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mrsbear's review against another edition
5.0
I have a bad habit of letting book covers sway me one way or the other. I almost didnt read this cause I just didnt like the cover. Boy am I glad I did. Grabbed me from page 1 and never let go. I am truly hoping there is a sequel in the works!
sanddanz's review against another edition
4.0
I had a really hard time sticking with this book and therefore put it down several times in exchange for other books, but in the end really enjoyed this book. I think my struggles with this one had to do with there being so many different characters involved and so there were so many different storylines that were being jumped around from. As the story progressed I got more and more involved so that helped, but I still found myself struggling a little with remembering exactly who was who at times. The book also picked up the tempo erotically at towards the second half which, of course, also helped better the read. Overall, I think BRIDES OF THE IMPALER was a very enjoyable read, but for someone wanting to check out Lee's books, I'd recommend MONSTROSITY over this one. I read it a while back and couldn't put it down!
tales_of_a_succubus's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
What's it about?
An original twist on vampires involving a couple that recently moved into a brownstone with a seemingly haunted basement, a fresh take on Vlad the Impaler, a creepy nun, and a chase to solve gruesome impalements.
🥀 Sick of the same old vampire tropes? Yeah, me too. Throw any expectations of romanticized vampires out the door because this one draws on the horror aspect. You've got a mix of things happening, as described above, but they all came together well in the end. After the couple move into their home, Cristina is haunted by a vampiric nun and is left in mysterious blackouts. A priest in the nearby church has a strange obsession with the house, keeping a watchful eye on it. Meanwhile, a detective is hunting down suspects on multiple impalements, trying to piece together a peculiar case that begins to seem cult-like.
🥀 While I liked most of the characters, I found they were lacking depth. There was development and a backstory for the main ones, but it felt one-dimensional. Regardless, I was drawn to Cristina the entire time. I do wish the dialogue was more varied - sometimes it felt like the same conversations with no reasoning behind it.
🥀 Fair warning: this is a slow paced book. It will require some patience, but I didn't mind it. Second half is when it starts picking up.
🥀 As a fan of different takes on the various Dracula myths, I found this to be very different than anything I have read. Archeology plays a role in the plot and I loved what Lee came up with.
🥀 I bought this a few years ago via Thriftbooks. You'll have to obtain a used copy, and they typically have the best price point. Sometimes it's in stock, sometimes there is a wait.
🥀 Lee may be a master of splatterpunk, but this is tame for him. Less gore, violence, and shock factor. It is more story driven. Still lots of sex though. If you're wanting to try one of his books, this may be a good entry point.
🥀 Read if you like: vampires, interesting crime cases, and Dracula.
4💀
An original twist on vampires involving a couple that recently moved into a brownstone with a seemingly haunted basement, a fresh take on Vlad the Impaler, a creepy nun, and a chase to solve gruesome impalements.
🥀 Sick of the same old vampire tropes? Yeah, me too. Throw any expectations of romanticized vampires out the door because this one draws on the horror aspect. You've got a mix of things happening, as described above, but they all came together well in the end. After the couple move into their home, Cristina is haunted by a vampiric nun and is left in mysterious blackouts. A priest in the nearby church has a strange obsession with the house, keeping a watchful eye on it. Meanwhile, a detective is hunting down suspects on multiple impalements, trying to piece together a peculiar case that begins to seem cult-like.
🥀 While I liked most of the characters, I found they were lacking depth. There was development and a backstory for the main ones, but it felt one-dimensional. Regardless, I was drawn to Cristina the entire time. I do wish the dialogue was more varied - sometimes it felt like the same conversations with no reasoning behind it.
🥀 Fair warning: this is a slow paced book. It will require some patience, but I didn't mind it. Second half is when it starts picking up.
🥀 As a fan of different takes on the various Dracula myths, I found this to be very different than anything I have read. Archeology plays a role in the plot and I loved what Lee came up with.
🥀 I bought this a few years ago via Thriftbooks. You'll have to obtain a used copy, and they typically have the best price point. Sometimes it's in stock, sometimes there is a wait.
🥀 Lee may be a master of splatterpunk, but this is tame for him. Less gore, violence, and shock factor. It is more story driven. Still lots of sex though. If you're wanting to try one of his books, this may be a good entry point.
🥀 Read if you like: vampires, interesting crime cases, and Dracula.
4💀
jasonsweirdreads's review against another edition
3.0
I've only read a few of Lee's works, and Brides of the Impaler is one of the best. The characters are better developed, the plot is strong, and the gore isn't overdone. Aside from a few parts at the end that made me role my eyes, Brides is a really fun and solid read that reminded me of old Dracula films with Christopher Lee.
gareth_alan's review against another edition
4.0
A friend of mine gave me this book over 10 years ago. It went onto my bookshelf and I kept meaning to read it, but I kept reading other things instead. All these years later it caught my eye, so I decided it was time to get it read.
I'd never read Edward Lee before, but I knew that he is an extreme horror writer, so I expected lots of over the top violence, which there wasn't much of to be honest, except for everyone getting impaled on sharpened broom sticks. I didn't expect it to be so raunchy though. They were going at it almost every other chapter.
Lots of writers who write extreme horror and sex scenes do it for shock value or just for the sake of it and it just becomes gratuitous and you can smell it a mile off. Edward Lee manages to do it with rhyme and reason. It's all part of the story and properly explained, so it all makes sense as to why people are getting impaled and erm...having a total sex fest. He doesn't go over the top, or use cheesy euphemisms. He gets the point across, allowing the story to keep flowing naturally.
I haven't said what the book is about have I? This is my first review, so bear with me. Yes. It's aboot a couple, Cristina and Paul, who move into their dream house where inside some mysterious force is attracting and manipulating her. There's some bizarre murders being committed around the city with victims being found impaled. There's some crazy homeless girls who have been taken under the wing of a scary vampire nun, and there's a nutty priest and some cops trying to figure out what's going on. And it all ties in with the the story of Vald The Impaler.
It was a fairly slow paced book, so it took me a little while to read it. But it's one of those that are worth it. The story moved along nicely, the characters were likeable enough, maybe the last couple of chapters seemed a little rushed, but overall, twas a decent read and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. Will check out more of Edward Lee in the near future.
I'd never read Edward Lee before, but I knew that he is an extreme horror writer, so I expected lots of over the top violence, which there wasn't much of to be honest, except for everyone getting impaled on sharpened broom sticks. I didn't expect it to be so raunchy though. They were going at it almost every other chapter.
Lots of writers who write extreme horror and sex scenes do it for shock value or just for the sake of it and it just becomes gratuitous and you can smell it a mile off. Edward Lee manages to do it with rhyme and reason. It's all part of the story and properly explained, so it all makes sense as to why people are getting impaled and erm...having a total sex fest. He doesn't go over the top, or use cheesy euphemisms. He gets the point across, allowing the story to keep flowing naturally.
I haven't said what the book is about have I? This is my first review, so bear with me. Yes. It's aboot a couple, Cristina and Paul, who move into their dream house where inside some mysterious force is attracting and manipulating her. There's some bizarre murders being committed around the city with victims being found impaled. There's some crazy homeless girls who have been taken under the wing of a scary vampire nun, and there's a nutty priest and some cops trying to figure out what's going on. And it all ties in with the the story of Vald The Impaler.
It was a fairly slow paced book, so it took me a little while to read it. But it's one of those that are worth it. The story moved along nicely, the characters were likeable enough, maybe the last couple of chapters seemed a little rushed, but overall, twas a decent read and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. Will check out more of Edward Lee in the near future.
kattrent's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 out of 5 Stars
This wasn't a bad read, but I was hoping and expecting more than just rampant sex scenes. I craved more violence or something. It just fell so flat at certain points, and in others it seemed like it was trying to do more than it could offer in the way of being a shockfest of gratuitous everything. Impaling people is definitely interesting, but I just wanted more.
This wasn't a bad read, but I was hoping and expecting more than just rampant sex scenes. I craved more violence or something. It just fell so flat at certain points, and in others it seemed like it was trying to do more than it could offer in the way of being a shockfest of gratuitous everything. Impaling people is definitely interesting, but I just wanted more.
acknud's review against another edition
2.0
It was an ok read but could have been so much better. Lee apparently has an over obsession with sex. I don't mind this if it has something to do with the plot. Christina's sexual appetite played more into this story than the plot asks for. In fact, it was almost distracting as a lot of the commentary had to do with how much, how often and in what ways that they screw. I am a little hesitant on Lee material as he goes for shock value over substance.
thorfrost's review
1.0
Awful...no plot, no horror and badly written. Forced myself to finish it in the hope that it would become vaguely interesting but to no avail.
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