Book Review: It Started in Budapest by Julie Daines

 My Rating: Four Stars

"I don't think we fully comprehend what our purposes are, but we can be sure we all have one. And each is different. Even though we do not know, is it not true that we are stronger together?" 

Europe, 1900. Molly Cooper is on holiday with her family in Europe, but this isn't an ordinary holiday. Her twin brother, sickly from birth, is faltering in health. Molly is accompanying her brother and their parents as they travel to the Black Sea via the Orient Express to seek treatment for her brother's physical condition. Molly has become near-obsessed with the book Dracula and her obsession has given birth to a secret plan that will not only cure her brother of his physical ailments, but will also require her to leave the Orient Express and the companionship of her family in the secret of night, to travel through the mountains of Transylvania--alone.

At a glance: I liked this book! It had something for everyone--adventure, suspense, danger, romance, and devotion to family. I appreciated the depth of the main character, loved the setting, was pleasantly surprised by how nicely Bram Stoker's Dracula integrated into the book, enjoyed the super-appropriate, yet tender romance, and loved the deep themes explored in this book. Read on for a breakdown!

Molly is both very relatable and complex. She has deep devotion to her family, specifically her twin brother, and she has very real personal limitations in the forms of phobia and self-doubt.  Her expectations for herself are high and she seems to act from a place of desperation throughout (arguably) the entire book. Because she has a phobia, people around her often question her sanity and she rebuffs their questioning looks or body language with her own mental reassurances. As a reader, I felt like her rebuffs should reassure me that she is mentally stable, however, I also found myself questioning her sanity at times too. Again, I think those moments where her actions didn't seem to connect to reality were results of her state of desperation.

Historical fiction set in 1900 in the backwoods of southeastern Europe was a refreshing change. The time period and area make for a fascinating setting since this was a time of unprecedented technological and social changes. Characters board Orient Express, attend the 1900 Paris Exhibition, and meet people from all parts of Europe and America. The international nature of the book added to the feeling of adventure.

Julie Daines quotes Bram Stoker's Dracula throughout It Started in Budapest. I thought that the heavy involvement of Dracula in the plot would have brought a macabre or morbid feeling, but it did just the opposite. I have not read Stoker's Dracula myself so I was pleasantly surprised that the quotes throughout It Started in Budapest brought a profound and thoughtful tone to the book, and even helped shed light and comfort during times of turmoil. 

The romance in this book was both sweet and squeaky-clean. The only questionable part was that, by the standards of the time period, it would have been scandalous for her to spend so much alone time with a man she was not related to. However, their personal conduct is entirely clean and honorable, and the book would not be the same without the romance.

Themes explored in this book include the reality of personal limitations, acceptance of personal limitations, questioning the fairness of differing life circumstances, interdependence of human relationships, and making the most of life despite hardship.

Content Guide: 

Sex & Affection--Brief kissing.
Language--None
Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Use--One man keeps a pipe in his mouth but does not have any tobacco in it, yet he somehow mysteriously puffs smoke in a woman's face several times. Coffee is consumed.
Violence & Crime--Arson is committed, a murder is attempted.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.com. All opinions are entirely my own.