Emma And The Vampires by Jane Austen and Wayne Josephson

Emma And The Vampires
What better place than pale England to hide a secret society of gentlemen vampires?

In this hilarious retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, screenwriter Wayne Josephson casts Mr. Knightley as one of the most handsome and noble of the gentlemen village vampires. Blithely unaware of their presence, Emma, who imagines she has a special gift for matchmaking, attempts to arrange the affairs of her social circle with delightfully disastrous results. But when her dear friend Harriet Smith declares her love for Mr. Knightley, Emma realizes she's the one who wants to stay up all night with him. Fortunately, Mr. Knightley has been hiding a secret deep within his unbeating heart-his (literal) undying love for her... A brilliant mash-up of Jane Austen and the undead.

I was sent this ARC by the publicist.

This novel is witty and entertaining. It's funny and has such a great story. And the vampires are a great twist! The story begins a bit slowly but once it catches on, it's on a roll. This is a really addictive read with a classic twist. I am now almost wondering what the original book is like.

I loved Emma because I saw a lot of myself in her. She was real, independent, and assertive. She was able to think of others and not settle for something less than she deserves. She's a believable character and an entertaining narrator.

Mr. Knightley is so cool, too. He's down to earth but not perfect. He  is probably the only male character I ever truly liked and trusted. He seemed like the classic, timless man every women yearns for.

I particularly disliked Mr. and Mrs. Elton. They annoyed me quite a lot. Their attitudes were just puke-worthy but so amusing! Definitely not a flaw in the characterization. They are genious characters.

The characters are so well rounded and three dimensional. It's amazingly written and there's little to NOT like about this book. I'm big on character and often talk a lot about them and this book is filled with wonderful, memorable characters.

The prose is fantastic and really very true to the time period's language and dialogue. The plot catches up and the story becomes almost addicting and unputdownable. It's a MUST READ for everyone, classical nerdies or not.

In one sentence:
"The vampire classic that sinks in, literally!"

Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Writing: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 5
Average: 5