This is a lovely little book. There’s plenty of Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula stuff out there, but Morris went with the enemies of both and teamed them up.

There are some really lovely turns of phrase throughout, particularly in dialogue. I love the rage, the organic feminist themes, and the ridiculously slow burning romance that had me struggling to remember if this book had been labeled as queer or not. I’m absolutely salivating for a sequel.

This book didn't quite click for me, particularly because I found the writing style challenging. However, I think it will appeal to other readers.

Set in the 1900’s with some serious Sherlock Holmes’s vibes, this romantic who dunnit is full of gothic vibes and mystical creatures.
It really has it all in this unique and fun way story

This one really grabbed me, in the way that campy novels and good fanfiction does. I think queer fans of Deanna Raybourn will like this one— it’s got this strange aura of being a slightly cozy magical murder mystery, despite the gore and plot being fairly mounstrous and gory. It feels like watching an episode of a good 2000s era case of the week show, where it blends the romance and fun effortlessly with darker topics.

Strange Beasts is the sapphic, magical murder mystery of your dreams. Perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper and Deanna Raybourn.

Strange Beasts By Susan J Morris is a fun, adventurous, gothic mystery set in the early 1900s. Sam Harker, the daughter of Dracula’s killer, and Helena Moriarty, daughter of Professor Moriarty, partner up to solve a string of brutal murders. Sam and Hel both have their own secrets and as they get closer and closer to solving the crime, more secrets are revealed, causing the two women to have to learn to trust each other in order to not only solve the crime but stay alive.

This book is different than most books I read, but it sounded really interesting so I wanted to check it out. Overall, I really enjoyed the story! It was interesting, fast paced, and full of adventure. I loved the empowerment that Sam and Hel had (and developed throughout the story). Anyone who likes mysteries, Sherlock Holmes, or mythical creatures would enjoy this book!

"Men like him are entirely too quick to call a woman mad or monstrous just because she can do something they can't. Don't do it for them."

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

The presence of two characters from two very different worlds, Samantha Harker and Helena Moriarty, was what enticed me the most.
Sam's ability to channel and discover new things, as well as his talent for discerning different smells, was amazing. I didn't guess who the culprit would be, which surprised me, and the motive was well-crafted.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read, and I look forward to the next adventure.

4.5 stars!

A 1900s whodunit, with fantasy horror elements featuring the descendants of huge literary names the likes of Harker, Moriarty and Van Helsing? How could I not dive in with the highest anticipation and expectations, especially when it is also sapphic? This is so incredibly ambitious but I think the author did an exceptional job, especially with the elusive and quite frankly terrifying Moriarty. I thoroughly enjoyed the literary references even though I have not read the original texts of Dracula or Sherlock Holmes. I think this book is motivating me to read them though!

While the pacing felt a little rough; long-winded in parts and abruptly quick during epiphanies, I very much enjoyed this mashup of horror, fantasy and crime/mystery. This book also felt like a massive setup for a series building towards a huge final showdown, which is incredibly exciting. Absolutely please throw more unique monsters, criminal masterminds and sapphic romances my way.

Thank you Bindery Books, the author and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I leave this review voluntarily.

this was so lush and atmospheric, i genuinely loved it so much. i was instantly compelled to read this from the title and cover, and it definitely held up. the writing was solid and the storytelling was absolutely captivating. highly recommend reading in the fall season!

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley.

This book combined so many things I absolutely love and it was great fun! We take elements from Sherlock Holmes and Dracula, with a story of the descendants of recognisable characters from those two books. We follow the daughter of Mina Harker and the daughter of Moriarty as they must work together to solve a series of murders. Their investigation starts in London but takes them to Paris. They work for an agency that covers magical occurrences and creatures and I loved some of the folklore references that were woven throughout this story.

This was a really compelling mystery that was well-paced, interesting and with plenty of twists and turns. We see our investigators facing interference from villains, their own colleagues and troubling people from their pasts. We see them battle with the misconceptions and prejudice around women and the difficulty of trying to convince people of serious information who don’t care to listen.

The setting was fantastic and I loved the time period this was set in and the themes explored. It was a really evocative and entertaining novel.

Strange Beasts is the successful blend of Sherlock Holmes, Bram Stoker, and Patrick Süskind. It features endearing characters whose psychology is well-captured by the author, leading us at a frantic pace through a dark, mysterious, and very strange adventure where literary and folkloric worlds intertwine. I particularly enjoyed seeing Van Helsing, but in a very different light, and as a French reader, I appreciated the various inserts in my native language as well as in Latin, and the nod to Gaston Leroux and his Phantom of the Opera! A gothic adventure full of references and dark magic.

Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris has interesting settings and some engaging characters. Loved the Dracula and Sherlock Holmes aspects. I found at times that I was told, rather than shown, characters emotions, and wished they were fleshed out better. Thank you NetGalley and Bindery Books for the ARC.

Sam and Hels were a great sleuthing team. I love the characters. I love the plot of the book.. i love a good murder mystery. The slow burn romance was good as well. I love the way the author wrote the book. Here is a summary of the book. Sam and Hels, two affiliates of the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomenon in London, are dispatched to Paris to solve a string of brutal murders. All of the victims are wealthy men yet no valuables have been taken. It is apparent the culprit is not human. What is it?

You'll have to read the book to find out! Thanks netgalley

A gorgeously haunting and Gothic book that immerses you in the story and mystery immediately. The aura that surrounds this world is very discernable and distinct. I hope to reread this again soon.

What a refreshing book this is! Granted that I have been a long time fan of Sherlock Holmes and anything to do with the fandom that it was with a bias that I picked the Strange Beasts from Netgalley without any hesitation. Of course, world of Sherlock Holmes + Fantasy with magical beasts involved= COUNT ME IN PLEASE! And here, take my money!

Sherlock Holmes, was of course, not present in this book but rather it’s a story of two determined and goal-oriented ladies who are working for the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomenon (RSSAP) in London, Researcher Samantha Harker and Field Agent Dr. Helena Moriarty (Yes, she is the daughter of the ). While the blurb can make one doubt about this novel being a rehashed version of the Sherlock Holmes stories, worry not because the Strange Beasts is totally a different beast (pun intended!) Here, we are thrown into the 1900s wherein supernatural threats are widely accepted as a normal every day happening. And thus, organizations such as the RSSAP came to existence to address, regulate, and terminate concerns and threats related to anything paranormal.

Samantha a.k.a Sam Harker, one of our heroines, is employed in the organization is a researcher who spends most of her time poring over books, reading and filing reports and who is likely to be tagged as bookishly boring. What a lot of people doesn’t know is that there’s more to her than being the uninteresting researcher. While she’s thoroughly happy and contented being drowned in books on a daily, she suddenly gained an appetite to be deployed in the field where mademoiselles like her have no business as she’s just so incompetent in terms of physical survival. And so, this is where our story started.

After manipulating the head of the RSSAP, Sam finally got her wish and got partnered with the overly mysterious but renowned Field Agent Dr. Helena a.k.a Hel Moriarty. This partnership has somewhat burst Sam’s bubble of happiness because while Hel is an outstanding Field Agent, all her previous partners died due to peculiar circumstances. So the question is, is Sam going to be the next casualty?

While I was busy figuring out whether Sam would die or not or, other equally suspenseful things are happening as our duo must solve a horrendous case of serial killings involving some sort of lycanthrope attacks. But that’s only scratching the surface for our duo because on the background, Sherlock’s archenemy and Hel’s father, Professor Moriarty, is also running a game of his own to trap Hel into his own clutches once again.

Written with sophistication, this book did not leave any room for breathing. There’s just a lot of action, a lot of brow raising scenarios happening that it’s just so hard to put this book down even for the occasional toilet and snack breaks. The atmosphere that Susan J. Morris wrought made me feel like I was also accompanying our characters in their search for the truth. The 1900 version of France, the setting of the Strange Beasts, became alive with Morris’ beautiful writing.

When I read the author’s bio, I was pleasantly surprised to know that Strange Beasts is her debut novel because this book was so perfectly written that I had a hard time believing such fact. So yes, I love this book. I love how it was written, I love how the characters were developed and their dynamics (hehehe), I love how the author made the plot so intricate and yet, not irritating me with infodumps and dragging the story with verbosity. Whether you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes or not, give this book a try.

PS. AND WHY IS THIS NOT A SERIES? THERE’S NO WAY THAT IT JUST ENDED LIKE THAT!

This was quite the ride! As a mom of two littles, I love books I can adventure in, and this book was perfect. It mixes historical fiction, fantasy, and mystery in a way that kept me hooked.

The story is set in a gothic world and follows Sam Harkins and Dr. Helena Moriarty, who are the daughters of characters from Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. Sam can channel monsters, and Hel wants to be nothing like her evil father. They team up to solve some brutal murders in Paris. Their relationship is really interesting and fun to read about. Their conversations and growing trust are well written.

I liked how the author explored gender roles and identity in the story. Sam is both a serious researcher and a stylish blonde, which breaks away from common stereotypes. Hel, with her mysterious past, adds depth to their partnership.

The pacing of the story is good, though it slows down a bit in the middle. But the rich setting and engaging plot make up for it. The mix of gothic atmosphere, paranormal elements, and historical references kept me interested.

If you’re looking for a book with mystery, fantasy, and a bit of romance, this is a great choice. It’s a wonderful escape that explores themes of identity, strength, and friendship.

What a terrific and magical debut novel! I loved the gothic setting and the characters were fascinating. A riviting book and a wonderful story!

4 stars.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets classic murder mystery.
Our story starts with Sam Harker (Dracula) and Hel Moriarty (Sherlock Holmes) who are co-workers in a supernatural society; they are sent to Paris where there are murders afoot. This duo team up, becoming their own Sherlock and Watson, to solve the case. Featuring psychic powers and alchemy this blends murder mystery with fantasy in an urban setting.
I love the elements of gothic horror; Paris catacombs setting with a little Lovecraftian twist tied in with a vague Jack the Ripper feel to the crime scenes.
I read from cover to cover, only setting this aside for sleep. I'm hoping to see what Sam and Hel do next!
Thank you to BinderyBooks and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this.

For the most part, this was a very compelling read. The mystery was solid, the writing style was great (not too flowery, but not too bare, and very descriptive and atmospheric), and the female rage the author managed to capture in writing was amazing. I can’t say too much about that without spoiling, but that was definitely my favorite element of this book - how angry these women were, and how they relentlessly worked to prove the men around them wrong. It was all quite satisfying. The plot was also action heavy and tense, especially the scenes in the catacombs, and I thought the big reveals were all well done and made sense but still managed to be surprising.
However, I thought the characters and the world building were lacking. We are thrown into the heavy plot almost immediately, with no time to acclimate to the world around us. I don’t know enough about the Society Sam and Hel work for, and I don’t know enough about all of the interesting monsters that are apparently integrated into society. And because of the plot heavy focus, the characters also take a hit. Sam and Hel were both completely one dimensional, and I felt disconnected from them. The romance also came out of nowhere and felt forced. I was interested in this book in part because of the romance, but since they were both so flat I ended up not caring about if they ended up together, especially since Sam spent a large amount of the book flirting with men and seemingly not being interested in Hel. This book had a massive amount of potential, and while I did enjoy the plot, I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed.
If you like plot heavy books with elements of gothic horror, and/or you are a Sherlock or Dracula fan, I think you’d probably like this book.

I loved this so much, as soon as I got into it I had to stay up all night reading it!

Each character had such a strong personality, and I loved the plot. The atmosphere was amazing too. I'll definitely be recommending this :)

Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris is an enthralling read, a wonderful blend of historical fiction, fantasy, and mystery that will have you eagerly turning pages. The main characters, Samantha Harkins and Dr. Helena Moriarty are unique characters, inspired from Dracula and Sherlock Holmes stories, with Sam being the daughter of a vampire hunter who had ties to Dracula and Hel being the daughter of Sherlock Holmes's nemesis, James Moriarty.

Sam works as a researcher for The Royal Society for the Study or Abnormal Phenomena, however, when brutal murders start happening in Paris, she feels compelled to work in the field, believing she can solve this case and find who is summoning these beasts. She trusts her extensive knowledge along with her unique gifts of channeling and her strong sense of smell can help her crack the case. She teams up with Hel and together they set out to solve this mystery.

This book has a very creative and unique premise, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I love historical fiction, but also love fantasy just as much, so this book was the ideal book for me and kept me engaged the entire read! It has light romance, fantasy creatures, monsters, paranormal beast hunters, mentions of Dracula, Holmes, and Van Helsing, and has an overall gothic feel to it which was all executed perfectly. The pacing does drag on at times though, with the middle being the slowest part. Overall, I would recommend! 4 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Bindery Books, and Susan J. Morris for this ARC!