I really enjoyed this book! Taking the children of well known gothic literature characters, with names like Van Helsing and Moriarty, and putting them in a world where they work for a fantastical association that hunts down inhuman monsters, its a tale both familiar and brand new. 1903 Paris, and the now adult children of these characters are trying to work together and find out if they can trust each other as they attempt to solve the vicious and animalistic murder of rich society men.
The book was a great length and very enjoyable. The story walked a great line between being based in the real world and the existence of creatures that share the earth alongside humans.

This debut novel was an exciting mysterious read. I loved the way that this played off of Sherlock Holmes novels, and gave us a new cast of dynamic characters to follow. The addition of magic and the magical beasts was also really well done- I appreciated how set-in-stone they were. It all felt more analytical and science-y, which I thought fit with the rest of the universe really well. I’m not usually into mysteries, but I loved the dynamic between Sam and Hel. It was very fresh, and I liked how it focused mostly on the mystery with some other AMAZING elements sprinkled in. I’m really excited for the next installment in this series, and really excited to see what Susan J. Morris does with these characters next! Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery Books for this ARC!

What a refreshing and unique take on both the words of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes! Here we have the daughters of Jonathan and Mina Harker and Professor Moriarty working together as part of an Association that Studies Abnormal Phenomena (think part X-Files and part Harry Potter). What ensues is a delightful, and sometimes gory, gothic journey to investigate a series of gruesome deaths in Paris, possibly attributable to a werewolf, even though werewolves are considered extinct. The author builds an amazing world where paranormal creatures do exist and both Samantha Harker and Hel Moriarty are fully developed, interesting characters. There were a few points in the story where the investigation logic lost me on how they were getting from point A to point B, but that in no part took away from the story. This is the first book I've read this year where I thoroughly enjoyed every page and cannot wait for the next book in what I hope will be a lengthy new series.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this ahead of time!

"All you need is one", Sam persisted. A friend believes in you when you don't believe in yourself. Who challenges you when you're being unfair, and doesn't require you to be anything other than exactly who you are."

This vivid historical fantasy retelling kept me absolutely enthralled the entire time. Firstly I love the idea of our storybook characters being real and interacting with each other. Sam is the daughter of Johnathan and Mina Parker who defeated Dracula and Hel is the daughter of Professor Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes universe. They both work for the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena, Sam is a researcher and Hel is a field agent with a mysterious background. Thrust into the field together, each with their own agenda we travel with them to the vibrant 1900s Paris.

The world building in this is really detailed and brilliant, as there are monsters we get a lot of important descriptions of them which helps to visualise but what I loved most was the clothing descriptions. It’s something I love and with historical books it really helps to build a sense of the time period.

The plot was a rollercoaster and I honestly couldn’t guess what was going to happen which I loved!! I was hanging on to every word and flew through this trying to put the pieces together and that definitely means you have a good mystery on your hands.

The romance between the two main characters was so much fun to read too, its a reluctant working together situation with a grumpy sunshine trope but each character has so much depth and little by little we see the ways they come to trust each other and that slow burn relationship building is a favourite type of romance for me.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I hope so much there is a sequel!! This is just such a fantastic idea for a world with the children of traditional classic horror or mystery it makes me excited for what could come next. I also need to see what happens with Sam and Hel! I highly recommend picking this up if you like mystery, historical fantasy, retellings, slowburn romance or sapphic books!

A mix of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes in Paris? Sign me up! Elements of suspense, fantasy, horror, mystery -- what a great story this was.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC gift in exchange for my honest review.

Gothic historical fantasy/mystery novel. Set in the 1900s with aspects of romance and disturbing themes.

Samantha Harker (daughter of Dracula's killer) and Helena Moriarty (daughter of Sherlock Homles' nemesis) are both assigned to a series of murders in Paris seemingly committed by a non-human being. Their investigation bring them closer to one another but also life threatening danger.

I loved the dynamic of Sam and Hel, their banter and slow burn was written so well - I truly enjoyed it. But my favorite part was the slow unraveling of mystery and intrigue as the two figure out who the murderer is.

This book was so good! It has adventure, mystery, gothic vibes, paranormal aspects and tension. This story was very unique and very interesting to me! The atmosphere was very inviting and rich in history.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise seemed fun, a mix of horror, mystery and romance has so much potential. While I enjoyed my time reading, overall the book just didn't hit for me.

The good stuff:
-Great world building, well written imagery and a fun mythos.
-The setting of Paris was awesome, well described and was the perfect place for monster hunting.
-The Lovecraftian feel of the monsters and the vintage sapphic slow burn created a fantastic atmosphere.
-Blending lore from Stoker and Conan Doyle was a fun premise and we do love a historical AU mashup.

The not as good stuff:
-The mystery was solvable almost immediately and for two women who are the smartest ever, there was A LOT of plot required to get them to the obvious conclusion.
-Not much of the backstory played into the main storyline. Mostly references to mysterious family dynamics and shadowy figures. This felt less "Moriarty villains with clever moving parts" and more "well, lets hold up character development because of *waves hands* complicated/tragic pasts."
-It felt more YA than adult lit in terms of the characters behaviors and interactions. Not a criticism, I love YA lit, just a reflection of how the characters developed.

All together, it was an interesting read, just not what I had hoped for given the premise and synopsis. That said, I would love to see more in this series since there is so much potential for great monster mythos and action/adventure from this world.

this was such an intriguing story filled with monsters and secrets stored in the world of paris!

sam and gel’s foray into paris to uncover the truth about murders taking place was so fun, their dynamic and intensity kept me so hooked, especially with the sherlock holmes x dracula vibes. sam grows as a person so much, learning more about her channeling as well as coming to understand the power that women can have (and starting to unravel her own misogyny due to the way society has functioned - cue hel wearing suits 24/7, how sexy). the world of monsters and beasts is so intriguing, a monster that kills men, devious men and the secret networks of women made for such a great time!

i was absolutely rooting for sam and hel, and whilst it is a subplot and we barely see them together in the romantic sense, the pining and working together just ramped up the tension and desire to see them get together!!!!

i did love the exploration of paris in this, the different worlds that exists within it and how everyone interacts together (there are quite a few phrases in french that could do with having a translation next to them, as a french person i understood them but can see people having an even better understanding should a translation be there)

A gaslamp fantasy and a murder mystery set amidst 1900s Paris with a supernatural twist? I couldn't have asked for more.
Things I loved:
the writing. so immersive when it comes to worldbuilding, realistic when it comes to characters, yet never too flowery or too simplistic.
the character development. we were along for the ride and saw hel and sam's journeys of trusting each other, of sam's expectations of her employers changing and of her resilience growing.
the slow burn sapphic romance that does not impede the plot.
the sherlock-and-watson-esque feel.
the perfume and chemistry based fantasy - this might be my favourite thing! I learned a little about perfume, and the way the mysteries were solved was just immensely satisfying.
the plot twists - not so outlandish that you never saw them coming, but just far enough ahead of you that they make you happy to read.
I would read the sequel of this without question if it came out. [I just want to see these two Talk to each other ugh]
thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Some hits, some misses for me. I thought the worldbuilding and pacing were very well done. Also, Sam was a delightful main character with a believable arc. I do wish more had been left to the imagination at times. I like to read between the lines, but the narration filled in all the blanks for me. Also, the mystery wasn’t terribly complicated or surprising. I would have liked the book to lean more towards Sherlock Holmes and less towards Dracula in how it applied its inspirations. That being said, I still found it an enjoyable read.

A enjoyable murder mystery with Sherlock Holmes vibes and Dracula! What more could you ask for!?

This book gave me whiplash in the best way! I kept thinking I knew what was going to happen and then BAM something happens that flips that thought out of my head. Also if that wasn't good enough the SLOW BURN was delicious!!
Im giving this read three starts because while it was enjoyable it didnt give me an emotional response.
If you enjoy the obvious sherlock holmes or dracula as well as crimson peak I would recommend this read.

I'm definitely in the minority here, but I really struggled with this one... I was immediately drawn to it when I saw it listed: the cover, the title, and the description all drew me in straight away. I liked the way it started, and there was definite promise for exciting things to come - but for me they never came. Or more accurately, I suppose, they never stayed. There would be really strong scenes followed by lots of nothing - repetitive thinking on the parts of the protagonists, repetitive scene setting, and repetitive ideology. The characters, despite fascinating backstories, didn't seem to be going anywhere developmentally. Ditto the plot. Halfway in I felt like I'd been reading this book for weeks instead of days. That's when I realized it was time to call it - this one wasn't for me.

What an enjoyable book! I really did like this.
It started out so so well, it was so so intriguing, I kept going! The middle was kind of slow for me, but overall, a very enjoyable light read, yet dark and mysterious, and very feminist, all of my facourite things! I highly recommend you give it a read!

Strange Beasts is a rather dark and unexpectedly sapphic historical fantasy based mainly in Paris. It had a really enjoyable setting, with scenes ranging from the cabaret and theatre, to the morgue and the catacombs. Basically everything you would want from an intriguing, historical Parisian murder mystery with a monstrous twist.

I loved Sam and Hel. I have to say Hel was my absolute favourite and I adore a strong female character that you are left questioning their motives. Sam was a really interesting main character and I loved seeing her grow throughout. I think she had a very compelling backstory and thought the magical elements added an additional mystery and helped drive the plot forward.

I would definitely recommend this to lovers of historical fantasy with a captivating twist.

The story takes place in Paris and follows Sam Harker, a channel that is plagued by visions of monsters, giving her a special insight in murder cases. She can see what happened when touching what has been touched by these monstrous beings.

She joins The Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena for investigation purposes and in hopes of finding the truth about what happened to her grandfather.

She gets assigned to a special case led by the famous Dr. Helena Moriarty.

A series of gruesome murders are taking place in the french capital and no one knows who is behind it, but the targets are clearly wealthy men. Together, the two women must fight their way in a maze of mysteries and danger putting their lives and sanity at risk.

This book mixed elements of fantasy, mystery and gothic literature and it was very pleasant to read. Feminism was a clear and important theme to the plot. Altogether, I had a lovely time reading this story and seeing how it ends, I am expecting another tome. I think it's a great debut.

Thank you to Bindery Books and Netgalley for the ebook advanced copy.

This was a dark but fun detective story. I enjoyed that the romance was there but not much. Their bond was built up so much and it was fascinating to watch them grow close. The setting was amazing and it’s a perfect october read.
Overall the writing was okay, i found myself drifting away a lot which is sad cuz this shouldve been right up my alley. The mystery was also a little too obvious which I didnt mind too much cuz i really liked the Sam and Hel, but it did make it boring sometimes.

I loved this book. The world, the locations, the time period, everything about the setting was perfect. I loved that the mystery of it was high stakes while still maintaining a cozy vibe that continued pulling readers along throughout early 20th century Paris. The characters were interesting and fresh. There were a few hiccups in pacing, but I don't feel it greatly affected the overall story arc. It was a fun and spooky read that I enjoyed cozying down with.

I absolutely adored this debut novel, with aspects of sherlock and moriarty meets Dracula, werewolves and other paranormal beings it is a unique murder mystery unlike anything ive ever seen before. From powerful female characters in the forms of Hel and Sam, we see the tracking an unknown killer across paris which in turn connects them and their pasts.

Not too much can be said about their pasts without completely spoiling the plot but its safe to say it was completely unpredictable but also heartwarming with the bonds that developed between the two and the subtle hints at them being sapphic. Overall, it was a thoroughly engaging book and takes cues from all sorts of myths, legends and lore but was a thoroughly worthwhile read and a great debut from our author. With how it ended I am excited to see this world potentially further grow and develop in future.

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery Books for this eARC.

I didn’t like this book. Which seems weird because it had mystery, monsters, and strong women. But it couldn’t keep my attention and I had a really hard time finishing it.

My issues were mainly that it was really heavily focused on the plot, slow on world building, and super slow on character development. I don’t know, I just couldn’t connect with most of it.

I definitely expected more from characters with such iconic names. It felt like they got stuck in between being two and three dimensional.

The ending was okay. Overall, wasn’t my favorite.