YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

New York City, 1899. Tillie Pembroke’s sister lies dead, her body drained of blood and with two puncture wounds on her neck. Bram Stoker’s new novel, Dracula, has just been published, and Tillie’s imagination leaps to the impossible: the murderer is a vampire. But it can’t be—can it?

A ravenous reader and researcher, Tillie has something of an addiction to truth, and she won’t rest until she unravels the mystery of her sister’s death. Unfortunately, Tillie’s addicted to more than just truth; to ease the pain from a recent injury, she’s taking more and more laudanum…and some in her immediate circle are happy to keep her well supplied.

Tillie can’t bring herself to believe vampires exist. But with the hysteria surrounding her sister’s death, the continued vampiric slayings, and the opium swirling through her body, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for a girl who relies on facts and figures to know what’s real—or whether she can trust those closest to her.

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Date changed. Restarting October 16th 2020. Happy Reading ☺

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I'll be starting this tomorrow hopefully, got Grave Mercy to read before this one!

I feel like I'm following you Trisha, we've got the same plans!

Brinley wrote: "I feel like I'm following you Trisha, we've got the same plans!"

Ha! Yeah, it seems the same! :)
Great minds think alike! (If that's not a bit presumptuous of me)

29%

(view spoiler)[ I'm enjoying this. I like the drug use as it's true to the time. I also like how at the moment it's looking like a vampire. (hide spoiler)]

55%

(view spoiler)[ i liked how James took her to talk fangs with that woman at the party. It was nice that he wasn't teasing her but encouraging her. (hide spoiler)]

I'm starting this one now!

23%
(view spoiler)[I'm not sure if this is only in my edition, but is not the pronoun 'He' for God spelt with a capital H?

"If anything, he watched her, and occasionally he laughed. But mostly, he provided and thence ignored her."

Also, I'm really enjoying this, which is a bit of a surprise since I don't don't really love vampires. (hide spoiler)]

33%
(view spoiler)[I suspect James and Dorothy for the murder of Lucy and Tillie's accident. Motive: Money.....for the vampire, (if they exist, which I'm not sure about since this book was tagged Paranormal), I suspect Tom. (hide spoiler)]

Mummy's Naughty Corner wrote: "29%

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yeah, I want there to be a logical explanation for all of it.
The drug use is unnerving me a bit, but that's probably because it's different from the way it is in books set in this century. (hide spoiler)]

42%
(view spoiler)[That was a dick move. He should have asked her before going around writing her name in an article. Also, does this mean he was a journalist, and not a newspaper seller? (hide spoiler)]

45%
(view spoiler)[I was starting to suspect him....Erikkson, that is.

Also, this is of course completely true that women were well prone to 'hysteria' in those times, and they were treated like this.....but actually reading it like this, it made me feel sick really. (hide spoiler)]

Mummy's Naughty Corner wrote: "55%

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I started having serious doubts as to whether he was as guilty as I thought he was at that point.
Right now, I suspect Hazel(I think that's her name?) too. (hide spoiler)]

62%
(view spoiler)[I think the fact that they were sick means that the doctor was responsible? But I have no idea if it was the same doctor who treated all of them.....
What if Erikksen is behind it, and he's searching for a cure for his son? They did get better, right? Is it possible the puncture marks were from a thick syringe needle, and the absinthe was to make them faint, but keep the blood flowing, so that he could drain them?
This sounds like a seriously outlandish theory, I know, but it just occurred to me. (hide spoiler)]

74%
(view spoiler)[I have no idea what's going on.

I didn't completely trust Tom, so that was good.....but I didn't expect him to more or less rape her. Or at least try to. I'm glad John saved her, but I'm not entirely sure he did. And if he did, then for what reason. (hide spoiler)]

84%
(view spoiler)[

"Surely, there was an illness here that could bring Tillie to her knees and lure the killer as well."

She can't be this stupid, right? (hide spoiler)]

I'll be trying to start this today!

Starting this now, but I probably won't make much progress until tomorrow!

Up to chapter 3
(view spoiler)[ So far I’m not the biggest fan of Tilly. She’s just written to be a bit too special, a bit too different. And, her constantly wanting to know about the world kinda irritates me. I do want to know more about this vampiric business though, so I’m still really interested in this book. (hide spoiler)]

You guys really made life difficult! I’m gonna assume you both read ebooks, hence the percentage done. Of course, I’m reading this as a physical copy, so no percentages in sight

Mummy's Naughty Corner wrote: "29%

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Yah, I'm really liking this one too. Its strange, but I do like reading about the drugs, it really puts you into the time frame. Its setting up like its going to be a vampire, but for some reason I doubt it. Because Dracula is playing such a huge role, I feel like its almost going to be a copycat killer, pretending to be a vampire (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "23%


(view spoiler)[ I'm also not a huge fan of vampires, but I'm liking this a lot. It might just be because we're not getting the normal vampire set up yet, we haven't met the overly attractive and seductive vampire that's always included. I'm really praying thats not where this goes, because I'm loving this so far (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "Mummy's Naughty Corner wrote: "29%

[spoilers removed]"

"

(view spoiler)[ I guess the drug use could be unnerving, but its really what's making the book stand out to me. I'm liking watching our main character fall into the trap of opium, and the stuff about absinthe was super interesting, as it wasn't anything I had any knowledge on. I just think it adds another interesting conflict that's not seen in many ya books (hide spoiler)]

Brinley wrote: "Up to chapter 3
[spoilers removed]

You guys really made life difficult! I’m gonna assume you both read ebooks, hence the percentage done. Of course, I’m reading this as a physical copy, so no per..."

Yeah, ebooks.....so the page is really different....hence the percentages... Sorry
(view spoiler)[She is written a bit like that isn't she? I've found that in most historical fiction books where the message is also women empowerment or something to that effect, this is a common trend; characters that seem like they really wouldn't fit in that century because of their ideas. Not to say that there might not have actually been people like that in those times, but comparingf her to literally all the other female and male charcaters, her ideas seem really.....out of place somehow? (hide spoiler)]

Brinley wrote: "Mummy's Naughty Corner wrote: "29%

[spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[The addiction part of this book was......let's say insightful....I've read a lot of books (or actually just fiction) that deal with addiction, but nothing that shows you how .....dreadful? it creeps up on you without warning? there's no actual way to know it while it happens?

On the Dracula part, I felt the exact same thing.....though I was having feelings that maybe there actually was a vampire..... (hide spoiler)]

Brinley wrote: "Trisha wrote: "23%


[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Since there's no way to answer you without spoilers, I'm going to be vague.
I've actually not read any books that were primarily vampire stories, and this book is different. (hide spoiler)]

Brinley wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Mummy's Naughty Corner wrote: "29%

[spoilers removed]"

"[spoilers removed]"
(view spoiler)[It did!! And you see even more as it progresses! Half of the time I was like *PANICKING* ABORT ABORT THIS IS A DISASTER (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "Brinley wrote: "Up to chapter 3
[spoilers removed]

You guys really made life difficult! I’m gonna assume you both read ebooks, hence the percentage done. Of course, I’m reading this as a physical..."

(view spoiler)[ Ehh, don't worry about it, I'm just having to do some math to make sure I don't spoil anything for myself. Worth it to have the buddies!

I'm all for having empowered characters, I love that. It's just that all the other women are said to think like "marry a rich man, don't go to college, have kids." And Tillie is the special one who sees past it. She goes slumming with the newspaper guy, because she sees past class. Its not bothering me as much now, but I wish she had a few more female friends who were just as different as her (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "Brinley wrote: "Mummy's Naughty Corner wrote: "29%

[spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

The addiction part of this book was......let's say insightful....I've read a lot of books (or actually ..."
(view spoiler)[ I think this is actually my first book dealing with addiction, I normally stick to fluff or fantasy. That may be why I'm enjoying it so much, because its so different than what I normally read. It is kinda scary how Tillie is developing this dependence on it, and how nobody is realizing, or caring (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "Brinley wrote: "Trisha wrote: "23%


[spoilers removed]"

Since there's no way to answer you without spoilers, I'm going to be vague.
I've actually not read any books that were primarily vampire st..."
Oh, yikes. Thats worrying, I better get to reading then!

Page 154
(view spoiler)[ Don't trust him!!!! He's a newbie, if he finds info in that journal, I guarantee you he's giving it to the newspaper in exchange for money. Not that I can blame him, he's struggling to find a place to sleep, but there's no reason for him to be so overly helpful and give the police the diary. Of course he's gonna snoop through first (hide spoiler)]

Brinley wrote: "Page 154
[spoilers removed]"

I'm not saying anything ;)

Brinley wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Brinley wrote: "Up to chapter 3
[spoilers removed]

You guys really made life difficult! I’m gonna assume you both read ebooks, hence the percentage done. Of course, I’m reading thi..."

(view spoiler)[I was wishing for that too.....she didn't have any friends that were like her (hide spoiler)]

Brinley wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Brinley wrote: "Mummy's Naughty Corner wrote: "29%

[spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

The addiction part of this book was......let's say insightful....I've read a lot of book..."

(view spoiler)[Scary is the right word.....and only some characters are telling her to lose the opium...;like her mother or grandmother.....others are supplying her with it (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "33%
[spoilers removed]"
(view spoiler)[ I get where you're coming from, but why would James kill her before they were married? Wouldn't it be more beneficial for him to marry her, and then arrange an accident? I definitely don't trust Dorothy and James though, James switched sisters way too fast, and Dorothy is way too willing to let Tillie drug herself to the moon.

I also feel like Tom's family is somehow involved, but I feel like that may just be false foreshadowing to allow a big twist. It just feels a bit too obvious for me (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "45%
/i>

(view spoiler)[ It's making me a bit sick too. Because he told her she needed to start weaning off the opium, only to give her another highly addictive drug. Errikson is pretty suspicious (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "62%
.."

(view spoiler)[ No, I don't think you're theorys outlandish at all. Especially because they were all sick, and Tom is constantly taking injections. All of them were recovering, right? Like she had had typhus, and then she improved. And as for the syringe, the markings are always the exact distance apart, so it's probably a tool used to extract blood. I've read a book similar to where I expect this to go, but I'm not sure if I'm right (hide spoiler)]

Page 298
(view spoiler)[ I honestly have no idea who to trust. Because while James seems harmless, we know he and a dark side, and he was trying to get her hooked on heroin. But then there’s Dorothy, who was doing everything she could to keep her addicted. And Tom, who just tried to rape her. He’s probably the most suspicious, but I still have no guesses. (hide spoiler)]

Finished
(view spoiler)[ I liked it, but I'm not completely sure about all of it. The ending wrapped up a bit too nicely for me, I really enjoyed the grittiness of the first half. Really, I think my main problem was who the killer ended up being. It really drove home how special Tillie was. Instead of having the killer be cold and calculating, we just got another crazy woman. And Dorothy, she just went right with James, even though she was told what he'd done. I don't know, Tillie just ended up being our only enlightened character, and so many of the other women are just glossed over or showed as pushovers. (hide spoiler)]

Brinley wrote: "Page 298
[spoilers removed]"

Exactly what I was feeling!(view spoiler)[I even started to distrust Ada.....and Ian (hide spoiler)]

Brinley wrote: "Trisha wrote: "33%
[spoilers removed]"
I get where you're coming from, but why would James kill her before they were married? Wouldn't it be more beneficial for him to marry her, and then arrange ..."

That's a really good point. No comment on anything else ;)

Brinley wrote: "Trisha wrote: "45%
/i>

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Same! Erikkson was definitely not to be trusted (hide spoiler)]

Brinley wrote: "Trisha wrote: "62%
.."

[spoilers removed]"

Thanks! :)(view spoiler)[ And I was the tiniest bit right (hide spoiler)]

Brinley wrote: "Finished
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I didn't like that too. I really wanted it to be Erikkson, and maybe with a bit more of a scientific motive than a crazy mother?
Yeah, no one except Tillie had, like, a good ending. Dorothy is with a chronic cheater, Hazel is gone too, Ada had a better ending, but I didn't like that their relationship only happened because Tillie wanted to sneak out. (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "Brinley wrote: "Page 298
[spoilers removed]"

Exactly what I was feeling![spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Yah, I also started to distrust Ian, everyone became a suspect in my mind! (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "Brinley wrote: "Finished
[spoilers removed]"



(view spoiler)[ I felt like Errickson might've been a bit too obvious, and I get that adding the mother brought a twist, but I just didn't like it. If she were trying to build a new body for her son, or was actually a vampire, I would've loved it. Instead, she was just insane, and literally poisoning Tom.

yah, the side characters in this got cheated pretty badly (hide spoiler)]

Brinley wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Brinley wrote: "Finished
[spoilers removed]"."

That twist would have been much better!

72%

(view spoiler)[ No not Thomas. Damn I didn't see that coming. (hide spoiler)]

Finished

(view spoiler)[ Well that was a good read. I enjoyed it and I didn't see Tom's mum being the killer and why she did it. In the end she was just a nuts lady trying to protect her son. It was a good story and fit well with the times that it was set in. (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "33%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I thought it was a vampire too. (hide spoiler)]