Lord Varney, his wife Dr. Greta Hellsing Varney, and their new charge are enjoying a quiet evening at Dark Heart when a barrow wight arrives at their door with a curious package. A young girl, probably ten or eleven years old that has been recently turned into a vampire and then unceremoniously dumped near Sigyn's barrow. With no where else to take her she brings the poor child to Varney, which turns out to be the best idea she could have had for not just poor Lucy but everyone in Dr. Greta Hellsing's life.

I feel like I call books adorable a lot but damn it this was just an adorable little side story in Dr. Hellsing's life. We get to see all of our regular and loved characters from the series and even Dracula himself who ends up playing the most important role in the book, other than Lucy of course. Who is, you guessed it adorable. I hope this signals another book in the series and I hope that means we get to spend much more time with Dracula who Shaw has humanized in the most wonderful ways in this book and Lucy too of course.

Overall, if you read the series I definitely recommend reading this and if you enjoy modern "monster" stories at all I definitely recommend the series. Not necessarily this one to start with though as it doesn't really work as a standalone.

As always thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the eArc!

Blog Link goes live May 31st
Imgur link goes to graphic scheduled for May 29th
Will be discussed in Youtube May Wrap-up

TL;DR: Greta and her new family have to solve the mystery of a newly turned child vampire and what should happen to her.
Source: NetGalley - thank you so much to the publisher!

Plot: I really enjoyed this! It was simple, the drama was kept low, and the focus was more on exploring the characters than anything else.
Characters: We really got to see thoughts and PoVs from a lot of characters but I enjoyed as it gave me a chance to fully ‘meet’ them. I can wait to properly do so in the full series.
Setting: This was the only minor complaint I had as it felt oddly historical as well as modern so I was left a bit confused for a time.
Magic: The paranormal/magic elements of this felt very rooted, as if these were simply the way of this world. I enjoy that, though there isn’t much as far as explanation.

Thoughts:

Full transparency here - I’ve never read a Dr. Greta Helsing novel. I’ve always had the books on my radar but I’ve never taken the plunge. I say that to say that I enjoyed this so much I immediately ordered a copy of the first book. This is a short novella following a large cast of the primary characters in this series as they attempt to grapple with the turning of a young child by a stranger. The young girl is brought to Greta and her new husband one evening by a Barrow Wight who stumbles upon her in the lands around Greta’s new home. From there all of Greta’s local associates seem to become involved and even some bigger named and more powerful new friends (Dracula!!).

This was fantastic on two big fronts for me. We got to see the PoV of nearly everyone in the book that is established previously in the series so I was able to ‘meet’ them. This both endeared them and teased their history from the previous books which made me desperately want more. The second was how unexpectedly creative this was. The paranormal aspect to this felt so rooted and normal in this world that it was both surprising and exciting. I love the idea of the fresh takes on historical fictional characters, and I can’t wait to read more of them.

I can fully see the flaws in it for all that. The primary mystery is solved off page, the focus being more the characters and their inner thoughts. There is little tension for what is meant to be a very serious crime. Yet, I felt the focus was well pointed and it ended up being a lovely novella. I can’t wait to read more in this world.

4.5 barrow wights out of 5

Greta Helsing is an unusual doctor. By her last name you can probably deduce she has something to do with vampires, although in this case, she helps them and other supernatural beings as best she can.

While this is a novella from an established series, it was a good standalone mystery to solve and a fun introduction to the series itself. Greta is a wonderful FMC, she is competent, smart, and takes each supernatural happening in her stride. The setting is contemporary and it made for a cozy mystery where Greta is faced with a newly turned child. Who is biting and turning children? How to make sure the child has a good (undead) life from now on?

Dracula himself appears in this novella, along with Mrs. D., and other characters that I would love to read more about. Looks like I've found another series to follow!

This was a nice novella set in an established world. While I myself have not read any of the other books in the series, I had no trouble understanding what was going on. With regards to the characters, I particularly liked how the multi-POV writing enhanced my understanding of them while at the same time not being critical to it. I didn't need to have Ruthvan's POV to see that he can be a bit stubborn but ultimately just wants what's best for everyone, for example. I will admit, however, that I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending. It felt as though the first half was building up to this climactic scene where we would see the perpetrator caught and dealt with. Instead, we get barely two sentences that it happened off-screen, and he'll no longer be a threat. At the very least, it's lampshaded by Greta as being anticlimactic. I also found the scene with the barrow-wight's father to be an odd inclusion. It felt like the author realized Sigyn hadn't been included in a bit and therefore cobbled together a reason for her to be brought back into the story. Overall, I liked BITTER WATERS but wouldn't necessarily call it a newfound favorite.

I was so excited to see that a new novella in this series was released. I really enjoyed the premise of the story. I also was happy that my theory about one of the characters was correct. The author leaves the ending open enough that another story could be on the way. Fingers crossed.

A quick and short read with decent people trying to do the right thing and a young person learning what it is to no longer be a human being. The characters have trauma, which I'm always excited to see because it makes them feel more real - no, there is no way someone would turn into a vampire and not have some form of trauma. It was sweet and charming and I really enjoyed it.

My daughter loved this from what she was able to read. Unfortunately due to the copy being online, she has limited access and is unable to finish. We will be purchasing a physical copy as a result! Thank you publishers and NetGalley!

I didn’t realize until after I had already started reading this that it was book 3.5 of a series! I was pleasantly surprised as I kept reading and found that I didn’t need the back story of the other three books.

I really enjoyed this modern vampiric mystery! Dr. Greta Helsing treats the undead and is appalled one night when someone brings a freshly turned 11 year old girl to her door. Greta’s husband and friends work to track down the evildoer with the help of Dracula (yes, THE Dracula) all while helping the young girl adjust to her new life.

This novella was fun, quick and utterly enjoyable while still pulling at your heartstrings. 10/10 would recommend, and I’ll definitely be checking out the series!

I was so excited to receive this arc and dive back into Greta Helsing’s world! Getting to see Ruthven and Varney again made me so happy, although I am a bit sad Fastitocalon (my favorite character of the main series) was mentioned only in passing. But I can get over that because the rest of this novella was so good. It’s fast paced and keeps you engaged throughout. The main plot of the character’s attempting to solve who attacked and turned an eleven-year-old child I found to be very intriguing. Watching Greta, Ruthven, Varney and Grisaille band together without a second thought to care for a child who turned up on their doorstep and make her feel safe and welcome was so moving. Plus, a Dracula cameo?! Absolutely loved that addition to the story and getting to see a softer side to him. I also enjoyed the side plot with the barrow wights, I’m a sucker for grumpy characters and Hrafn is just that.

The way Vivian Shaw takes creatures that are typically terrifying and turns them into creatures who have everyday issues like arthritis and colds just like the rest of us is lovely. I’m unsurprised that I loved this book just as much I did the others. If you want a cozy, low stakes fantasy with incredibly lovable characters I highly recommend reading Bitter Waters! Thank you to Orbit for providing an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Orbit, for once again choosing me to read another awesome story!

I need to be honest and let you all know that I had not read any of the Greta Helsing books before receiving this arc. I have been on an extremely long wait list at my local library. (I live on an island and it’s limited) and yet this story was still intriguing and not confusing to follow! I absolutely enjoyed the atmosphere and the characters were so believable I devoured this in one setting!! I can not wait to read this entire series!!

This book is part of Shaw's Dr. Greta Helsing series. I have only read the first book in this series, but enjoyed it. (The others are hard to find.) Helsing is a doctor for the to the undead and other creatures that hunt the night (or chill in barrows or screech death omens or how at the moon). 

In Bitter Waters, Dr.  Greta Helsing, is attempting to spend some quiet time in the country with her husband Varney (the Vampyre) when a barrow wight turns up with a recently turned vampire. A recently turned eleven year old vampire named Lucy. (Turning a kid is something at happens only with extreme rarity in this setting and is completely horrifying to many of the vampire community. This would include Dr. Helsing's husband and their entire friend circle.)

This leads to an attempt to find Lucy's attacker while helping Lucy to adjust to being a vampire. We mostly get Lucy's adjustments and emotional arc because this is a very "cosy" storyline, where a lot of the investigation happens offscreen and the case ascends several levels past our protagonists wheelhouse when Dracula takes an interest. (In this setting, Dracula is something of a community leader among vampires, or a leader of various vampire communities connected by a network of agents throughout Europe who report to him.)

Cosiness Factors:

Incredibly embarrassed vampires who are embarrassed because an eleven year old child is reading extremely embarrassing books about them. (Not Dracula. Dracula is too old to care. Ruthven, the vampire in John William Polidori's "The Vampyre," is filled with embarrassment and anxiety.)

Stress-baking vampires. (This is still Ruthven.)

The necessity of explaining that what happened in the books and what actually happened are two different things to a child who is taking notes while she reads about the fictional version of vampires she's living with or has encountered.

The levels of caring each of the vampires in Dr. Helsing's friend circle have for the books that were written about them.

Everyone worrying about the kid, taking care of the kid and generally fussing over the kid. Who it turns out, was in foster care, being shuffled from one crappy home to the next. (Extremely authoritarian and restrictive of most of Lucy's activities, but also extremely neglectful.) Everyone is outraged that she wasn't allowed to read as much as she wanted. This is of course a valid take.

An elderly barrow wight with arthritis and a lung infection due to extremely nasty barrow conditions he refuses to fix. There is a very minor plot arc where Greta's husband has to talk the barrow wight into letting Greta do a consultation. (Because Varney owns the land the barrow is on.)

The recurring theme of "just people" that extends from barrow wights to the various vampires, including Dracula.

This novella is a quick read, and I found it to be very engaging. This is a great addition to the series and I enjoyed it a great deal. (I definitely want to re-read the first book, and read the other books in the series.)

This review was based on a galley received from NetGalley.

It was absolutely wonderful to be back in the Greta Helsing universe! I’ve missed this series so much! I really enjoyed seeing how the characters have progressed in their interpersonal relationships and as people in general—so many of the characters have come such a long way. I loved Greta and Varney’s marital dynamic—they complement each other so well. Ruthven’s journey throughout this novella was so heartfelt. Seeing him some to terms with feelings of inadequacy regarding his staggering responsibilities as the protector of London was so interesting. I also loved the introduction of Dracula as a character!

Overall, I loved pretty much everything about this novella, and I hope that Shaw continues to add to this series!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Bitter Waters by Vivian Shaw is a contemporary fantasy novella following a small group of vampires. When a recently turned vampire, Lucy, is discovered, the group takes her in and teaches her about being a vampire. But Lucy is only ten years old, causing concern among them.

Lucy is a very cute and charming young girl who has a strong appetite for reading and knowledge, going so far as to read in the middle of the night as many vampire books as she can find. Through her, there’s an integration of some pop culture references, but not many. Many of the vampires who meet her quickly grow fond of her.

What I really liked was the integration of various aspects of vampire lore. Varney, Dracula, a descendant of Van Helsing, Carmilla, all play a part in the story. Varney and Greta Helsing are in a relationship with Greta running a clinic for supernatural beings and Varney assisting in the education of Lucy. Dracula later comes to assist Lucy and use the powers of enthralling others to get information from her about who turned her.

This was my first of the Greta Helsing novellas and I wasn’t lost at all. Many things seemed fairly easy to understand from context and my background knowledge of various vampire lore assists in filling in some blanks that might have been filled through previous novellas.

I would recommend this to fans of vampires, readers looking for a short contemporary fantasy featuring classic monsters, and those looking to try out the Greta Helsing novellas.

This is a short novella in the Dr. Greta Helsing world about a young child who is turned into a vampire and the resulting attempt to help her adjust and find a home. The characters are the real reason to read this novella so I would not recommend it to anyone who has not read the first three books. They are great and I recommend them for anyone who likes slightly quirky urban fantasy with a lot of vampires and good character development. Unlike the previous three books, this was a more “cozy” book with most of the action occurring off page. However, that worked is such a short book with the focus on the welfare of the child. Also, it seemed to promise more Greta Helsing in the future, which always makes me happy. I wanted a slightly different ending as I was less emotionally invested in the new characters but that may be personal preference. Altogether a lovely short book with some favorite characters and a sweet ending.

I adore the Greta Helsing books, and this was a treat to find on NetGalley! I love seeing the character development that Shaw set up in the very first book for both Varney and Ruthven, while Greta takes a little more of a back seat in this story. Instead, we see our favorite doctor in an unflappable role, taking on new challenges with aplomb.

Set in modern-day London (and Varney's estate), Shaw's books are a delightful addition to the Urban fantasy genre. While this novella had a touch of the Regency with its Lord-of-the-estate subplot for Varney, it also takes time to dip into the exciting rush of London. I enjoyed the story Shaw spun, with a new threat to tackle as well as a charming new character who draws the actual Dracula further into the story.

I just love these books and I can't wait for more from Shaw!

Please note, I received a free copy of this ebook to review; all opinions are my own.

The idea of a doctor for the dead sounded cool. I figured I’d start with this novella and see if I wanted to read the rest. I’m not sure if they are all so much about vampires. Im still having a hard time with the vampire come back after it was so beaten to death in my early reading years. I just didn’t vibe with it because of that. If you like vampires it would be a cool little story though!

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book.

Let me start by saying I have not read the original Dr. Greta Helsing trilogy. This book is marketed as a standalone novella, and I am happy to report that it actually is. There are definitely spoilers for and nods to the original trilogy, but this book is enjoyable on its own. The writing, characters, worldbuilding, and plot are all strong enough to stand on their own.

I loved this book. It was the perfect mix of macabre and cozy. Think The Addams Family with a dash of English aristocracy. It was perfection. Just what I needed, but didn't even know I was looking for. One of my favorite reads of the year so far.

The only con for me was the repetition of certain phrases/words in the writing. For example, everyone kept saying things "wryly" or "drily." It was not enough to truly irritate me, but it's a noticeable quirk. Before the final version comes out, I would recommend Orbit removing a couple of those. There was also an instance where the nickname for Dark Heart House was explained with near identical phrasing only a chapter or two apart.

Otherwise, this was a stellar read and I cannot wait to read the original trilogy now.

GRETA IS BACK! SQUEEE! As a cross between the medical tv show House, the X-files and the urban fantasy series Dresden files, the Dr. Greta Helsing series is one of the most original takes on urban fantasy I've ever read. Unfortunately, as the last book came out in 2019 and it was only a 3 book series, it was also the most depressingly short series I've ever read. So, I can't tell you how much I jumped up and down when I saw this. I am pleased to announce that Greta and co. are just as wonderful as always. I thoroughly enjoyed this and was even more excited that there may be more books in the future.

That said, I do feel that if you haven't read the first three books, you will find this novella kind of lacking. It doesn't have much of a plot-it's more a "how has everyone been doing" kind of tale. So, if you haven't read this series, you should start with Strange Practice, the first book in the series. it's so good, you won't regret it!

If a vampire novella can be sweet, this one fits nicely into that category. Another very pleasant and fun read. I wish this author would write a series of supernatural murder mysteries, and if she did I would buy every single one. Her characters are a delight. Well worth the time!

Going from watching the AMC Interview with the Vampire take on child vampires to the Vivian Shaw take on child vampires is like the hydrogen bomb vs. coughing baby meme except its a feral permateen girlboss drinking her boyfriend vs. a quiet bookish foster kid drinking cups of gently spiced blood tea. Vivian Shaw continues in her tradition of writing cozy fix-it fics about famous literary draculines, this time with the king (Count?) of the genre himself. Despite being somewhat overly saccharine at times, it was cute to watch Greta, Ruthven, Varney, Grisaille & co. support Count Dracula in his journey to becoming an adoptive father. My clinician scientist brain continues to enjoy how excellent Shaw is at framing supernatural beings in medical & psychological terms. Barrow wights with arthritis! Child vampires with complex trauma! Peer-reviewed scientific articles about alternative sources of virgin blood! I'd read a million of these books just for the thrill of the thought exercise. The B-plot of everyone running around trying to figure out the identity of the asshole child-biting vampire was so severely underbaked as to be laughable, but it is clear that Shaw's focus was moreso on the emotional beats than making the plot make sense. Which is fine by me!