Daughters of Shadow and Blood - Book I: Yasamin

I thoroughly enjoyed Daughters of Shadow and Blood – Book I: Yasamin by J. Matthew Saunders. I’d recommend this title to fans of Bram Stoker because it pays homage to Dracula, but is still different enough that you can’t easily predict what’s going to happen. The novel is set up into three main timelines, among other minor ones in the form of letters, book passages and written accounts. The research is meticulous and the writing well-done, albeit sometimes lacking life in certain chapters. My first thought when starting this was “Dracula meets The Da Vinci Code”, which is interesting because after finishing I saw Darin Kennedy quoted it as this too! This novel is the first in a planned trilogy and I definitely plan to read book two. As I mentioned, the novel is divided into three timelines: Buda Hungary 1599, occupied by the Ottoman Empire at the time, and is told in the perspective of Yasamin. Then we have early August 1999, Berlin Germany told in the POV of Adam Mire and lastly mid-August 1999, also in Adam’s POV. The differences between these last two POV’s are Anya and Yasamin Ashrafi, who appear in one of these two timelines respectfully. Furthermore, the reader experiences other minor timelines that all have a connection to Dracula, his medallion and his legendary brides’. My favourite POV was Yasamin because I felt she was the most developed character and I was the most involved with her. As well, it was great reading about the Ottoman empire in this context and I felt this made the novel different from other Dracula-inspired ones; it stood out more! Everything about the 1599 timeline is five stars. The reader is given a deep understanding of Yasamin’s background as well as her current life in Buda. The dialogue felt natural to me, never awkward or rough as was sometimes the case with the other two timelines. Yasamin meets Iskander, a janissary (member of the Turkish infantry) and the romance between the two is natural, moving at a realistic pace. I was of course rooting for the two of them! The author paints a very visual, three-dimensional picture of the Ottoman Empire in Buda, which I absolutely loved! Another interesting point was the Jinn, mentioned as creatures of a smokeless and scorching fire by the characters of this timeline. Instead of using the term ‘vampire’ to explain the mysterious happenings, the characters would instead talk about the jinn and demons, so this alternate perspective was interesting to read. I think for me including both the Western/Gregorian calendar date and the Islamic calendar date iced the cake. The suspense is fantastic! This is where I compared it to The Da Vinci Code; there was always lots of action happening. The plot revolves around Adam finding a journal with clues to the location of Dracula’s medallion and ends up simultaneously searching for one of Dracula’s bride’s. Of course, other secret organizations’ would love to get ahold of that medallion, so Adam finds himself in a lot of danger and ends up being saved by Anya. I would say the suspense is built up a lot in the beginning, dies down a bit in the middle, but then starts back up near the end. The last 20 percent of this book wowed me enough to give it a 4/5 versus 3.5/5 stars. Overall, Daughters of Shadow and Blood was really entertaining and I will definitely be continuing the series. I received a free eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *Review condensed to fit within 3500 characters.

Can I have a cigarette? Just kidding, I don't smoke! This book was a fast paced read, with twist and turns, romance, and vampires! What a great read! I look forward to book 2! I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book free, for an honest review!

With Daughters of Shadow and Blood, J. Matthew Saunders has given us the most profound, intelligent, champion of a vampire thriller in contemporary literature. I have just finished it and my head is still spinning. This book—and I do not exaggerate—is an Islamic Da Vinci Code on fire. We start the search for a dragon medallion in the Berlin living room of Yasamin with Dr. Adam Mire. From there, we go back almost a thousand years to Yasamin in Hungary under the Ottoman Empire. These two stories alone create enough depth for a spectacular read. Saunders takes us deeper, transitioning between these two layers, all the while giving us additional clues through books, letters, and newspaper interviews that chronicle—Guess who? Vlad the Impaler, who carries a whole laundry list of recognized (though not traditionally linked) names over our thousand year tour. All the while, we have Dr. Mire a week before he finds himself in Yasamin's living room, on an exhilarating Eastern European journey with two fantastic sidekicks: Anya and Kostya, a priest in the Russian Orthadox Church Special Forces. If you're reading this review and thinking you'll be confused, think again. Saunders is a master of layered storytelling and the transitions are effortless to the reader. All is revealed in a blissfully synchronous fashion, packaged up in one of the best thrill reads you could possibly get your hands on. I was given an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and Saint George's Press in exchange for an honest review.