The story is a classic, there is no denying that. The first half is very engaging, with a lot of characters being introduced and a lot of action. The second half, combined with the vocabulary used being very convoluted in parts, dragged quite a bit. I do recommend the book as it is a staple in gothic horror, but it is a bit of a drag to get through, for a somewhat unsatisfying final showdown with Dracula himself.

I first read this book when I was still at school, and I absolutely loved it. It was my favourite book for many years after that. However, when I tried to read it again recently, my opinion of it had completely changed. The book was incredibly exciting and quite scary for the first few chapters. Those first few chapters were very gripping and engaging. However, the book falls off a cliff once it introduces the characters of Lucy, Mina, etc, and at that point it becomes incredibly dull and boring. Suffice to say, this is no longer my favourite book. Quite the opposite. I take no pleasure in the fact that the passage of time and my advancing maturity have meant that I am now much more harder to please, and this includes the books that I read. I would only recommend this book to someone who is used to the "old-fashioned" Victorian writing style and who doesn't get bored easily. Otherwise, this book will bore you to tears. Two stars from me. I think that I'll stick to the Hollywood and Hammer films versions from now on. Sorry, but I no longer love this book.

I bought this book recently, mistakenly thinking that it was the original novel by Bram Stoker. The original Stoker novel was published in 1897. However, this edition was published in 2003, and a note on the back cover of the book clearly states that it is "Edited with an Introduction". So, rather disappointingly, this is NOT the original 1897 text as written by Bram Stoker. Certain parts of the text have been changed or amended, along with some of the punctuation. I would have much preferred the original text, so this has disappointed me immensely. I am not going to bother trying to find an original copy of Stoker's text, though, because I think that would be almost impossible. It annoys me when "experts" in literature muck about with classic novels like this. It is a con and should not be allowed. It deceives people. So, if you are looking for an original copy of Stoker's novel, then I wouldn't advise you to buy this edition. It is a waste of money. Sorry, but I just can't recommend it at all. Two stars.

The first half was so good. Exciting and scary and fast paced and then the second half was just draggy! Why did it go so boring? I got slightly fed up with the characters dripping over each other so much and then the climax was over within a second. I was just disappointed unfortunately, I think I thought it was going to be great.

I recommend you don't buy these books if you intend to read them. I have had my copy for 1 month and have barely touched, but as soon as I did the printing on the cover peeled off as I read it. So if my prediction are right within a year and constant reading it will be faded and fraied. They are beautiful but low quality, and not illustrated in the way they implied, which is not at all.