This was such a unique and beautifully written book. I loved the descriptions! I just didn’t connect to the characters as much as I would have liked.

Great read - loved the story and the writing. Fantastic characters. Just loved it! The progression of Elisabeth's character is fascinating to follow as is Anna's realisation as the book goes on, as to what she's let herself in for. I honestly couldn't see how it would end.

A dark and blood-drenched tale of the difference between love and obsession, and the darkness hidden under the surface of beauty.

Lana’s magical writing was the strength of this story featuring a naïve girl becoming swept up into the devious machinations of Elizabeth Bathory. The first half was better than the second, which detailed Anna adjusting to life at the castle and getting to know the Countess while slowly transforming into her pet. At first, she excused the erratic behavior Elizabeth exhibited, but with each escalating problem, Anna began to realize the Countess’s true colors were shaded with black and red and hued with violence and death. The second half slowed until the end which was a letdown due to the buildup of this abdominal and heartless character. There wasn’t much of an impact with the resolution which was another weakness. Though this story is based on the history of Elizabeth Bathory, I wish it stuck more to the facts before deviating off into the finale.

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the writing was good, it had a nice flow to it. The story kept me interested and I definitely wanted to see how the book would end. I thought that the author wrote a really interesting retelling of Elizabeth Báthory. I would recommend!

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read, Blood Countess, in exchange for an honest review.

The mind is complex. It can play tricks on you, making you question what is real and what isn’t, and Anna finds herself a prisoner in more ways than one. The mind is a powerful weapon, and Countess wields hers like a sword, drawing Anna in like a fly into a Venus fly trap. Lana Popovic has crafted a masterful tale of horror. It’s a slow quiet descent into madness, and I was consumed entirely watching Anna stray further down the path to hell.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC! It was such a quick and exciting read, and I feel like I have gained a better understanding of the Blood Countess herself from reading it! It is a spectacular account of Lady Bathory's descent into darkness, and there are a lot of names, places, and even tortures that are worked in from her actual history! I loved that we saw the story through a chambermaid's eye, as it is someone who would have been close enough to Elizabeth to be privy to all of her inner workings. The author used this closeness to her advantage, and made her someone the countess couldn't live without to justify why she was never slain in kind. Lana pieced this story together so beautifully!

When we meet Anna, she is a peasant. She lives with her violent father, her midwife mother, and her siblings. She is smart, kind, and talented, but she harbors a tortured heart. When she meets Elizabeth, she sees herself in her, and she is taken with her from the start. She thinks their chance meeting is the last time she will see her, but her haunted face never leaves her mind. So when the countess entreats her to come help her in her time of need, she does not hesitate; now leaving her mark on Lady Bathory as well. She is soon after sent for to be her chambermaid, and although things hold her back from doing so, a macabre series of events launches her forward and brings her to Elizabeth's castle. At first, she is given a job in the scullery, trying to help keep her family afloat as she tries to win back Elizabeth's favor. While there, the other girls regale her with stories of Elizabeth's cruelty, but she can hardly believe her ears. Surely the kind countess she had met was under some sort of duress that made her act this way.

She worms her way closer to Elizabeth as a way to gain more coin to send to her ailing family, and as she does, she realizes the problem must be her husband, Ferenc. Anna and Elizabeth grow even closer, shedding their professional relationship and becoming something more akin to lovers. Anna begins to see flashes of Lady Bathory's evil herself, and takes it upon herself to try and calm the storm raging inside of her. When not even losing her husband helps, Anna slowly realizes that maybe Elizabeth was the terror all along, and she steadily declines into madness, using Anna's affinity with herbs and healing for much darker purposes until the former chambermaid has had enough. She bites back, much harder than the countess ever expected, and Elizabeth's story ends much like it does in real life; locked away in a tower until her death.

I love how this is, at its heart, the story of a girl who will fight for what she loves, and what she loves changes greatly in this book except for one thing; her family. She prizes her mother and her sister above all else, and it ends up being a weakness for her, as does her eventual love for the countess herself. It blinds her, as love is wont to do, to a lot of the bad parts of Elizabeth until it is nearly too late. At that point, she learns that the person she should love is herself: the stone-hearted witch that Elizabeth always thought her to be. She is such a strong and intelligent main character, and it was so cool to me how her tie to nature was something to be feared, as it more than likely would have been in this era. However, since she was the 'pet' of the countess, no one could touch her, but you could see everyone turn against her, even more so for continuing to stay at Lady Bathory's side. When it was all said and done, this was an extremely thrilling and interesting read, full of lore and gore for those with dark hearts but also a glimmer of sunlight that is love; familial and otherwise. I immensely enjoyed it!

I've named this book as my Halloween read this year. Link below and due to be published 26th Oct.

I must admit I was a little disappointed when I read it. In many places it was overwritten (drowning in adjectives when one was enough) and contradictory.

It has such a great premise, I really wanted to enjoy it :(

I hate to give bad reviews, as it's just my opinion and I know how hard authors work, so I'll leave it at the promo link for you.

Thank you for the book.

Blood Countess was a thrilling, original twist on the story of Elizabeth Bathory, widely regarded as the first female serial killer.

We get to see the Countess through the eyes of a commoner and our main character, Anna. Anna is drawn to the countess from their first meeting on the Countess' wedding day when a rescued kitten nearly gets run over by their wedding carriage. From there we see the events unfold across nearly a lifetime, with Anna tending to the health of someone who shouldn't exist to becoming closer to the Countess than she ever thought possible. There's a feminist current underlying the novel with questions about what really are acts of female empowerment and liberation and what are just crimes and misdeeds done using feminism as a ruse.

We get to see a powerful woman in a time when women weren't supposed to be powerful and all the consequences that come with it. Family is a strong theme in the novel, with many of the characters' actions being motivated by how far they would go to protect and take care of their families.

The characterization in this novel is the best part, with our leading ladies having distinct personalities and secrets even the reader couldn't have guessed. This novel has twists and turns you wouldn't expect and the end truly left me shocked. If you love horror, thrillers, or a new look at history, this book is perfect for you.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Amulet Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

From the synopsis to the characters, my expectations for this read was very high. Were they met? Sorta kinda but not really. There were certainly a few elements that could've been improved to make this a worthwhile read such as the ending. The epilogue to some extent was fine (despite me hoping something between Anna and her childhood friend Peter would lead somewhere) but leading up to it, the finale was lackluster and the anticipation of what could happen next quickly diminish. Sadly enough the built-up was a lot better than the reward itself. Besides those disappointing aspects to the novel, I did very much enjoy reading the story in Anna POV and what her feelings and thoughts towards one of the most prolific female serial killers of all time were. Sure she was oblivious at times (let’s be real more often than not) and too lovestruck to pay mind to the warning signs of this infamous murderous treacherous ways (one of her many flaws I must say), nevertheless the author was able to showcase impressive writing style and created interesting story content that left me wanting more. Overall the "Blood Countess" is a decent retelling worth checking out.

A solid 4/4.5.
I burned through the story so quickly. Pacing was great! Kept me involved the whole way through. My only qualms for it losing half a star are as follows: I wanted more instances of showing how ruthless and cunning Elizabeth could be. And I wanted Anna to be a stronger protagonist. She lacked conviction and overall strength. I was mad at her for a majority of the story. Dislike weak women, in real life and in my stories. And she seemed way to complacent, even when she was helping people secretly. Other than that, the story flowed well, was interesting, and kept me wondering how Anna was ever going to survive.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. Popovic managed to bring classic Gothic horror style/elements into a more palatable form for YA readers and audiences. Anna's blinding innocence was never off putting, but allowed the reader to see the darkness of the book in stark contrast to the narrator's perspectives. It also left me wanting to learn more about Elizabeth Bathory. If you are looking for a darker take on YA literature or historical fiction then I highly recommend picking up this book!

What a bloody little book.

“Blood Countess” follows Anna, the midwifes daughter who has yet to find her place in the world when she crosses paths with the new Countess Elizabeth Báthory who she can’t help but want to please but it isn’t long before she sees the cruelty that hides beneath the Lady’s beauty and the lengths she will go to keep it.

So I’m a giant nerd when it comes to true crime so Elizabeth is no ranger to me which is why I couldn’t help but sympathize with Anna and her fascination with the Countess no matter how twisted she became but it does mean that I knew all of the changes made to her story and for that I was a little sad.

As the most prolific female serial killer of all time I think it was smart to tell the story from the point of view of someone who can’t see her flaws so as the reader we see the brightness and innocent Elizabeth while the rumors of her punishments lie offscreen and we only witness it when Anna does but even then she’s already enamored by her making it more fun to see the downfall of their relationship.

While I do wish it stuck a little closer to the source material I will say this is a great read that gives you the bare minimum of what Elizabeth was capable of but perhaps that’s enough to make people look into her further to see just how bloody she could be.

**special thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Oh Anna, you poor sweet summer child. Don’t you know that when the same stories seem to fall from absolutely everyone’s lips, there might be some truth to them?

The Blood Countess was just as bloody as I thought it would be. This story is all about Anna and how she catches the eye of the noblewoman Countess Elizabeth Bathory. Who, by the way, has nothing but awful stories that follow her throughout her lands. Everyone has heard of these tales it seems, but Anna sees a different side in our Countess. She doesn’t believe these tall tales and when she realizes things aren’t as they seem, it's already too late.

Anna and Elizabeth are our two main characters. The story is told through Anna’s point of view and we watch as she first meets the Countess and quickly to the second meeting which makes Anna decide that she’s seen a side of Elizabeth the no one else has. She very quickly falls for the Countess beauty and kindness and as she moves her way up the ranks in the noblewoman's household, the two go from friends to lovers.

I honestly don’t think Anna ever stood a chance, even with all the stories and warnings that circled around her. She just couldn’t believe these things about a person she loved until it was two late. The author did a really great job at describing these characters. It was so shocking to see how quickly Elizabeth went through her moods and how Anna handled it all. The writing was descriptive in the way that I could feel the horrors being done to these people and was almost flinching in my seat. Popovic definitely knows how to write dark characters.

I was on the edge of my seat the entire second half of this book. I thought I knew what was going to happen, and then I didn’t. Then I couldn’t help but speculate and I was so glad I was wrong. This was such a dark story to tell and I honestly enjoyed every moment of it.

I really enjoyed this book!This dark, twisted tale has more than a touch of the Gothic about it with all the castles, superstitions and witchcraft making it gripping to read. Knowing what it was based on only made it more interesting, as though the reader sees the world through Anna's eyes we know what the countess is really like. You find yourself almost yelling at her for being manipulated so easily!
That being said initially I loved the romance element in the story and the slow realisation of Anna's sexuality and how it differed to the Countess'. Its quite rare to find good YA fiction for LGBT+ readers that isnt set in the modern day, making this a must buy not only because it will appeal to all sexualities, but also for showing how emotional manipulation can occur in all kinds of relationships. Currently the best books discussing emotional abuse are very heteronormative.
The plot was sound and engaging and the characters had good depth, although I wish we had been given a bit more of an insight into Elizabeth's past, she hints that her mother too used witchcraft to stay young and this could have been a interesting addition to the storyline.
There was one typo which was the use of bald instead of bold but otherwise a very well constructed and gorgeously descriptive text brimming with darkness and violence.