Dracula - Chapters 17-21: Get on with it!

Dear heavens this book is dragging. Luckily, it's only one chapter a day, or at this point it'd be easy to lose motivation. So what have I missed telling you about? The boys are off hunting vampires and being absolute freaking idiots. "What's that? Mina looks pale? Poor girl needs sleep!"

NO! NO! NO! You blasted morons. Let's think about what happened to Lucy here gents. Pale? Check. Won't wake up at a normal hour? Check. Acting oddly? Check.

_HE'_  A  _A_P_ _ E  _OU  _U_BA_ _ E_

I'd like to solve the puzzle please.

::wild applause::!

Or at the very least, she's been vamped. I just can't get over how oblivious our gang is about this. I mean, they've been doing nothing but studying Dracula and the way he works. They really couldn't figure this one out? GAH!

On to less infuriating things. Renfield continued to be the most compelling character in the novel. That is until he got murdered by Dracula. But in his last act, he did something both selfish and noble. Attempting to prevent Dracula from getting to Mina was an act that I can't help but think was at least partially motivated by his apparent warm feelings for the woman. Certainly, as Renfield himself says, he was mad at Dracula for not asking his permission to come in, and for not giving him any blood. But I imagine he would have never been so bold as to attempt to seize the Count without some other motivator.

So Renfield sends the boys to catch Dracula just in time and now it appears as if Mina is back in. Good for her. She seems to be the only logical one (though the "I don't want to tell Jonathan of my suspicious dreams, much like those of Lucy" moment was a bit dumb. She can be forgiven though since the dudes were all being idiots towards her). Maybe with Mina on the case we'll finally catch Drac.

Regardless, this book's middle section is not nearly as good as the opening chapters. It's just dragging too much. Here's to hoping our final week is more enjoyable.