I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I don't think it was this? But at the same time, this is exactly what I was expecting. Confusing but whatever

So what’s going on here?
Anna Durvalia's life takes an unexpected turn when, after the sudden death of her father, she is summoned to work as a chambermaid for the Countess. Anna couldn't be happier, as she had accepted her fate to be married to a man and spend her life bearing him children, as was expected of women in 16th Hungary but was the last thing she ever wanted. Anna quickly finds herself falling for Countess Elizabeth and winds up in her bed, despite warnings from other staff that Elizabeth is not what she seems. By the time Anna finally sees what they have been talking about, it is far too late for her to escape. Anna's only option is to go along with whatever the Countess wishes, and hope she doesn't turn her insatiable bloodlust on her next.

What I loved
That writing style though!! Ugh Lana Popovic is a master at gorgeous writing. I've only read the first book in her Hibiscus Daughter duology, but reading this book makes me want to read the second one right now. With Blood Countess, I especially loved the atmosphere; it felt so creepy and I could really picture it in my head while reading. I also liked the pacing, I didn't find it to drag too much or anything, which I was a little worried about going into it but was pleasantly surprised! But probably my favourite part of this book was the Blood Countess herself, my god what a wicked woman! I had never heard of her before reading this but I'll definitely be doing some research to learn about her. I don't know how accurate Popovic made her character, but I found her to be fascinating and really well written. I listened to this as an audiobook and the way some of her lines were delivered, and the way her character was written in general, sent chills down my spine multiple times. She was terrifying and I was thoroughly impressed with her character!

What I didn’t love
Unfortunately there was a lot about Blood Countess that I didn't like, predominantly Anna. I found her to be kind of annoying and pretty dumb if I'm being honest. I had a hard time feeling sorry for her, and I really don't mean to victim blame, but she kind of got herself into that mess. Anna gives the argument that she was so infatuated with Elizabeth that she couldn't see what everyone else was saying about her, but people were warning her about the Countess while she still had plenty of opportunity to turn back. I almost always hate insta-love, but especially in this case where the main character fell in love with someone knowing she was a monster. And even if she hadn't truly seen what Elizabeth was capable of before she was in love, she had gotten a taste and still loved her anyways. I just really didn't care for that aspect of it and it took away from the story for me. I think I would have actually liked it better if Anna had been just as evil as Elizabeth and the two of them lived a life of tormenting together. But instead Anna spent the entire novel trying to convince herself that she was still a good person and that she was the biggest victim here. I just don't buy it. Yes she was a victim as well near the end, but she literally chose to stay there at the beginnging even after she started realizing what a horrible person Elizabeth was, AND she did technically have another option, even if it wasn't one she wanted. I feel like being married to a man who loves you and treats you well is better than sleeping with and aiding a serial killer, but alright, do you Anna.

Overall thoughts
I liked this, but I hope the next story in this series will be better (and also gay, I really hope all of these books will be queer!!).