3,5⭐️

Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris is an adult historical mystery gothic tale with supernatural elements.

I absolutely loved Sam and Hel, and I would have appreciated reading Hel’s POV as well, but I understand why the author chose not to include it. Hopefully, we’ll see that perspective in the next book, as the ending suggests there will be one.

I found the first part of the book a bit slow for my taste, but I flew through the second half. I also thought the mystery was somewhat predictable, and although it’s marketed as an adult novel, I personally feel it leans closer to YA.

Nonetheless, the setting and the numerous references to classic literature made Strange Beasts a pretty enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery books for the ARC.

This was absolutely one of my favorite reads of 2024. This author brought the character, or more the constant presence, of Moriarty to life in such a true-to-origin way. I loved the exploration of this world in which monsters exist and they aren't a secret. I really enjoyed the development of the main characters. I loved the mystery and the subtle, unexpected romance. I also really enjoyed the exploration of the status of women, particularly smart or talented women. I very much hope that we can expect more to come from the world of Sam and Hel.

I really struggled to finish this, with the world being so intricate, it kept my interest but the plot was just moving so incredibly slowly that I could only read so much in a day.

While I do think this was such an interesting premise, this might just not be the book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inky Phoenix Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The first thing that I did after finishing Strange Beasts was go to the authors page to see if a second novel had already been announced! (There hasn't at the time of this review but I will be checking monthly moving forward.)

This is a really well written book with complex characters, a secret society that hunts monsters and a romance that is not the main focus of the novel. It was full of suspense and twists and turns. I could not put it down. It was such a fast paced novel and a perfect one to read during fall or Halloween.

The novel follows Sam, the daughter of Johnathan and Mina Harker, as she teams up with Helena, Dr. Moriartys' only daughter to track down a mystery serial killer in Paris. I really loved the use of classic horror characters such as Johnathan and Mina Harder, Moriarty and even Van Helping and how all of the characters add to the novel without being the main focus. It felt refreshing to see how Hel and Sam take on their parents legacy to make it something of their own.

I forgot to give feedback for this one, but I really love the cover, and I can't wait to read it when my TBR gets less unwieldy!

I loved this so much!

It was immediately compelling, pulled me right in and didn't let go. Sam and Hel are fantastic characters. I could read them and their push-pull dynamic forever. The evolution of their partnership felt so organic and seamless, just . . . chef's kiss*.

The world and the events unfolded at exactly the right pace. We're given just enough bread crumbs to tease and hint and make you think you have it figured out and then it twists around a corner. You can't help but follow where it leads. The magic and monsters felt both realistic and otherworldly.

Side note: I've never read any of Sherlock's stories and I'm not well-versed in Dracula lore. I know bits and pieces from pop culture but not enough to truly grasp the relationships at play in Sam and Hel's ancestry. BUT, I never felt lost. I didn't need a deep knowledge to enjoy this story and I think that's brilliant.

I can't wait to read more of their adventures!

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Bindery Books, Inky Phoenix Press, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

It's, sadly, a no from me.
I hit a few stumbling blocks early on with this book and never recovered.
The characters:
I'm not sure why they needed to be the daughters of characters from Dracula and Sherlock Holmes - apart from it being a bit fun? Decisions like this should, in my opinion, be essential to the story you're going to tell. I feel like we could have swapped the two MCs out for original characters and could have had the same story without much tweaking.
The characterisation also didn't land for me, as I felt I was being hit over the head with it a little and being told instead of shown aspects of these characters.
The mystery:
I LOVE a mystery. I doubly love a fantasy mystery. Alas, I feel like this story didn't stick closely enough to the usual mystery beats to feel like a satisfying mystery, and it's also difficult to pull off a mystery where the investigators either just know useful information (how convenient!), or are able to get the information through magic without expending much effort themselves. It makes the progress feel a bit unearned.
Compare this to the Tainted Cup, where the MC's magic assists him in solving the mystery but does not reveal anything to him that an attentive reader couldn't have also picked up on.
The prose and voice:
There was nothing wrong with the prose on a technical level. It was all written competently and had obviously been proofed. However (and this is something I found with House of Frank too, which is interesting), there's a quality in the voice that made it difficult for me to connect. I'm struggling to pin down exactly what this is. At best, I can describe it as a slightly immature feeling in the voice. It's possible that it's due to both these books being debuts, and Bindery being a newly established publishing house. Perhaps the authors and editing team are still finding their way. Or, perhaps it's just me! Based on the ratings, plenty of people enjoyed this book.
Thanks to Bindery and NetGalley for the arc.

Welcome to a new chapter in the sagas started in Bram Stoker’s Dracula & Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series.

It’s 1903 & Samantha Harker & Dr. Helena Moriarty live their lives focused on the monsters of the world. Thus far Sam’s specialty has been the library within the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena, but now she’s been assigned to follow Hel from London to Paris to stop a murderous beast that’s terrorizing the city…

The premise of this story is wildly creative, & I definitely want to read a follow-up because I love the dynamic between these two women! The different groups they encounter during their investigations & the vastly varying locations they find themselves in make for a captivating ride; plus the supernatural aspects of the tale were just right.

Thank you very much to NetGalley & Bindery Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

There's definitely an audience for this book, I just think I am not the ideal one. I think I would've enjoyed this more if it weren't relying on combining the worlds of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. The story was strong, but I found I was annoyed that everything hinged on Professor Moriarty being "responsible" for everything that happened. It cheapened everything. If this had been an independent world, which it very easily could've been, it would've been much more unique to me. I liked the characters themselves and the twists and turns of the story, I just could've done without the whining about their parents and how their experiences shaped the protagonists.

A thrilling mash-up of all of your favorite mystery and mystical stories, Strange Beasts is intriguing and keeps readers holding on until the very end!

Really enjoyed this read and felt it was really original by including the descendants of known mystery characters. Would recommend to anyone looking for a mystery with some LGBTQ representation
This book delves into the challenges of family legacy through:
- Samantha Harker, often compared to her mother and questioned about her channeling powers.
- Dr. Helena Moriarty, scrutinized as a pawn of her mysterious criminal father.

What I liked:
- the characters felt real and relateable
- LGBTQ representation
- Intricately woven plot with continuous twists and turns.
- Skillful use of red herrings and character-driven shifts that keep readers guessing until the end.

What I didnt like:
- The pace felt slow and didn’t match the energy of the story. A brisker tempo could have enhanced the overall experience.

3⭐️

For a debut, this was so good! The world was so interesting with a gothic sherlockian vibes. And the main murder mystery was captivating. At some points, the mystery was convoluted and it was hard to follow the story at parts. But overall this was quite enjoyable.

› Dracula and Sherlock Holmes are two of my favourite classics, and I was looking forward to reading a story featuring female main characters. Sadly, the characters fell flat for me. The atmosphere is good, however, as the first book of a series I expected more world-building. Although the writing is repetitive, it is of good quality and the plot keeps the pages turning. I struggled to understand the motivation behind the storytelling. Samantha and Helena are British and Irish, so why were they chosen to investigate a case in France? Why would I care about rich, pompous men who cheat on their wives are being murdered? I didn't understand the tumultuous relationship between Samantha and Jakob and the romantic chemistry between Samantha and Helena was invisible. Despite these criticisms, I had an okay time reading this and look forward to reading the next installment because the concept is compelling.

APPEAL FACTORS
Storyline: plot-driven
Pace: medium
Tone: angsty, mysterious, gruesome
Humour: sarcastic
Writing Style: conversational, dialect-filled
Character: awkward, unlikeable
LGBTQIA+ Representation: queer

Read Alikes:
Lucy Undying by Kiersten White
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner
Where Dreams Descend by Janelia Angeles
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› Final Thoughts
• Strange Beasts is a mysterious gothic story about evil, fear, social struggles, classism, sexism, doubt, instinct, trust, self-acceptance, and love. It leaves us asking what makes a monster. And does the end justify the means? I recommend this book to fans of historical fantasy.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book my dude! THIS BOOK! This should be a movie because of how intricate and detailed it was. I loved the adventure, the gore, gothic and spookiness of this story and how everything interconnects. Even though it has a very seen before kind of story and characters, I see and loved their differences to other characters we have seen before and how their world works. I really liked Sam and Hel together, their unusual and complicated partnership shows us two women that are considered insane or rotten, become the ones that change everything for their world but also, their own lives and what they believed of themselves. This is a feminist call to women to remind us that we can be anything we want even when the world tells us we are historical and NOT MADE FOR something other than being what society thinks we should be. This book was so good and I really hope everyone reads this and loves it as much as I do. This being a movie or a TV series would ABSOLUTELY KILL 🖤

Rating: 4.25⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e[-arc.

Unfortunately I had to dnf this book. I found the book to be very slow paced and this caused me to lose interested and feel slump-like.

Full of mystery, a main character with a seemingly incredible sense of smell (seriously, it is brought up multiple times!), and a family past that involves a rather unfortunate run in with Dracula, I can promise you'll want to keep reading. Oh! And did I mention it's sapphic? The romance isn't necessarily central to the story, in fact, I would say their friendship is moreso.

This feminist tale of adventure, field work, an extremely sucky dad (and brother), and the dangers of underestimating women. Men really can be quite idiotic sometimes. I can promise you that Strange Beasts was chaotic in all of the best ways!

In Strange Beasts, Susan J. Morris brings to life a dark, supernatural Paris where Samantha Harker, daughter of Dracula’s killer, joins forces with Dr. Helena Moriarty, an enigmatic investigator with a deadly reputation. I loved how Morris dives into gothic horror and historical fantasy, weaving an atmospheric blend of mystery and slow-burn romance between Sam and Hel. Her vivid descriptions made Paris both eerie and enchanting, and the sharp, witty dialogue between the leads added humor and tension that kept me hooked​.

While I found some parts a bit packed with plot threads, which could feel slightly overwhelming, overall, Strange Beasts is an immersive read with a powerful gothic allure. Its mix of mystery, complex characters, and feminist themes makes it a fantastic pick for fans of genre-blending fantasy with rich historical settings​.

A very exhilarating atmospheric book with Gothic vibes. A Sapphic story that grab me from the start and didn't let me go up until the end.

So impressed and enamored by Strange Beasts. I loved the nods to the worlds of Dracula and Holmes and appreciated the feminine framing. I did not see the ending coming and am looking forward to the continuation of this series as well as more from Kathryn’s imprint and Susan’s writing.

I had a lot of fun visiting this world of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes, and while I think I had some higher expectations for this book, it's still worth the read.

The writing feels a little too young to be an adult fantasy, and if this was specifically written for teenagers I'd give it a 4 star rating. However, I found it fairly distracting and disappointing to have everything feel very young and dumbed down. I expected this to be much darker and grittier based on the description, which also leads me to think this hits a bit young for me.

The relationship and chemistry also wasn't quite what I needed to believe the romance. I love the concept, but the execution was lacking and felt like it relied on me already knowing they were going to end up together without a ton of effort put in to get them there. Overall I just needed *more*.

The atmosphere is definitely the star of the story, and really sets a great tone for the world the author is using. It's perfectly eerie and full of that familiar paranormal feeling. I would recommend this one to younger readers, or people who are just dipping their toe into gothic fantasy who aren't overly familiar with the genre.