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The Van Helsing Legacy #1
We Shall Not Sleep
The Great War is over, its fires quenched.
The guns are silent.
The Dead are waking.
Meg van Helsing grew up with a book in one hand and a wooden stake in the other, a crucifix always around her neck. But the world has changed, and the monsters she hunts with her friends are less frightening than gas burns and shell shock. The ghost of the War looms darker than Dracula’s shadow.
Until the night one of her friends disappears.
Now, they are under constant attack, beset by the blood-hungry corpses of un-dead soldiers at exactly the moment another monster appears: an incubus, lethally attractive. The young man offers help, and Meg wants to believe him. If only she could convince her friends she is immune to his spell.
Someone wants them dead at any cost. The answer lies in old books, dark sorcery, and a secret kept for twenty-five years, written in blood. If Meg wants her friends to live, she’ll have to open her eyes.
The guns are silent.
The Dead are waking.
Meg van Helsing grew up with a book in one hand and a wooden stake in the other, a crucifix always around her neck. But the world has changed, and the monsters she hunts with her friends are less frightening than gas burns and shell shock. The ghost of the War looms darker than Dracula’s shadow.
Until the night one of her friends disappears.
Now, they are under constant attack, beset by the blood-hungry corpses of un-dead soldiers at exactly the moment another monster appears: an incubus, lethally attractive. The young man offers help, and Meg wants to believe him. If only she could convince her friends she is immune to his spell.
Someone wants them dead at any cost. The answer lies in old books, dark sorcery, and a secret kept for twenty-five years, written in blood. If Meg wants her friends to live, she’ll have to open her eyes.
430 pages, Paperback
Published December 15, 2018
3 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
M.R. Graham
35 books348 followersUSA Today bestselling author M.R. Graham is a native Texan who traces strong cultural roots back to Scotland, Poland, and England. A mild-mannered PhD student during the day, Graham transforms at night into a raging Holmesian loremaster and rabid novelist.
Though passionate about all scholarship and academia, Graham's training and true love lies with anthropology, particularly the archaeological branch.
Also, steampunk and vampires.
Though passionate about all scholarship and academia, Graham's training and true love lies with anthropology, particularly the archaeological branch.
Also, steampunk and vampires.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 30, 2018
Having an uncle who destroyed the world’s most famous monster means Meg van Helsing is not one to fret at the odd creepy crawly. Rather, she seeks the monsters out. And deals with them. But when one of her close band of monster-hunters goes missing, things escalate and Meg and her friends must discover why.
This book, reminiscent of a Sherlock Holmes-style of mystery, is wonderfully compelling and a fantastic escape for those of us who like a little historical fiction mixed with our vampire hunting. Graham has such a skill with prose and setting that you will feel fully immersed in another era (it’s set in the early 20th century). The reveals of dark clues makes putting the pieces of the puzzle together so intriguing (and fun). And Graham’s mythology and magic is equally so. If you’re a fan of Dracula, this one’s a must read. You’re going to love it!
This book, reminiscent of a Sherlock Holmes-style of mystery, is wonderfully compelling and a fantastic escape for those of us who like a little historical fiction mixed with our vampire hunting. Graham has such a skill with prose and setting that you will feel fully immersed in another era (it’s set in the early 20th century). The reveals of dark clues makes putting the pieces of the puzzle together so intriguing (and fun). And Graham’s mythology and magic is equally so. If you’re a fan of Dracula, this one’s a must read. You’re going to love it!
January 13, 2019
This was definitely not what I was expecting. It was soooo much more! The detail, constant battles, the race to find information, these characters are fantastic, and I was hooked from the very start! Author M.R. Graham did a great job bringing Dracula, Mina, Van Helsing, their families and creepy crawler hunters to life. It was a pretty long read but so worth the time. I’m very excited to read book two and find out more about the Meg and her Succubus beau.
December 1, 2018
This book. Is. Delicious. Post-WWI second-gen Dracula sequel with a developing *cough* friendship between a descendant of Dracula and a great-niece of Van Helsing? Yes please.
From the first time I read the first chapter (I've already read it twice), I was 1) wwery much impressed and 2) deeply absorbed into the richly realized world of the story. From there, between twists and turns and intense battles with various undead creepers...it's simply a great story.
From the first time I read the first chapter (I've already read it twice), I was 1) wwery much impressed and 2) deeply absorbed into the richly realized world of the story. From there, between twists and turns and intense battles with various undead creepers...it's simply a great story.
August 27, 2019
Wowie wow wow!
This is a story that deals with the descendents of both Dracula and the Harkers, and the Van Helsings. Riveting! This is the second novel I've read by this author, and I can't wait to read more. The first one was "No Cage for a Crow", which was also smashing.
This is a story that deals with the descendents of both Dracula and the Harkers, and the Van Helsings. Riveting! This is the second novel I've read by this author, and I can't wait to read more. The first one was "No Cage for a Crow", which was also smashing.
January 27, 2019
The Van Helsing Legacy:
We Shall Not Sleep - Wow, over 400 pages and not one of them boring. Don't think you're going to breeze through this well thought out novel; it is a substantial read. I'm bored with the Van Helsing verses vampires plot, but I had read the Liminality Series and had to see what she did with this worn out topic. I was happy to discover Ms. Graham made it her own.
The well thought out storylines keep the reader immersed in the pages and the sticks thrown into the spokes add to the intrigue and suspense. The characters range the gamut and all do well in their roles. Plenty of emotions and the action packed pace flowed smoothly to the end. The author's vivid descriptions weave the storylines and characters into a story hard to put down. I contacted the author to review her books and received this through Booksprout. 4*
The Van Helsing Legacy end.
The Liminality Series:
The Medium #1 - My first read by Ms. Graham, and I liked and hated it. I'm bored by most vampire stories but this finely crafted story kept my interest, although I had to take two weeks to read it. It's wordy with repetition and I needed breathers from the intensity and darkness. Ms. Graham took several themes and combined them into a substantial read using vampires, ghosts, mediums and a few other paranormals. Add heavy doses of insanity, cruelty (nothing graphic), loyalty and other thought/behavior patterns, coupled with a large range of emotions. The characters develop throughout the story adding to the tapestry of the storylines. Ms. Graham took several common, overused themes and made them fresh and original. Imagine a vampire/medium as a kidnap victim. The reader actually feels sorry for him as well as frustrated by his thoughts and actions. The vivid descriptions place the reader in the story without any graphic, gory details. There's room for how gory the reader wants the violence. The dialog is well written and it's wonderful to find a book that's properly edited. Clean with no vulgar language. 4*
The Mora #2 - This book starts six years after The Medium ends and was much easier to read. This book, like the first, has great storylines and characters that make reading the series interesting and substantial. Some of the characters that were dropped along the lines in Medium are back continuing beside new characters. More of the paranormals are added to the mix and there's travel outside of TX and MA. This book does better with the wordiness that I found with Medium. There's still the psychology and originality with the storylines and characters. Clear, vivid descriptions, good dialog and clean with no vulgar language. I contacted the author to review her books after reading The Medium. 4*
The Mage #3 - This book starts with Kim's past in 1985. Without giving away spoilers since this is a review and not a book report, The Mage continues with the interesting storylines, the strongly defined characters and the intrigue and psychology. Well written and well edited; clean with no vulgar language; vivid descriptions kept the reader immersed in the pages. While The Medium took me a long time to read, The Mage flowed quickly but I'm also heavily invested in the series by now. I contacted the author to review her books and received this book through Booksprout. 4*
The Liminality Series end.
We Shall Not Sleep - Wow, over 400 pages and not one of them boring. Don't think you're going to breeze through this well thought out novel; it is a substantial read. I'm bored with the Van Helsing verses vampires plot, but I had read the Liminality Series and had to see what she did with this worn out topic. I was happy to discover Ms. Graham made it her own.
The well thought out storylines keep the reader immersed in the pages and the sticks thrown into the spokes add to the intrigue and suspense. The characters range the gamut and all do well in their roles. Plenty of emotions and the action packed pace flowed smoothly to the end. The author's vivid descriptions weave the storylines and characters into a story hard to put down. I contacted the author to review her books and received this through Booksprout. 4*
The Van Helsing Legacy end.
The Liminality Series:
The Medium #1 - My first read by Ms. Graham, and I liked and hated it. I'm bored by most vampire stories but this finely crafted story kept my interest, although I had to take two weeks to read it. It's wordy with repetition and I needed breathers from the intensity and darkness. Ms. Graham took several themes and combined them into a substantial read using vampires, ghosts, mediums and a few other paranormals. Add heavy doses of insanity, cruelty (nothing graphic), loyalty and other thought/behavior patterns, coupled with a large range of emotions. The characters develop throughout the story adding to the tapestry of the storylines. Ms. Graham took several common, overused themes and made them fresh and original. Imagine a vampire/medium as a kidnap victim. The reader actually feels sorry for him as well as frustrated by his thoughts and actions. The vivid descriptions place the reader in the story without any graphic, gory details. There's room for how gory the reader wants the violence. The dialog is well written and it's wonderful to find a book that's properly edited. Clean with no vulgar language. 4*
The Mora #2 - This book starts six years after The Medium ends and was much easier to read. This book, like the first, has great storylines and characters that make reading the series interesting and substantial. Some of the characters that were dropped along the lines in Medium are back continuing beside new characters. More of the paranormals are added to the mix and there's travel outside of TX and MA. This book does better with the wordiness that I found with Medium. There's still the psychology and originality with the storylines and characters. Clear, vivid descriptions, good dialog and clean with no vulgar language. I contacted the author to review her books after reading The Medium. 4*
The Mage #3 - This book starts with Kim's past in 1985. Without giving away spoilers since this is a review and not a book report, The Mage continues with the interesting storylines, the strongly defined characters and the intrigue and psychology. Well written and well edited; clean with no vulgar language; vivid descriptions kept the reader immersed in the pages. While The Medium took me a long time to read, The Mage flowed quickly but I'm also heavily invested in the series by now. I contacted the author to review her books and received this book through Booksprout. 4*
The Liminality Series end.
November 7, 2019
I read this as part of a box set and I would have recommended the whole set just for people to get at this book. It's an exciting story with engaging characters, a really believable sequel to "That Book", and the author seems to really know about the time period she's writing about, which helps a lot. Very well-written.
September 21, 2019
Loved this one. Stylistically it felt like the next chapter following Stoker's Dracula.
January 31, 2019
The Van Helsing Legacy: We Shall Not Sleep by M.R. Graham is an awesome story to read. This story is one I fell in love with it has vampires and an incubus in it. It has a awesome story line with awesome characters and I highly recommedn it to everyone who loves reading about vampires and an incubus then this awesome story is for you.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 3, 2019
This is an interesting retelling of an old story, with a fresh look. In spite of its great length, the book grabbed me from the start and kept me engaged to the end. Intriguing and compelling story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 4, 2021
CN for Character Death, Trauma caused by war, Some consent issues around sexual stuff
The story follows Margareta "Meg" Van Helsing, the niece of the Abraham Van Helsing from the world-famous Dracula novel, which also exists in-universe. After having vanquished Dracula, the main characters returned home and specialized in battling undead monsters, a mission they passed on to their children. Mostly, it is just low level zombies, and Meg and the others are very practiced in dealing with them by now, but quite close to the beginning of the story, it becomes clear that something bigger is coming. They take most of the book to figure out, what exactly that something is, so I won't say it here, but it clearly involves magic, a mysterious man who has a strange effect on everyone around him, and it is targeting the group that killed Dracula and their families.
As far as originality goes, this book isn't the strongest. It has got pretty much all the elements one would spontaneously expect from a book about the descendants of the characters in Dracula. Then again, originality is overrated, and tropey stories can be really valuable. It probably does help to know in advance what to expect.
This book is very well executed, and a really good read. It was an engaging story, Meg is an interesting character, and there were some interesting twists. Personally, I really appreciated every time that the story commented on Meg's or Geordie's accents, or the way that they both anglicized their names for the convenience of those around them. I do wish they hadn't done that, because I would have loved to see some unapologetically foreign characters. In any case, the foreign name problem is something I know from Real Life, but almost never see in fiction. So that was nice. Things I wish that had gone differently are mostly that at the beginning, I expected the story to be more about the aftermaths of World War I, and the idea of war-traumatized zombies is too good to have been wasted. I also would change the cover, because this one is, let's be honest, pretty boring, and they could have easily had one where both characters were wearing period clothing. It would have looked ten times this badass, and would also have gone a long way to get me interested. The way it is, I wouldn't have read it without a recommendation, and that's a shame. This book deserves a better cover.
So yeah, if my main problem is the cover, then that should tell you something about my opinion of the story. Tropey, yes, but pretty dang good for what it is.
As to asexuality, which is the reason this was recommended to me in the first place: Meg is ace, and it is directly addressed, while they don't use the term. The story is set in late 1919, so that makes sense. But she does talk about not experiencing attraction, and how that makes her dating experience difficult to the point she more or less resigned herself to stay single. She is also the only character who isn't affected by Geordie's supernatural sexual attractiveness, which is a big advantage, and also asexuality as superpower, yay. However, I am not entirely sure that it is just her asexuality, because in that case, she shouldn't be the only one. Geordie's thing also works on people who are normally not attracted to men, and besides, asexuality isn't so terribly rare, he should have met other aces before Meg. This is a mystery that is left for the sequel, and I am fine with that, as the story feels complete as it is.
I said it before, and I'll say it again: Good book, definitely would recommend.
The story follows Margareta "Meg" Van Helsing, the niece of the Abraham Van Helsing from the world-famous Dracula novel, which also exists in-universe. After having vanquished Dracula, the main characters returned home and specialized in battling undead monsters, a mission they passed on to their children. Mostly, it is just low level zombies, and Meg and the others are very practiced in dealing with them by now, but quite close to the beginning of the story, it becomes clear that something bigger is coming. They take most of the book to figure out, what exactly that something is, so I won't say it here, but it clearly involves magic, a mysterious man who has a strange effect on everyone around him, and it is targeting the group that killed Dracula and their families.
As far as originality goes, this book isn't the strongest. It has got pretty much all the elements one would spontaneously expect from a book about the descendants of the characters in Dracula. Then again, originality is overrated, and tropey stories can be really valuable. It probably does help to know in advance what to expect.
This book is very well executed, and a really good read. It was an engaging story, Meg is an interesting character, and there were some interesting twists. Personally, I really appreciated every time that the story commented on Meg's or Geordie's accents, or the way that they both anglicized their names for the convenience of those around them. I do wish they hadn't done that, because I would have loved to see some unapologetically foreign characters. In any case, the foreign name problem is something I know from Real Life, but almost never see in fiction. So that was nice. Things I wish that had gone differently are mostly that at the beginning, I expected the story to be more about the aftermaths of World War I, and the idea of war-traumatized zombies is too good to have been wasted. I also would change the cover, because this one is, let's be honest, pretty boring, and they could have easily had one where both characters were wearing period clothing. It would have looked ten times this badass, and would also have gone a long way to get me interested. The way it is, I wouldn't have read it without a recommendation, and that's a shame. This book deserves a better cover.
So yeah, if my main problem is the cover, then that should tell you something about my opinion of the story. Tropey, yes, but pretty dang good for what it is.
As to asexuality, which is the reason this was recommended to me in the first place: Meg is ace, and it is directly addressed, while they don't use the term. The story is set in late 1919, so that makes sense. But she does talk about not experiencing attraction, and how that makes her dating experience difficult to the point she more or less resigned herself to stay single. She is also the only character who isn't affected by Geordie's supernatural sexual attractiveness, which is a big advantage, and also asexuality as superpower, yay. However, I am not entirely sure that it is just her asexuality, because in that case, she shouldn't be the only one. Geordie's thing also works on people who are normally not attracted to men, and besides, asexuality isn't so terribly rare, he should have met other aces before Meg. This is a mystery that is left for the sequel, and I am fine with that, as the story feels complete as it is.
I said it before, and I'll say it again: Good book, definitely would recommend.
June 6, 2021
This book has everything I could ask for in a book. And I don't know, if this review will do my feelings or this book justice, but I'll try.
One of the few and only things that I would call a critic towards this book, is the beginning. Because I was confused and didn't know what was going on and why it mattered. It does make hella sense looking back and I'm gratefull for the way the book is structured, but the first few chapters, that focus on Sir Hanniball and his patient, left me with questionmarks. Like I said, after some time it becomes clear why it's there and who these people are. It's also really important later on, because the cast is really big and if we hadn't got an introduction to Dr. Green & Sir Hannibal this way, I wouldn't have cared as much about them, as I did.
Everything else this book did, was absolutly great. From the way the mystery was build up, from the plot itself, from the characters, the love story, the bonds, the worldbuilding and the ace representation. Everything.
This book is about 420 pages long, but it feels like it's way shorter, because once you've gotten to know the main players, once you've started to care, stuff goes down. This book handels some heavy stuff, like PTSD, Death, Torture and Suicide and I think it does a fantastic job in tackling all of this with respect. Not many books have so much going on and still find the time to really showcase mental health struggles in a way that isn't sterotyped, wrong or just there for browny points.
We get many different views and opinions, many ways how to see right and wrong, because the main cast itself is devided on these things. And although the MC has a clear opinion on this stuff as well, we are never forced to share her opinion and are never forced to pick a side. Conficts are represented diversly. You can understand why people act the way they act.
A quote I loved
[b] You don't always have to like the people you love [/b]
The story between Meg & Geordie was amazing and I'm so glad, that it way healthy from the start. Communication & Consent are key elements of their bond. Their actions are not forced by blind love or lust. They form a real connection and it's beautiful. And I hope that those too get the happy ending both of them deserve.
The way Incubus were portrayed and explained was unique and fascinating and I loved it. If you love Dracula and Monster and Monster hunting, get this. It's done greatly.
And lastly- the ace rep. It is the main element of the story. Without it, the story wouldn't work. It's done so greatly, I can't even. We don't use the word itself, but it's 1920, so of course we don't. And yet it's clear, that Meg is ace. We establish this pretty early on and later as well, when she and Geordie talk .
There is other rep as well, a lesbian side-character, a fat side-character and someone's black as well.
Like I said, it had everything I wanted, and more. I'm so happy I read this, because it's definitifly become one of my favourit books!
One of the few and only things that I would call a critic towards this book, is the beginning. Because I was confused and didn't know what was going on and why it mattered. It does make hella sense looking back and I'm gratefull for the way the book is structured, but the first few chapters, that focus on Sir Hanniball and his patient, left me with questionmarks. Like I said, after some time it becomes clear why it's there and who these people are. It's also really important later on, because the cast is really big and if we hadn't got an introduction to Dr. Green & Sir Hannibal this way, I wouldn't have cared as much about them, as I did.
Everything else this book did, was absolutly great. From the way the mystery was build up, from the plot itself, from the characters, the love story, the bonds, the worldbuilding and the ace representation. Everything.
This book is about 420 pages long, but it feels like it's way shorter, because once you've gotten to know the main players, once you've started to care, stuff goes down. This book handels some heavy stuff, like PTSD, Death, Torture and Suicide and I think it does a fantastic job in tackling all of this with respect. Not many books have so much going on and still find the time to really showcase mental health struggles in a way that isn't sterotyped, wrong or just there for browny points.
We get many different views and opinions, many ways how to see right and wrong, because the main cast itself is devided on these things. And although the MC has a clear opinion on this stuff as well, we are never forced to share her opinion and are never forced to pick a side. Conficts are represented diversly. You can understand why people act the way they act.
A quote I loved
[b] You don't always have to like the people you love [/b]
The story between Meg & Geordie was amazing and I'm so glad, that it way healthy from the start. Communication & Consent are key elements of their bond. Their actions are not forced by blind love or lust. They form a real connection and it's beautiful. And I hope that those too get the happy ending both of them deserve.
The way Incubus were portrayed and explained was unique and fascinating and I loved it. If you love Dracula and Monster and Monster hunting, get this. It's done greatly.
And lastly- the ace rep. It is the main element of the story. Without it, the story wouldn't work. It's done so greatly, I can't even. We don't use the word itself, but it's 1920, so of course we don't. And yet it's clear, that Meg is ace. We establish this pretty early on and later as well, when she and Geordie talk .
There is other rep as well, a lesbian side-character, a fat side-character and someone's black as well.
Like I said, it had everything I wanted, and more. I'm so happy I read this, because it's definitifly become one of my favourit books!
January 22, 2020
This novel continues 25 years after Dracula is defeated. The Great War has ended; the suffering of soldiers has not.
Meg & her friend, Chessie, find themselves involved with disposing of relevants and other unnamed horrors. The writing is spell binding & details are amazing. I felt like I was shadowing these two.
Meg & her friend, Chessie, find themselves involved with disposing of relevants and other unnamed horrors. The writing is spell binding & details are amazing. I felt like I was shadowing these two.
July 8, 2020
The great war is over and life is much quieter now but none a the dead soldiers are waking up to kill. They are not too worried until one of their friends is killed. A stranger appears and she is not sure whether she can trust him. What is going on? Will she find out? See what is going to happen
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 7, 2019
It was an interesting read but I kept getting confused.
December 30, 2019
When I first came upon We Shall Not Sleep I knew I had to read it as I love watching the TV show Van Helsing and I love vampires too so I was definitely in and I couldn’t wait to begin the adventure. When I read the summary I knew it would be different than the TV show but I didn’t know just how different.
Although I didn’t know what to expect going in I soon learned that whatever I may have been expecting was not what the book was about even though it was different I still loved it and I can’t wait to see what Meg and the others have for us in the next book Dark & Hungry Graves. Oh just the title itself seems mysteriously inviting and a little scary too.
We Shall Not Sleep brings together some very prominent characters in fantasy and historical fiction like descendants of Van Helsing and Dracula. Once I picked up We Shall Not Sleep I was unable to put it down again until I had read the last page. It pulled me in from the beginning with all the action and suspense not to mention the twists and turns that had me glued to my seat as Meg went up against vampires and other undead creatures.
As we were introduced to each character and we got to know them more as the story went on I kept wondering as to how all these characters were going to come together. All during the story I never once guessed as to how all of their stories were going to intertwine and I will have to say that it really surprised me in the end but it was astonishing to say the least.
I highly recommend We Shall Not Sleep to all fans of vampires, Dracula and Van Helsing. One click yourself a copy today!
Although I didn’t know what to expect going in I soon learned that whatever I may have been expecting was not what the book was about even though it was different I still loved it and I can’t wait to see what Meg and the others have for us in the next book Dark & Hungry Graves. Oh just the title itself seems mysteriously inviting and a little scary too.
We Shall Not Sleep brings together some very prominent characters in fantasy and historical fiction like descendants of Van Helsing and Dracula. Once I picked up We Shall Not Sleep I was unable to put it down again until I had read the last page. It pulled me in from the beginning with all the action and suspense not to mention the twists and turns that had me glued to my seat as Meg went up against vampires and other undead creatures.
As we were introduced to each character and we got to know them more as the story went on I kept wondering as to how all these characters were going to come together. All during the story I never once guessed as to how all of their stories were going to intertwine and I will have to say that it really surprised me in the end but it was astonishing to say the least.
I highly recommend We Shall Not Sleep to all fans of vampires, Dracula and Van Helsing. One click yourself a copy today!
November 16, 2019
Great book
This was a great book to read. Loved how the stoty and characters developed throughout the book. Can't wait for the next book in the series.
This was a great book to read. Loved how the stoty and characters developed throughout the book. Can't wait for the next book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews