We return to the delightful world author Vivian Shaw has created of compassionate Doctor Greta Helding, and the various intriguing and mostly considerate otherworldly beings of vampires, mummies, ghouls, angels, and many others.

Greta and Varney are at his country manor, relaxing with his ward Emily, another vampire, when a barrow-wight named Sigyn arrives, bearing a ten-year-old girl, who has been forcibly transformed into a vampire.

This terrible incident brings Ruthven and Grisaille to Varney’s estate as the four attempt to acclimatize the young vampire, while also figure out who the perpetrator is, and inform Dracula.

Vivian Shaw brings back the wonderfully calm and soothing presences of Greta and Ruthven, who must deal with a horrific situation, but do so with their customary kindness and compassion, which is a large part of why I greatly enjoy the Greta Helsing series. The supernatural characters, though normally seen as ‘monsters’ in other stories (including their real world narratives), are full of generosity and surprising gentleness. The girl at the centre of this novella is surprisingly resilient, curious, and loves reading, which makes her immediately interesting.

With the widening of the circle of beings Greta calls friends, I hope the author returns again to this world. The ending, while satisfying, hinted at possible future problems for Greta and her friends. If this hint is expanded on, I know I’ll read it!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

2 stars!

I feel so bad because this just didn't work for me. I think the first issue was that I didn't realize this was part of a series (which is my fault). I didn't feel like I missed anything storywise by not reading the previous installments but I wasn't attached to the characters at all. Additionally, I was surprised this was under 200 pages because it felt so long and boring and what drew me into the synopsis was barely mentioned at all.

Regardless, thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved the found family in this novella. The mystery aspect kept me interested the whole time. I loved the writing and I can’t wait to read more about these characters in the future.

I was disappointed when Vivian Shaw said that Grave Importance was the final book in the Dr. Greta Helsing trilogy, since I felt the modern fantasy series about a doctor who helped treat creatures of myth like vampires and mummies, had so much potential for additional fun adventures. I was therefor delighted when Bitter Waters, a stand alone novella featuring Greta, who must solve the mystery and come to the aid of a newly bitten vampire child, Lucy, was announced.

This one will be especially popular with vampire fans with vampires Varney, Ruthven, and Grisaille all coming to the aid of Greta in helping Lucy recover from her ordeal. I also enjoyed Shaw's interpretation of Dracula and his part in the story as well as the small side story about a cranky elder barrow-wight. Much of the joy of the series is seeing those typically depicted as monstrous in a humanized way with regular every day issues such as dealing with an aging parent.

The culprit for Lucy's situation felt a little too easily wrapped up, offstage, but I felt like there were hints that all may not be as it seems and I'm wondering if we may be setting up for future stories; I certainly hope so. We had read the first novel in the series, Strange Practice, as apart of our Science Fiction and Fantasy book club. The group enjoyed the book and I highly recommend the whole series for those looking for a contemporary fantasy.

How I love Dr. Greta Helsing, let me count the ways! Another delightful addition to the Dr. Helsing oeuvre. Characters to love (both old and new) make their appearance in this romp of a novel that is sure be a favorite for fans of the series. Highly recommend this series (and this latest installation)!

I actually haven’t read the rest of this series. I think I thought it looked too much like horror which I don’t care for at all. This was delightful, stood alone very well and an excellent character driven story. I’ve put book one on hold because of this novella’s quality.

*** Thank you NetGalley for my ARC ***
I really enjoyed this novella. It was a great way to connect the classic gothic horror novels with a spin. I haven't read the series this spawns from, but it is definitely being added to my TBR.

I do wish the end was a bit more, but I often do when it comes to novellas.

If you love vampires, justice related mysteries, and classics, this is a good pick for you!

Greta and Varney are settling into living together, when a barrow-wight who lives on Varney’s land brings them a mysterious, forcibly turned vampire child. Fortunately, they have a whole paranormal community that they can reach out to to find out what happened, and prevent it from happening again.

I was a such big fan of this series as it was originally coming out! And I was not disappointed by this amazing little novella!

I had forgotten just how much I love the humor, the characterizations, and the sly references to other stories and folklore. I found myself giggling to myself several times as I caught references to stories I knew. In addition to all the characters we know and love from the original trilogy, we get four new lady characters that are so unique and bring such fun vibes to a series that usually is Greta and The Boys.

This is short, but it’s a wonderful story about the responsibility of community and coming together and taking care of each other. An absolute delight, with a surprise cameo that made me actually cackle in glee.

Many thanks to both NetGalley and Orbit Books for this charming ARC.

3.5 of 5 stars (rounded to a cosy 4)
https://lynns-books.com/2024/06/20/bitter-waters-by-vivian-shaw-review/
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Cosy Urban Fantasy. With Vampires?

Yes, Vivian Shaw succeeds at writing cosy urban fantasy populated by caring vampires. Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d put together.

Firstly, if you haven’t read the previous three Dr Greta Helsing books then I recommend you do so. Although, I’m fairly confident that you could pick this up and read without having read the other stories you would miss a lot of character development and world building.

Speaking of which, this is a contemporary world inhabited both by humans and supernatural creatures (although not necessarily with the humans being fully aware of that fact). It’s sometimes easy to think this has a historical setting, particularly when the central character is residing at her husband’s country estate and then it gives you a jolt when mention of aeroplanes and other modern affairs are mentioned. I think the writing feeds into this notion a little, not to mention the characters, such as the introduction of Dracula into this episode. But, this isn’t a criticism, I think Shaw has nailed a winning style here, it feels cosy, easy to fall into the story and comfortable.

The plot for this one is a little thin. A young girl is attacked by a vampire and in the process turned. She is brought to Dr Helsing and from there comes an investigation to discover who committed this heinous crime. In actual fact, the investigation takes something of a backseat and is mostly played out off page whilst the central thread involves the search for a home for this newly turned young girl.

What I enjoyed.

I liked returning to this world and characters. That being said I couldn’t help feeling that things were changing, almost like this is a bridging novel to something new? I don’t know why I felt like that. I just have this notion and I can’t shake it.

This really does have a very character led cosy, found family feel. You can see how Greta has found her new family and how comfortable she is, I think this may have led me to think that something new is in the offing, that Greta is now so comfortable. Actually, thinking about it, the author could be going in a completely different direction, showing us Greta so happy before throwing everything into chaos?

Okay, so I’m rambling now so time to conclude. This is a fairly short easy to read cosy urban fantasy. I hope it’s the start of something more as I like the author’s style very much and I do enjoy UF. The only negative for me – I wanted more (my constant refrain when it comes to novellas).

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Thank you to Orbit Books for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Bitter Waters will be available on June 25th.

I’ve greatly enjoyed the other Dr. Greta Helsing books, so of course I was excited to jump back into the fun (and, yes, charming) world of Dr. Greta Helsing. Bitter Waters is a fun aside in an entertaining series.

Greta is a doctor of the most unusual variety: she caters to the supernatural. However, in this installment she’s left her practice behind to go visit the country on a much-needed break. Her job follows her, though, when a barrow-wight brings an unconscious soon-to-be vampire girl to her door. I need to pause right there to point out one of the smaller additions to this series that I love so much: the supernatural creatures don’t start and end with vampires. Seeing a barrow-wight casually saunter to the main character’s front door is fabulous!

The novella is meant to focus on discovering who turned such a young girl (something that just shouldn’t be done, according to the characters in the book), but the author skillfully sneaks in gobs of character development and backstory, fleshing out characters already introduced in the series. I adore good character development, so I was already satisfied. But, not only that, but the elusive Dracula himself pops up.

While this is billed as a standalone, I think that you really should read the other books in order to really become invested in this. There are only three, so it’s an easy (and fun) assignment. It might be a little odd to say that a book involving vampires is cute, but there’s really no other description: Bitter Waters is a cute addition to a genuinely fun series.

This one wasn’t as full and rich as the earlier stories - and I think that’s more because Greta wasn’t at the center than because it was a novella.

Also it’s 2024 do we really need HP references in books? Especially books by queer authors?? Ridiculous and unnecessary. Also why is that the only modern book mentioned? Everything else is classics. There’s so much more vampire (and other monster) canon that a 10 year old would actually read and WANT to read and enjoy.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this ARC

Bitter Waters is an excellent novella for anyone who is a longtime fan of the vampire genre, making an abundance of references to different classic vampires.

After a small girl is found recently turned, Great Helsing and her family of famous vampires must investigate who would turn such a young girl, all while trying to help Lucy to navigate her new life as a vampire.

Overall the book was very sweet and I loved the various interactions between the characters. That being said, as someone who has not read any of the rest of the Greta Helsing novels, I did feel quite lost at times despite this being listed as a standalone. So, while I did enjoy the book and still recommend it, I feel I would have enjoyed it more had I read the rest of the series

A delightful and thrilling read that will captivate fans of fantasy and mystery, particularly those who enjoy witty banter, charming characters, and a dash of the supernatural, as they join Greta Helsing on a captivating adventure to unravel the mystery of a newly turned child vampire.

An unexpected and delightful entry in one of the more cozy, charming classic-inspired urban fantasy series I've come across. It was just a warm welcome back to this fascinating world of Dr. Helsing's life among the creatures of the night, and in this entry we meet a new person in particular that I was not ready for! Even learnt a new word in the process, specifically a title. A great little story, and I'm even more excited to get the 4th and final entry in the series now!

Bitter Waters is named from its epitaph, a quote from Dracula by Abraham Van Helsing (the many times great grandfather of the main character, Dr. Greta Van Helsing). “We must pass through the bitter waters to reach the sweet.” And this novella certainly does. Within the urban fantasy setting, Dr. Greta Helsing is a doctor to the supernatural.

Currently on vacation away from her London practice and residing with her husband in the countryside, Greta’s break is interrupted by a local barrow-wight bringing an unconscious young girl to their estate. She has been turned into a vampire and abandoned. Greta, her husband ( Sir Francis Varney), and their friends (a couple— Edmund Ruthven and Grisaille) work to figure out what happened to the girl and find her a home.

This novella is a wonderful short read, though is not made to be read separately from the earlier three Dr. Greta Van Helsing novels. the central conflict is engaging but low stakes perfect for middle grade readers or older readers who want a more relaxing fantasy mystery.

Bitter Waters in a novella set in the Dr. Greta Helsing universe. Greta and her friends investigate the “turning” of a young girl into a vampire. It’s both a mystery, as the vampires attempt to find and punish the one responsible, and a story of a young foster child finding her first true home among the undead. The story also includes a humorous aside about an aged, cantankerous barrow wight needing medical attention.
As a reader unfamiliar with the novels in this series, the story was entertaining and the characters engaging even though I don’t usually enjoy vampire fiction. The novella did have a few “cheesy” sections and some unnecessary coarse language, but overall I found it to be a quick read that held my attention. I believe regular readers of the series will enjoy this short addition.

I was SO excited to return to the world of Greta Helsing! For those of you unfamiliar with the series thus far, Greta is a doctor to the supernatural beings of London and the surrounding areas. In the first three books, she encounters a cult of monks, an underground group of edgy French vampires, and encounters between angels and demons. All three books were absolutely delightful and Bitter Waters gave me just as much joy, though it was much smaller in page count.
Bitter Waters is a novella following Greta, Francis Varney (vampyre), Edmund Ruthven (vampire), and Grisaille (vampire) as they investigate who might have been responsible for turning a ten year old girl into a vampire against her will. The young girl, named Lucy Ashton, was separated from her school group, turned, and then left in the forest near Varney’s estate, Dark Heart Hall, where a kindly barrow wight found her and brought her to safety. Turning a child is a grave offense amongst the vampire community and a vampire who would do such a thing must be dealt with, so they set out to track down the bastard who did this while also easing Lucy into her new life.
This is, overall, a very charming story with a surprising cozy factor you might not expect. Yes, it’s awful what happened to Lucy, but she’s taking it in stride and seems to enjoy her new life, especially because she has been bounced around from foster home to foster home her entire life. She’s clever and brave and her ravenous appetite for books is relatable (lol). It’s a joy to return to all these favorite characters of mine and see them living their happy, quieter lives. Did I mention that a very famous vampire - the most famous, in fact - also plays a role in Bitter Waters? I loved this and I would love to read more novellas or full length novels set in this world!

Pretty cute read. I enjoyed the writing style and the content of the story. I enjoyed the shift of the narrator between chapters and the way characters were introduced. I, as a reader, was not confused or left needing more information to continue reading. That is greatly appreciated. Especially being a part of a larger series.

Bitter Waters showcases the story of Lucy, a child transformed into a vampire against her will, and how Dr. Greta Helsing and her various friends were able to give her a better life despite the circumstances of her turning. There are some fun modern-day references like "The Great British Bake Off" and the use of an iPad to help keep us in the present day despite such well-aged characters!

I would categorize this as a cozy urban fantasy novella. Definitely a fun palette cleanser in between high fantasy/science fiction reads!

This was a great read! If you love vampire stories this one is definitely for you! I haven't read any of the other stories in this series but I will be now. Loved this one!

A delight for fans of vampire novels and found family stories with stakes that matter immensely and are still somehow cozy. I'll be honest -- I didn't know this novella was tied to a previous series. But here's the thing: it was a wonderful read anyway, and there are now a bunch more Vivian Shaw stories in my TBR.