Thank you so much Small Bear Books for asking me to provide my honest and unbiased review The Graveyard Watch by RJ Eason in exchange for an arc.

I’m a lifelong fan of the work of Terry Pratchett and have in recent years totally fallen for The Stranger Times books by CK McDonnell and The Graveyard Watch definitely have me Ankh-Morpork Night Watch vibes, albeit with a distinct sense of Riverside of London setting rather than the Manchester setting for TST series. Eason does not disappoint with this humour filled, modern day fantasy mystery/crime story that had me hooked from the start!

Jocasta Lewis, a rising pathologist has just found out that she’s missed out on her targeted promotion and has been relegated to The Graveyard Watch, and she’s not happy! And so begins her entry into the unique and other worldly Graveyard Watch alongside her new colleagues that include a vampire, a werewolf, a gnome and a demi-god, all of whom police and investigate supernatural crime in the heart of London.

Eason totally delivers an intriguing, funny, plot twisting, suspense filled, urban fantasy that totally ticks all the boxes and left me wanting to read more about this extraordinary team and their investigative adventures. I truly did not want to put this book down and could easily binge watch this as a tv series.

A great and engrossing read that definitely has the makings of a superb series - a fantastic start to 2024 that is definitely going to take some beating! 4.5 stars!

What an interesting premise, and The Graveyard Watch delivered for sure.

This was an intriguing, totally different urban fantasy that had it all.

A cool mix of paranormal characters (werewolf, gnome, vampire, ghouls and ghosts, plus a human forensic scientist) mixed cleverly into a paranormal mystery, full of slow burn romance, danger and twists. Oh and Hermes winged sandals adventures.

I loved that this book was set in London, that it was based around a secret 'police' division who investigate the criminal undead, while being undead themselves. This time seeking to stop a conspiracy to other throw the current undead King, solve art thefts and battle ghouls.

It was fun to see Jocasta thrown into the mix, the banter with the werewolf, vampire boss and forensic gnome was fun. And the Magnetic chemistry between her and the Captain was slow burn at its best.

This was such a unique premise for a new debut fantasy and it delivered on so many angles. Witty, thrilling, sweet and adventurous I wished I'd started this sooner, because I definitely couldn't put it down once I did.

I'm seriosly hoping that this will be book one in a new series!

The Graveyard Watch
by R. J. Eason

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction (adult), Sci Fi & Fantasy

Well, this was fun. I'm not sure what I expected but what I found was an interesting mystery wrapped up in a world where the supernatural exists, but hidden from most of the population.
I liked the characters although I did feel they were a little too stereotypical at times, but I can live with that as they were interesting. There a possible romance, though of course as ever its not necessarily the one I was hoping for ;-) The overall story works well, and gives each character a chance to showcase their individualities.
I was a bit confused at first, there's a lot to take in – as is the case with any new-to-me author and series ( at least I hope this will become a series). I really enjoyed that it was set in UK, for a UK reader that's always a treat.

Stars: Four, a fun, light-hearted read that I really enjoyed.

ARC supplied by netgalley and publishers

Jocasta Lewis has been sent to work for The Graveyard Watch and tiny unit that no one has heard of, she’s feeling a little put out about it so when dead bodies drained of blood with twin puncture wounds in the jugular keep showing up and her team is keeping secret Jocasta starts to suspect things might not be all that they seem. I really enojoyed this. There was a lot to love about it. The characters are fun, the plot interesting and I’d definitely go back for another case. The world building at the beginning was a little blurry it took me longer than it should have to set in in time and place and I’m still not entirely sure if the Graveyard Watch is military or police (Captain is a military title in the Uk not police ?), there’s a few sketchy things like that, that should have been ironed out but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story.

What an absolutely great book! Once I started reading I could not put it down. It read like a TV show and I think it would translate very well.

This urban fantasy story follows Jocasta, a pathologist in London. She is assigned to an unusual position with the "Graveyard Watch" where she encounters more than her fair share of the undead (vampires, a werewolf, gnomes and ghouls just to name a few!) The dead and undead bodies start to pile up and Jocasta and her coworkers work together to figure out what is going on. I can't say much more without giving away the plot.

The writing was fast paced and laugh out loud funny at some points. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read more from R.J. Eason!

If you would like a easy mystery/fantasy read look no further you have found your book! Please check this one out when it is released in 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley and Small Bear Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Great debut! This book was a lot of fun and a great introduction to some really cool characters. They were a little cookie cutter, the characters, as in stereotypical supernatural characters as well as stereotypical police/ investigator/detective/ vigilante kind of characters.

But I'm not mad about it. Why mess with something that works if you do it well and this author has done it well. So kudos to them!

The story kept me guessing and intrigued and wanting to perform an autopsy on the undead because it sounds fascinating. If only.

If this author is planning to make this into a series I am here for it!

The Graveyard Watch. That does sound a lot like the graveyard shift of the Ankh-Morpork Night Watch, what with the undead and the werewolf , the coppers and so on. Throw in the nice cover, and my inner coinnoissieur of funny fantasy literature immediately starts grinning. It's the good kind of grin, starting at the one ear and ending at the other. And that's not a bad way to look at a new book. So many thanto Small Bear Books for granting me access to this arc, it's really much appreciated!

The story tends to follow two different protagonists, the leader of the graveyard watch and the newest addition to his team, a young pathologist who just doesn't know what she's in for, yet. The only thing that threw me a wrench was the fact that we follow the leader in two different timelines, and it would have been much appreciated had the chapters been outfitted with markers telling the readers what timeline they are in, currently. But you'll get used to it.

I'm very happy to report that the humor hits just the right spot! It's not over the top and goofy, and it doesn't take away from the mystery vibe, but lightens the mood ever so often. I really enjoyed it, the suspension luring me along, making me stay awake past my bedtime.

This being Urban Fantasy, the world inhabited by its characters is the same as ours, plus some additions like french werewolves, ghosts, gnomes or a second pope. And vampires, of course.

If you would press hard for me to describe this book in one sentence, it would probably be this: Graveyard Watch is what happens when the Night Watch of Ankh-Morpork gets totally drunk and wakes up in Peter Grant's London.

It also has all the hallmarks of a series starter, and to be honest: I wouldn't mind more books with Commander Domingo, Captain Everly and the rest of the gang. Bring it on!

Enjoyable and quick read, I give it 4.5 out of 5 Black Popes!

Disclaimer: I’ve received a free Advanced Reader’s Copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.

This follows the Graveyard Watch as it takes care of things that go bump in the night! Jocasta Lewis is a pathologist in this night time world and joins the Graveyard Watch after losing out on a promotion. She becomes quickly aware that all is not as it seems! This is a fun, quirky story with some great characters, From sceptics to ancient societies , vampires, werewolves and gnomes, it covers all bases. Very much an X-Files style read, it is incredibly addictive and entertaining.

While The Graveyard Watch's author, RJ Eason, ultimately has lots of room for growth, the premise is absolutely top-notch and I hope that the series continues -- I will have my eye out for it!

The basics are solidly done here: characters, while not the most nuanced or complex, are still rounded and have potential to grow. The plot is somewhat predictable, but the mystery is well-paced and the side romance isn't too cheesily written (some cheese is always a good thing). The setting is clearly one that Eason has thought-out and has a good handle on. It always felt natural.

The actual writing is where things fell apart most for me. Things like nearly every line of dialogue having a tag; writing out accents phonetically; dual timelines that are not distinguished as such; other minor quibbles in the writing itself that point to an author still growing into their craft. Certainly nothing that dooms the book or the series, but something that may make picky readers stumble.

Thank you to NetGalley and Small Bear Books for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

3.5 ⭐️

Although urban fantasy isn’t usually my genre, I think this book is a really good introduction to these type of books. I recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre or is interesting in getting into these types of books.

In this first book we find ourselves in London working with the Graveyard Watch. These is a special force team who work to solve mysterious from the paranormal world. I loved to see many different species interact with each other and how a human was able to fit perfectly in this world. We learn about vampires, elementals, werewolves, gnomes and many other unnatural things that we all know from our childhood.

I think this book has a good pace because it is neither slow nor fast. I thinks the book has a bit of unnecessary parts and the ending was a bit fast but it didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the story. I enjoyed that there was underlying romance in the book but that the main focus was the paranormal world.

I found the characters very interesting, especially Sebastien. I thought it was very creative to use the dialects for the French and German characters because it gave something extra to the story. Also, the inner monologue that Jocasta has is very funny and it added a sense of humor to the story.

I think it was a really good debut novel so I am really excited to see how the author takes on the next book.

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for this ecopy.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. The jumps in the storyline were a little confusing at first but once I got into the rhythm of the story I enjoyed the back and fro. The premise of the world existing within ours was intriguing and the characters I felt were created greatly to adapt to this idea. The storyline played out well and it created a great read.

As much as I had expected from this book, it, unfortunately, did not quite reach in my eyes. The premise is so interesting and love the idea of the world existing within our mundane one but I just felt it was a little confusing. There were jumps in storyline on between chapters without clearly saying which I found to disturb the rhythm of reading. I also felt a certain lack of feeling in the characters, a little unfounded and needing more meat to them to fill the characters places in the book. However, I thoroughly enjoy the idea behind this all.

4.5/5 ⭐

The Graveyard Watch follows the story of a young pathologist, Jocasta Lewis who has just been transferred from her job at the Uni College Hospital to the Graveyard Watch, a change she’s not too happy about. The cases assigned to Jocasta in this new department get more and more mysterious. Could they all be linked to a bigger picture? One that Jocasta just can’t put her finger on?

Personally, this book had me hooked till the last chapter. Whilst the first few chapters were a bit slow-paced and the time-shifts a bit confusing at times, seeing the full picture has made me understand why not rushing the beginning was necessary and how it actually made the story even better. The whole world building is done so well. It’s evenly spaced throughout the book giving the reader time to absorb the new world Jocasta and the reader are put into. Overall, as a plot it hits all the right tropes; mystery, fantasy, crime and an amazing romance plot which runs alongside all the others. Moreover, the plot twists around every corner keep you on the edge and are just so well written.

The main characters were all so interesting. Each one had their own personality that shone throughout the book and Sebastien especially added just the right amount of comedic relief to the most serious of situations. I really loved any scene where he or Will featured.

All in all, it was a great debut book for Eason that made me fall back in love with mystery books. I can’t wait to read any future books that will follow the story of Jocasta and the rest of the team.

Thank you to Small Bear Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

I think I was a little “old” for this book. However, I love the building mystery and the dynamic between the characters. The tension was great. I didn’t end up finishing, I made it about half way. But I think this would be a great book for any YA kiddo that likes mystery.

I really enjoyed this book! It felt like a blend of Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series and Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood & Co (but set in modern times). The author is very fond of similes and metaphors, but they are mainly funny, so go on then… Great characters who make a sound team and romance too - Hurrah! I’ll definitely be looking for the sequel.

What a well-written and fun read this was.
Pathologist Jocasta has been redeployed to a previously unheard of division called the Graveyard Watch after being passed over for promotion. She quickly becomes aware that her new colleagues are not quite what they seem, and the cases she is given are not what she is used to dealing with.
Quite frankly I loved all the main characters, each with their own unique personality which came through in the dialogue as well as the prose. I sincerely hope this is the first of a series! I also loved the humour which was not forced or cringey.
If I have one niggle it is that the cover artwork, as much as I like it, hits the wrong note for me regarding the audience for this book. If I saw it on a shelf I would probably guess at a teenage market, whereas the book has appeal across the ages from teen upwards.

Thank you to Small Bear Books and Netgalley. My opinions are purely my own.

4.5 / 5

By far one of my favourite reads of 2023 (and I would go as far to say 2024 which is when it's officially released. It has everything I am looking for in a fantasy / crime / mystery / mythical genre and so much more.

It begins my following Jocasta and pathologist who ends up joining 'The Graveyard Watch' much to her disappointment, only to find this really is a graveyard watch... of 'undead' affairs and doings. We learn there's more to her team of colleagues than originally thought with a mix of vampires, godly figures, werewolves and gnomes.

For the first book (I'm saying this in the hopes there are many more) there's obviously a lot of scene setting and developing the characters as well as the storyline. I was a bit confused at first trying to follow the multiple storylines (one present and one past) but they soon catch up together and I got my head around it.

Overall I really enjoyed this and absolutely want more of it!!

This was such a unique premise and it really paid off! I absolutely loved this and I loved all the characters. Watching them all interact with each other was so lovely and heartwarming.
My only ‘negative’ was that the pacing felt a bit odd at times but nothing major!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Small Bear books for the ARC of The Graveyard Watch by R.J. Eason.

I wanted to read this book based off the cover, plus I do love a good urban fantasy and was intrigued by the description. Once I started reading, there is a lot of creativity and originality within the plot of The Graveyard Watch that I think show a lot of potential for Eason's work.

We start the story with Dr. Jocasta Lewis being transferred to a new pathology role in a department that has a reputation for being a punishment. Jocasta's team is diverse, both in origin and in species, and she shows great ability in adapting to her new environment and the existence of supernatural creatures.

Her team is investigating a series of murders hiding a greater conspiracy in the upcoming coronation of the vampire king, and they must work together to stop their enemy before all supernatural entities are endangered.

Again, I think there is great creativity and originality, and that Eason is beginning to build out a very interesting world in this work. I think it could be a series, if that is Eason's interest, because it seems like there is still a lot to explore. However, it did feel to me like a few important plot points/story points were missing in ways that did cause me confusion or frustration.

I was continuously disappointed in the characterization of Jocasta. She is the only female character in the group, and in every single interaction she has, someone is hitting on her and she is thinking about them naked or blushing. It weakened her as a character and made her seem flighty and stupid. I would have loved to see more internal thought processes about literally discovering the supernatural world instead of her wondering why so many men want to date her. No male character has this happen to them.

This may have been an ARC configuration error, but I also kept getting lost in the flashbacks/present actions of Domingo and everyone he was interacting with. They were such small snippets, and he appeared so rarely in the rest of the story, that it was hard to figure out why Eason kept Domingo shrouded in such mystery, when more detail would have deepened the world building and emboldened the story.

Overall, I think there are great bones to The Graveyard Watch, and there is a lot of truly interesting world building, but I needed a bit more extended characterization of the Watch team to see them as more multifaceted people.

A really solid debut and I’m excited to see what comes next!

The Graveyard Watch is an urban fantasy following Jocasta, a young pathologist in London who thinks her much sought after career is basically over when she gets reassigned to a fairly shadowy police force. It’s not long into this new role that Jocasta discovers there is so much more to worry about than just her career prospects as she finds out there are actually vampires, werewolves, gnomes and much more in her world and that this new role? It’s in the police division specifically there to deal with this! We are pulled along for the ride as logical, meticulous and rational thinking Jocasta is swept up into the world of Dark Popes, Underworld Kings and so much more.

For me, this had all the solid basics that I look for; solid worldbuilding, developed characters, an interesting mystery, a touch of romance and wonderful pacing. But for some reason the Graveyard Watch didn’t pull me in like i had hoped.

I enjoyed the characters but I didn’t really feel invested in any of them. It was also all very predictable plot-wise, and while that isn’t necessarily a bad thing it didn’t really hook me here. The Graveyard Watch is a mystery but I think we all saw the ending coming and the twists and turns along the way weren’t really twists at all. I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about the romance sub-plot. I think I wish it had been left as a more tension filled slow burn that could be explored in future reads as it all came about far too quickly and conveniently here for me to be particularly invested.

There were two timelines shown in the Graveyard Watch and I really didn’t gel with this. I felt that the duel timelines didn’t add much to the plot or to the character development so I found myself skimming over some passages as they just didn’t interest me

Overall, I loved the premise of this and while I didn’t fall in love with this book, I will be looking out for the next installment as there was a lot of potential here for a really interesting and gripping series. As a debut novel this is incredibly good and I think a lot of my complaints mostly centre on this being a new series and it’s clear there is a lot that needs to be set up for future books.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.