A Charming and Comical Monster Mash-Up of Northanger Abbey

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy form Author

Dear readers, leaving the comfortable realm of amiable and serene Austenesque novels, I have decided to take a brief sojourn into the terrifying, and sometimes violent, world of Jane Austen monster mash-ups. Having read and exceedingly enjoyed other Jane Austen paranormal creations (Jane Bites Back, Bespelling Jane Austen, and Jane and the Damned), I felt ready to jump into a true monster mash-up (I did read Emma and the Vampires, but didn’t really find it to be much of a mash-up). And after reading a three chapter excerpt of Northanger Abbey Angels and Dragons on Vera Nazarian’s website, I became enchanted with her tale of angels, dragons, and temperature-changing nephilim.

Through the pages of Vera Nazarian’s Northanger Abbey Angels and Dragons

, we learn that our heroine, Catherine Morland, possesses great metaphysical powers that enable her to see, hear, and talk to angels. In addition, we discover that John and Isabella Thorpe are strange nephilim creatures that inspire the whole town of Bath to search for secret hidden treasure. The clues of which they claim could be found encrypted in Mrs. Radcliffe’s novels. Add to that mysterious dragons flying in the sky and ghosts dwelling in furniture and you have a supernaturally twisted version of Northanger Abbey that’s quite diverting.

What an amusing and charming monster mash-up! I found Northanger Abbey Angels and Dragons to be a reverent and well-crafted homage to Jane Austen’s original. I loved Catherine’s little hosts of angels; the poor dears had the difficult task of trying to keep Catherine out of danger. In addition, I found it hilarious that the odious John Thorpe was akin to a repulsive ogre that rattles about hidden treasures and encrypted clues all the time. Moreover, I thought it quite apropos that his sister, Isabella Thorpe, is a nephilim with a truly cold heart, that chills everyone that comes within her vicinity. And what about Henry Tileny, you say? What type of supernatural creature is he? What metaphysical powers does he have??? I’m afraid I can’t disclose that here, if you really want to know, you must read Northanger Abbey Angels and Dragons to find out!