Heart of the Impaler by Alexander Delacroix

I finished this book a few days ago. I enjoyed it so much that I thought you might like it too. The story follows young Vlad Dracula and his cousin as they fall in love with Ilona Csaki. She must decide which man she loves, but struggles to choose who to be with long-term.

This book beautifully illustrates young people's struggles to find their place in the world, characterized by Vlad Dracula's desperate attempts to impress his demanding father. For example, he tries to find the person who duplicated the key to his father’s room, and he also tries to follow his father's path. Several examples show his darker side. One example is that he threatened people for information. Another example of his darker tendencies is the fact that he murdered his older brother. Another example of his darker tendencies is that he falsely accused the guards who were put in place to keep him out of trouble of killing him and had them executed. Another example of his darker tendencies is the fact that he killed his older brother so that he could marry llona, as well as many other twists and turns in their stories.