Today’s review is about THE NIGHTINGALE’S CASTLE by Sonia Velton. It’s a historical fiction reimagining, with some magical realism, of the infamous 16th century Hungarian “Blood Countess.” She allegedly killed hundreds of peasant girls. This is her story, told primarily through the perspective of one such young peasant girl.

Author: Sonia Velton
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Publish Date: July 30, 2024
Print Length: 320

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Official Synopsis

In the vein of riveting historical novels such as Hamnet and Circe–with a touch of Dracula–a propulsive, feminist reimagining of the story of Erzsébet Báthory, the infamous sixteenth-century Hungarian aristocrat known as the “Blood Countess”, who was rumored to have murdered hundreds of peasant girls and bathed in their blood.

In 1573, Countess Erzsébet Báthory gives birth to an illegitimate child. Secretly taken to a peasant family living in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, the infant girl is raised as their own. Years later, a young woman called Boróka–ignorant of her true history–is sent to join the Countess’s household.

Terrified of the Countess’s murderous reputation and the brutally cruel women who run the castle, Boróka struggles to find her place. Then plague breaches the castle’s walls, and a tentative bond unexpectedly forms between the girl and the Countess. But powerful forces are moving against the great lady whose wealth and independence threatens the king. Can the Countess trust the women seemingly so close to her? And when the show trial begins against the infamous “Blood Countess” where will Boróka’s loyalties lie?

My Review

I received a free, digital, advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is my own and reflects my honest opinion about this book.

THE NIGHTINGALE’S CASTLE is a historical fiction retelling of Erzsébet Báthory, a 16th century Hungarian aristocrat. Known as the “Blood Countess,” it was rumored she killed hundreds of peasant girls in her castle. This is a reimagining of her fall from nobility told with a feminist perspective.

There are several points of view in THE NIGHTINGALE’S CASTLE, but the most frequently used is that of Boróka, a 15-year-old peasant girl. She knows nothing of her parents, but the village doctor has kindly brought her up. When one of the Countess’s trusted servants comes calling, Boróka unexpectedly ends up in Erzsébet Báthory’s household. Many find the Countess intimidating, but even so Boróka quickly finds herself in the Countess’s inner circle of sorts. In this role she sees that, while resolute and stubborn, the rumors against the Countess are unfounded. But when a plague breaks out, killing more girls, all hell breaks loose.

THE NIGHTINGALE’S CASTLE bills itself as a feminist reimagining. It is to some extent, particularly in the last quarter of the book when a greedy patriarchal society uses rumors to quell the Countess. It highlights how a damning word or an unfortunate event can scapegoat a seemingly strange woman. This was a time when men and villages put women to death under suspicion of witchcraft, after all. However, I didn’t really feel like the feminist theme was an incredibly strong thread throughout the story. Rather, I thought the strength of this book was in the historical fiction retelling. The author pieced together historical documents and real figures to tell a more plausible series of events about the Countess.

There is also some magical realism present, which I found a little odd. It serves primarily as a mechanism for Boróka to learn about her family. Personally, I think it would have been more compelling had she learned about this through the individuals involved. Moreover, in general there is not a lot of direct connection between characters. The reader is almost more of a detached observer in a dream-like state. While the historical fiction aspect about a “Blood Countess” certainly piques one’s interest, I would have liked to see just a little more emotional connection or dissonance between the characters.

Overall, though, I enjoyed THE NIGHTINGALE’S CASTLE, despite some of my quibbles. I found it interesting to read about a Hungarian historical figure of which I knew absolutely nothing. The story is easy to dive into and provides yet another window into women’s lives in a male-dominated world.

Rating: 3.5
Content warnings: physical abuse, torture, death
Reading format: Kindle e-book