› 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.

This book had a lot of really compelling elements that never felt fully realized. I felt the Paris setting was a good choice but the story was never able to really make me feel like we were in Paris. Same for the characters- could have been really great if we were given even the slightest bit of substance to hold onto. This felt very plot heavy with lots of running around and very few character moments. I was disappointed in the supposed sapphic relationship. I think the seeds for a great story were there but that it just missed the growing season to leave us with a stunted version of what it could have been.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I liked this, but not as much as I hoped I would. There was something about the writing that didn't quite click for me from the first page, and that made it hard to really immerse myself in the story. I adore the premise, though, and I think other readers will enjoy this more than I did. I do think the gothic/mystery vibes were really well done, and I will definitely check out whatever Susan J. Morris writes in the future.

Thank you to Bindery Books and Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun supernatural mystery!

I thought it'd be much darker, but that's okay. I needed something a lot less heavy to balance out my usual dark fantasies. It also reads more YA than adult, so take that in mind before diving into the novel.

I loved how the author basically wrote a fanfic with the adult children of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes characters that we know and love. She really managed to make it her own while also immersing readers into a world full of supernatural creatures that live among humans. The historical period this is set in (early 1900s) was also a really neat touch that gave more depth to the story, so it didn't feel like the usual urban fantasy.

The mystery was pretty easy to figure out and the romance felt sort of random, but I won't hate too much. Like I said, this was more of a lighthearted read, so my expectations weren't super high.

Here's hoping there's a follow-up, maybe?? I fell in love with Sam and Dr. Moriarty and would love to read another installment, especially with the big and little twists near the end.

Thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley for this arc.

I love the concept and the pitch. Maybe Sherlock Holmes style mysteries are not for me because I struggled with the pacing. It felt painfully slow in parts and I wished the romance was a bit stronger. Just more flirting.
I do think the vibes are immaculate.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a good read and I am thankful I got to read an arc! Dark academia vibes are almost ALWAYS a win for me, and this definitely falls into that category.

A fresh new take mixing the buddy cop genre, paranormal romance, and Victorian pastiche. For readers looking for plot-heavy romance mysteries, especially those who enjoy Sherlock Holmes, Dracula or both.

Strange Beasts was a monster filled romp filled with strong female characters. In other words, right up my alley. This definitely delivered on the darkly atmospheric hype. I liked how well the familiar tales of characters like Moriarty, Dracula, and Van Helsing were spun in new ways. I do wish we had learned more about Sam’s mysterious grandfather but maybe that will be explored more in later books. I also wish the relationships between characters had been explored a bit more. I think there could have been a little more tension between Sam and Hel and the history behind Van Helsing and Sam could have been explored further too. Overall a fun historical mystery read though.
Thanks to Bindery and NetGalley for the ARC!

I flew through Strange Beasts so quickly that you would think that the beast itself was chasing me.

Hypnotizingly atmospheric, this book toes the line between darkness of humor perfectly. I find it hard to find books that are right up my alley but Susan J. Morris' Strange Beasts is one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I mean, a sapphic combination of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes? Sign me up!

We follow the grimly determined Samantha Harker, a researcher at the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena in London during the 20th century. And she is hiding a massive secret, one that can upend her life as she knows it. In this world of magic, monsters, and alchemy, we navigate the dangers of being different as Sam dares to go out of her comfort zone. Along with Hel, who is a mysterious enigma just begging to be solved, the readers are taken for a grisly ride.

This book was everything I hoped for it to be and more. It kept me on my toes the entire time and immersed me in a strange and new world. It makes use of different fantastical elements seamlessly that it feels like you've always known that world existed. The same sentiment can be applied to the characters who feel so human and tangible that I just wanted to reach out and give them a big hug (or a big warning). You never stop rooting for Sam and Hel and their motivations. They have their distinct differences and yet they still have that thread that connects them, which is always an intriguing concept to explore.

To anyone with a soft spot for macabre gothic stories, keep an eye out for Strange Beasts because it is definitely something worth your time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery Books for providing me with an E-ARC of the book!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an aRC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I gotta be honest.... I thought this was a YA and also that it was POC, specifically with Black girls. I guess I never got a good look at the cover. I didn't even realize the women were on it until I looked it up myself. It's hard to see what they look like with the little netgalley widget. Regardless, I did enjoy this book after I looked up more about it and understood who I was reading about. The characters and the plot were very interesting and I did enjoy Sam and Hel as characters. I'm a litle confused by the Plot Twist at the end??? Like... what??? And I'm also a little sad that tis is apparently going to be a series. I'd hoped it was a stand alone but I will read the next installment.

I thought this was a book with really great ideas, but I didn’t love the execution. The premise of Mina and Jonathan Harker’s daughter partnering with Professor Moriarty’s daughter to solve supernatural crimes? Top notch. But I never fell in the love with the characters. I never felt the chemistry between them. I ended up respecting what the author tried to do without really enjoying it fully.

In this book, we find our characters in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Paris. Samantha is the daughter of Dracula's killer, working at the Royal Society of the Study of Abnormal Phenomena alongside members of the Van Helsing and Moriarty families. These literary worlds come together when Samantha begins working on a case with Dr. Helena Moriarty that takes them to elite Parisian clubs to the tunnels and catacombs beneath the city while trying to stop a Beast on a killing spree. The relationship between Hel and Sam is tenuous, as Hel's previous partners on cases have mysteriously all perished. Can they trust each other and become friends along the way? Is there room for more?

I loved the moodiness and worldbuilding in this story. I was fully immersed in the story and had a tough time putting it down! The twists and turns were exciting and propulsive. The relationships between characters were well-written. The ending left me wanting more and hoping for a sequel!