A crossroads event happens when Cammy, a college student working part time as a barista, has a run in with a horde of hungry vampires and is rescued by the most (in)famous vampire of all, Vlad Dracula. Having ascertained that she was not herself turned into a vampire, he abruptly departs, but not before Cammy figures out a way to track him. After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: if she doesn’t follow him she’ll never find out what is going on.

Dracula is less than pleased when she show up on his doorstep, at first assuming she is a hireling of one of his enemies. Once that misunderstanding is cleared up, his old world manners reassert themselves. He invites her to stay as his guest.

Unless you are 600 years old, or grew up reading Greek and Norse mythology, you may not understand what the guest-host relationship used to mean. It is no exaggeration to say it was a sacred thing. In Norse mythology, Odin himself set the guidelines for proper host and guest behaviors. Odysseus would never have made it home to Ithaka if it weren’t for the Greek custom of making the traveler welcome. So when Vlad Dracula invites Cammy to be his guest, his is in effect pledging to extend to her a degree of protection as well as hospitality.

If finding out that Dracula actually exists was a shock to Cammy, she is in for more, and worse, surprises. The extensive grounds around his home serve as sanctuary to creatures out of myth and legend, and most of them are neither safe nor friendly, but her curiosity is stronger than fear. Besides, most monsters pale in comparison to her mother.

 If Cammy is appalled by her host’s actions, Dracula is no less appalled by her ignorance and annoying ways. This odd-couple pairing of Vlad Tepes with a well-meaning but naive hipster is as refreshing as it is unlikely. Dracula’s interactions with all the other characters in the book, from Cammy’s parents to her friends to the werewolf Malcolm to his unpleasant supervisor, are sometimes shocking but never incoherent. And here’s the thing about odd couples: together they can accomplish what would be utterly beyond the abilities of either one acting alone, even when one of them is supernatural.

While Dracula and his associate Malcolm try to solve the mystery of where all the newly spawned vampires are coming from, Cammy tries to find out why her best friend has disappeared. She also has to square her new situation with her friends, at least one of whom is deeply suspicious of her mysterious rescuer with the weird name who drives a Duesenberg and demonstrates inordinate strength. Complicating everyone’s efforts is the government agent tasked with keeping the existence of monsters a well-concealed secret. He will stop at nothing to preserve the status quo, even though he despises humanity almost as much as he hates all supernatural creatures—yes, even the cute, cuddly ones.

What makes this novel unique is the historical basis for this version of Dracula. He is not the stylized, lust-driven monster of countless depictions, craving blood and sex in equal measure. Nor is he the savage, tormented prince hellbent on avenging the murder of a beloved wife by torturing victims to death in gruesome ways. There is just enough in the way of flashback, reflection and conversational explanation to convey his historical context, and to imply motivations.  As a character, this Dracula is complex, formidable, balancing ferocity with courtesy, not without a sense of humor, albeit an edged one. It is important to bear in mind that what strikes Cammy as horrific or inconceivable is his normal. Tenshi does an admirable turn conveying this dichotomy, while exploding all the stereotypical portrayals of vampires in general and Dracula in particular in a well-told, fast-paced, and layered adventure.  So… Strongly recommended. — Chris Wozney

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