No, not a good vampire book. ( )

If you like Dracula stories, or anything related you will love this! ( )

Mina was an innocent, until she met the ultimate Bad Boy, Dracula. Now that he has been done in, can she go back to her quiet life as Mrs. Harker? Nope... ( )

If you've seen the movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula" with Winona Ryder you already know this version of Mina. She's strong, smart and passionate but she's smothered in Victorian era England caged by rules and a somewhat bland, and unimaginative husband who is "outmatched by her in both passion and wit." This book is about what happens when a woman like Mina is taken from a passionate encounter with Dracula back to England where she has to try to live by all the conventional rules of society. The original work by Bram Stoker leaves out most of the romantic bits that are picked up in this book. and I think that the idea for the story is a good one it just falls a little flat somewhere in the middle when you figure out that everyone is going to act exactly as their supposed to to bring the story to a vague and fuzzy ending that makes sense but lacks the passion that is the focus of the whole story. ( )

Never having read Dracula, and only knowing the black and white movie adaptation, I can honestly say that I was a little unsure about the premise of the story. Luckily, though the book pulled me directly into the action of hunting Dracula down, there was enough back information that I never felt lost. I should say that the book starts with an Author's note where Marie Kiraly goes into short detail about how Mina's voice drops suddenly from Bram Stoker's Dracula. Kiraly felt that Mina had more story to tell and took liberties in continuing her tale.

The story begins with Mina's journal entries. She and her male counterparts: her husband, Jonathon, the vampire hunter, Van Helsing, Dr. Jack Seward, and her late friend Lucy's fiance, Author Holmwood are on the hunt for Dracula. Since Mina has been seduced by the vampire and has drank his blood, they know that in order to free Mina from his hold that Dracula must be killed. Mina is suffering silently at this time. Inside she is changing, a passion is rising inside of her that wasn't present until she was seduced by Dracula. She spends most of her days and night's with Van Helsing. He watches her closely to be sure that she is not turning into a vampire. This also bothers Mina, making her feel as though she is under constant suspicion.

As in the Story of Dracula, the vampire is killed and the curse in Mina's blood is thought by all to be cured. They all go their separate ways, believing the threat to be over, but unknown to everyone else, Mina can still feel the vampire inside of her. She still has a burning passion and she still reacts to the sight of blood. This is where the story continues from the original Dracula tale. At this point the book goes into a third person account, spending a little time with all of those who faced Dracula on their journey, along with a few new characters who meld seamlessly into the story.

Mina's husband Jonathon has thrown himself into his work, but he is still haunted by the memory of the three vampire women who seduced him. Van Helsing stayed behind in Dracula's homeland and is finding that there is still a dark, lurking threat in the snowy lands. Mina is attempting to settle into life as a dutiful wife, but is finding it hard to do so. She writes in her journal of how she longs for her husband to show her the passion that Dracula once had, but never finds it in him. A new character, Lord Gance, comes into the equation and Mina is tempted to find what is lacking in her marriage in him. At the same time she is still struggling to control the urges that her tainted blood stir within her. Urges that make her a wanton woman and lead her to believe that Dracula is still out there, for if he wasn't she would be free of the scandalous feelings that possess her.

Mina is a subtle read. I can best describe the writing as quiet, as is the tone of the book. This quietness, at times, made the story feel as though I was simply a spectator in the lives of these people, watching them lead their daily lives while attempting to overcome the haunting memory of Dracula.

Throughout the story I did question if Mina's blood was truly possessed by Dracula or if she was simply a passionate woman in a time where that was frowned upon, therefore she thought her feelings to be wrong and stemming from Dracula's blood. TO me, Mina came off as a woman who craved touch and wanted to be in control as much as she wanted a man to take control of her. Which is not an oddity in this day and age, but in the Victorian era, where women were not allowed to freely engage themselves in sexual acts unless it was specifically for procreation, it was taboo. Could it be that Mina's deepest fears--that Dracula still lived in her--were all for naught? In the end, the The answer to this question is left ambiguous.

Overall, Mina was an enjoyable book. I'm glad I finally took the time to read it. ( )