What do you think?
Rate this book
The Brides
Before Dracula, there were The Brides. . .
Come to me, and be mine for eternity
1903. Sir John Seward, survivor of Count Dracula’s murderous campaign ten years before, takes up a post as a psychiatric doctor at an Oxford public asylum. There, a new patient arrives whose traumatic experiences resurrect horrors John has spent a decade trying to forget.
1884. Mafalda Lowell journeys from London to Budapest to care for her recently widowed aunt Reka. She uncovers the chilling truth about her uncle’s death, and writes to her secret love Lucy North for comfort. Chaperoned by former schoolfriend Eliza and lady’s maid Alice, Lucy travels across the continent to be with her beloved.
Only Alice, beset by nightmares and terrifying visions, notices the strange black-clad man who seems to follow them wherever they go. When Eliza is struck down with a mysterious wasting illness, her doctor orders her to take the healing waters of Transylvania, a journey with devastating consequences.
Four women. Three Brides. Which one escaped . . . ?
A dual timeline novel, told through letters, diary entries, psychiatric reports, that places women at the centre of literature's most famous vampire story.
Come to me, and be mine for eternity
1903. Sir John Seward, survivor of Count Dracula’s murderous campaign ten years before, takes up a post as a psychiatric doctor at an Oxford public asylum. There, a new patient arrives whose traumatic experiences resurrect horrors John has spent a decade trying to forget.
1884. Mafalda Lowell journeys from London to Budapest to care for her recently widowed aunt Reka. She uncovers the chilling truth about her uncle’s death, and writes to her secret love Lucy North for comfort. Chaperoned by former schoolfriend Eliza and lady’s maid Alice, Lucy travels across the continent to be with her beloved.
Only Alice, beset by nightmares and terrifying visions, notices the strange black-clad man who seems to follow them wherever they go. When Eliza is struck down with a mysterious wasting illness, her doctor orders her to take the healing waters of Transylvania, a journey with devastating consequences.
Four women. Three Brides. Which one escaped . . . ?
A dual timeline novel, told through letters, diary entries, psychiatric reports, that places women at the centre of literature's most famous vampire story.
Audible Audio
Expected publication July 7, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews
Want to Read
September 26, 2025when am i never gonna devour a retelling of dracula's brides honestly
January 28, 2026
Official-ish blurbage: THE BRIDES is an astonishing literary magic trick, managing to sew itself seamlessly into Dracula in a way that wholly honours the original while forging new ground with vibrant compelling characters and a story that held me rapt.
Unofficial review: LORD this was addictive but also classy? Felt like actual 19th century lit. Incredibly well done.
Unofficial review: LORD this was addictive but also classy? Felt like actual 19th century lit. Incredibly well done.
April 17, 2026
I am so enraged by these f(I'm trying not to swear)ing pestilential authors having their moment reviving f*ing DEAD LESBIAN SYNDROME right now.
This is the worst kind of cluttered, messy, hatefully heteronormative queerbaiting - that epilogue?! I can't fucking stand it.
Read the book, attempt to hunt down this click-baited Sapphic 'love story' (what - they hold one another's hands once?!), realise that it's the weakest kind of self-enfranchisement into the Carmilla canon, and boil it all down to the simpering "Oh Darling, we must take husbands to be historically accurate", then try - just try to see it from a lesbian woman's point of view that this is the most vile tokenistic use of our sexuality. That fucking epilogue! That fucking heterocentric over-glazing queer-eradication, and redemptive straightening-out of all that was Sapphic.
Do I have to write EVERY TIME the same review as The Night Stairs (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) over and over and over? I'm not able for it.
This is the worst kind of cluttered, messy, hatefully heteronormative queerbaiting - that epilogue?! I can't fucking stand it.
Read the book, attempt to hunt down this click-baited Sapphic 'love story' (what - they hold one another's hands once?!), realise that it's the weakest kind of self-enfranchisement into the Carmilla canon, and boil it all down to the simpering "Oh Darling, we must take husbands to be historically accurate", then try - just try to see it from a lesbian woman's point of view that this is the most vile tokenistic use of our sexuality. That fucking epilogue! That fucking heterocentric over-glazing queer-eradication, and redemptive straightening-out of all that was Sapphic.
Do I have to write EVERY TIME the same review as The Night Stairs (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) over and over and over? I'm not able for it.
Want to Read
May 31, 2026ARC received. Thank you, Hanover Square Press!
Read
March 5, 2026I blurbed this one!
"The Brides is Dracula's worthy successor: a gothic, sapphic epistolary novel that thrills, chills, and delights in equal measure. I loved every page!"
"The Brides is Dracula's worthy successor: a gothic, sapphic epistolary novel that thrills, chills, and delights in equal measure. I loved every page!"
Did Not Finish
January 18, 2026DNF 😏
November 18, 2025
I am so sad to admit that I really struggled to engage with this one. On paper, this should have been immaculate. I adore multiple works of classical literature, grandeur gothicism and of course, the delectable darkness that is Bram Stokers masterpiece, Dracula. The concept of doing an inspired piece from the perspective of Count Draculas wives was an immediate sell to me. However, for me personally, I believe the concept was more engaging than its actual execution.
For me this was entirely a pacing issue, and I can only attribute this to the format in which the tale was presented. I do largely enjoy unconventional presentations of texts, be it diary entries, letters, or snippets of news. But in this particular instance, there were a number of differing povs, a series of unreliable narrators, scewed time-lines, and of course the epistolary written formats. It became incredibly confusing and particularly jarring to attempt to follow the plot.
This jarring and particularly slow pacing (especially for the first few hundred pages!) further damaged my relationship with the characters due to oftentimes being confused as to whose pov I was reading, and as such damaged the levels of empathy I had been attempting to build with this novel.
Whilst I realise this is an attempt at mimicking the original Stoker text, for whatever reason I truly struggled to engage with it. Perhaps I struggled with it being an e-arc as it was not simple to flick back constantly to see who was speaking and at what time.
I am sad to say I struggled with this one, but I would still urge others to read it and form their own opinions on it.
Thanks again to Tor Books/ Pan Macmillan for granting me the opportunity to read this novel as an arc and I look forward to working together again in future!
For me this was entirely a pacing issue, and I can only attribute this to the format in which the tale was presented. I do largely enjoy unconventional presentations of texts, be it diary entries, letters, or snippets of news. But in this particular instance, there were a number of differing povs, a series of unreliable narrators, scewed time-lines, and of course the epistolary written formats. It became incredibly confusing and particularly jarring to attempt to follow the plot.
This jarring and particularly slow pacing (especially for the first few hundred pages!) further damaged my relationship with the characters due to oftentimes being confused as to whose pov I was reading, and as such damaged the levels of empathy I had been attempting to build with this novel.
Whilst I realise this is an attempt at mimicking the original Stoker text, for whatever reason I truly struggled to engage with it. Perhaps I struggled with it being an e-arc as it was not simple to flick back constantly to see who was speaking and at what time.
I am sad to say I struggled with this one, but I would still urge others to read it and form their own opinions on it.
Thanks again to Tor Books/ Pan Macmillan for granting me the opportunity to read this novel as an arc and I look forward to working together again in future!
March 1, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins and the author
for an ARC of The Brides!
This was ALMOST a DNF. And I NEVER dnf. I trudged through it though.
The Brides is a feminist gothic horror about the three women who became the brides of Dracula - and the fourth who managed to escape ...
(This blurb snippet is what made me want to read this)
It’s very obvious that a ton of research went into this book. I enjoyed the history aspect and the vampire lore. But other than that, I found the story a bit bland and hard to follow. The characters were difficult to connect with. I feel like this was written for late Victorian readers… And maybe people who like books written in that kind of dense language (like the original Dracula) may be able to follow and enjoy this a little more than me. And while I loved the concept of a story told entirely through letters, documentation and diary entries, I don’t think it worked here. It just made an already confusing story/timeline/pov even more confusing. It was a slow read with, in my opinion, wayyyy too many characters that were unnecessary to the story and a timeline that jumps back and forth through too many pov’s and timelines that it made it so hard to keep track of who’s who.
I think this was a great tribute to the Dracula lore and a reimagining of things that we have yet to experience when it comes to his wives. I also think you NEED some familiarity with the original Dracula works in order to get the full scope of The Brides considering it’s written completely around the original story.
for an ARC of The Brides!
This was ALMOST a DNF. And I NEVER dnf. I trudged through it though.
The Brides is a feminist gothic horror about the three women who became the brides of Dracula - and the fourth who managed to escape ...
(This blurb snippet is what made me want to read this)
It’s very obvious that a ton of research went into this book. I enjoyed the history aspect and the vampire lore. But other than that, I found the story a bit bland and hard to follow. The characters were difficult to connect with. I feel like this was written for late Victorian readers… And maybe people who like books written in that kind of dense language (like the original Dracula) may be able to follow and enjoy this a little more than me. And while I loved the concept of a story told entirely through letters, documentation and diary entries, I don’t think it worked here. It just made an already confusing story/timeline/pov even more confusing. It was a slow read with, in my opinion, wayyyy too many characters that were unnecessary to the story and a timeline that jumps back and forth through too many pov’s and timelines that it made it so hard to keep track of who’s who.
I think this was a great tribute to the Dracula lore and a reimagining of things that we have yet to experience when it comes to his wives. I also think you NEED some familiarity with the original Dracula works in order to get the full scope of The Brides considering it’s written completely around the original story.
May 7, 2026
Absolutely loved it.
I will write more after our book club meet 😏
I will write more after our book club meet 😏
May 13, 2026
Was it easy to understand?
No.
But did I enjoy reading it?
Also no.
No.
But did I enjoy reading it?
Also no.
December 14, 2025
The Brides slides into the Dracula corpus as if it's always been there - a prequel and a sequel all at once - while at the same time feeling new and fresh and wholly, entirely its own. A must-read for anyone who loves Dracula, or vampires, or nuanced, meticulously researched explorations of the women living in the shadows of well-known narratives.
I absolutely adored it.
I absolutely adored it.
Want to Read
February 22, 2026Queer epistolary retelling of Dracula's Brides? No, no- you don't have to say anything else. I'm sat.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
castle dracula, transylvania, austro-hungarian empire.
this sincerely felt like i received actual diary entries from the late 1800s to the early 1900s!
🕯️🥀・❤︎・ “𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓁𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒶 𝒸𝑜𝓇𝓅𝓈𝑒. 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓈𝓀𝒾𝓃 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒶𝓈𝒽𝑒𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝓌𝑜 𝒷𝓁𝑒𝑒𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝒾𝓉𝑒𝓈 𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝒶𝓉. 𝒾 𝒸𝓇𝒾𝑒𝒹 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝒾 𝓈𝒶𝓌 𝒽𝑒𝓇. 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓋𝒶𝓂𝓅𝓎𝓇 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝑒, 𝑔𝓇𝒾𝓅𝓅𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝓎 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝓎 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝓂 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝓎 𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓃 𝒾𝓃 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝓃𝒹, 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝓎 𝑒𝓎𝑒𝓈.”
alright look, i softly dnf’d dracula last november (i know in my review i said i wasn’t going back to it, i just wasn’t in a good mood at that time) but the brides honestly motivated me to go back and finish it someday after this!
i believe this could be literatures most famous reimagined dracula tale!
this is slow evenly paced that requires a lot of patience.
the structure & format this was written in expressed through various diary entries, letters, medical notes labeled to & from and location on a dual timeline is ∞ embedded in my soul
count draculas wives!
this lures you into an eerie world of four women as they weave across whitby - london - hungary - budapest - romania until they reach castle dracula, transylvania in 1884
🩸 eliza cartwright - a chaperone who accompanies mafalda & lucy
🩸 alice smith - a young lady’s maid that inherits haunting visions while writing to her mother & sister
🩸 mafalda lowell - journeying to care for her ill aunt and writing to her secret love lucy
🩸 lucy north - mafalda’s secret lover girl
i drank in mafalda & lucy’s devastating sapphic romance.
it left a sense of ever-deepening dread.
they all face a blood monstrous destiny when they meet the vampyr as he fades into a saturated hunger.
we also get to read over psychiatrist sir john sewards personal diary at littlemore hospital, oxfordshire.
he’s practicing medicine after the defeat of dracula and the arrival of his new patient miss. lowell in 1903
🕯️🥀・❤︎・”𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑒, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒷𝑒 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝑒𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓉𝓎.”
what an astonishing debut novel from charlotte cross!
i’m so thankful i got approved early access for the chance to arc read this.
the late victorian historical era, the affectionate atmosphere felt like i were wandering through the fog.
i can’t wait to look out for what she has in store for us in the future.
whether you enjoy the original dracula or gothic vampires in general, i promise you’ll be curling your toes flipping through each page.
girls want flowers, women want to visit draculas castle and the gorgeous coastal town of whitby, yorkshire.
that’s seamlessly my goal!
🕯️🥀・❤︎・”𝒾 𝒶𝓂 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌, 𝒻𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝒻 𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉𝓈. 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓉𝑜𝑔𝑒𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇, 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓀𝒾𝓈𝓈, 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹. 𝒾 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓈𝑒𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓎, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝒾𝓃𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉. 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓀𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓂𝒾𝓁𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓂𝓎 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒. 𝒾 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝒾 𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓊𝓇𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝓂𝑒.
‘𝒾’𝓂 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝑒’𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓋𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽,’ 𝒾 𝓈𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝒻𝓁𝒶𝓉𝓁𝓎, 𝓉𝓊𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓎.
thank you very much netgalley & harlequin trade publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review!~
this sincerely felt like i received actual diary entries from the late 1800s to the early 1900s!
🕯️🥀・❤︎・ “𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓁𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒶 𝒸𝑜𝓇𝓅𝓈𝑒. 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓈𝓀𝒾𝓃 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒶𝓈𝒽𝑒𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝓌𝑜 𝒷𝓁𝑒𝑒𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝒾𝓉𝑒𝓈 𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝒶𝓉. 𝒾 𝒸𝓇𝒾𝑒𝒹 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝒾 𝓈𝒶𝓌 𝒽𝑒𝓇. 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓋𝒶𝓂𝓅𝓎𝓇 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝑒, 𝑔𝓇𝒾𝓅𝓅𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝓎 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝓎 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝓂 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝓎 𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓃 𝒾𝓃 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝓃𝒹, 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝓎 𝑒𝓎𝑒𝓈.”
alright look, i softly dnf’d dracula last november (i know in my review i said i wasn’t going back to it, i just wasn’t in a good mood at that time) but the brides honestly motivated me to go back and finish it someday after this!
i believe this could be literatures most famous reimagined dracula tale!
this is slow evenly paced that requires a lot of patience.
the structure & format this was written in expressed through various diary entries, letters, medical notes labeled to & from and location on a dual timeline is ∞ embedded in my soul
count draculas wives!
this lures you into an eerie world of four women as they weave across whitby - london - hungary - budapest - romania until they reach castle dracula, transylvania in 1884
🩸 eliza cartwright - a chaperone who accompanies mafalda & lucy
🩸 alice smith - a young lady’s maid that inherits haunting visions while writing to her mother & sister
🩸 mafalda lowell - journeying to care for her ill aunt and writing to her secret love lucy
🩸 lucy north - mafalda’s secret lover girl
i drank in mafalda & lucy’s devastating sapphic romance.
it left a sense of ever-deepening dread.
they all face a blood monstrous destiny when they meet the vampyr as he fades into a saturated hunger.
we also get to read over psychiatrist sir john sewards personal diary at littlemore hospital, oxfordshire.
he’s practicing medicine after the defeat of dracula and the arrival of his new patient miss. lowell in 1903
🕯️🥀・❤︎・”𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑒, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒷𝑒 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝑒𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓉𝓎.”
what an astonishing debut novel from charlotte cross!
i’m so thankful i got approved early access for the chance to arc read this.
the late victorian historical era, the affectionate atmosphere felt like i were wandering through the fog.
i can’t wait to look out for what she has in store for us in the future.
whether you enjoy the original dracula or gothic vampires in general, i promise you’ll be curling your toes flipping through each page.
girls want flowers, women want to visit draculas castle and the gorgeous coastal town of whitby, yorkshire.
that’s seamlessly my goal!
🕯️🥀・❤︎・”𝒾 𝒶𝓂 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌, 𝒻𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝒻 𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉𝓈. 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓉𝑜𝑔𝑒𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇, 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓀𝒾𝓈𝓈, 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹. 𝒾 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓈𝑒𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓎, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝒾𝓃𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉. 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓀𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓂𝒾𝓁𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓂𝓎 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒. 𝒾 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝒾 𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓊𝓇𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝓂𝑒.
‘𝒾’𝓂 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝑒’𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓋𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽,’ 𝒾 𝓈𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝒻𝓁𝒶𝓉𝓁𝓎, 𝓉𝓊𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓎.
thank you very much netgalley & harlequin trade publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review!~
March 27, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
May 13, 2026
✨✨✨DNF shame 🫣 ✨✨✨
I love anything Dracula, gothic, victorian, vampire related and I was fully expecting that I’d really enjoy this book! I was HIGHLY anticipating this one! I hate DNFing arc books, but sadly I had to with this one. Dnf @ about 20%. 🫣
I honestly really struggled to get into the story. The amount of POVs and the dual timeline made it hard to keep up and connect to the characters and the story. It was way too much going on with the POVS, but also nothing was happening in the story at the same time. ⁉️ I enjoyed the format of journal entries and letters the book is written in. I could see a bit of the gothic atmosphere that I really love. I just wish I could have gotten invested in the story! I don’t mind a slow book, but this one was just too slow for my personal taste.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released July 7, 2026 .
I love anything Dracula, gothic, victorian, vampire related and I was fully expecting that I’d really enjoy this book! I was HIGHLY anticipating this one! I hate DNFing arc books, but sadly I had to with this one. Dnf @ about 20%. 🫣
I honestly really struggled to get into the story. The amount of POVs and the dual timeline made it hard to keep up and connect to the characters and the story. It was way too much going on with the POVS, but also nothing was happening in the story at the same time. ⁉️ I enjoyed the format of journal entries and letters the book is written in. I could see a bit of the gothic atmosphere that I really love. I just wish I could have gotten invested in the story! I don’t mind a slow book, but this one was just too slow for my personal taste.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released July 7, 2026 .
October 29, 2025
4.5 stars!
A sapphic epistolary gothic novel that is also (and I mean this in the best way) Dracula fanfic? Sign me up! This is a wonderful homage to Dracula (you can tell Cross loves that book deeply) whilst also managing to be its own thing. Very atmospheric for sure (definitely gave me some wild dreams). Perfect for all my vampire-loving girlies out there!
A sapphic epistolary gothic novel that is also (and I mean this in the best way) Dracula fanfic? Sign me up! This is a wonderful homage to Dracula (you can tell Cross loves that book deeply) whilst also managing to be its own thing. Very atmospheric for sure (definitely gave me some wild dreams). Perfect for all my vampire-loving girlies out there!
April 19, 2026
I picked up The Brides because the cover promised me gothic horror, Dracula, dread, atmosphere - the whole Victorian nightmare package. What I got was, well... a historical fiction novel about women writing letters to each other. Which is fine! That is a thing that exists and that people enjoy! It's just not quite what was on the tin.
Let me be clear: this book is not bad. It is ambitious, it has genuine heart, and the relationships between the women at its centre are, at times, genuinely compelling. But it is also a book that will make you feel like you've been handed a 1000-piece puzzle with no picture on the box, three pieces missing, and someone has helpfully scattered the rest across three different timelines. We open in the 1900s, then we're in 1893, then we're in 1883/84, and we're doing all of this through journal entries, letters, and notes from people we haven't been properly introduced to yet. I spent a genuinely embarrassing amount of time not knowing who anyone was. There is also a character whose identity is withheld until near the end - I understand the intended effect was eerie and unsettling, but the actual effect was me flipping back pages going "wait, who?"
Once it clicks, it clicks. The atmosphere does build. There are stretches where you're properly in it, genuinely gripped, feeling the walls close in. And then there are other stretches where you remember you've been reading for two hours and Dracula has not shown up yet and probably won't for a while. The horror, when it arrives, is largely... explained to you. Verbally. Towards the end. Like a villain monologue, but for the entire plot. I did not find this terrifying so much as I found it a little deflating.
The romance is where things get complicated for me.
Would I recommend it? Yes, but only to a very specific person: someone who loves slow-burn historical fiction, isn't too precious about the horror label, and has the patience of someone who genuinely enjoys the journey over the destination. If you're picking this up because the cover made you think you were in for gothic terror - manage those expectations aggressively, or you will spend half the book waiting for something that arrives much later than advertised, and much quieter.
Three stars. It tried. I respect the ambition even when the execution made me want to lie down.
Let me be clear: this book is not bad. It is ambitious, it has genuine heart, and the relationships between the women at its centre are, at times, genuinely compelling. But it is also a book that will make you feel like you've been handed a 1000-piece puzzle with no picture on the box, three pieces missing, and someone has helpfully scattered the rest across three different timelines. We open in the 1900s, then we're in 1893, then we're in 1883/84, and we're doing all of this through journal entries, letters, and notes from people we haven't been properly introduced to yet. I spent a genuinely embarrassing amount of time not knowing who anyone was. There is also a character whose identity is withheld until near the end - I understand the intended effect was eerie and unsettling, but the actual effect was me flipping back pages going "wait, who?"
Once it clicks, it clicks. The atmosphere does build. There are stretches where you're properly in it, genuinely gripped, feeling the walls close in. And then there are other stretches where you remember you've been reading for two hours and Dracula has not shown up yet and probably won't for a while. The horror, when it arrives, is largely... explained to you. Verbally. Towards the end. Like a villain monologue, but for the entire plot. I did not find this terrifying so much as I found it a little deflating.
The romance is where things get complicated for me.
Would I recommend it? Yes, but only to a very specific person: someone who loves slow-burn historical fiction, isn't too precious about the horror label, and has the patience of someone who genuinely enjoys the journey over the destination. If you're picking this up because the cover made you think you were in for gothic terror - manage those expectations aggressively, or you will spend half the book waiting for something that arrives much later than advertised, and much quieter.
Three stars. It tried. I respect the ambition even when the execution made me want to lie down.
May 25, 2026
Many thanks to the publisher for sending me the arc.
Ahh how I loved this one. “Dracula” is one of my favourites and I was so happy when I saw this book comes out. I loved the concept and, while in the beginning it’s hard to understand how everything will connect, throughout the story all comes together in a marvellous way.
This book made me want to reread “Dracula” and I’ll probably do it with another feeling, now that I know a story behind his wives.
I loved the writing in the book and how similar is to the classic. I had some moments where I was feeling like I’m reading another classic, not a contemporary.
Ahh how I loved this one. “Dracula” is one of my favourites and I was so happy when I saw this book comes out. I loved the concept and, while in the beginning it’s hard to understand how everything will connect, throughout the story all comes together in a marvellous way.
This book made me want to reread “Dracula” and I’ll probably do it with another feeling, now that I know a story behind his wives.
I loved the writing in the book and how similar is to the classic. I had some moments where I was feeling like I’m reading another classic, not a contemporary.
March 16, 2026
The Brides expands upon the much beloved Dracula story in a refreshing yet familiar way. It honours the original while creating a new story that will suck you in (pun intended), bring you to the verge of insanity like the women who become Dracula’s brides and leave you enthralled with the world of the dark one. This story feels like it was written at the time of Bram Stoker and Sheridan Le Fanu. It fits so seamlessly into the 19th century style of gothic literature which just adds to experience of reading this book.
Told in the form of diary entries and letters, The Brides gives us multiple points of views and timelines. We meet Sir John Seward who survived Dracula’s deadly campaign, a young servant girl called Alice writing to her mother and sister, and Malfada Lowell who is travelling to Budapest to care for her aunt who is recently widowed and writes to her secret love Lucy about her heartbreaking discoveries.
The way Charlotte has weaved this story together, stringing the multiple timelines, the lives of the various characters and bridging the gap between the orignal story we all know and the emergence of the Brides who terrorise Van Helsing and his companions is so well done. And at its heart is a devastating sapphic love story that will leave you in pieces as the tale unfolds.
It’s an addictive read, haunting and thrilling from the opening lines to the final words. The women of this story are outstanding characters, the skill of the author lies in how she brings them to vivid life on the pages, makes you thoroughly invested in each of their stories. A must for Dracula and vampire enthusiasts. A worthy successor to the original tale and an author who I’m going to be keeping an eye on for future releases.
The Brides will be released on March 19th. Thanks to Pan MacMillan and Tor Nightfire for the arc. 4.5 ⭐️
Told in the form of diary entries and letters, The Brides gives us multiple points of views and timelines. We meet Sir John Seward who survived Dracula’s deadly campaign, a young servant girl called Alice writing to her mother and sister, and Malfada Lowell who is travelling to Budapest to care for her aunt who is recently widowed and writes to her secret love Lucy about her heartbreaking discoveries.
The way Charlotte has weaved this story together, stringing the multiple timelines, the lives of the various characters and bridging the gap between the orignal story we all know and the emergence of the Brides who terrorise Van Helsing and his companions is so well done. And at its heart is a devastating sapphic love story that will leave you in pieces as the tale unfolds.
It’s an addictive read, haunting and thrilling from the opening lines to the final words. The women of this story are outstanding characters, the skill of the author lies in how she brings them to vivid life on the pages, makes you thoroughly invested in each of their stories. A must for Dracula and vampire enthusiasts. A worthy successor to the original tale and an author who I’m going to be keeping an eye on for future releases.
The Brides will be released on March 19th. Thanks to Pan MacMillan and Tor Nightfire for the arc. 4.5 ⭐️
Want to Read
January 17, 2026Thanks to Hanover Square Press and HarperCollins for my review copy!
April 4, 2026
Loved the format of this book.
Took me some time to get into it but for me I really started getting into it about 60% in.
I did get a little confused on some of the names and timeline but it made the ending worth it!
I think its a really great edition to Dracula, I did always wonder how The Brides came to be and this is the story i'm going with!
Eliza was by far my favorite to read about!
Also to add in, the cover is so incredibly beautiful!
Took me some time to get into it but for me I really started getting into it about 60% in.
I did get a little confused on some of the names and timeline but it made the ending worth it!
I think its a really great edition to Dracula, I did always wonder how The Brides came to be and this is the story i'm going with!
Eliza was by far my favorite to read about!
Also to add in, the cover is so incredibly beautiful!
February 17, 2026
Thank you Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I first heard about a book about Dracula but focused on his Brides, and there was ALSO a lesbian relationship throughout it I was like “sign me up.”
It had an interesting format, with letters and correspondences collated together to set the stage and show how the women cross paths with Dracula and what in their lives led them to this point. Since I really liked The Appeal by Janice Hallett, I thought this would be another book of a similar format, so I’d enjoy it, but make it gothic (even better!).
I do think it suffered from a too-big cast of characters, but combine that with the letters etc. not being in chronological order and I was lost… a lot.
I kept forgetting who was who, who knew whom, and whether we had jumped back or forward in time. It created quite a ball of confusing notes and it was hard to keep everything on track.
I did love the relationship between Lucy and Mafalda and their correspondence was wha really kept me going with this book, they were clearly devoted to each other in a time when it was nearly impossible to be as two women without a husband to give them financial independence and freedom. Their little comments back and forth and worry when their letters get stuck in customs were adorable.
Dracula is really a background character till quite a way into the book but his presence is certainly felt in the effects on the people around him. The book is very much not about him, but about the women impacted by him.
I really liked the build up to the final confrontation scene, it felt appropriately spooky and gothic and you could really feel the terror in the characters as they recounted their ordeal.
Overall I found this book to be a nice gothic and nostalgic Dracula book with an adorable romance, but it was quite difficult to follow who was who and therefore jumping back in was harder than it usually is for a book for me.
When I first heard about a book about Dracula but focused on his Brides, and there was ALSO a lesbian relationship throughout it I was like “sign me up.”
It had an interesting format, with letters and correspondences collated together to set the stage and show how the women cross paths with Dracula and what in their lives led them to this point. Since I really liked The Appeal by Janice Hallett, I thought this would be another book of a similar format, so I’d enjoy it, but make it gothic (even better!).
I do think it suffered from a too-big cast of characters, but combine that with the letters etc. not being in chronological order and I was lost… a lot.
I kept forgetting who was who, who knew whom, and whether we had jumped back or forward in time. It created quite a ball of confusing notes and it was hard to keep everything on track.
I did love the relationship between Lucy and Mafalda and their correspondence was wha really kept me going with this book, they were clearly devoted to each other in a time when it was nearly impossible to be as two women without a husband to give them financial independence and freedom. Their little comments back and forth and worry when their letters get stuck in customs were adorable.
Dracula is really a background character till quite a way into the book but his presence is certainly felt in the effects on the people around him. The book is very much not about him, but about the women impacted by him.
I really liked the build up to the final confrontation scene, it felt appropriately spooky and gothic and you could really feel the terror in the characters as they recounted their ordeal.
Overall I found this book to be a nice gothic and nostalgic Dracula book with an adorable romance, but it was quite difficult to follow who was who and therefore jumping back in was harder than it usually is for a book for me.
March 5, 2026
Thank you to Panmacmillan for sending me a copy of this book as part of the book tour after release!
1903. Sir John Seward, survivor of Count Dracula’s murderous campaign ten years before, takes up a post as a psychiatric doctor at an Oxford public asylum. There, a new patient arrives whose traumatic experiences resurrect horrors John has spent a decade trying to forget. 1884. Mafalda Lowell journeys from London to Budapest to care for her recently widowed aunt Reka. She uncovers the chilling truth about her uncle’s death, and writes to her secret love Lucy North for comfort. Chaperoned by former schoolfriend Eliza and lady’s maid Alice, Lucy travels across the continent to be with her beloved. Only Alice, beset by nightmares and terrifying visions, notices the strange black-clad man who seems to follow them wherever they go. When Eliza is struck down with a mysterious wasting illness, her doctor orders her to take the healing waters of Transylvania, a journey with devastating consequences.
We are introduced to a great many characters in this book. From Lucy, to Mafalda, to Alice, to Eliza. Mixing with doctors and travellers and village goers, it all created a vast world within the pages of the book. The different personalities and thoughts and emotions were all interesting to untangle whilst also seeing just how cleverly they all interwove as well.
I wasn’t too sure what to expect from the story. In the blurb, it mentions that the tale would be told through letters and reports and the like. However, I didn’t realise that meant the entire story was written that way! I somehow expected the letters etc to be linked within the story itself, appearing at the correct times for the biggest impact. I did struggle a little bit with the pacing, purely because of the layout. It was incredibly clever and certainly a different way of ingesting and experiencing a story but I would dare say I wouldn’t rush back to a story laid out like this again. I’m too much of a sucker for lyrical prose over correspondence! I did like the parallels to Dracula and how this story complimented the original so well. There is always a concern when a companion novel to a classic or well loved story emerges because you wonder how it could work. But this one does! The way it meshes the two together to further the story and add this extra depth was especially clever. This is definitely one the vampire lovers don’t want to miss out on!
Overall, The Brides is a great story complimenting the original Dracula very well - it’s just not entirely for me!
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Thank you again to Panmacmillan for sending me a copy of this book.
1903. Sir John Seward, survivor of Count Dracula’s murderous campaign ten years before, takes up a post as a psychiatric doctor at an Oxford public asylum. There, a new patient arrives whose traumatic experiences resurrect horrors John has spent a decade trying to forget. 1884. Mafalda Lowell journeys from London to Budapest to care for her recently widowed aunt Reka. She uncovers the chilling truth about her uncle’s death, and writes to her secret love Lucy North for comfort. Chaperoned by former schoolfriend Eliza and lady’s maid Alice, Lucy travels across the continent to be with her beloved. Only Alice, beset by nightmares and terrifying visions, notices the strange black-clad man who seems to follow them wherever they go. When Eliza is struck down with a mysterious wasting illness, her doctor orders her to take the healing waters of Transylvania, a journey with devastating consequences.
We are introduced to a great many characters in this book. From Lucy, to Mafalda, to Alice, to Eliza. Mixing with doctors and travellers and village goers, it all created a vast world within the pages of the book. The different personalities and thoughts and emotions were all interesting to untangle whilst also seeing just how cleverly they all interwove as well.
I wasn’t too sure what to expect from the story. In the blurb, it mentions that the tale would be told through letters and reports and the like. However, I didn’t realise that meant the entire story was written that way! I somehow expected the letters etc to be linked within the story itself, appearing at the correct times for the biggest impact. I did struggle a little bit with the pacing, purely because of the layout. It was incredibly clever and certainly a different way of ingesting and experiencing a story but I would dare say I wouldn’t rush back to a story laid out like this again. I’m too much of a sucker for lyrical prose over correspondence! I did like the parallels to Dracula and how this story complimented the original so well. There is always a concern when a companion novel to a classic or well loved story emerges because you wonder how it could work. But this one does! The way it meshes the two together to further the story and add this extra depth was especially clever. This is definitely one the vampire lovers don’t want to miss out on!
Overall, The Brides is a great story complimenting the original Dracula very well - it’s just not entirely for me!
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Thank you again to Panmacmillan for sending me a copy of this book.
November 12, 2025
The Brides is an epistolary novel, much like its inspiration, that weaves the intersecting stories of four women as they eventually find themselves travelling to Dracula's castle, before the events of the original 1897 novel. Years on, John Seward (the psychiatrist who oversaw Renfield) will piece together letters and journal entries, whilst working at an asylum in 1903.
A familiarity with Bram Stoker's Dracula is crucial to The Brides, that acts as a prequel and continuation of the original novel. Characters from Dracula make appearances, and Cross' brides are skilfully written around the original narrative.
The Brides deals heavily with the themes of female autonomy, sapphic relationships in the late Victorian era, and the effects of living with trauma. It focuses largely on the backstories of its leads, though I also found myself looking forward to the chapters from John Seward's perspective throughout the novel.
Dracula himself is an ever-present, though rarely seen, terrifying force that permeates the text. As a character study, the bulk of story is spent learning about the brides before Dracula's castle, and at times I did find the plot to unfold more slowly than expected. Ultimately however, I found The Brides to be a very gratifying slow-burn read.
I can never get enough of these types of Dracula adjacent continuations/retellings/reimaginings, so I was ecstatic to be able to receive a proof copy to review. Fans of recent classic vampire novel retellings like Hungerstone will be equally eager to devour The Brides.
*Thank you to the publishers for providing a proof copy of this book for review*
A familiarity with Bram Stoker's Dracula is crucial to The Brides, that acts as a prequel and continuation of the original novel. Characters from Dracula make appearances, and Cross' brides are skilfully written around the original narrative.
The Brides deals heavily with the themes of female autonomy, sapphic relationships in the late Victorian era, and the effects of living with trauma. It focuses largely on the backstories of its leads, though I also found myself looking forward to the chapters from John Seward's perspective throughout the novel.
Dracula himself is an ever-present, though rarely seen, terrifying force that permeates the text. As a character study, the bulk of story is spent learning about the brides before Dracula's castle, and at times I did find the plot to unfold more slowly than expected. Ultimately however, I found The Brides to be a very gratifying slow-burn read.
I can never get enough of these types of Dracula adjacent continuations/retellings/reimaginings, so I was ecstatic to be able to receive a proof copy to review. Fans of recent classic vampire novel retellings like Hungerstone will be equally eager to devour The Brides.
*Thank you to the publishers for providing a proof copy of this book for review*
January 10, 2026
I’m a huge fan of Dracula so I was fully expected to love this book. I was not disappointed. I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.
This book tells the origin of Dracula’s brides. It overlaps with the original story at points, and it’s told over many years. The books uses a blend of letters, diary entries to showcase the events of the past. We follow John Seward, years after the events of Dracula. He’s treating a patient with an unusual illness and he’s forced to remember his own traumatic events whilst investigating what happened to her. This feels reminiscent of the writing style in Dracula. Indeed, there’s so much affection and respect shown to the original material. The author has managed to beautifully tie her own work to the original novel, whilst creating something that stands up as its own story. Would you benefitting from being familiar with Dracula when reading this? Yes. Can it stand up as its own book without reading Dracula first? Also yes. I was really impressed with this and I’ll certainly be looking out for more from this author.
I loved the gentle blending of historical detail throughout this novel, particularly given it spans decades and takes place across England, Hungary and Romania. The setting is richly imagined in each case. We hear from multiple points of views across various letters and diaries. I was impressed with how individual each voice felt. Though the entries are labelled with their creator, I felt they were distinct enough I could have told the voice just from the writing.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and I would certainly read it again. Fantastic.
This book tells the origin of Dracula’s brides. It overlaps with the original story at points, and it’s told over many years. The books uses a blend of letters, diary entries to showcase the events of the past. We follow John Seward, years after the events of Dracula. He’s treating a patient with an unusual illness and he’s forced to remember his own traumatic events whilst investigating what happened to her. This feels reminiscent of the writing style in Dracula. Indeed, there’s so much affection and respect shown to the original material. The author has managed to beautifully tie her own work to the original novel, whilst creating something that stands up as its own story. Would you benefitting from being familiar with Dracula when reading this? Yes. Can it stand up as its own book without reading Dracula first? Also yes. I was really impressed with this and I’ll certainly be looking out for more from this author.
I loved the gentle blending of historical detail throughout this novel, particularly given it spans decades and takes place across England, Hungary and Romania. The setting is richly imagined in each case. We hear from multiple points of views across various letters and diaries. I was impressed with how individual each voice felt. Though the entries are labelled with their creator, I felt they were distinct enough I could have told the voice just from the writing.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and I would certainly read it again. Fantastic.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advance copy of The Brides in exchange for an honest review.
Going into The Brides, I expected a total Dracula retelling, but it's really more of an expansion on Bram Stoker's original story, creating a narrative before and after the events of Dracula. Most striking from the beginning of The Brides was how similar in style it felt to the original. Given that Dracula is perhaps my favourite book of all time, this felt to me like coming home. It's obvious that Charlotte Cross cares a great deal for the original story, and The Brides glitters with little references to Dracula that will thrill superfans.
I loved the depth given to all of the characters, and the level of research that was obviously put into giving them a believable world to live in. The gothic atmosphere was delicious, and everything felt very authentic, and there was an excellent balance of horror and build-up that made The Brides feel like a classic work of literature.
Dracula's brides appeared only briefly in the original, but they were characters that stood out and enchanted me from the first time I read it. I love that we've finally been given a backstory to these women, written in the same epistolary style that makes Dracula such a lasting work of literature. Saying that, I do think the novel stands on its own, although I don't think it would be as exciting for readers who aren't familiar with Dracula.
Going into The Brides, I expected a total Dracula retelling, but it's really more of an expansion on Bram Stoker's original story, creating a narrative before and after the events of Dracula. Most striking from the beginning of The Brides was how similar in style it felt to the original. Given that Dracula is perhaps my favourite book of all time, this felt to me like coming home. It's obvious that Charlotte Cross cares a great deal for the original story, and The Brides glitters with little references to Dracula that will thrill superfans.
I loved the depth given to all of the characters, and the level of research that was obviously put into giving them a believable world to live in. The gothic atmosphere was delicious, and everything felt very authentic, and there was an excellent balance of horror and build-up that made The Brides feel like a classic work of literature.
Dracula's brides appeared only briefly in the original, but they were characters that stood out and enchanted me from the first time I read it. I love that we've finally been given a backstory to these women, written in the same epistolary style that makes Dracula such a lasting work of literature. Saying that, I do think the novel stands on its own, although I don't think it would be as exciting for readers who aren't familiar with Dracula.
March 28, 2026
As a lover of vampire novels I was immediately seated when I saw this prequel/sequel. Cross writes an intriguing, harrowing debut exploring Dracula's brides and how they came to be.
I really enjoyed how Cross elevated the original source material and added new and relevant elements to the story whilst keeping true to Stoker's plot and characters. I really loved the character Alice - I'm a sucker for a strong, independent maid. The toxic lesbian trope was strong with this one as well. Cross described the beauty of Buda-Pesth wonderfully, and I was glad she did not take on the dull travelogue style of Dracula. Initially I was a little bit confused due to the epistolary nature of the novel and the pacing was a little slow at first but once you are settled into the story this book is a page turner.
A perfect ode to Stoker's titular novel, Dracula, that is a thrilling and feminist expansion of the universe.
I really enjoyed how Cross elevated the original source material and added new and relevant elements to the story whilst keeping true to Stoker's plot and characters. I really loved the character Alice - I'm a sucker for a strong, independent maid. The toxic lesbian trope was strong with this one as well. Cross described the beauty of Buda-Pesth wonderfully, and I was glad she did not take on the dull travelogue style of Dracula. Initially I was a little bit confused due to the epistolary nature of the novel and the pacing was a little slow at first but once you are settled into the story this book is a page turner.
A perfect ode to Stoker's titular novel, Dracula, that is a thrilling and feminist expansion of the universe.
May 7, 2026
ARC provided by NetGalley.
Full disclosure - I have not read Dracula (yet) but still found this easy to follow and very enjoyable. This book is told through a series of diary entries and letters. Dr. Seward is a new psychiatric physician in Oxford in 1903. He begins to suspect that his patient, Lady Lowell, was traumatized by Count Dracula just as he was. The dual timeline in this novel goes back and forth between Seward uncovering the truths about his patient, and accounts from Dracula’s brides 20 years prior. One of my favorite parts of this book was the forbidden romance between two of the brides. This story was gripping, heartbreaking, and eerie as hell. If you are a fan of gothic fiction and/or vampire stories, especially those of the sapphic variety, this is the book for you! I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.
Full disclosure - I have not read Dracula (yet) but still found this easy to follow and very enjoyable. This book is told through a series of diary entries and letters. Dr. Seward is a new psychiatric physician in Oxford in 1903. He begins to suspect that his patient, Lady Lowell, was traumatized by Count Dracula just as he was. The dual timeline in this novel goes back and forth between Seward uncovering the truths about his patient, and accounts from Dracula’s brides 20 years prior. One of my favorite parts of this book was the forbidden romance between two of the brides. This story was gripping, heartbreaking, and eerie as hell. If you are a fan of gothic fiction and/or vampire stories, especially those of the sapphic variety, this is the book for you! I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.
Did Not Finish
April 29, 2026April 2026
Kindle edition
DNF@ chapter 2 (part two)
This was a struggle for me from the first page. I did fight to get into it, but its a story told by letters and diary entries. A bit too abstract for me to engage.
Kindle edition
DNF@ chapter 2 (part two)
This was a struggle for me from the first page. I did fight to get into it, but its a story told by letters and diary entries. A bit too abstract for me to engage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2026
A true masterpiece
Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews