Heart of the Impaler / Alexander Delacroix / Book Review

Heart of the Impaler

Blurb

Vlad Dracul knows his brother is weak. He doesn't have the passion, the drive, the intelligence to lead a kingdom, not like Vlad himself does. But that's what Mircea has set for him: the army, the kingdom, the prestige. And, most importantly, the girl. Because Ilona is engaged to Mircea--Vlad's Ilona. Vlad will do anything to win her heart, to secure her as his wife, and even as the Ottomans threaten the land, Vlad knows he can secure victory--victory over the invading army, over his brother, and most certainly over Ilona's heart. 

Thoughts

Did you ever think, "We need a Vlad the Impaler love triangle romance?" Me, neither. I wanted to be here for it, but unfortunately, this book just wasn't it. If you're going to take a dark figure from history, you've really got to lean into the darkness. This book was half-measure after half-measure. It was decidedly not-great.

Pros

• Unexplored History: Historical fiction and historical romance for the YA market are rare enough. It is even better to find them covering a bit of history that is not, well, World War 2 concentration camps. As important as those narratives are, that particular market is oversaturated enough. As a fantasy lover myself, I was disappointed to find no vampires here, but it's still an interesting dive into unexplored history. 

• Multiple POV Love Triangle: For a bit, love triangle was the end-all-be-all of YA romance. It oversaturated the market to the point that books that didn't even really feature a romantic subplot still found a reason to include a love triangle. Luckily, that trend has died down, and so this book falls into a much more comfortable spot in the market. And this book does something that those other books rarely did--that is, it jumps perspectives to give the reader insight into each of the love triangle's three corners. And that insight does enough to set this book apart. Not just faceless males with their all-consuming female love interest, these boys have their own perspectives, and that's nice.

• Antihero: It's nice to get an antihero in a multiple-perspective book who isn't just the antagonist working against the other (protagonist) perspectives. Vlad's an antihero for sure, and while I wish the author had indeed leaned more into his historical counterpart instead of essentially watering him down to teenage-love-triangle material, it was still nice to have his perspective as he worked against his enemies. His enemies who were decidedly outside of the love triangle itself. 

Cons

• Telling: I've said it before--said it this month, actually, in my review of You've Reached Sam--and I'll say it once again. I'm not a fan of the all-or-nothing writing rule "Show, Don't Tell." There's a time and a place to simply tell the reader something that has happened. This book, however, leans far too far into that "telling" territory. Everything is really laid bare here. As a reader, I didn't get to experience any of it--not the setting, not the characters, not the tension or the growth. It was all just told to me, at face value, and that's an issue. That's not a fun way to read and experience.

• Modern Sensibilities: One of the things I absolutely hate to find in historical fiction (and historical romance, where it is especially bad) is the seepage of modern sensibilities into character's observations about their world--especially female characters. It is such a trope to have women who hate their corsets, hate their restrictive lives, hate all of it--and want to be like us modern women, who don't have to follow all these rules. It's a trope, and I hate it. Because while some things were certainly annoying--and while women certainly had hopes and dreams that escaped the boundaries of their lives--they definitely didn't sit and wallow in self-pity all their lives, thinking about what they could be doing if only they weren't women. No, they were too busy living for all that. 

• Faultless Female: If Ilona isn't a Mary Sue, I've never read a book with one. Ilona can do no wrong. She can also do nothing. This book is built on the backs of one dimensional characters (ultimately awaiting imminent collapse), and female-caricature Ilona is by far the worst. 

Rating

⭐⭐⭐

3/10

Those who like a plucky cast of characters like those found in Brandon Sanderson's Elantris will appreciate this casts of historical archetypes. Those looking for more non-Regency, non-World-War-2 historical fiction like June Hur's The Forest of Stolen Girls will like this dive into the world of Vlad the Impaler. 

Details

Publisher: Swoon Reads
Date: December 7, 2021
Series: N/A
Buy It HERE

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.