Monsters, a touch of romance and strong females! Sign me up!

Strange Beats combines stories like Sherlock, Frankenstein, and Dracula to bring us a gothic fantasy set in Paris in the 1900s. The story begins with the introduction of Samantha Harker, daughter of Jonathan Harker- the man who killed Dracula, who is a channel into the minds of monsters. Sam also works at the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena, when she decides to be a field agent and step away from the books. This is where she becomes partners with Dr. Helena Moriarty, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes’ archenemy, who has lost every single field partner she has ever had. Despite the rocky start, they experience Sam and Hel band together to uncover mystery that is filled with monsters, secrets, and so much more!

Bindery’ has definitely cought my attention and I will be on the hunt for more books by her. I highly recommed everyone pick this up asap!


Thank You to Susan J. Morris, Bindery Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a really solid debut!

What I really enjoyed about this story was the setting of it being in Paris - the descriptions and the different places we visited in this was really interesting to read about. And it's rare I read books set in countries other than England or a fantasy world, so having it set in Paris - and with an Irish protagonist! - was refreshing.

I also really loved that a lot of well known monsters and classic characters are in this; we have nods to Sherlock, Frankenstein, Dracula and even Phantom of the Opera! I really, really liked this! I imagine people who enjoyed The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter would also enjoy this one!

There is a mystery or two in this which is solvable if you pay attention. I personally enjoy when an author leaves enough clues and sets up a story well enough that the reader can figure it out (and not too quickly).

However, this book crammed a bit too much in. I feel like there were A LOT of scenes in this. I can totally understand as a debut author you want to make sure you write everything you've ever wanted to write into one book incase you never get another chance, but personally there were about 4-5 scenes and plot lines too many in this. When I thought we were heading into the climax of the story, I was shocked to find I was still only 50ish% into the novel. This left me really confused and made the book drag, so I think if this book had a few scenes/settings/twists less, then it would've read much quicker and the climax would've hit at the right time.

And I felt romance came out of left field about 70-80% into the book. I knewing going into this book that it was going to be queer so it didn't surprise me when the characters ended up kissing and questioning their relationship, but I think if someone went into this book not knowing it was queer, they would feel that the romance plot line came out of no where. Our main character had more of a romance set-up and build up with the perfumist than her actual love interest, so I wish that had been written in earlier and built up more properly.

Strange Beasts is a fun, whimsical dive into a world that feels unique and yet somehow familiar. I really enjoyed seeing elements of gothic literature and callbacks to classic monsters and villains. I think a bit more world building would have helped add more depth and maturity to this text. There is definitely a YA feel to this book, which I’m not sure if was intentional or not. All in all, this book was a fun, engaging read!

Wow. Simply wow. I was iffy based on the description but was pleasantly surprised. I loved how the main characters are based off of classical literary characters. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

I was really hoping to enjoy this book, but it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The writing was solid, the characters were interesting, and the plot had some good elements, but there was something about it that made it hard for me to get fully invested. I ended up DNFing it at around 26%. I think it might have been because the world-building wasn’t very well-structured in the beginning. You kind of had to piece it together as you read, but without a solid foundation, it felt a bit disjointed.

Strange Beats combines gothic allure with historical fantasy in a fresh twist on iconic literary legacies, as Dracula’s lore and Sherlock Holmes’ world intersect in early 1900s Paris. Samantha Harker, daughter of Jonathan Harker, carries the burden of being a channel into the minds of monsters—a gift as much as a curse. Tasked with investigating a string of gruesome murders, she partners with Dr. Helena Moriarty, the enigmatic daughter of Sherlock Holmes’ archenemy. Together, they navigate Paris’s glittering salons and sinister catacombs to uncover a mystery entangled with monsters, secrets, and a brewing tension that teeters between trust and betrayal.

As part of Bindery’s debut batch, Strange Beats excels in atmosphere and setting, painting turn-of-the-century Paris with gothic splendor and eerie detail. Samantha and Hel are compelling characters, with sharp dynamics that offer plenty of intrigue. However, the romantic tension between them felt forced; their connection seemed better suited to a strong, platonic partnership. The novel’s rich characterization couldn’t fully compensate for the meandering plot, which dampened the pacing and my overall enjoyment.

While not without its flaws, Strange Beats is an atmospheric debut with fascinating leads. Fans of gothic mysteries and slow-burn character studies may find plenty to appreciate here, but those craving a tightly paced story might struggle.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

DNF at 20%
I was actually excited for this book so it was a real let down. I knew from the premise it would be a very thin line to walk and I just don’t think the author was able to pull it off.
Mixing in elements of classic gothic fiction could have made for really interesting world building or even campy fun but it felt stiff at best, cringeworthy at worst; and I’m so sad about that because what could have elevated this story just made it more painful to get through.
I am not the best at mysteries and even I could tell where the story was going. I wanted to love it, I wanted to love the romance too, but I just could not for the life of me get into it. Such a shame.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. What a book! The premise had many people on the edge of their seats before cracking open this book. As a huge lover of Sherlock Holmes and Dracula, this book is a feast for the eyes. I saw someone say that this book reads more of YA rather than adult and I agree; there was a maturity missing with the world-building of this book. There were times when I felt like I was a step behind when it came to the motivations of the characters. Overall this was a well-written book, just not my favorite. This book will delight many readers who love this genre. I just couldn't get past certain issues with the execution of this story.

Love the Gothic vibes! Love the relationship between Sam and Hel! Love the wink at Holmes and Moriarty! This is a fun read with very satisfactory engagement of the feelings. A perfect read for anyone who wants to celebrate fall with first-rate historical fantasy. I'll be recommending this book on my podcast The Library of Lost Time on Friday, 22 November.

I loved the concept and the early 1900’s era and I’m struggling to pinpoint why exactly it took me so long to get through the story. I think that it felt disjointed and not all of the scenes were brought alive for me. There were so many places the writer wanted to include that the story felt crammed.

The sapphic relationship was anything but. One minute, the characters are arguing and saving each other, without chemistry or hints at romantic feelings, the next minute they kiss. I would have loved a slow burn love story and I think that the problem stems from the characters being sacrificed for the plot. They zip along from one scene to the next, without much conversation.

As for the main villain - I was mentally screaming at the MC’s from approx half way through the story, as it was extremely obvious who was behind wolves-turning-due-to-perfume.

hello ? don't walk but run for this book. I mean horror-fantasy-gothic-mystery. Really good story ! The one thing is about the "lesbian" genre mentioned, yeah the character is bi but there is one lesbian kiss, I expected more (but it is personal). Perfect for the autumn season if you want to get in a cozy mood.

thank you net galley

A Sherlock Holmes for the girls. Why not?
This was an interesting book with lots of twists and turns. I did figure out the bad guy early on. I so enjoy being surprised so that was a little disappointing. Otherwise I really enjoyed this one.

I really liked this! The way it incorporated the lore of different iconic gothic novels into the plot/backstory of the book (the Phantom of the Opera part had me like !!!) could’ve felt cheesy or contrived, but it worked for me. The setting was so lush, I thought the plot was very clever and well-constructed and the slow burn romance had me tearing up and swooning. And the ending had me crossing my fingers it's going to be a series, because I want to read more and see where things go from here!!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the digital ARC, all opinions are my own.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I really should have written this review about a month ago, when the book was fresh in my mind, because I think I'm encountering exactly why this was a 3 star book for me: it wasn't terribly memorable.

Don't get me wrong, I do remember the broad strokes of it: a Sherlock Holmes-esque story that is also queer and is about monster hunters, specifically monster hunters in Paris. Which is a really fucking cool concept, and so it was devastating when I realized I was just not engaging with the story much at all.

But this can and should work well for others, and I truly hope it does because there is so much to love! I'm just sadly not going to be in that group for this book. (And also sadly am writing a very unhelpful review about it.)

Thank you to the publisher, Bindery Books, and to NetGalley for the ARC.

It’s not bad, but it’s extremely meh. Meaning, it’s not doing anything very special – although I might feel differently if I was a major Dracula or Sherlock fan, perhaps. I can’t tell you if there are any Easter eggs in here for readers who are fans, because I wouldn’t have caught them if there are…I hope there are, that would be cooI.

Most of the tension in the first third hinges on the Let’s Not Communicate trope, which I despise and strongly feel is lazy storytelling. There were some nice feminist moments, like acknowledging and highlighting the shop girls of Paris, and I was genuinely impressed to see a grindylow, which is not a mythological beastie that appears often in the stories I read. But I was bored by the characters, by the sexism, by the eye-rollingly over-the-top secret societies or cults or whatever. The worldbuilding was terribly basic. There was nothing hooking me to keep reading, to read this book instead rather than some other one. You know?

It probably would have been a solid three star read had I finished it, but I just had no interest in finishing it. So I won’t.

Excellent monster detective story! It was hard to put down, because I was hooked from the first chapter. I hope this is the beginning of a series.

I really enjoyed a lot of this. The murder mystery aspect, the urban fantasy, the slow burn romance between Hel and Sam. Over all it was a very enjoyable book. For some reason it took me ages to finish and I can't definitvely say why. I definitely had a hard time keeping up with all the French names and was a bit confused about who some people were in the end.
The ending was very satisfying though and I liked the set up for a part 2 that was not a huge cliffhanger but rather temptation. Really nicely done.

Strange Beasts is an incredible book. It’s everything you want a paranormal mystery (with a romantic sub plot) to be. It’s exciting with lots of action and tense scenes and twists. Its a great mystery with lots of clues that slowly build into a complete picture, with red herrings new developments and multiple different bad guys (for lack of a better all encompassing word) the MCs are constantly fighting against in some way. The romance is really sweet. Sam and Hel compliment each other really beautifully. They’re a wonderful pair, both as a detective, Sherlock-and-Holmes-esque mystery solving duo (if Sherlock was the daughter of a renowned criminal and Holmes had psychic visions and a chef-level ability to discern specific smells). This better fucking be a series because the romantic plot line doesn’t wrap up in this book and I need Sam and Hel getting together as a couple like I need slices of cheese on apples and my dog needs peanut butter to take her meds.

Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris is a thrilling mix of paranormal mystery, historical fantasy, and a touch of romance set in early twentieth-century Paris. The story follows Samantha Harker, the daughter of Dracula’s nemesis, and Dr. Helena Moriarty, descended from Sherlock Holmes’ famous foe. Together, they navigate eerie mysteries and supernatural threats as an unlikely yet captivating detective duo. The atmospheric settings and clever character dynamics make this a fun, suspenseful read that keeps you guessing with twists, tense scenes, and intriguing magic.