they discover. I enjoyed seeing Audrey’s father finally allow her to study medicine abroad, especially considering that women of that era were expected to learn proper manners, find a husband, and be obedient. The gothic atmosphere is one of the book’s greatest strengths. The descriptions are quite dark and, at times, even horror-like, especially with the story taking place at Bran Castle, a place closely associated with Vlad the Impaler. The mystery revolves around Dracula’s legends and local superstitions, which made the story even more engaging. After everything that happened in the first book, Audrey struggles to focus, and leaving London seems like the fresh start she needs. Little does she know that a new series of murders awaits her. I was genuinely surprised by the killer’s identity, and I really enjoyed how everything came together in the end. The characters continue to be one of my favorite parts of the series, especially the witty banter between Audrey and Thomas. It’s clear that Kerri Maniscalco did her research on the historical background and Dracula’s mythology, although I think she could have explored some aspects in even greater depth. I can’t wait to see what adventure awaits Audrey and Thomas in America. This book officially confirmed that historical fiction mixed with fantasy is one of my favorite genres.

Wadsworth and Cresswell are back and I missed them! If we wouldn’t have them I don’t know what the world would look like :-). So in Hunting Prince Dracula Audrey Rose and Thomas travel to Romania to study forensics at Vlad’s Castle and there’s already a murder before they arrive at the school. Before I knew it, I was immersed in a world full of legend and folklore, of bloodless bodies, of sneaking around via secret passageways and finding rooms that made me think of Indiana Jones movies and The Hunger Games. There were too many crazy rooms for me but I did like how they acted and worked together. The term blood bath will forever be seared in my brain now though and I can totally see how this book could spat from the screen (and I do wonder if the author had this in mind as well with these spectacular spooky and challenging scenes). Cresswell is still at his best behaviour courting Audrey Rose and all through the novel I wished she’d throw this poor boy a bone. It was magnificent to read their humorous interactions and his blatant attempts to flirt with her but also a little torturous. As a reader you know that she feels the same way about him so it’s really just a matter of time but she tries so hard to reign it in that I was giddy with anticipation. She’s afraid not to be treated as his equal but Cresswell is… well perfect so I don’t know why she would ever doubt him. I don’t know how I could swoon over a Victorian guy but I did. This is a great series really (and the photos included in the books of instruments and such only add to the pleasure of reading), but I must confess I loved reading about Jack The Ripper more (until I got to the end). In both books there are some things over the top though which hold me back every time from giving a higher rating but the writing is stellar and Audrey Rose and Thomas are a great and strong team with a good balance.

After reading Stalking Jack the Ripper, picking this one up was a no brainer for me. I love how completely you get dragged into the era the book is set in, and I defy anyone to not fall in love with Audrey Rose and Thomas. Though I wouldn't classify this as a thriller it definitely kept me up at night after reading... spiders "shiver". Thoroughly unputdownable and I will be reading the 3rd instalment as soon as it is released.

After waiting a long time to buy it, I finally bought SJTR and I really enjoyed it. The book as a whole was so good and I could tell that a lot of thorough research was done for writing this book(one of the topics I studied in History was Whitechapel which mostly focused on Jack the Ripper). But, there was one thing that made me decide to give this a 4.5 star rating instead of a 5 and that was Audrey Rose and Thomas’ relationship. I thought that seeing as there are going to be 4 books in the series, that they’d finally kind of get together/admit they like each other in the second book at least but instead that happened halfway through SJTR. But what I did enjoy was: -The anticipation of finding out who Jack the Ripper was and I one point I was suspecting everyone including Nathaniel -The closer I got to the end the more sure I was of who Jack was and I was right but it wasn’t annoying because of that plot twist at the end -Thomas Cresswell’s humour and the banter between him and Audrey Rose -Audrey’s relationship with her brother was (in my opinion) sweet how they looked out for each other -As I’ve already said; the research put into writing this book -The gothic pictures added to give more of an eerie sense but also really helped with imagining what was going on. Those are all I can remember at the moment but I’m definitely sure there were many other things I enjoyed. I ordered the next book already and I’ve been told it’s better than the first so I can’t wait to get started on it!!

As advertised. Well received.

Wieder ist dieses Buch einfach nur toll. Ich muss nur zugeben, dass ich wieder Probleme hatte mit dem Anfang. Je weiter ich las, desto leichter fiel es mir, bis ich komplett verzaubert war. Das Buch ist gut durchdacht. Wieder habe ich nicht mit dem Mörder gerechnet. Auch war die Spannung da, die einen antreibt weiter zu lesen. Thomas ist in diesem Buch emotionaler. Er zeigt mehr von seinem wahren Ich und sorgt sich um Audrey Rose. Trotzdem bleibt er seinem Charakter treu und wird kein liebestoller Trottel. Audrey Rose hat immer wieder mit Erinnerungen an Jack the Ripper zu kämpfen. Sehr passend in ihrer Situation und gut durchdacht. So ist sie nicht kalt, sondern menschlich. Trotz ihrer Angst überwindet sie diese immer wieder und zeigt, was für eine Kämpferin sie ist. Auch der 2. Teil war einfach großartig und ich bin schon gespannt auf Teil 3. Hoffentlich wird Thomas' und Audreys Geschichte nicht ausgewalzt...

I love the story but the physical book that came was not the cover I ordered and in poor condition

Muy buen manejo del suspenso, te envuelve y te hace continuar para saber quién es el asesino y quien no

mia figlia era felicissima