Heart of the Impaler
Steeped in 15th-century blood, Delacroix has brought Transylvanian and Wallachian history vividly to life. The fact that one central character is a young Vlad Dracul III (aka Dracula) makes the novel even more enticing. Vlad Dracul II was a ruthless and unpopular voivode (although, as “Impaler,” his son eventually upstaged his father’s many efforts at brutality!) and the boyars (warlords) frequently staged uprisings against him. A dangerous time to be anywhere near court.
Based around historical figures of the time, the nub of the story is the friendly threesome between Vlad, his fictional cousin Andrei Musat, and Ilona Csáki, forcibly betrothed by Vlad II to Mircea, young Vlad’s loathsome older brother, as part of a bargain to elevate and subjugate her boyar father. Ilona’s affections waver between Vlad’s boorish and possessive advances as he romanticises the idea of her becoming his queen (after he has murdered Mircea), and Andrei’s gentle, compassionate nature. When circumstances force Andrei and Ilona together, sheltering at the home of a boyar ally, they find much in common through her love of artistry and science.
The novel is equal part mystery and adventure, and the denouement leaves the door ajar for a sequel in which Andrei and Ilona may be sorely tested. Filled with murder, mayhem and treachery, the narrative moves at the speed of the galloping horses the boys ride to vie for Ilona’s affections. Vlad is rather wooden and a stereotypical bully, unsurprisingly, and his sense of entitlement furthers more dislike. There’s plenty of action and derring-do which will appeal to young adult readers, but for readers seeking romance this might not do the trick. The appendix of Hungarian and Romanian words is informative, and the history is positively moreish, even though Delacroix admits to certain poetic license.
