Lana Popovic's Blood Countess is a YA horror novel based on Countess Elizabeth Báthory, the infamous, real-life inspiration for Countess Dracula. <p/> In 17th-century Hungary, Anna Darvulia has just begun working as a scullery maid for the young and glamorous Countess Elizabeth Bathory. 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. She receives wages generous enough to provide for her family, and the countess begins to groom Anna as her friend and confidante. <p/> It's not long before Anna falls completely under the Countess's spell--and the Countess takes full advantage. Isolated from her former friends, family, and fiancée, Anna realizes she's not a friend but a prisoner of the increasingly cruel Elizabeth. Then come the murders, and Anna knows it's only a matter of time before the Blood Countess turns on her. <p/>"Popovic also touches on how a patriarchal society can drive women to extremes without letting the truly terrifying Bathory, or Anna, off the hook for their own actions . . . A lush and bloody historical thriller." --Kirkus Reviews
