I read this for the 2020 Book Riot Read Harder challenge #16, though to be honest it was on my list of things to read anyway, so that was a happy opportunity to bump it up the list. It's got an appealing structure, bouncing back and forth between three different generations of historians, as they investigate the life and death (and undeath) of Dracula. I enjoy that sort of non-linear story-telling, anyway.

There's also a heavy emphasis on libraries and archives, which is reflected in the learned nature of the text. It's a very academic take on the Dracula legend, though it took a ridiculously long time for two of the central protagonists to figure out that Sveti Georgi referred to the legend of Saint George. I'm not that familiar with religion or with the mythology of the region, but even I picked that up within moments of it being mentioned, so I can't think why these supposed experts didn't get a clue. As much as I admire the structure and the scholarly nature of this, though, and as much as I appreciated how disturbing the story is - it's genuinely chilling in places - it can in places be a little dry. But really, if that's the only complaint it's still an excellent addition to vampire canon.