The Historian (edit title)

• Rated 3 stars

“Not my favorite book, and it was a little too similar to The Da Vinci Code for me. But it was a fun, good read (better then Da Vinci Code), and an interesting companion to Dracula. But I enjoyed the history and fantasy. It kept me reading.”

• Rated 2 stars

“I was intrigued by the premise, and it gets very gripping for a while in the middle, but the end was such a disppointment I had to drop it down to 2 stars. Definitely a flop at the end, it left me annoyed all day.”

• Rated 4 stars

“Read this book because of a friend's request. AMAZING! I had no idea what the movie was about, and that is what made it so interesting to read!”

• Rated 4 stars

“I picked up The Historian the first time Wal*Mart opened its doors immediately following Katrina. For the next two weeks, I busied myself with reading about folklore and history and travel to places that were surely cooler and less humid than my sweltering living room. Perhaps I grew so fond of this book because it was my "escape" from the realities of our makeshift primitive living, but I absolutely loved it. I found it enchanting. I even enjoyed it so much that I read it by candlelight after the sun had set. It was slow at parts, yes, but overall it trapped me between its pages and kept me dreaming of mystery and adventure.”

• Rated 5 stars

“I really loved this book. I don't think any other book since Harry Potter had me turning its pages till the wee hours of the morning. All 800+ of it.

As a young woman discovers a mysterious book in her father's library, she learns about his secret past, which involves an entanglement with one of history's most infamous figures, Vlad Tepes (AKA Vlad Dracula). She realizes later on, that the more she finds out, the more her life becomes entwined with her father's past; unfortunately, she encounters the same dangers as well.

The story spans several continents, and Elizabeth Kostova successfully transports you from the bustling streets of Instanbul to the dark forests of Eastern Europe. Despite the fact that the narration kept on jumping from flashbacks to the present time, the story flowed very smoothly. It had enough suspense to keep me turning page after page, although it also had some scary parts that made me regret reading the book at night.

All in all, a great book and a mini-history lesson in one. ”

• Rated 5 stars

“Interesting take on dracula - similar to the' DaVinci Code' but with Vlad the Impaler as the main interest. Long but a good read if you like historical novels”

• Rated 4 stars

“The Historian is a great read in the old-fashioned gothic style. I was immediately grabbed by the plot and pulled into the world of our (nameless) heroine. The character development isn't the strongest and of course you need to suspend some disbelief around vampires, but for a fun read on a dark and stormy night, I don't think you can do much better. Warning--you will want to travel after reading this, probably to Romania and Bulgaria. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“I thought this book was very good.

With a feeling of "The Da Vinci Code" -- only better -- "The Historian" was suspenseful and informative. The only thing I would warn about is the many voices. If you don't enjoy a bit of a puzzle, you may not like Kostova. But if you don't mind keeping track of who's speaking (via letter upon letter), I highly recommend this book.

It's not a cheap Dracula tale. It's basis in historical fact is a nice gateway to the supernatural.”