What do you think?
Fellow Creatures
Shannon Bell is a nobody. But she can act.
So when she's accepted into one of London's most elite drama schools, it feels like her chance at a life that's far from her drab home town.
There, Shannon meets dazzling, wealthy, beautiful Victoria. The two become inseparable, Victoria the shining centre of Shannon's new world.
And suddenly, Shannon is no longer a nobody. Instead, she's on the inside, part of Victoria's exclusive set of promising young somethings. They spend their days competing for roles, and their nights vying for each other's affections.
But when Victoria's privilege begins to single her out from her peers, Shannon finds their friendship - and her jealousy - spinning out of control, with fatal consequences.
So when she's accepted into one of London's most elite drama schools, it feels like her chance at a life that's far from her drab home town.
There, Shannon meets dazzling, wealthy, beautiful Victoria. The two become inseparable, Victoria the shining centre of Shannon's new world.
And suddenly, Shannon is no longer a nobody. Instead, she's on the inside, part of Victoria's exclusive set of promising young somethings. They spend their days competing for roles, and their nights vying for each other's affections.
But when Victoria's privilege begins to single her out from her peers, Shannon finds their friendship - and her jealousy - spinning out of control, with fatal consequences.
398 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
March 28, 2026
(4.5) Oh, this is a juicy, moreish, devour-it-as-fast-as-you-can book. It’s a classic setup: a character study about an ordinary student’s obsessive, psychosexual relationship with a wealthier, more glamorous, and extremely fickle classmate. The publishers are comparing it, inevitably, to Saltburn; for me,
And He Shall Appear
and
Social Creature
spring to mind as obvious comparisons (and of course all of these are drawing from the Talented Mr Ripley playbook). Emma Lowther’s version transposes the action to a London drama school, a pressure-cooker environment where everyone is already pretending to be some amped-up version of themselves.
As with so many of these types of stories, class is a factor here, but Lowther’s approach is a good example of how such stories are (in general, I think) moving towards a slightly more nuanced interpretation of the theme. Shannon isn’t the only ‘outsider’ in her friendship group, and the terms of her acceptance are governed by her obsession-object Victoria’s capriciousness more than anything else. Speaking of which, Lowther is very good at writing people you want to recoil from: a scene where Victoria berates everyone is so awful I was wincing away from the book, and Shannon gets into an ill-judged relationship that’s honestly nauseating to read about.
For all its drama, the plot is played refreshingly straight, which meant I found myself wrongfooted in unusual ways, expecting twists that never came. This works in the book’s favour – in fact, the one twist I had anticipated is one the book could have done without, slightly crossing the line from entertaining drama into implausibility. For the most part, Fellow Creatures doesn’t need narrative curveballs, because the Shannon-Victoria friendship/rivalry/amour fou is enough of a delicious feast on its own. Four and a half bright green stars.
I received an advance review copy of Fellow Creatures from the publisher through NetGalley.
As with so many of these types of stories, class is a factor here, but Lowther’s approach is a good example of how such stories are (in general, I think) moving towards a slightly more nuanced interpretation of the theme. Shannon isn’t the only ‘outsider’ in her friendship group, and the terms of her acceptance are governed by her obsession-object Victoria’s capriciousness more than anything else. Speaking of which, Lowther is very good at writing people you want to recoil from: a scene where Victoria berates everyone is so awful I was wincing away from the book, and Shannon gets into an ill-judged relationship that’s honestly nauseating to read about.
For all its drama, the plot is played refreshingly straight, which meant I found myself wrongfooted in unusual ways, expecting twists that never came. This works in the book’s favour – in fact, the one twist I had anticipated is one the book could have done without, slightly crossing the line from entertaining drama into implausibility. For the most part, Fellow Creatures doesn’t need narrative curveballs, because the Shannon-Victoria friendship/rivalry/amour fou is enough of a delicious feast on its own. Four and a half bright green stars.
I received an advance review copy of Fellow Creatures from the publisher through NetGalley.
![Profile Image for ⭑𓂃 mia [semi-hiatus].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1779723259i/171595914._UY200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
Want to Read
June 23, 2026͙͘͡★ pre-release .ᐟ
this was pitched to me as a sapphic if we were villains. GIVE IT TO ME ALREADY
this was pitched to me as a sapphic if we were villains. GIVE IT TO ME ALREADY
July 24, 2026
3.5
This was a nice surprise, a mix between The Secret History and When We Were Villains, two books that I did not like. Somehow though, Fellow Creatures managed to pull me softly into the story, phrase by phrase until I was mesmerized with the characters.
This was a story about toxic friendships, obsessing over perfection, fixating on a colleague until hell breaks loose.
What I absolutely loved was the writing. I was eating up every single word and it was so so slow. This rarely happens, for me to enjoy a slow story with little to no action about college students learning how to act while being consumed also by their private lives and traumas. What a fabulous dark academia story.
It is marketed as a thriller I think, or a mystery. And while there is definitely something wrong with our main character, I found the story to be more literary fiction with troubled, unhinged characters (yes, multiple). It could have been a thriller with a more dark ending after all that foreshadowing, but it was not.
I can only give it 3.5 stars because it was definitely longer that needed to be, especially in the middle, the "incident" was too mild and the ending disappointing for me. But still a GOOD read!
This was a nice surprise, a mix between The Secret History and When We Were Villains, two books that I did not like. Somehow though, Fellow Creatures managed to pull me softly into the story, phrase by phrase until I was mesmerized with the characters.
This was a story about toxic friendships, obsessing over perfection, fixating on a colleague until hell breaks loose.
What I absolutely loved was the writing. I was eating up every single word and it was so so slow. This rarely happens, for me to enjoy a slow story with little to no action about college students learning how to act while being consumed also by their private lives and traumas. What a fabulous dark academia story.
It is marketed as a thriller I think, or a mystery. And while there is definitely something wrong with our main character, I found the story to be more literary fiction with troubled, unhinged characters (yes, multiple). It could have been a thriller with a more dark ending after all that foreshadowing, but it was not.
I can only give it 3.5 stars because it was definitely longer that needed to be, especially in the middle, the "incident" was too mild and the ending disappointing for me. But still a GOOD read!
September 7, 2026
I should have DNF’D this. I get the Illumicrate Mindsight thriller subscription. TBH the edition is beautiful and the cover made me excited to read this.
However this is not a thriller whatsoever. Without the use of the C word and a few forced sexual moments this should be classed as YA. The main character is a wet lettuce and a doormat. You spend most of the book in a drama class with unlikeable characters.
I know reading is subjective but as a thriller lover this is most certainly not one.
However this is not a thriller whatsoever. Without the use of the C word and a few forced sexual moments this should be classed as YA. The main character is a wet lettuce and a doormat. You spend most of the book in a drama class with unlikeable characters.
I know reading is subjective but as a thriller lover this is most certainly not one.
May 28, 2026
*thank you to netgalley & quercus books for the advance copy*
5/5
anything that’s described as being similar to saltburn has my immediate attention. i personally would describe fellow creatures as the love child of saltburn & mean girls.
emma lowther’s debut novel follows shannon, a quiet, kind of shy, weird girl through her tumultuous time at a london drama school & her infatuation with her best friend, victoria.
i devoured this book, its well written, wildly addictive & unputdownable - a must holiday pool-side read.
5/5
anything that’s described as being similar to saltburn has my immediate attention. i personally would describe fellow creatures as the love child of saltburn & mean girls.
emma lowther’s debut novel follows shannon, a quiet, kind of shy, weird girl through her tumultuous time at a london drama school & her infatuation with her best friend, victoria.
i devoured this book, its well written, wildly addictive & unputdownable - a must holiday pool-side read.
January 7, 2026
A dazzling debut. This tale of obsession leaked off the page and burrowed deep within me. Beautifully written, perfectly plotted and utterly addictive. Everything you’d want from dark academia & more x
August 24, 2026
The blurb’s ‘promising young somethings’ calls to Evelyn Waugh’s Vile Bodies, and we can let that stand, though dialling it down on the satire, ‘Fellow Creatures’ is bleak in a wholly different way. ‘My life is a clerical error’ is how Emma Lowther’s protagonist Shannon introduces herself.
If you’ve read And He Shall Appear by Kate van der Borgh, subtract the supernatural element and you’ll recognise the naïf-idolising-the-darling set-up; a stalwart of stage, screen and page in both Adult and YA genres. Personally, it would take much to topple M. L. Rio’s If We Were Villains in YA, but Shannon’s narrative voice strikes a tone of confessional intimacy that easily lulls the reader with its lyricism, stark as it is. (‘There was no competition. There never had been. By birthright, she’d already won.’)
Yet, we’ve no excuse to fall for this stupefying lyricism Lowther affects. Shannon told us before we started reading her story that, ‘I’ve always known there’s something wrong with me.’ Her inner monologuing is fit for Lady Macbeth:
To that end, all of Emma Lowther’s dialogue could be written for the stage. And she presents some genuinely stunning set pieces. The three-way set piece she stages in Rome is horrifying, and stands testament to just how accomplished the author is when it comes to characterisation; only a master craftswoman could keep me rivetted enough to keep reading, sickened and recoiling.
Discussions of class serve to mask deviously Highsmithian prefiguring. Dramatic irony in full flush is at play throughout the plot as characters unknowingly discuss its crisis point:
If you’ve read And He Shall Appear by Kate van der Borgh, subtract the supernatural element and you’ll recognise the naïf-idolising-the-darling set-up; a stalwart of stage, screen and page in both Adult and YA genres. Personally, it would take much to topple M. L. Rio’s If We Were Villains in YA, but Shannon’s narrative voice strikes a tone of confessional intimacy that easily lulls the reader with its lyricism, stark as it is. (‘There was no competition. There never had been. By birthright, she’d already won.’)
Yet, we’ve no excuse to fall for this stupefying lyricism Lowther affects. Shannon told us before we started reading her story that, ‘I’ve always known there’s something wrong with me.’ Her inner monologuing is fit for Lady Macbeth:
‘You’ve had stories bred into you since your mother first peered into your crib and whispered songs of grizzly picnics and twinkling stars, blind mice and carving knives.’
To that end, all of Emma Lowther’s dialogue could be written for the stage. And she presents some genuinely stunning set pieces. The three-way set piece she stages in Rome is horrifying, and stands testament to just how accomplished the author is when it comes to characterisation; only a master craftswoman could keep me rivetted enough to keep reading, sickened and recoiling.
Discussions of class serve to mask deviously Highsmithian prefiguring. Dramatic irony in full flush is at play throughout the plot as characters unknowingly discuss its crisis point:
‘She rested her chin on my shoulder. “Well, Shanny-boo, we’re all on our set paths now. You are you and I am me. We grew up where we grew up, we know who we know, and we are who we are.” She squeezed my middle and I suddenly felt like I was in the grip of a snake. “And throwing out a few lines in a play or learning a new accent isn’t going to change that.”’I can’t help but think (ex-English teacher that I am) that this would be a great modern text to study under the ‘Outsider’ theme in A2-Level English Lit. Every character bears analysis in terms of this theme, not just our two leading females. The Dame Maggie Smith epigraph before the prologue is a snippety assessment the entire plot:
‘The time onstage is easier than the rest of one’s existence. At least for those two and a half hours, you can be quite sure who you are.’Huge thanks to Quercus books and NetGalley for the pleasure of reading.
July 23, 2026
Consider my Red Rising hangover officially cured!!! 💜
Fellow Creatures was such an unexpectedly fun read. Somebody needs to turn this into an HBO series because I would binge-watch the entire thing in a weekend.
This isn’t the type of book I usually gravitate towards. It’s a contemporary psychological drama, with no fantasy or supernatural elements, and yet I was completely hooked from beginning to end.
At its heart, this is a story about identity: about the need to be seen, the danger of defining yourself through other people’s approval, and what happens when your sense of self begins to feel threatened by someone who seems effortlessly better than you.
The setting, a prestigious drama school in London, is the perfect backdrop for those ideas. The world of acting, performance, ambition, and competition naturally blurs the line between who people really are and the roles they play, and the novel takes full advantage of that. Everything feels incredibly intentional.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was the writing itself. The chapters are short, which gives the story a wonderful sense of momentum, and I constantly found myself thinking, just one more chapter. The prose also has an almost theatrical quality to it. At times it genuinely felt like I was watching a play unfold rather than reading a novel, and that stylistic choice fits the setting perfectly.
The real star of the novel, however, is its character work.
These are wonderfully layered, psychologically complex characters who constantly challenge your perception of them. Throughout the book I kept changing my mind about who I could trust, who I should sympathize with, and who the real “villain” of the story was. Every time I thought I had someone figured out, the novel shifted my perspective just enough to make me question everything again.
One thing I particularly appreciated is that, despite figuring out most of the major twists fairly early on, my enjoyment never diminished. This wasn’t the kind of story where the surprise itself was the point. Instead, knowing (or suspecting) where things were heading simply made me even more eager to see how everything would unfold. And then the book delivered one final revelation that completely reframed everything that came before it. Looking back, all the pieces had been there from the beginning, and yet I still didn’t put them together until the very end.
That’s the kind of twist I love.
This is, as far as I know, Emma Loewther’s debut novel, and I’ll absolutely be reading whatever she writes next. Her storytelling is incredibly confident, but it’s her understanding of character psychology what I enjoyed the most me the most.
If you like psychologically driven stories with morally messy characters and an atmosphere that slowly becomes darker and more unsettling, I can’t recommend this enough. It also reminded me quite a bit of Krystal Sutherland’s novels, not because the stories are similar, but because they share that same addictive quality where you can’t stop turning pages as you slowly realize something is deeply, deeply wrong beneath the surface.
This was an absolute treat, one that’s going to stay with me for a very long time.
Highly recommended.
Fellow Creatures was such an unexpectedly fun read. Somebody needs to turn this into an HBO series because I would binge-watch the entire thing in a weekend.
This isn’t the type of book I usually gravitate towards. It’s a contemporary psychological drama, with no fantasy or supernatural elements, and yet I was completely hooked from beginning to end.
At its heart, this is a story about identity: about the need to be seen, the danger of defining yourself through other people’s approval, and what happens when your sense of self begins to feel threatened by someone who seems effortlessly better than you.
The setting, a prestigious drama school in London, is the perfect backdrop for those ideas. The world of acting, performance, ambition, and competition naturally blurs the line between who people really are and the roles they play, and the novel takes full advantage of that. Everything feels incredibly intentional.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was the writing itself. The chapters are short, which gives the story a wonderful sense of momentum, and I constantly found myself thinking, just one more chapter. The prose also has an almost theatrical quality to it. At times it genuinely felt like I was watching a play unfold rather than reading a novel, and that stylistic choice fits the setting perfectly.
The real star of the novel, however, is its character work.
These are wonderfully layered, psychologically complex characters who constantly challenge your perception of them. Throughout the book I kept changing my mind about who I could trust, who I should sympathize with, and who the real “villain” of the story was. Every time I thought I had someone figured out, the novel shifted my perspective just enough to make me question everything again.
One thing I particularly appreciated is that, despite figuring out most of the major twists fairly early on, my enjoyment never diminished. This wasn’t the kind of story where the surprise itself was the point. Instead, knowing (or suspecting) where things were heading simply made me even more eager to see how everything would unfold. And then the book delivered one final revelation that completely reframed everything that came before it. Looking back, all the pieces had been there from the beginning, and yet I still didn’t put them together until the very end.
That’s the kind of twist I love.
This is, as far as I know, Emma Loewther’s debut novel, and I’ll absolutely be reading whatever she writes next. Her storytelling is incredibly confident, but it’s her understanding of character psychology what I enjoyed the most me the most.
If you like psychologically driven stories with morally messy characters and an atmosphere that slowly becomes darker and more unsettling, I can’t recommend this enough. It also reminded me quite a bit of Krystal Sutherland’s novels, not because the stories are similar, but because they share that same addictive quality where you can’t stop turning pages as you slowly realize something is deeply, deeply wrong beneath the surface.
This was an absolute treat, one that’s going to stay with me for a very long time.
Highly recommended.
July 25, 2026
A surprisingly great debut!
August 4, 2026
Fantastic debut, looking forward to reading more from Lowther!!!
One of my fave troupes, dark academic girls do fucked up shit, couldn’t put it down.
One of my fave troupes, dark academic girls do fucked up shit, couldn’t put it down.
July 29, 2026
an uncomfortable and brutal reflection on what it’s like being a young, autistic, woman. it was like the secret history (complimentary)
May 27, 2026
ARC review thanks to NetGalley
There’s something deeply unsettling about Fellow Creatures in the best possible way. Emma Lowther writes obsession, class envy, and social performance with such sharp precision that I absolutely flew through this book. It feels like the literary baby of Saltburn and The Talented Mr. Ripley — all simmering tension, blurred morality, and that intoxicating desire to be loved, admired, and maybe even consumed by someone wealthier, prettier, or more fascinating than you.
The atmosphere is what really sold me. There’s this creeping sense of dread under every interaction, where even the most mundane conversations feel loaded with manipulation and performance. Like Saltburn, it captures that voyeuristic fascination with privilege and belonging; like Ripley, it understands how identity can become slippery when admiration turns into obsession. I kept waiting for everything to implode, and that anticipation made it impossible to put down.
I also loved how emotionally messy the characters were. Nobody feels entirely trustworthy, but they’re all compelling enough that you can’t stop watching them self-destruct. Lowther doesn’t handhold the reader either she lets the discomfort sit there, which made the story feel even more immersive.
My only reason for not giving it 5 stars is that the pacing dipped slightly in the middle for me, and I wanted the ending to push just a little further into the darkness it was hinting at. But overall, this was stylish, tense, and quietly disturbing in a way that really worked for me.
If you enjoy stories about obsession, class dynamics, performative intimacy, and morally questionable people making terrible decisions, this absolutely delivers.
There’s something deeply unsettling about Fellow Creatures in the best possible way. Emma Lowther writes obsession, class envy, and social performance with such sharp precision that I absolutely flew through this book. It feels like the literary baby of Saltburn and The Talented Mr. Ripley — all simmering tension, blurred morality, and that intoxicating desire to be loved, admired, and maybe even consumed by someone wealthier, prettier, or more fascinating than you.
The atmosphere is what really sold me. There’s this creeping sense of dread under every interaction, where even the most mundane conversations feel loaded with manipulation and performance. Like Saltburn, it captures that voyeuristic fascination with privilege and belonging; like Ripley, it understands how identity can become slippery when admiration turns into obsession. I kept waiting for everything to implode, and that anticipation made it impossible to put down.
I also loved how emotionally messy the characters were. Nobody feels entirely trustworthy, but they’re all compelling enough that you can’t stop watching them self-destruct. Lowther doesn’t handhold the reader either she lets the discomfort sit there, which made the story feel even more immersive.
My only reason for not giving it 5 stars is that the pacing dipped slightly in the middle for me, and I wanted the ending to push just a little further into the darkness it was hinting at. But overall, this was stylish, tense, and quietly disturbing in a way that really worked for me.
If you enjoy stories about obsession, class dynamics, performative intimacy, and morally questionable people making terrible decisions, this absolutely delivers.
July 27, 2026
thriller and horror hn is officially BACK because apparently reading fantasy after fantasy after fantasy was slowly taking me out 😭
there is obviously nothing wrong with fantasy because the genre is massive and there are so many different stories under it , but after reading it almost nonstop lately , i was starting to feel exhausted. then i dnfed the unicorn hunters and immediately knew i needed a complete change of scenery before i accidentally entered the worst reading slump of my life.
thankfully , the timing could not have been more perfect because my first ever Illumicrate MindSight box arrived with fellow creatures inside. i went into this almost completely blind and started it immediately because thrillers and horror have always been my comfort genres. give me a murder , a mystery or a group of deeply suspicious people making terrible decisions and suddenly i am in my element trying to solve everything before the characters do.
this book is just under 400 pages and i absolutely flew through it. i have been studying for exams , travelling home from college , spending time with family and friends , packing and dealing with all the usual chaos that comes with a semester ending , but every time i had even a little bit of free time , i immediately picked this back up. i was constantly thinking about it whenever i was not reading , which honestly reminded me how much i missed this entire genre.
all i really knew before starting was what MindSight included in the reveal: deeply toxic relationships , sapphic yearning , obsession and an elite london drama school. then i saw the comparison to if we were villains and obviously i was seated because that is another book i really loved.
fellow creatures follows a quiet drama student who becomes completely obsessed with another girl at her school , and from there , everything slowly becomes messier , darker and increasingly uncomfortable. the book opens by telling us that someone has died , so i spent a huge part of the story thinking i knew exactly where it was going. especially because of the if we were villains comparison , i expected it to follow a very specific path after the death , but it ended up moving in a completely different direction that i genuinely did not see coming.
i really loved watching everything gradually unravel. the relationships were toxic in the most fascinating way , everyone was carrying around their own jealousy and insecurity , and the tension kept getting worse while i was sitting there trying to figure out how badly this could possibly end. apparently the answer was very badly because these characters seriously needed therapy and literally soooo much distance from each other.
the drama school setting also worked so well for me because i actually did drama when i was younger. i am not studying theater now and obviously my life has moved in a completely different direction , but i genuinely think being a theater kid never fully leaves you. unfortunately , the need to perform and the dramatic tendencies remain somewhere inside forever. my friends already call me dramatic anyway , so maybe nothing has actually changed.
because of that , i could understand a lot of the intensity these characters carried. theater spaces can create such close relationships because everyone is constantly performing together , competing for roles and seeking approval , and this book takes all of that emotion and pushes it somewhere much darker. i will always eat up stories about dramatic teenagers making questionable decisions , especially when there is obsession and murder involved.
this was such a strong debut from emma lowther and i am definitely interested in seeing what she writes next. it was exactly the breath of fresh air i needed after spending so long buried in fantasy , and it has made me even more excited about finally joining MindSight. honestly , if i had to cancel every subscription and only keep two , it would probably be MindSight and Evernight because crime thrillers and horror are just where i feel most at home.
this is also my final book of july , and i genuinely could not have chosen a better way to close out the month. now i just need to survive my exams so i can enter august with more time to read , relax and return fully to my natural habitat of reading.
4 stars ✨
there is obviously nothing wrong with fantasy because the genre is massive and there are so many different stories under it , but after reading it almost nonstop lately , i was starting to feel exhausted. then i dnfed the unicorn hunters and immediately knew i needed a complete change of scenery before i accidentally entered the worst reading slump of my life.
thankfully , the timing could not have been more perfect because my first ever Illumicrate MindSight box arrived with fellow creatures inside. i went into this almost completely blind and started it immediately because thrillers and horror have always been my comfort genres. give me a murder , a mystery or a group of deeply suspicious people making terrible decisions and suddenly i am in my element trying to solve everything before the characters do.
this book is just under 400 pages and i absolutely flew through it. i have been studying for exams , travelling home from college , spending time with family and friends , packing and dealing with all the usual chaos that comes with a semester ending , but every time i had even a little bit of free time , i immediately picked this back up. i was constantly thinking about it whenever i was not reading , which honestly reminded me how much i missed this entire genre.
all i really knew before starting was what MindSight included in the reveal: deeply toxic relationships , sapphic yearning , obsession and an elite london drama school. then i saw the comparison to if we were villains and obviously i was seated because that is another book i really loved.
fellow creatures follows a quiet drama student who becomes completely obsessed with another girl at her school , and from there , everything slowly becomes messier , darker and increasingly uncomfortable. the book opens by telling us that someone has died , so i spent a huge part of the story thinking i knew exactly where it was going. especially because of the if we were villains comparison , i expected it to follow a very specific path after the death , but it ended up moving in a completely different direction that i genuinely did not see coming.
i really loved watching everything gradually unravel. the relationships were toxic in the most fascinating way , everyone was carrying around their own jealousy and insecurity , and the tension kept getting worse while i was sitting there trying to figure out how badly this could possibly end. apparently the answer was very badly because these characters seriously needed therapy and literally soooo much distance from each other.
the drama school setting also worked so well for me because i actually did drama when i was younger. i am not studying theater now and obviously my life has moved in a completely different direction , but i genuinely think being a theater kid never fully leaves you. unfortunately , the need to perform and the dramatic tendencies remain somewhere inside forever. my friends already call me dramatic anyway , so maybe nothing has actually changed.
because of that , i could understand a lot of the intensity these characters carried. theater spaces can create such close relationships because everyone is constantly performing together , competing for roles and seeking approval , and this book takes all of that emotion and pushes it somewhere much darker. i will always eat up stories about dramatic teenagers making questionable decisions , especially when there is obsession and murder involved.
this was such a strong debut from emma lowther and i am definitely interested in seeing what she writes next. it was exactly the breath of fresh air i needed after spending so long buried in fantasy , and it has made me even more excited about finally joining MindSight. honestly , if i had to cancel every subscription and only keep two , it would probably be MindSight and Evernight because crime thrillers and horror are just where i feel most at home.
this is also my final book of july , and i genuinely could not have chosen a better way to close out the month. now i just need to survive my exams so i can enter august with more time to read , relax and return fully to my natural habitat of reading.
4 stars ✨
August 9, 2026
“She’s your closet friend and your biggest threat.”
I was looking at that tagline while I was thinking about this review. At first it felt like a complete red herring to me. For me this was a really great book about manipulation and how it feels to be inside it and how we never really know what’s going on in someone’s head. I don’t think ‘Shannon’ considered Victoria a threat, more of an ideal. She was an actress studying her next character.
That being said, towards the end ‘Shannon’ mused that her and Victoria couldn’t have shared the spotlight but it didn’t seem like she knew that early on. It seemed like she would always have stayed in Victoria’s shadow if she hadn’t died. But then she also said she expected things with Victoria to end that way, which brings me to ‘Shannon’’s sisters death.
I had guessed ‘Shannon’ had been the one to kill her sister, but I hadn’t expected her to not be Shannon at all, so that was a great twist that brought the book full circle. The book was like watching a woman grotesquely puppeting other people’s bodies, cumulating in the full circle moment at the end where ‘Viola’ stole Victoria’s story.
There was a line I really liked that I wrote down early on in the book, which I think in retrospect was a great reflection on the story ahead.
“I’d been having this feeling, this odd sensation that my life, my real life, was happening elsewhere.”
I was looking at that tagline while I was thinking about this review. At first it felt like a complete red herring to me. For me this was a really great book about manipulation and how it feels to be inside it and how we never really know what’s going on in someone’s head. I don’t think ‘Shannon’ considered Victoria a threat, more of an ideal. She was an actress studying her next character.
That being said, towards the end ‘Shannon’ mused that her and Victoria couldn’t have shared the spotlight but it didn’t seem like she knew that early on. It seemed like she would always have stayed in Victoria’s shadow if she hadn’t died. But then she also said she expected things with Victoria to end that way, which brings me to ‘Shannon’’s sisters death.
I had guessed ‘Shannon’ had been the one to kill her sister, but I hadn’t expected her to not be Shannon at all, so that was a great twist that brought the book full circle. The book was like watching a woman grotesquely puppeting other people’s bodies, cumulating in the full circle moment at the end where ‘Viola’ stole Victoria’s story.
There was a line I really liked that I wrote down early on in the book, which I think in retrospect was a great reflection on the story ahead.
“I’d been having this feeling, this odd sensation that my life, my real life, was happening elsewhere.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2026
This book was like if The Secret History was set in an elitist drama school, where Richard was obsessed with Bunny in a way that bordered both jealousy and attraction. And make them female.
What Shannon felt towards Victoria can only be described as a psychosexual obsession. Even though it is undeniable that Shannon had many mental illnesses, Victoria was also incredibly selfish and dismissive of both Shannon’s feelings and needs. At a certain point, it was almost like Shannon’s increasing annoyance of Victoria was mirroring my own. I could write an essay on how shitty of a friend Victoria was, and I wouldn’t even need to bring up their sexual relationship because there just wouldn’t be enough room—It would need its own essay.
Besides me hating Victoria, the plot twist at the end actually altered my brain. It took me so long to figure out what was happening, and for a second I was convinced I’d forgotten how to read—truly thought the author had forgotten character’s names. Just as I had calmed myself down, I read the epilogue…and I wanted to scream. Seeing the outcome of one particular character (who I hated more than Victoria) actually made me sick. The fact he ended up with that job after what happened disgusts me.
3.5/5 ⭐️
What Shannon felt towards Victoria can only be described as a psychosexual obsession. Even though it is undeniable that Shannon had many mental illnesses, Victoria was also incredibly selfish and dismissive of both Shannon’s feelings and needs. At a certain point, it was almost like Shannon’s increasing annoyance of Victoria was mirroring my own. I could write an essay on how shitty of a friend Victoria was, and I wouldn’t even need to bring up their sexual relationship because there just wouldn’t be enough room—It would need its own essay.
Besides me hating Victoria, the plot twist at the end actually altered my brain. It took me so long to figure out what was happening, and for a second I was convinced I’d forgotten how to read—truly thought the author had forgotten character’s names. Just as I had calmed myself down, I read the epilogue…and I wanted to scream. Seeing the outcome of one particular character (who I hated more than Victoria) actually made me sick. The fact he ended up with that job after what happened disgusts me.
3.5/5 ⭐️
August 24, 2026
Thanks to a book subscription box (Mindsight by Illumicrate) I got "Fellow Creatures" by Emma Lowther.
I didn't really know, what kind of story would await me, but I dived in blind.
From the beginning the storytelling had me somehow hooked, as I was flying through the pages.
But Shannon our female main character somehow felt strange. Quite colourless, bland, she was more a follower than a maker.
Her counterpart Victoria was quite the opposite. Always the center of attention, commandering the room and influences all people around her. Also quite showy/braggy on all those opportunities she already has as an upcoming actress.
Both women meet before their first university year starts at drama school. Although they are so different, somehow they work (relatively) well together. Well Shannon basically always gives and gives, whereas Victoria just takes everything from her friends.
I wasn't sure, where this story will lead, as something bad is probably to happen and than to deal with the fallout.
The author managed to show how hard the education in the drama schools are, and even after graduation it is not guaranteed that the students will be successful actors. Also she managed to captivate me as a reader to feel constricted. Possibly because knowing something bad(ish) is going to happen, but not really having an idea what it could be.
When the twist happened, that was quite shocking, but also how the story progressed from there was different from what I would have expected.
And than there was the second twist revealed, which left me open mouthed.
That I didn't expect.
Overall I liked the story, partly not the characters. It was definitely a good excursion to my usual reads.
I didn't really know, what kind of story would await me, but I dived in blind.
From the beginning the storytelling had me somehow hooked, as I was flying through the pages.
But Shannon our female main character somehow felt strange. Quite colourless, bland, she was more a follower than a maker.
Her counterpart Victoria was quite the opposite. Always the center of attention, commandering the room and influences all people around her. Also quite showy/braggy on all those opportunities she already has as an upcoming actress.
Both women meet before their first university year starts at drama school. Although they are so different, somehow they work (relatively) well together. Well Shannon basically always gives and gives, whereas Victoria just takes everything from her friends.
I wasn't sure, where this story will lead, as something bad is probably to happen and than to deal with the fallout.
The author managed to show how hard the education in the drama schools are, and even after graduation it is not guaranteed that the students will be successful actors. Also she managed to captivate me as a reader to feel constricted. Possibly because knowing something bad(ish) is going to happen, but not really having an idea what it could be.
When the twist happened, that was quite shocking, but also how the story progressed from there was different from what I would have expected.
And than there was the second twist revealed, which left me open mouthed.
That I didn't expect.
Overall I liked the story, partly not the characters. It was definitely a good excursion to my usual reads.
August 27, 2026
Dark, addictive, left me reeling.
August 6, 2026
Another vacation read completed! I started this morning with this one and I’m happy to report I finished it on my way home - I had to check to see what genre this was listed as, because this feels very dark academia/mystery quoted, almost psychological and eerie. I’m US-based and received this in my June Mindsight box, and I’m not sure if it’s out yet in the US, as I know it’s out in the UK.
This one is very character focused, and I definitely think it was better for me to read this one in print, because there’s a group of characters to follow at this drama school. Definitely recommend if you like dark academia reads!
This one is very character focused, and I definitely think it was better for me to read this one in print, because there’s a group of characters to follow at this drama school. Definitely recommend if you like dark academia reads!
July 25, 2026
So this was the perfect book at the perfect time.
I read this on the train journey to my old university to catch up with my university pals - some that I hadn't seen in about 10 years! I studied drama at university, and I was at uni at the same time as when this book was set - timing was bloody brilliant!
I felt like I knew and had met the characters before - they felt like people I was at uni with myself. The time when the book was set, and the cultural references filled me with nostalgia.
The book has a slight mystery element to it - but that wasn't the main reason for reading on - if I am honest, I just loved hearing about the day to day antics of our central characters.
I'm not sure how much the book will connect with those who havent had the university, or drama school experience - but I really did love this!
I read this on the train journey to my old university to catch up with my university pals - some that I hadn't seen in about 10 years! I studied drama at university, and I was at uni at the same time as when this book was set - timing was bloody brilliant!
I felt like I knew and had met the characters before - they felt like people I was at uni with myself. The time when the book was set, and the cultural references filled me with nostalgia.
The book has a slight mystery element to it - but that wasn't the main reason for reading on - if I am honest, I just loved hearing about the day to day antics of our central characters.
I'm not sure how much the book will connect with those who havent had the university, or drama school experience - but I really did love this!
July 18, 2026
What a brilliant read. I can’t wait to read more
July 12, 2026
I picked this up 3 days ago, and had I not been so busy the last few days, would have finished it the same night. What a book, what a debut! So easy to read, with a tense creepy tone throughout that never lets you relax. Every drama school graduate should read this, as I definitely knew a Victoria and a Jolly when I went- though it did make me feel very glad for my fun and supportive 3 years at drama school, this one sounded horrendous! The twist at the end made me gasp and wake my partner up. I also feel I need to say that I'm not giving this 5 stars because it's an old friend's debut, it is genuinely this good. I can't wait to see what Emma writes next!
July 13, 2026
Such a good read! Helped me out of a reading slump!
An easy to read book that keeps you hooked from page 1.
I was so invested in the lives of Shannon and Victoria that they felt like real people even though I have never been to drama school and have no idea about the comings and goings of drama school and life there after.
Definitely found an auto buy author in Emma Lowther!
Glad I got a beautiful special edition as a trophy!
An easy to read book that keeps you hooked from page 1.
I was so invested in the lives of Shannon and Victoria that they felt like real people even though I have never been to drama school and have no idea about the comings and goings of drama school and life there after.
Definitely found an auto buy author in Emma Lowther!
Glad I got a beautiful special edition as a trophy!
May 16, 2026
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This was really compelling. I read it all in one sitting! Most of the characters really aren’t that likeable but you want to keep reading because of it. Victoria in particular is a bit of a nightmare a lot of the time.
Shannon is an intriguing character and I liked seeing what she was thinking and how she was understanding what was happening around her.
I liked the setting of the London drama school I think it was unique and not something I’d read before. I also really liked the description of Yorkshire and the moors as a contrast to London.
I think this book does a very good job of showing the class dynamics in England and how class impacts your whole life. The carelessness from Victoria when considering class and how she interacts with her friends and the world around her, especially Shannon, is a pretty accurate representation of the out of touch girls at university. What best shows this is when Victoria says:
“I know that I’m like *middle class* - upper middle class or whatever, I don’t even know any more. Class is such an outdated concept, don’t you think?”
Completely out of touch and playing around in Shannon’s face whilst simultaneously asking Shannon to help her accurately portray someone like Shannon.
This book reminded me at points of The Secret History, which is always great.
This was really compelling. I read it all in one sitting! Most of the characters really aren’t that likeable but you want to keep reading because of it. Victoria in particular is a bit of a nightmare a lot of the time.
Shannon is an intriguing character and I liked seeing what she was thinking and how she was understanding what was happening around her.
I liked the setting of the London drama school I think it was unique and not something I’d read before. I also really liked the description of Yorkshire and the moors as a contrast to London.
I think this book does a very good job of showing the class dynamics in England and how class impacts your whole life. The carelessness from Victoria when considering class and how she interacts with her friends and the world around her, especially Shannon, is a pretty accurate representation of the out of touch girls at university. What best shows this is when Victoria says:
“I know that I’m like *middle class* - upper middle class or whatever, I don’t even know any more. Class is such an outdated concept, don’t you think?”
Completely out of touch and playing around in Shannon’s face whilst simultaneously asking Shannon to help her accurately portray someone like Shannon.
This book reminded me at points of The Secret History, which is always great.
July 13, 2026
4.5 stars
This was great! Highly entertaining, easily readable. I liked the characters, even the ones I didn't like.
It's her debut novel, which is awesome. I look forward to her next one and will definitely keep an eye out :)
This was great! Highly entertaining, easily readable. I liked the characters, even the ones I didn't like.
It's her debut novel, which is awesome. I look forward to her next one and will definitely keep an eye out :)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*
Fellow Creatures follows Shannon Bell who is a nobody from the North of England. Shannon is a good actress and gets accepted into an elite drama school in London. This gives Shannon a chance to come out of her shell and experience a life completely different to what she lived before in Yorkshire. At the drama school, Shannon meets Victoria who is very wealthy and she brings Shannon into her world. Shannon stops being a nobody due to her connection with Victoria and she enjoys being part of Victoria’s circle. Victoria’s wealth and privilege means she doesn’t need to be at the drama school and she starts to get roles that her peers have no chance of getting. Shannon is intoxicated by Victoria but her jealousy is getting out of control and there is only room for one lead actress in these breakout roles.
I really enjoyed this book and I am impressed with this author’s skill. I had zero expectations for this book and I found it to be so compelling from start to finish. The writing of this book is strong and the characters were nuanced especially Shannon and Victoria. I found it easy to relate to Shannon as I am from the North of England too. Shannon is placed in a world completely different to what she has experienced before and she quickly gets swept up in Victoria. Victoria blows very hot and cold with Shannon and Shannon never knows where she stands with her. This book has sapphic undertones and Victoria leads Shannon on with Shannon wondering if Victoria wants to be with her. There is a dark twist at the end which I really enjoyed. This book is much more literary than mystery/thriller and I will be recommending this. I’m so glad I took a chance on this book and I read it in one day because I was having such a good time with this. Parts of this reminded me of Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason. That book has a completely different story to this but the main characters are similar as they are intoxicated by someone and struggle with their place in the world. This is also similar to If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio due to the drama setting.
Fellow Creatures follows Shannon Bell who is a nobody from the North of England. Shannon is a good actress and gets accepted into an elite drama school in London. This gives Shannon a chance to come out of her shell and experience a life completely different to what she lived before in Yorkshire. At the drama school, Shannon meets Victoria who is very wealthy and she brings Shannon into her world. Shannon stops being a nobody due to her connection with Victoria and she enjoys being part of Victoria’s circle. Victoria’s wealth and privilege means she doesn’t need to be at the drama school and she starts to get roles that her peers have no chance of getting. Shannon is intoxicated by Victoria but her jealousy is getting out of control and there is only room for one lead actress in these breakout roles.
I really enjoyed this book and I am impressed with this author’s skill. I had zero expectations for this book and I found it to be so compelling from start to finish. The writing of this book is strong and the characters were nuanced especially Shannon and Victoria. I found it easy to relate to Shannon as I am from the North of England too. Shannon is placed in a world completely different to what she has experienced before and she quickly gets swept up in Victoria. Victoria blows very hot and cold with Shannon and Shannon never knows where she stands with her. This book has sapphic undertones and Victoria leads Shannon on with Shannon wondering if Victoria wants to be with her. There is a dark twist at the end which I really enjoyed. This book is much more literary than mystery/thriller and I will be recommending this. I’m so glad I took a chance on this book and I read it in one day because I was having such a good time with this. Parts of this reminded me of Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason. That book has a completely different story to this but the main characters are similar as they are intoxicated by someone and struggle with their place in the world. This is also similar to If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio due to the drama setting.
July 4, 2026
5 ⭐️
Wow! This was so much better than I expected it to be. Dark (almost Dark Academia but not quite, just enough similarities for me to be completely in love), so well written, packs an emotional punch.
The story kept me on my toes the whole book but it's truly the stellar work on the characters that makes this one a new favorite.
Shannon and Victoria, as well as all the other secondary characters were expertly written. They felt so fleshed out to the point were I felt like I knew them (as in encountered the same archetypes in real life). It was so easy to hate them but they always had too much humanity for us to so. They are so layered and complex and extremely flawed. So HUMAN!!!
This is as story about hate and love, obsession, self worth and the grey boundaries between good and evil.
I will be CLOSELY following this author's future work!!
Wow! This was so much better than I expected it to be. Dark (almost Dark Academia but not quite, just enough similarities for me to be completely in love), so well written, packs an emotional punch.
The story kept me on my toes the whole book but it's truly the stellar work on the characters that makes this one a new favorite.
Shannon and Victoria, as well as all the other secondary characters were expertly written. They felt so fleshed out to the point were I felt like I knew them (as in encountered the same archetypes in real life). It was so easy to hate them but they always had too much humanity for us to so. They are so layered and complex and extremely flawed. So HUMAN!!!
This is as story about hate and love, obsession, self worth and the grey boundaries between good and evil.
I will be CLOSELY following this author's future work!!
July 5, 2026
(4.5) Fellow Creatures completely pulled me in.
What initially intrigued me was the drama school setting, which felt immersive and refreshingly different. As the story unfolded, I found myself becoming more and more absorbed in the narrator’s world. Looking back, I think that’s one of the book’s greatest strengths: the narrative quietly narrows your focus until you start questioning not only the people around the narrator, but the narrator herself. I particularly enjoyed how the novel explores identity, obsession, ambition, and the roles people perform both on and off the stage. Even when I thought I had an idea of where the story was heading, the ending still managed to surprise me with how far it went.
I’m still torn between 4 and 5 stars, but it’s a book I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
What initially intrigued me was the drama school setting, which felt immersive and refreshingly different. As the story unfolded, I found myself becoming more and more absorbed in the narrator’s world. Looking back, I think that’s one of the book’s greatest strengths: the narrative quietly narrows your focus until you start questioning not only the people around the narrator, but the narrator herself. I particularly enjoyed how the novel explores identity, obsession, ambition, and the roles people perform both on and off the stage. Even when I thought I had an idea of where the story was heading, the ending still managed to surprise me with how far it went.
I’m still torn between 4 and 5 stars, but it’s a book I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
June 27, 2026
I devoured this book in one sitting - I loved the prose, the complexity of the characters and their relationships with each other, the atmosphere and slow-build rising sense of dread throughout.
The plot was the right mix of dread and light, although the general vibe was darker than I realised, and I felt like the ending generally wrapped up the story quite nicely in a realistic way.
There was a certain odious character whom I found myself waiting for karma to catch up with, and was gutted at their ending - not to take away from the story as it felt intentional to show how good things can still happen to terrible people, especially in that industry.
I agree with a similar review that the plot-twist towards the end was so subtle that I thought I had misread the sentence, and I'm still stewing on what it meant and how it affected the whole of the plot looking back - definitely a reason to go back and re-read with it in mind.
Some minor criticisms - there were random Americanisms that took me out of the story at times - 'closet', 'sneakers'. I counted four times a quotation mark or full-stop was missing, but I understand that it's almost impossible to have a perfectly-edited book where nothing is missed.
Also, having wrapped up the story, I felt like I still never really found out why Victoria did the things she did to Shannon specifically? You find out a bit about her past, but that still didn't justify or give reason to some of the more egregious things she did to Shannon.
Still, the story and prose kept me gripped enough to read the entire thing in one day, and gave me a lot to think about long after finishing, which is the number one thing I look for when reading a story.
Overall, 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. I loved this author's writing and will certainly be picking up her next book!
The plot was the right mix of dread and light, although the general vibe was darker than I realised, and I felt like the ending generally wrapped up the story quite nicely in a realistic way.
There was a certain odious character whom I found myself waiting for karma to catch up with, and was gutted at their ending - not to take away from the story as it felt intentional to show how good things can still happen to terrible people, especially in that industry.
I agree with a similar review that the plot-twist towards the end was so subtle that I thought I had misread the sentence, and I'm still stewing on what it meant and how it affected the whole of the plot looking back - definitely a reason to go back and re-read with it in mind.
Some minor criticisms - there were random Americanisms that took me out of the story at times - 'closet', 'sneakers'. I counted four times a quotation mark or full-stop was missing, but I understand that it's almost impossible to have a perfectly-edited book where nothing is missed.
Also, having wrapped up the story, I felt like I still never really found out why Victoria did the things she did to Shannon specifically? You find out a bit about her past, but that still didn't justify or give reason to some of the more egregious things she did to Shannon.
Still, the story and prose kept me gripped enough to read the entire thing in one day, and gave me a lot to think about long after finishing, which is the number one thing I look for when reading a story.
Overall, 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. I loved this author's writing and will certainly be picking up her next book!
July 14, 2026
Very strong 4/5 for me!
The vibes in the book were great. I feel like it would hit me harder if I read this on a rainy autumn day, but was still quite dark and haunting nevertheless.
The characters were interesting but I wish they were less shallow than they have been.
The pacing is alright, but the middle felt a bit longer than it should have been in my opinion.
The drama itself was great. I did not like this book as much as “If We Were Villains”, but it still held well with the drama school, obsession and the twist in the end!
The vibes in the book were great. I feel like it would hit me harder if I read this on a rainy autumn day, but was still quite dark and haunting nevertheless.
The characters were interesting but I wish they were less shallow than they have been.
The pacing is alright, but the middle felt a bit longer than it should have been in my opinion.
The drama itself was great. I did not like this book as much as “If We Were Villains”, but it still held well with the drama school, obsession and the twist in the end!
August 14, 2026
Me he leído este libro "obligada" por un club de lectura en el que quiero participar. Cuando lo propusieron no me llamaba, de hecho, yo no lo voté. Pensé que iba a ser una historia cliché: una estricta academia británica de interpretación, adolescentes, amigas inseparables que se tienen envidia. Todo esto hacía que lo quisiera procrastinar, leerlo en el último momento, como si esperar fuera el mejor remedio a un libro que se me antojaba predecible. Y luego empecé a leer y ya no pude parar. Puede que fuera la premisa de Jane Eyre sobre la que gira el libro: "No hay dicha semejante a la de ser amado por tus semejantes", con la que coincido. O puede que el típico drama de academia diera un giro de 360° para convertirse en un drama identitario, un thriller de miedo, una historia en la que la mentira es la única salvación. La interpretación de un papel se convierte en la única manera de seguir adelante para muchos personajes. Los protagonistas de la ficción usan sus dotes actorales fuera de las clases, para encajar, para creerse la fantasía de que son alguien que quieren ser pero que no son, o llegado a un punto, para sobrevivir. El mundo de la interpretación se convierte así en el hilo conductor de una novela que habla de diferencias de clase, de dramas familiares, de abusos, de las dificultades de vivir en Londrés o de los retos de apostar por una carrera en la que no siempre prima el talento. Fellow creatures para mi ha sido la prueba definitiva de que todo libro merece una oportunidad. Por previsible que parezca, Fellow Creatures te va a sorprender, a enganchar, incluso a escalofriar.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews