I just can’t get enough of these books! If you read my review of Stalking Jack the Ripper, you will know that I absolutely loved it. I was lucky enough to read it at the right time as well because when I finished Stalking Jack the Ripper, Hunting Prince Dracula was to be released five days later, so as soon as it was released, I bought the audiobook and started listening to it straight away.

Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper’s true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe’s best schools of forensic medicine…and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.

But her life’s dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school’s forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again.

“Perhaps it was time for fathers to teach their sons how to behave around young women. They were not born superior, no matter how society falsely conditioned them. We were all equals here.”

― Kerri Maniscalco, Hunting Prince Dracula

I am having a very hard time trying to decide which one was better: book one, or book two? The brilliant thing with Hunting Prince Dracula was that we already knew (and loved) the characters, we knew what type of writing to expect from Maniscalco (the amazing type), and we also knew that Thomas Cresswell was a new fictional boyfriend.

Maniscalco has taken the crime/thriller/historical fiction genres, mashed them all together and created these two spectacular books that have Audrey Rose Wadsworth as our kickass main character, Thomas Cresswell as the cheeky, sarcastic sidekick and a whole range of other characters that really make this story come to life. What I love about Audrey Rose as a feminist main character is that she’s not just badass (which is nearly always the case when it comes to female characters who fight back). The reader is constantly seeing her vulnerability when it comes to Thomas, her family, her friends, her education… And she lets this vulnerability drive her into finding out things that are going on and to strive to better herself in anything that she can. She is my ultimate YA heroine. She’s everything that I could ask for in a heroine and one that I could read about forever.

Hunting Prince Dracula portrays more of Cresswell’s tongue-in-cheek comments but we get to see a more vulnerable side to his character throughout this book as well which is very interesting as, during the first book, he was conveyed as a very brooding, dark, stuck-up, young man who is used to getting what he wants. But the flirtatious banter between Cresswell and Wadsworth is just unforgettable, I absolutely love the chemistry between these two!

“I will gladly accept any and all books, however. A person can never have too much reading material. Especially on a fall or winter evening. If you’re feeling extra generous, you may include tea. I love a unique blend.”

― Kerri Maniscalco, Hunting Prince Dracula

Also, can we please talk about Thomas’s sister, Daciana? I am in love with her and I really hope that we get to see even more of her in the third book. I love how she was a lesbian, how Thomas was cool with it (even though being anything BUT heterosexual was completely forbidden). I loved her relationship with Ileana, I just thought that they were amazing together. Like I said, I need to see more of these two women in the third book because they give me life. I just love them. to. pieces.

And also, I can’t write a review of this book without mentioning DRACULA!! I was so ready to read about him (even though, as Maniscalco states in the book, the historical accuracy is a bit off). I love the legend of Dracula, I love Bram Stoker’s novel, I love the supernatural and mysteries, so for me, this book was the perfect blend. This book felt very gothic with it’s hidden identities and underground tunnels. Like with what I said about the first book, I love forensics, I just find it so compelling, so when Wadsworth and Cresswell get to carry on their studies in the forensic field, I was over the moon. We also get a lot more graphic descriptions of dead bodies which is awesome.

As aforementioned, I did listen to the audiobook so I didn’t get to see any of the pictures that accompany the story, but I did go out and buy the physical copy straight away. I had a quick flip through the pages to look at the pictures, and OH MY LIFE! They are so interesting! Writing this review is just making me want to read both books again…

WHY DO WE HAVE TO WAIT SO LONG FOR BOOK 3???!!!! *goes to cry in a corner*

As you can tell, I loved this audiobook. Nicola Barber is the narrator and she does such an amazing job at changing her voice to set the scene or for each of the characters, so I fully recommend listening to the audiobook if you get the chance.