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A review by labunnywtf
Blood Countess by Lana Popović
3.0
This is not the LGBT rep you're looking for.
When I was 14, I read [b: [book:The Blood Countess|64068|The Blood Countess|Andrei Codrescu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388339448l/64068._SY75_.jpg|1162745]. I do not know how I got my hands on this book. My grandfather used to give me books after he finished reading them, but I....really hope this wasn't one of them, because that book was...weeeeeeeeell. Let's not talk about it, this is a different book of the same name about the same person written by a different person 24 years after the fact.
Our main character, Anna, is the daughter of the village midwife. When we open, she's just rescued a scared kitten from horrible boys trying to set it on fire. In the meantime, a procession is rolling through town with the new Countess, Báthory Erzsébet. Young, beautiful, and Anna's attention is caught. And vice versa.
Through a series of most unfortunate events, Anna and Elizabeth cross paths, and Anna does her best to endear herself to the countess. She plots, schemes, and ends up as her most trusted advisor, friend, and lover.
YAY LGBT REP RIGHT?
Wait, did I mention Elizabeth Bathory sort of murdered a whole bunch of people, including her chambermaids, scullery maids, cooks, servants, whom so ever she damn well pleased?
You know this going in. Even if you don't know the story of Elizabeth Bathory, the author gives you a brief understanding in the introduction, so you know what you're getting into.
The question becomes, how is the author going to spin this? Is Elizabeth the monster history has told us she is? Was she done wrong by powerful men in a time where women held power only when it was given to them by their husband? Was something else entirely going on that history never saw?
I think the author had plans for several different scenarios, and couldn't quite decide which one she was going to pick until the very end. Which means that for the majority of this book, Anna's blind naivete is absolutely excruciating.
I am all about historical LGBT rep. But this is not. it. This is an abusive relationship taken to new heights, and the number of people excited for it shows that we need more. But we need good rep. Not....
This was painful. And I'm sad about it.
Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review
When I was 14, I read [b: [book:The Blood Countess|64068|The Blood Countess|Andrei Codrescu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388339448l/64068._SY75_.jpg|1162745]. I do not know how I got my hands on this book. My grandfather used to give me books after he finished reading them, but I....really hope this wasn't one of them, because that book was...weeeeeeeeell. Let's not talk about it, this is a different book of the same name about the same person written by a different person 24 years after the fact.
Our main character, Anna, is the daughter of the village midwife. When we open, she's just rescued a scared kitten from horrible boys trying to set it on fire. In the meantime, a procession is rolling through town with the new Countess, Báthory Erzsébet. Young, beautiful, and Anna's attention is caught. And vice versa.
Through a series of most unfortunate events, Anna and Elizabeth cross paths, and Anna does her best to endear herself to the countess. She plots, schemes, and ends up as her most trusted advisor, friend, and lover.
YAY LGBT REP RIGHT?
Wait, did I mention Elizabeth Bathory sort of murdered a whole bunch of people, including her chambermaids, scullery maids, cooks, servants, whom so ever she damn well pleased?
You know this going in. Even if you don't know the story of Elizabeth Bathory, the author gives you a brief understanding in the introduction, so you know what you're getting into.
The question becomes, how is the author going to spin this? Is Elizabeth the monster history has told us she is? Was she done wrong by powerful men in a time where women held power only when it was given to them by their husband? Was something else entirely going on that history never saw?
I think the author had plans for several different scenarios, and couldn't quite decide which one she was going to pick until the very end. Which means that for the majority of this book, Anna's blind naivete is absolutely excruciating.
I am all about historical LGBT rep. But this is not. it. This is an abusive relationship taken to new heights, and the number of people excited for it shows that we need more. But we need good rep. Not....
This was painful. And I'm sad about it.
Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review