Dracula & Daughters

Emma Carroll has long been a firm favourite with children for her many wonderful historical fiction novels, exploring world wars, Egyptian pharaohs and Victorian mansions, to name but a few. Dracula & Daughters, whilst still being a period tale, is Carroll’s first foray into writing an adventure series and it does not disappoint.

Temstown is full of rumours that vampires are back in town, having been previously banished years ago following the terrible time of the ‘Contagion’. It seems to be linked with the unexplained death of popular theatre star, Elsie Irving, but there are mysterious happenings and many people with secrets to hide. When Elsie’s body goes missing from the cemetery, it sparks a chain of events which lead to uncovered family secrets that will change the lives of those involved forever.

The three main protagonists, Mina (the narrator of the story), her sister Buffy & newly discovered cousin Bella, are bold, brave and determined. In a world dominated by men, they set out to save their friend and expose the secrets that have caused the return of the vampires, gradually understanding the powers that each of them holds and how they are even stronger working together as a team.

This is an exciting thriller set within a gloriously atmospheric and spooky, gothic world, with just the right amount of danger, giving us a unique feminist take on the vampire hunter genre. Instead, these girls set out to become the world’s first vampire healers, aided by an ancient book and their trusty raven friend Poe. Older readers will enjoy the many cleverly named characters and all will love the connection to the most famous of all vampires, Dracula himself. With its perfect mix of adventure, dark humour and excellently drawn characters, plus a strong message of the importance of family and female empowerment, this is certainly a book with bite! I look forward to reading how this unusual family business will solve their next case.