The Dracula Chronicles

Bound by Blood

(this review covers both books in the series, The Birth of  Monster and Bound by Blood)

Author: Shane O'Neill

Publisher: Shane KP O'Neill

Age: 18+

Reviewed by: D Brown

Rating: 4.5 Ravens 

Blurb:

The Dracula Chronicles is the brilliant and terrifying new concept of Dracula. It is an epic journey through the ages where the forces of Light and Darkness struggle for supremacy until the Second Great War, as foretold in the Book of Revelations. This bitter feud began after the creation of mankind. Lucifer’s jealousy leads to the First Great War of the angels. Hundreds of thousands of years on the feud simmers beneath the surface. It plots the course of history as we know it today. Both sides manipulate the major players through the centuries to seek an advantage over the other. On a cold night in December 1431 in Sighisoara an old gypsy woman delivers a prophecy to the great Vlad Dracul. She tells him he is about to sire two sons, one an angel and the other a devil. He returns to his fortress just as his wife bears him a son, whom he names Vlad. In the very same moment across the country on the border between Transylvania and Hungary a gypsy girl gives birth to another son, Andrei. The die is cast. The twin souls are born. The young Vlad Dracula becomes the instrument of the forces of Darkness. To balance this, the baby Andrei is blessed by the angels and bestowed with awesome powers.These chronicles are their story.

 As his moment of death looms Dracula suffers the ultimate betrayal. The champion of the Catholic faith in Eastern Europe realises it is Lucifer who is coming to claim him. However, Lucifer does not want his soul. Instead he bites into Dracula's neck and then offers his own blood to drink. Dracula suffers his mortal death. But he re-awakens. Immortalised with Lucifer's blood coursing through his veins, the two are bound by blood for eternity. But Lucifer has groomed him for this day. He lays out the task before him. Dracula is to destroy the institution of that which he has championed for so long. By bringing down the Catholic Church he can undo the Crucifixion and turn man against God once more. If he succeeds then Lucifer will ascend again to Heaven and signal the end for all mankind.

Review:

Putting aside my disdain for horror, I will give you an honest review of this author's work. I really enjoyed the character created by Mr. O'Neill, and to be honest, I was impressed to find that I felt for Dracula and all his trials. Especially when faced with the truth of his destiny. The attention to historical detail is remarkable, and the author takes you on a wonderfully detailed voyage through time as Dracula travels the Earth. 

To Mr. O’Neill I say:

Well done. You are a skilled writer and wonderful story teller. You created a very realistic character in Dracula, and had me feeling for him in spite of who he is. It is refreshing to step away from the Hollywood vampire genre (which I avoid like the plague) and get a look into the world you have opened up for us. 

There are many people who will be thrilled to dive into the adventure you have created. I was intrigued and eager to know what lay ahead. The twists in plot were refreshing and unexpected. 

On a more personal note, this was the first and last book of this Genre I review, due to the graphic content. I removed my personal view on that from the rating to be as honest as possible.