I went into “Monsters and Mainframes” blind, only knowing that it was purported to be a sci fi/horror mash up. It reads like a series of interconnected short stories chronically different voyages hindered by a wide array of classic monsters – from a mummy type, to Chuthlu, to werewolves and vampires. Our protagonists are two AIs - the ship Demeter, and the medical AI – and together they function as an odd buddy pairing as they make attempts to save their various doomed human passengers.

This book was funny, fast-paced, and unafraid to get a little cheesy. It did wear a lot of its influences on its sleeve – some phrases were very reminiscent of Martha Wells’s “Murderbot” series – and its light tone kept things from being too serious. The ‘interconnected short story’ feel both worked to keep things moving, and prevented me from being too invested in individual characters – double-edged sword, there. On the whole, though, I thought this was cute as buttons and very much enjoyed my time with it.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC in return for an honest review,

A creative take on Bram Stoker’s Demeter, the ship that transports Dracula to an England that loses its crew to the beast. In this book, Demeter is a spaceship in the future whose mainframe is artificial intelligence. She realize the guests being transported are being killed and it is Dracula that is the murderer. The next trip she takes is also met with tragedy: a grandmother werewolf is killing off passengers as she escorts her grandchildren across the universe. It takes years to get the grandchildren to Earth and Demeter and the AI doctor are responsible for their wellbeing and education.
Demeter makes more voyages over the years and her passengers are unlucky again and again. Then she is reunited with one of the grandchildren (now grown up), Frankenstein’s monster, an Egyptian mummy, and a drone that has been blamed in the past for Dracula’s massacre. They search for Mina who they believe can help defeat the awful infestation of Dracula from Demeter.

A fun read but not everyone will enjoy this one.

Sheer. Brilliance.

Based on the cover and the blurb, the hopes I had for this were high. Dangerously so. Such hope is usually followed by a fair amount of disappointment. NO. Not here.

I was hoping for a Hitchhiker’s vibe and, boy, did this have it in spades. It was funny, deadpan and gloriously left-field. Completely absorbing in its plot and gripping in its narration from each of the multiple POVs. Who knew I’d be so invested in a slow burn AI romance? Well, probably me if I thought about it.

In case it isn’t clear, I LOVED this. I think it’s a masterpiece. Unique, effortless and utterly fascinating.

First things first, this is not a horror. This is a light sci-fi with some paranormal creatures and a tiny bit of gore, and a healthy dose of humour.
But! Have you been missing Murderbot? Then this book might be for you!
I got so many great Murderbot vibes from this story that I was screaming in delight and kicking my feet!
We follow a socially awkward ship's AI Demeter, that has the misfortune of meeting all of the classic monsters. The premise says Dracula, but you'll encounter many more classic literature monsters other than him.
We also follow a less advanced but more human-oriented medical bay AI.

Across multiple journeys, they meet different people and creatures, try to understand each other, and do their best to keep the crew and the passengers alive.

It is a found family story that made me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. The story was so unique and gripping that I read the entire book in 2 days. Every time I would put the book down, I would continue thinking about it until I gave up and went back to reading.

To be honest, I wish this were a series, because I didn't want the story to end. And as far as endings go, I don't think there's a chance for a sequel.

I'm looking forward to reading more from this author and rereading this book many times.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery books for an eArc in exchange for an honest review!

Demeter is a long-haul spaceship's AI, travelling between Earth and Alpha Centauri B Habitation 004, just trying their best as everything goes horribly wrong. It isn't their fault; it's the humans and organics running around inside them, dying for no sane reason, getting her labelled a ghost ship. Dracula kills all 312 passengers and crew, and now the other ships are bullying them. So begins the curse, with eldritch beings and monstrous horrors consistently messing up what once was a clear and pleasant flight path. And that rude medical robot is not helping things...
'Of Monsters and Mainframes' is a SF adventure blending classic horror with humour as the robotics/AI of the ship attempt to handle things no one at port will believe them about (if they even believe each other). This multi-perspective novel considers morality as Demeter the AI pilot, Steward the medical system, and their passengers work through what defines human or monster, how that figures into set conditions, and what life needs protecting or ending. Piracy, medical experimentation, monster hunts, this book manages to code these elements into a singular joyous narrative of one ship's travels and efforts to protect lives and end threats.
I loved this story. The emotional range caused by this book covered laughing aloud, curious disgust, and sadness. Immediately went to tell those around me how great this book is. It has a slowburn queer romance, found/forged family, and truly lovable ensemble cast.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books/Ezeekat Press for an eARC of this book to review.

Thanks to Bindery Books for providing this eARC!

Of Monsters and Mainframes tells the story of the Demeter, here a sentient AI spaceship in the 2090s and beyond rather than the seafaring Victorian vessel of the original Dracula. After not one but TWO horror movie monsters (Dracula and later his werewolf minion) slaughter 99-100% of her passengers on two different voyages, Demeter… still doesn’t swear vengeance on Dracula, there are like 4 more episodic incidents involving encountering various horror movie monsters first. Gradually, Demeter assembles a ragtag crew of “good guy” monsters, as she grows more in tune with humans and learns to hate what Dracula did to her, and THEN they go after Dracula in the final act of the story. (Pacing which I wish had been hinted at in the summary.)

I found it easiest to summarize my thoughts on this book in a pros and cons list.

Cons: The writing is extremely simple, with short, choppy sentences (this can also be a pro, depending on your taste.) Things clicked into place and made sense when I read that the author comes from interactive fiction, because at times OM&M feels more like reading an outline of an interactive story than a finished, non-interactive story. It’s clearly borrowing a lot from The Murderbot Diaries, but not with the same skill level as that series. There are various plotholes and some tonal confusion (Sometimes deaths are portrayed as serious tragedies, other times we’re joking about the robot characters nailing bodies to the floor). It's a horror crossover mashup, which I wish I'd known going in—it's kind of reminiscent of Disney’s Once Upon a Time. And I wish the non-AI characters were more developed! I reached the end of the book, and still only felt like I had gotten to know Agnus.

Pros: Of Monsters and Mainframes is very sincere and earnest, in a way that feels unusual these days. It’s a great concept on paper, and it’s a fun, cozy, easy read.

In general, I think this book might have worked better as interactive fiction, a middle grade novel, or even a graphic novel. But at least it’s got plenty of heart!

This book is so good! I inhaled it in two days. This is the first of the Bindery imprint books that has truly captured my attention. I was utterly unable to put it down. The vibes are exquisite and the story is so unique. I love the cast of characters and would be delighted to spend more time with them as they travel through the stars.

This book is an absolute TREAT of a book. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going in, but I never could have imagined it would be, well, what it was.

I think not knowing exactly what the expect made this book as enjoyable as it was, and for that reason I'm going to keep this review very light on details.

This is very much a, sit down, strap in and get ready for a wild ride, kinda book. I laughed out loud at points, and other points I almost wanted to cry.

Read this book.

"Assistance required. A human is trying to communicate with me. I hate it when they do that."
RELATABLE! You have no idea how much fun I had while reading this book. Monster mash space opera! AI operated spaceship is the main character and Demeter, that's her name, is doing her best to not get the nickname "ghost ship" but she fails, because there's some weird creatures on her ship killing her passengers. There's Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, some fishy people, werewolves, a Mummy called Steve, Cthuhlu worshipping and stuff. All of the monster stuff that's happening in space was so exciting!
"My humans died. And judging by the lack of nutrient consumed, they died a long time ago."
Okay that was tragic, not the fun part of the book, but the way Demeter is narrating was hilarious most of the time. Also she raises two kids that survived, she keeps them safe and schools them, and on their birthdays she adds extra sweetener in one of the kids nutrient when that kid doesn't want anything, each year! That was so sweet! (Pun intended)
Our beloved/hated monsters reimagined in space with lots of sci-fi and comedy and a bit of horror, some cute spider robots being helpful, AI doctor and AI ship banter, queer romance but not too much, it was just perfect amount for me.
I think at times there was too much going on and couple of pages were slow and dragged for me, but in it's entirety this book was a lovely suprise, even though I expected it to be interesting, it surpassed my expectations.

I loved this premise, but the vibe was so goofy and the humour just did not land for me. I read Sci Fi and Horror but this was not for me. DNF.

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery Books and Ezeekat Press for the ARC!

This book was the good kind of chaotic from start to finish. At no point, was I able to accurately predict what direction the narrative was going to take! This could in part be due to the lack of a designated narrator. I'm sure there is a specific term for this style of writing, but I wouldn't even really call it a multiple narrator situation. Most of the interwoven POV's are so brief that it's harder for the reader to bond with one narrator more than another. If I had to make an educated guess, Demeter holds top spot as the narrator because she kicks us off and guides us through the first half of the story. As a result of this, sometimes the story felt a bit disjointed whenever Demeter was offline for long periods of time.

I completely understand this artistic direction. It ensues more chaos and puts the readers in Demeter's shoes. Quite literally we're trying to put together the puzzle pieces on how these various details fit together.. If the writing style wasn't so witty I would have lost interest in the story for just that reason.

Top points for great comedic dialogue and building out the interpersonal relationships between such a oddity of monsters!

This was just delightful. This book has everything a sci-fi fantasy lover could want - werewolves, vampires, a sassy AI, a friendly AI, adventure, laughter, an emotional support drone. The author even inclues some binary code, and you need to take the time to translate it (use Google, trust me, it's worth it). The author has done an incredible job of pairing classic monsters with the modern boogie man of AI (although in this book, the AI is the good guy). There's also found family - always a favorite.

They weren't kidding when they called this book genre-bending!!

If, "a spaceship computer seems to have all the rotten luck by constantly being the host to random monsters and aliens that keep killing the humans aboard her ship" doesn't intrigue you this isn't the book for you.

Overall I liked this story a lot - it gave me similar fuzzies to The House on the Cerulean Sea - but it wasn't a love for me, mostly because I think I wanted more time with the second trip that Demeter makes! I get why the early trips are overviews but I feel there was a lot of good stories there! Maybe someday we'll get lucky and the author will write a short story about that time with Demeter? I can only hope.

Thank you to Ezeekat Press for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

🚨 New favourite book alert 🚨

I had no idea what to expect going into this book. All I knew is that it had an amazing cover and an interest plot. What a fabulous surprise that I’ve ended up loving this book and immediately wanting to reread it?!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eArc!

Following an unlikely group of paranormal characters, we follow their journey that’s all connected by a spacecraft called Demter and Dracula. Yes, Dracula. I’m not going to summarise the plot as I think it’s best to go into this one not knowing too much, but if you’re a fan of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy or Becky Chambers, then you’ll love this.

Reading this book reminded me how joyful and fun reading is, and I think for a book to do that means it’s pretty special.

If you like the sound of:
- found family
- Sci-fi x horror
- Sarcastic AI’s that will make you laugh
- Cosy (but not really) science fiction
- A vampire, werewolf, Frankenstein and a weird alien species teaming up together to save an AI spacecraft

4.5 Stars
Whoever thought a story with an AI main character could have so much heart? Definitely not me, but I’m so glad to be proven wrong! This book showed love and compassion as I’ve never seen it before all amidst a deep space adventure. There was even a sequence of events towards the beginning of the book that was simultaneously making me laugh and cry from the mix of heart and shenanigans.

Now for the characters. Demeter is an AI supercomputer programmed to fly passenger ships through space. Steward is an AI programmed for human interaction as an on-ship doctor. The dynamic between the two was hilarious and heartwarming with witty banter and well-timed quips. The various human and monster characters aboard the ship fed into the humor and adventure.

I just had so much fun reading this book with it’s adventure mystery and various classic monsters. It’s rare when a silly space adventure with this much going on can be done so well. The mystery was gripping, the humor had me laughing out loud, and the serious parts had me actually crying. I loved how much queer representation was present in a setting that was queer normative. I did not want to put this one down and can’t wait for more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery for the opportunity to read and review this book early! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm really grateful to the me that clicked on the synopsis because if I hadn't I never would've picked this up. It's not a cover that calls out to me but after having read the book, it fits the vibes so perfectly - a funky, chaotic good, colorful space opera.


Our story starts with an AI. Her name is Demeter and she's programmed to man this intergalactic spaceship that goes to and fro on a well-travelled route. One day, she wakes up; her passengers are all dead and she finds out that Dracula had boarded her ship and killed everyone. Except no one believes her when she writes it up in her report, including the AI of the medical unit on the ship - Dr. Steward.

Demeter wants to start anew, she wants to forget this mass killing that took place on her ship and continue to embark on her travels well. But curiously, that event kickstarts a chain of paranormal murders on her ship that no one believes the monsters to be culprits and waters it down to a system error. They're saying it's Demeter's fault and she's baffled and confused. Because no human believes her, because she doesn't want a bad rep, because she doesn't want to be bullied by other ships as a ghost ship, because she doesn't want to be destroyed down to metal, she decides to tackle the issue head on and puts Dracula as her highest priority. She will hunt him down.

The part of the story that made me fall in love with it, the one that gripped me into never putting this book down until I finished it was Demeter. She was an adorably anxious AI and I loved her. Ever since the beginning, her awkward fervor spread and I could feel her every emotion - sadness, confusion, authoritative, obedient, love. And I think it's a true testament of the author's writing to be able to make the reader feel how an AI would feel.

Four stars because the story did lose its grip on me half way in, but mannn, I read this in one day. It was so good and fast paced with bite-sized chapters, funny chapter titles, distinctive and lovable characters. I loved Demeter, I loved Dr. Stew and all the biologically diverse crew of classic monsters aboard that found warmth and love and friendship in each other.



Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an unexpected surprise. I loved everything about this book. Found family books are among my favorite, but this one managed to make the motliest of crews into a squishy group of lovable characters. I was hooked from the very first chapter on the premise of old fashioned monsters in space. The action was fun, the humor was strong, and the characters were unforgettable.

This book was so cute! Who would’ve thought a book about computers and the supernatural would work as well as this did! I loved all the characters, and even the robotic, artificial characters had heart. I loved how the author added little details like binary code for chapters written in the pov of computers (which actually translated to real sentences!) and I loved how this book was actually funny! I would definitely read another book but Barbara Truelove and recommend this to anyone!

First of all, thank you NetGalley and Bindery Books for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun read! I loved the multiple POVs and especially reading from the perspective of two different AIs and multiple other non-human characters. These were really well done and you could clearly see the different characteristics. The combination of all these different characters provided some fun interactions as well.

I do think the pacing could have been a little bit better. While the beginning was interesting and captivating, I think it went on a bit too long. I would have loved to read a bit more about the characters once we really got to know them.

Other than that, I would definitely recommend this fun, kinda campy, sci-fi/fantasy novel!

Demeter just wants to do her job—ferrying humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri, easy peasy. Except… her passengers keep ending up dead. And no, it’s not some system glitch or space flu—these are full-on paranormal murders, starting when a very old, very cranky vampire boards her ship and turns it into a cosmic crime scene.

To avoid getting decommissioned, Demeter teams up with the most iconic group of spacefaring monsters you can imagine:

🧛 A brooding vampire with unfinished business

🧟‍♂️ A Frankenstein-coded engineer built from the dead

🐺 A werewolf who is very done with this nonsense

👑 A pharaoh with mysterious powers

🕷️ And a whole swarm of chipper spider drones who deserve their own spin-off
Together, this ragtag crew faces off against the OG bloodsucker himself—Dracula. No big deal.

If you're a fan of Project Hail Mary or The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, this is your next favorite read. It’s got heart, hilarity, and just the right amount of horror. What I loved was how the story flips the script—these legendary "monsters" aren’t the villains. They’re the ones stepping up, trying to save lives (and their ship), all while dealing with their own inner chaos.

And Demeter? The AI POV is gold. Right from the jump, her internal monologue had me:
"I check for heat signatures. Nothing. Oh. They’re all dead. Well. That’s awkward.”😭
She’s snarky, loyal, and surprisingly emotional as the story unfolds. Her perspective adds so much humanity (ironic, I know) to a tale packed with found family, grief, rage, and hope.

Was the middle a little draggy? Yeah. But not in a “let me skim” way—more in a “we’re cruising through space and having some feelings” kind of way. It still kept me hooked.

At its core, Of Monsters and Mainframes is the queer love child of classic sci-fi and pulp horror—with a beautiful message about what it means to be labeled a monster, and how connection, community, and chosen family are what make us human.

Final thoughts:
 I came for Dracula-in-space, and I stayed for the chaotic AI and her emotionally complex monster squad.

A huge thank you to Barbara Truelove, Colored Pages Book Tour, Netgalley, and Bindery Books for the ARC. Of Monsters and Mainframes comes out June 3rd!