There’s death and torture and frankly far too many and varied ways to use blood, but what I found really stuck out was the way the book handled toxic relationships. This book is pretty dark and gory, and that’s no surprise given that it covers the history of Elizabeth Báthory. As we see Elizabeth turn from a charming sweetheart into manipulative monster, it made me wonder whether she really was getting worse, or if she’d always been that way and if me as the reader was as blind as Anna in the face of her charms. Watching her get suckered into Elizabeth’s aura, seeing her get drawn into her web and begin to justify and reason away her actions, made for a horridly dark and intoxicating read. Anna was a great main character and so easy to empathise with because she really, truly wanted to do good. It made for a fun and unnerving read, where I wanted to shout through the page at Anna to make her put together the same clues that I was piecing together. We were following Anna and seeing Elizabeth through her eyes, yet I still had a strong sense of ‘something isn’t right’ the entire time. I really liked the way the narration worked in this book. Anna is not in for a fun time during this book. This was the kind of book that the entire time you’re reading it, you’re waiting for things to keep getting worse. Then come the murders, and Anna knows it’s only a matter of time before the Blood Countess turns on her, too. Isolated from her former friends, family, and fiancé, Anna realizes she’s not a friend but a prisoner of the increasingly cruel Elizabeth. It’s not long before Anna falls completely under the Countess’s spell-and the Countess takes full advantage. She receives wages generous enough to provide for her family, and the Countess begins to groom Anna as her friend and confidante. When Elizabeth takes a liking to Anna, she’s vaulted to the dream role of chambermaid, a far cry from the filthy servants’ quarters below.

In 16th century Hungary, Anna Darvulia has just begun working as a scullery maid for the young and glamorous Countess Elizabeth Báthory.

Elizabeth Báthory, the Countess of Blood.

It was everything I needed in a book, and it didn’t disappoint me when I finally got hold of a copy.

Blood, a mysterious monstrous woman and her companion, sapphic yearning and a touch of magic and murder. This had been on my radar for a while, of course. And now that I’ve steeped in the fragrant darkness of Elizabeth’s chambers, I’ll never let myself sink back to these rancid depths.

Blood Countess by Lana Popović