Amanda Grange's Mr. Darcy, Vampyre

I felt like Jane Austen decided to get together with Anne Radcliffe and together they wrote this sequel to Pride and Prejudice.

I enjoyed this version because it had mystery with a touch of the classic gothic genre. I liked that I knew Elizabeth and Darcy from Pride and Prejudice because I felt that knowing them made the book more enjoyable and that I knew why they said or did what they said or did. This was truly helpful, because as the reader, you know that Darcy is a vampire, however, it’s the mystery in the novel. Many books I have read similar to this I get annoyed with the role Elizabeth would play, but in this, because we were “already friends” I found myself trying/being able to see through Elizabeth’s or Darcy’s eyes. Also, it was realistic with them, in this continuation, because as they were traveling on their honeymoon they would recall things from Pride and Prejudice but it wasn’t redundant storytelling or a vain attempt by Grange to tie the books together. It worked. Darcy and Elizabeth were telling the new people they met their story or sharing memories.

I was a little scared that it would be like one of those scary movies or thrillers that you are really enjoying and you are nearing the big reveal and then they show you the monster or alien and it is SUCH a letdown that you either want to turn the movie off or never see it again. I ended up liking how Grange put everything together. I also appreciate, as it was written for the time period and with the gothic of the era in mind, which she reverted back to your classic vamp and not “today’s vamps.”

I would also like to add, and not spoil; that her character development of Lady Catherine de Bourgh was grand. It made me smile and give a silent round of applause.