Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

The story of “the perfect woman of her time” continues! Stubborn Lucy Westenra—the heroine of Bram Stoker’s celebrated novel—meets the mysterious Count Vlad. His charm is impossible to resist, and Lucy agrees to be transformed into a vampire. There’s no turning back now: ahead lies eternity, which means it’s worth living it not in vain.

Lucy sets out on her journey, meets new people, and does everything in her power to master her thirst for blood. But her former friends and the fiancé she left behind are not ready to accept the loss and dream of correcting the fateful choice. There are also those who are convinced: the newly turned vampire is too dangerous. They believe she has no place among the living and hunt Lucy across Europe.

And Vlad—the eternal jealous lover and a master puppeteer—begins a new game of cat and mouse. Now his attention is fixed on Mina, Lucy’s best friend, and she will have to bring together all her wits and all her courage to stand firm—both against enemies and against the insatiable Count.

In 2025, Julie C. Dao’s novel “And the Mist Gathered” was awarded by the Romance Writers Association as the best book in the “romantic fantasy” category. “And the Dawn Breaks” is an impressive finale to the duology, reimagining the Dracula myth in a fresh way.