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iDrakula

Name: iDrakula
Author: Bekka Black
ISBN: 9781402244650

by Bekka Black

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Overview

The classic vampire story that started it all gets new life for a generation of connected teens

18-year-old Jonathan Harker is diagnosed with a rare blood disorder after visiting a Romanian Count. His girlfriend Mina and a pre-med student named Van Helsing team up to investigate the source of the disease. The teenagers discover a horrifying truth: the Count is a vampire. The harrowing events unfold through emails, text messages, web pages, Twitter feeds, and instant messaging-the natural modernization of Bram Stoker's original Dracula, which was written in letters, diary entries, and news clippings.

"Bold, innovative , and warped. . .an insanely imaginative tour de force."
—James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author

"Black expertly interweaves story and technology in this timely Dracula tale."
—Rebecca Maizel, author of infinite Days

"What happened?"

"Not sure. I was fine when I went to bed."

"But?"

"But I dreamed that someone got into my room."

"Who?"

"I don't remember his face. He was tall, thin, pale...I was paralyzed. And then my neck hurt and my mouth was full of..."

"Of what?"

"Blood. My mouth was full of blood."

Synopsis

The classic vampire story that started it all gets new life for a generation of connected teens

VOYA

Mina Murray is your average teenager in New York City, but when her boyfriend, Jonathan, is not loyal; her friend Renfield becomes insane; and her best friend, Lucy, dies, Mina does not know how to deal with everything. iDracula is captivating and a quick read because it is in the form of e-mails, Web sites, and text messages, but it is better suited for older teens with its complex social interactions. Reviewer: Michelle McGrath, Teen Reviewer

About the Author, Bekka Black

Bekka Black is the pseudonym for mystery author Rebecca Cantrell, whose recent novel A Trace of Smoke received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Library Journal. The book was reviewed by the New York Times, was chosen as a pick by numerous independent bookstores, and was a Writer's Digest Notable Debut.

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Editorials

VOYA - Michelle McGrath

VOYA - Jennifer McConnel

Mina Murray's life changes forever when her boyfriend takes a business trip to Romania for a mysterious count. Jonathan returns to the United States with a rare blood disease and an unhinged mind. Then Mina's best friend dies of the same blood disease, prompting Jonathan to confess that he has been unfaithful to Mina. To make matters even worse, the strange Romanian count has come to America and is none other than Drakula. This modern retelling of the classic horror novel stays true to the literary style of the original: the work is told in multiple genres with an emphasis on modern technology, such as texting and e-mail. Mina is re-envisioned as a heroine who ultimately defends herself and defeats the vampire, but this is where the positive alterations to the story stop. This retelling completely lacks the suspense that is so crucial to a tale of horror, and the plot rushes along to an abrupt climax without giving readers time to digest what they have read. Although the bare bones of the original story are present, the modern characters have been made even more superficial than in Stoker, making it difficult for the reader to form any connections with the characters—there is really no one worth rooting for. This is a fast read and will appeal to reluctant readers, but teens who are craving a good spine-tingling thriller will be disappointed. Reviewer: Jennifer McConnel

Kirkus Reviews

Dracula is coming, but he's arriving on the shores of 2010 New York instead of 1897 England, with cell phones and laptops replacing the letters and newspaper clippings of Stoker's era. Forget the modern vampire, who sparkles in the sunlight and struggles with the desire for blood. Black brings Bram into the modern age with e-mails, smart phones and websites, all while preserving the brooding heart and vicious nature of Dracula, the literary ur-vampire. Presuming readers have a familiarity with the classic tale, the plot and characterization are understandably thin, though the restrictive page layout moves the narrative along at a brisk pace--this design-heavy book doesn't satisfy itself with simple IM transcripts; browser "screenshots," "attached" jpegs and smart-phone–framed text conversations (complete with those cute little speech balloons) alternate with more conventional-looking e-mails. There are nods to vampire lore in both URLs and webpage titles, and Mina's heartfelt final e-mail to Lucy blends a traditional goodbye with the ephemeral nature of today's digital technology. While not for the Gothic scholar, this bite-sized retelling of the seminal vampire novel won't drain anyone's attention span. (Horror. YA)