I've had this book for years. It goes on my reading pile every year but somehow gets pushed to the bottom of the pile every time. I think the reason I never reached for it sooner was I had a feeling I'd really like it. If I already know I'm going to like a book I'm almost not so likely to get to it so quickly.

Finally this ritual of putting it off has ended and I've read Anno Dracula, and guess what.
I loved it.

Characters
This colourful cast of characters was an absolute delight. I don't think I'm over reacting when I say this book spoke to soul. Not only were there engaging and developed original characters, but this was a thrilling 'who's who' of classic literature.

We see characters from classic books like Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oliver Twist, as well as real life figures from the era such as Queen Victoria, Fredrick Abberline, Oscar Wilde, the Stoker family, Jack the Ripper. This collection of fictional and non-fictional characters was truly wonderful to read and the blend between the two was flawless and believable.

As far as the characters are concerned, I loved everything about them all. My only wish is that we got to see Sherlock and Dorian, but I guess too many classic characters shoved in for the sake of it would no doubt feel a bit gimmicky and might have taken away for this brilliantly crafted alternative history.

Plot
In this version of Victorian London, Queen Victoria remarried after Albert's death, but she didn't just marry anyone, she married Vlad Tepes, Prince Dracula himself. Being a vampire is commonplace, a matter of societal position. Being Warm is so unfashionable, everyone's turning nowadays.

This is the world on the brink of a transition from human to vampire and it's clear to see in those few reluctant to turn, the humans that want to remain so. Vampirism is such a normal thing that humans are almost looked down upon.

Despite this major historical change, some things remain the same as our own history. Jack the Ripped is stalking the streets of Whitechapel. His quarry? Vampire prostitutes. Jack's motives, and his identity for that matter, are made apparent to the reader early on in the book, which only adds tension when our main characters ever interact with him, unknowing of his true identity.

I've always had a keen interest in anything Jack the Ripper so as soon as the victims' names were mentioned by the killer, I knew immediately that he was the Ripper. This also made it painfully clear to me which characters wouldn't survive the book, putting me on edge, expecting an attack at any point.

I've noticed a lot of people pegging this book as a Steampunk novel. In my eyes, there is nothing Steampunk about it, merely a supernatural, Penny Dreadful style alternative history. And it's fucking great.

Setting
I love all things Victorian. I'm a sucker for it. Make it an alternate Victorian setting with all my favourite classic characters AND Jack the Ripper and you have a winning formula right there.

The world is so well described, painted in vivid but harsh colours. From high society to the slums of Whitechapel, everything was crafted with excellence and insight. Terminology and dialogue felt authentic, as well as the people populating this world. All of it builds, develops and breathes life into this gritty, scary little London.

Sinister and deliciously dark. Everything I want a Victorian setting to be.

Writing Style
It flows just as eloquently as any book from the time and I think Newman did a fantastic job of capturing the classic characters' personalities. It feels like they've stepped out of their own respective books and into this one, like the story didn't end on their final page but continues on the first of this one.

In a word, authentic. In another word genuine.

The pace of the book was pretty well set and I got through it in a relatively short time (for me). I enjoyed it from the very start. The final chapter is one of the most compelling I've read in a long time. It was tense and exciting and I had no idea how it was going to end. Even though I had come to love and care for the characters, I never once had the feeling that anyone was safe. This was a dangerous, brutal world and it translated itself so well. I found myself worrying for the characters every time they went into a precarious situation.

I thought the story would end with Jack the Ripper, but it turned out he wasn't even the main focus of Charles' mission, and the story continued after the Ripper's demise. These last few chapters, where one would believe the characters are finally safe, were actually the most intense and dangerous of the whole books, and I was simply enthralled.

Very, very strong end that's not only satisfying, but leaves the reader thirsty for more. (See what I did there?)

Final Impression
This is an absolute must for lovers of classic horror and Victorian literature. It's like a love letter to the era and it speaks from the heart.

I'd definitely recommend this to fans of the TV show Penny Dreadful. This has such vibes and it made me nostalgic for the show.

On that note, Anno Dracula would make a fantastic TV series. But until that day (hopefully) I'm excited to continue the book series and see where the story next leads.