Writing this review seems bittersweet, as I've loved this series since I picked it up, and now it's over. I thought this was a good way to round out the series (and possibly set up for future sequels?). This book was heavy on the heaven/hell politics, which I admit wasn't my favorite part of the past novels, but it was still very enjoyable. I miss all the characters already.

This is the continuing story of Dr. Greta Helsing, London's foremost doctor for the strange and unusual. In this volume, Greta agrees to go on a research trip to New York, because since the very near end of the world, and the treaty between Heaven and Hell that averted the end of the world, it seems that angels and demons can't really work together, because as it turns out, they are... uhhhhhh literally allergic to each other.

Strange things are happening among the strange and unusual of New York City, and it might have something to do with the new treaty, and the old hostilities between Heaven and Hell.

I love the Greta Helsing books. They are always such a good time, and this one is no exception. I ended up getting the audiobook of this one, and giving it a listen as I loved the three previous audiobooks in the series. Catrin Walker-Booth narrates this one fantastically. I believe she is a different narrator from the first three books in the series, but honestly I didn't really notice. She did a great job!

Greta is such a great character. She handles even the strangest things with ease. I also love her relationship with Varney. There's little to no stress between them when Greta is getting calls from angels or demons, or suddenly needing to triage a whole bunch of nosferatu, or he's needing to go out to take care of his very specific diet.

All told, I liked this one. I didn't love it as much as the first three, however just having more of this world and these characters was exciting, so I give this one 4.5/5 stars!

The Great Helsing series has been a total thrill for me and this final entry is just right as a finisher. I loved watching her romance with her beloved vampyre while all the chaos ensues. I also loved the humanizing of the angels and the tone of the writing is as excellent as ever. Far worth the read.

I’ve really loved the Greta Helsing series—it’s cozy, clever, and full of heart. Strange New World was another fun adventure with the team, and I enjoyed seeing more of Heaven this time around after so much time in Hell. I was gearing up for a big road trip with the characters (as the synopsis suggests), but there actually isn’t much of one.

That said, as the final book in the series, it felt a bit disconnected. A big character moment (Greta getting married!) happens off-page, and the ending didn’t feel like much of a conclusion. It could’ve easily continued for several more books—and honestly, I wish it had. This series has always read more like cozy fantasy—some action, but never anything that makes you feel truly stressed.

This installment was probably my least favorite of the series. Still, the world and characters are special, and I’d happily read more from Vivian Shaw in the future. Just don’t expect big action scenes—this series is more about quiet magic than chaos.

Requesting and receiving an ARC of Strange New World by Vivian Shaw was a delightful accident. The description of Dr. Greta Helsing—doctor to supernatural beings from Heaven to Hell to the Prime Material Plane—immediately appealed to this brand-new doctor trying to find her own way in the world. Little did I know this was actually book four in Greta Helsing's story.

Despite not having read the earlier books in the series, I thoroughly enjoyed this installment. After the Great Reset, there’s a tenuous peace between Heaven and Hell, and the angels and demons who dwell there. In the spirit of the new accords between the two realms, Dr. Helsing is tasked with taking an angel and a demon on a cross-country field trip to evaluate the feasibility of supernatural cooperation on Earth. But something dark is lurking—targeting supernatural beings—and once again, Dr. Helsing finds herself at the center of the conflict.

I loved Shaw’s writing style and how seamlessly she wove the narrative. Even without the context of the previous books, the multiple storylines introduced early on converged beautifully. The characters were full of depth and personality (Harlach and Haliel <3)—I adored every bit of it!

Overall, I’m so glad to have discovered this series, and I can’t wait to start from the beginning to see how Dr. Helsing became the person she is in Strange New World. Thank you to Vivian Shaw, Orbit Books, and NetGalley for the eARC!

#DrGretaHelsing #StrangeNewWorld #VivianShaw #NetGalley #ARC

Thank you Orbit books and Netgalley for the ARC! I didn't realize this was the 4th book in a series when I requested this so going into it was a bit confusing. I DNF'ed this book at about 31%. The book didn't pull me in and I feel like we were still too much in the beginning at 31%. I needed something more fast-paced so this wasn't for me. I wish I had a better time since the blurb was super interesting. I may get into this at a later time if I'm up for it

All the Dr. Greta Helsing books have serious business going on under a light coating of froth; for my money, "Strange New World" is the standout so far.

It's like this: After the events of book 3, Heaven and Hell have detente, aka the infernocelestial Accords, so everything should be peachy, except of course that it isn't. Heaven's signatory, the archangel Gabriel, is increasingly self-isolated and irritable, and someone's shooting poisoned darts, which inconvenience angels but land demons in Erebus General Hospital. Oh, and the blip in reality resulting from the near termination of the universe last time has produced some data anomalies that have drawn attention from a brainy researcher: coverup urgently required.

How often do you happen across a plot that is simultaneously (a) scary and fun; (b) a MacGuffin in its entirety? I can't do more than hint at the payoff without spoiling the whole thing, so I'll leave it at this: Keep an eye on the angel Adariel. And when you're finished reading, see if you don't find yourself with the phrase "I am that I am" rattling around in your head like the world's most philosophical earworm.

Thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Strange New World is such a beautifully written novel. While I didn’t read the other books, it was still providing enough backstory to follow characters. Overall it is a novel that offers a character driven plot with developed characters that grab onto your soul and leave you feeling haunted. It wasn’t a action packed novel but it still leaves you wanting more page after page.

This book was the weirdest thing I've read in a while but in a great way! Super original and well thought out. The pacing was perfect. I will be reading more of this author.

You know who is doing the poison darts, and you know if the angel and demon are allergic on earth. So what's the point of the rest of this book?

This feels like a storyline that they just couldn't fit into another book.

Theres no climax

Most of the conversations feel like they don't progress the storyline.

This story could have been cut in half and nothing would have changed.

Strange New World is the latest in the Dr. Greta Helsing series by Vivian Shaw. In this story Helsing and her vampire husband leave their English home and head to the New World aka New York City with an Angel and Demon along for the ride to see if the two can work together without causing chaos and severe allergic reactions in each other. I love how Shaw works in medical conditions like strep-throat for banshees with Helsing’s medical practice for cryptids and her larger world narrative that involves demons and angels is also intriguing. This one with its humor about Angels and Demons working together will delight those who enjoyed the Terry Pratchett co-written novel and its spinoff streaming series, Good Omens. This continues to be one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series.

Strange New World by Vivian Shaw was a great read,
Her writing is smart, humorous and she keeps the story moving.
This was absolutely fabulous and I loved everything about it.
I was just so entertained throughout the entire story.

This quickly became a favorite series for me and this installment, like the others, did not disappoint. All of the wit, charm, and heart was present, as always. Greta and friends had a new adventure / predicament to deal with. I know this was marketed as the final installment, but I truly hope to see more of Greta and her friends in the future.

I highly recommend for fans of paranormal urban fantasy who enjoy some snark and wit.

Who doesn't enjoy a book with a host of supernatural creatures, angels, demons, and humans to boot. This book has a bit of everything going on, and yet it doesn't feel overwhelming with what it has going on. I will make a note, this is book 4 in a series, and though the plot stands on it's own, I find it does rely on knowing what happened in the past books. Plus it is the conclusion, so I recommend the others first.

In this installment, we find the angels and demons have signed accords to try and collaborate instead of always being at odds with each other. However, they are each unable to visit each other's realms because they are allergic. In order to continue communications, a plan is hatched to go on a road trip across America with Dr Helsing and her husband in tow to monitor their progress.

There is also someone targeting the angels and demons, perhaps to try and stir the pot again or perhaps to see what damage they can do. There are mysterious darts flying about and a poisoned knives. Dr Helsing will have to try and figure out what is going on before the accords fall apart or worse.

I didn't realize this was the conclusion, but when I was into a few chapters, I knew this is a series that is worth reading from the start. I will be collecting these before I compromise to a full review, but from the writing style, wacky defiance of hell and heaven spending time together on a joirney to study their allergy, it sounds really promising one. Plus Dr. Helsing is a great character.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

The title of this novel is quite the accurate one as the angels and demons try to navigate coexistence. There's a slight problem though, they are literally allergic to each other in Heaven and Hell. This hatches the idea of volunteering Greta on a road trip through America. Can angels and demons co-exist in the mortal realm? Both the demons and the angels select a candidate to be studied while on their trip. Does the premise sound bizarre? Yes, and Greta fully agrees it is, however, she and Varney embark on the journey together. But their research barely begins when supernaturals begin suffering horrible consequences from a new adversary. Greta and Varney will have to triage a whole host of creatures and figure out what in the world is going on.

The strange new world where demons and angels work together is a hard concept for some characters to understand. And the take Vivian Shaw has on why the demons fell from heaven is delightful, putting an intrinsic spin on an old tale. The difficulty in trying to understand new and evolving beliefs is explored, and there are grievous mistakes made along the way in gaining full understanding. But it all adds to the mystery and tension in the story.

And let's not pass up the fact that the angel and demon who were volunteered to travel with Greta are quite the team up of personalities. Orlax has the attitude of a teenager who would rather surf on their phone than do work. Whereas Adarial is anxious but eager to be a helpful angel trying to understand the modern world. After all, he was only created after the events of the previous novel. Both have parts to play in the reveal of mystery and take very different yet compelling journeys of self discovery.

Strange New World is a bit slower to develop than the previous novels but introduces new creatures and possibilities for the series. And it does not disappoint bringing humor and the theme of found family to the writing once again. There are cozy vibes, yet high stakes, and fans of the fantasy genre will love this series.

Greta Helsing is back! I didn't know what to expect in this book, because really, where do you go after [spoilers for the first trilogy] foiling the apocalypse and getting married to vampyre Sir Francis Varney? Well, it turns out that the new détente between Heaven and Hell is just a little bit grating, so Greta is impressed into service by escorting a baby angel and an adolescent demon around America. But things never go as Greta thinks (hopes?) they will, and there's a new infernocelestial political conundrum to solve.

It's a pleasure to be back in Greta's world of supernatural creatures. There's an underlying mystery for Greta and Co. to solve - someone has been attacking demons, vampires, werewolves, etc. for no discernible motive - but it's not that mysterious for the reader. This wasn't an issue for me, at least, because I was having a great time reacquainting myself with my favorite characters (archdemon Fass is high on my list) and forming new ones (Adariel the baby angel is a real cutie pie!).

The book plays with one of my favorite fantasy themes: when "evil" characters are the "good guys." (I think I was conditioned by Dragonlance at a young age.) I also love Greta's practical, competent character and the goodheartedness of almost everyone else, even the nosferatu NYC crime lord.

I highly recommend reading in order and at least the first 3 books in the series before reading this one. You can probably skip the novella between books 3 and 4, but why would you want to??

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

A somewhat-labored end(?) to a much-loved series | I stumbled across book one, somehow, the week it was first published, and have been an evangelist for the series ever since. The bridging 3.5 got my hopes up, and the announcement of Strange New World satisfied them, though the specific reference to it as the conclusion still makes me sad. The book fits tonally with the rest of the series. The empathy and humor, the basic heart of it is right here, and I'm so glad to have gotten the opportunity to read it. Subject matter, though, does take the turn that book 3 began and really hit the gas. The series was not originally angels and demons, and I have to admit that I find the Heaven v Hell focus significantly less compelling than the creatures of the world focus of the first two books. There's very little Varney here, really, almost no Ruthven, and to be honest, not really that much Greta aside from her active medical work. I miss them, and I miss their being the core. With that, I think a good 100 pages could have been easily edited out, possibly more. This is a 400 page book in which people have a lot of conference calls, meetings, conversations across desks and around tables, but it's not a very active book. And the eventual 'culprit', if I can put it that way, as well as their method and motivation, were all blindingly clear from the last page of chapter 3. So for everything to be about procedure and protocol and how to report to one's boss...it could have used tightening up. That said, I was still happy to be back in this world, and to be warmed by the generous natures of the characters in it. The series gets a strong recommendation from me. Start with book 1 and go right through until you're caught up and looking forward to what Shaw produces next.

Advanced Reader Copy provided free of charge, which did not impact my review.

These books have such a special place in my heart. I discovered them as a result of getting approved for Bitter Waters from Netgalley and I devoured them at the end of last year. This was a satisfying conclusion. I will miss this series very much.

Heaven and Hell have come to some Accords, now that we have moved beyond the near earth-shattering end of the world. There will, of course, always be some differences between them, but the biggest hurdle in angels and demons working together is that they are allergic to one another. Archdemon Fastitocalon convinces Dr Greta Helsing to take a research trip to New York City with an angel and a demon in tow to study the effects of their close interaction. Greta is delighted that her husband, vampire Sir Francis Varney is coming along as well. Unfortunately, there's a nasty business with some angels and demons getting shot by darts and a prophet-like fellow running around.

It's always a delight to pick up a new book in a series that's quickly become a comfort read for me. I loved this new adventure with Greta and her friends and the new mystery they face in this book. The irreverent intersections of Heaven and Hell, and the challenging of faith (especially that of Archangel Gabriel), provide excellent philosophical conversation through angel Adariel and demon Orlax, Greta's research subjects.

This is a series you have to read in order, but I cannot recommend it enough for anyone who loves a little paranormal with their fantasy. And if the first book feels a little slow with the characters slower to develop, just reach for the second book, because the character work gets better and better with each!