The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Book Rating: 5 / 5 (I See Why We Continue To Read This Novel In The Year 2026)

This book has become one of my top 5 favorite books of all time. To my shock and awe, I have fallen in love with this monster of a novel. Spanning 1,243 pages, I still felt as if there was nothing that needed to be removed or shortened for length’s sake. It was worth each and every page that Dumas wrote all those years ago. If you like dark, gothic, Regency-period, vampire-like vibes and period-setting plots, you will adore this novel. Following our main character, and in my opinion a new literary heartthrob, Edmund Dantes’ life is dashed to the rocks when three adversaries frame him for a crime against the royal government. He is then thrown into prison and forgotten about for fourteen years. During his incarceration, he vows to get revenge on the three men who all benefited from his imprisonment. And oh, how revenge is sweet. Every detail, every plot and scheme, is unfolded before your eyes in some of the most engaging writing I’ve had in years. Rivaling that of my favorite novels, Circe, The Song of Achilles, The Faerie Queene, and Charlotte Markam and the House of Darkling. Edmund, through the tutelage of his prison-mate Faria, transforms into the Count of Monte Cristo. Unearthing a modern-day sum of 3 BILLION dollars in hidden treasures and sets out on his path of revenge. Also in pursuit of seeing his fiancée from all those years back, Mercedes, who was set to marry Edmund the day after his arrest. The novel is heart-wrenching, will make you gasp out loud, and smile at the most delicious details. I have fallen in love with this book. More than I thought I would, regardless of what Ideas I had coming into this beast of a read. Especially for my book of the week series, which, luckily, I had allotted time for such a massive undertaking through publishing reviews far in advance. Edmund, now turned the Count of Monte Cristo, is alluring, suave, and has the darkness and charm of Dracula. Giving me even more incentive to root for him and leagues of power as he crusades on his journey. A story that ends in an unexpected way filled with heartbreak, power, and the emotion of carrying on.