Thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

This is a great debut. I was intrigued by comparisons to Becky Chambers and the Murderbot series, and this definitely delivered on that. I love the relationships between the sentient ship, the medical AI, and the rest of the crew.

I would recommend this to any sci-fi fan, but also readers who might want to try reading more science-fi. I hope to see more from this author!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This was a surprisingly delightful read - equal parts nostalgic and futuristic, which is a tough balance to strike, but one this book pulls off beautifully.

As I read it, this book brought to mind everything from Short Circuit and WALL-E, to Fright Night and Star Wars. The mashup of sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery elements felt fresh yet familiar, with a fast-paced, action-packed plot that kept me turning pages.

It’s a wild ride in the best way - fun, inventive, and packed with so much personality. I highly recommend it for fans of fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers, and anything in between.

Buckle up for a fun, genre-blending adventure.

Thank you to Bindery Books and Ezeekat Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Such a delightful, charming story that reinterprets all of the classic monsters in a fun sci-fi setting. What if the Demeter was a spaceship AI whose passengers all kept dying under strange, supernatural circumstances, and what happens when she, her medical AI, and a motley crew of monsters team up to take down Dracula? Comparisons to <i>Murderbot</i> and <i>Hitchhiker's Guide</i> feel very apt; my one note is that it would have been nice for most of the supporting characters to be fleshed out as much as the one who earns the spotlight, but I was all in for the ride here and I'm so glad I checked this book out for myself.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Huge thanks to Bindery Books and NetGalley for an eARC copy of this story in exchange for an honest and unbiased review!

Yay for sentient robots with hearts/motherboards made of gold! This story was a delightful mishmash of monster story. quirky sci-fi, and some horror. I love when a book can surprise me and this one did. I think it has a broad appeal for lovers of "cozy" fantasies & sci-fi, modern gothic fiction and retellings, and found family fans. I've been recommending it to others ever since I read it.

This book is a total trip—in the best way. The Book of Monsters and Mainframes mixes sci-fi and horror with just the right amount of weird, and it somehow makes monsters and tech feel like they belong in the same story. The vibe is part Black Mirror, part retro creature feature, and it keeps you guessing the whole time. The world is super creative, a little creepy, and totally immersive. If you're into strange, twisty stories with heart and a bit of chaos, this one’s a fun, wild ride.

4,5/5

This was such a delight and joy to read. It truely felt like it was doing something new with old tropes. I have always been a fan of the classical monster trope so I was skeptical at first if the setting would fit but it does so and effortlessly. The story was well paced and it's full of heartful and witty banter but there was also action and a bit of sadness. It was the perfect mix. The only thing I didn't like was the romance at the end. It felt a bit... off. But maybe that was because it happened too fast for my liking. Also I think that this book didn't need any romance at all to work. The found family trope was more than enough.

Of Monsters and Mainframes was a perfect balance of funny, tense and heartfelt. The main characters and interludes brought this world to life in a way that is believable, and relatable. I never imagined that I would struggle to decide who I liked more between Angus, Frank or Demeter.

I will be recommending this book to anyone and basically everyone who appreciates tongue in cheek, relatable fantasy/sci fi.

Thank you net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. What a wired but wonderful little story. It started off a little confusing with multiple points of view but comes together in a strange way. I would definitely recommend

I received an ARC from NetGalley.
I just finished what might be the most bizarre, yet utterly hilarious, book I've read in ages! I received an ARC for this book, and it took me off guard because it's not something I would usually read.
The premise? It centres around a spaceship. Yes, you read that right: the spaceship is one of the narrators. Named Demeter. Demeter is on a mission to hunt down Dracula, who's responsible for the deaths of her passengers. To achieve her goal, Demeter assembles the most unlikely crew imaginable: a werewolf, an engineer stitched together from the dead, a pharaoh with otherworldly powers, a grudge-holding vampire, and a fleet of cheerful spider drones.
Even the synopsis hinted this wasn't "my kind of thing." So why did I end up loving it so much?
Honestly, I was not ready for how freaking funny this book is. I laughed out loud constantly! I also didn't anticipate the romance between AI characters, or even that the main character would be an AI spaceship. And then, out of nowhere, you've got vampires and other monsters thrown into the mix, making for an absolutely wild ride.
If you're looking for a genuinely fun book with an incredibly imaginative plot, you need to pick this one up. It's a hilarious, unexpected delight!

The first half of this book was great and I thought I was going to rate it five stars. At around the 50% mark, it started to lose me. It felt like there were too many POVs and the plot felt a bit disjointed. I really enjoyed the found family aspect of the book and am interested to see what this author writes next.

A routine spaceflight from Earth to Alpha Centauri should be just that - routine - for Varna Interstellar spaceliner's navigational AI, Demeter . It turns out to be anything but when all her passengers end up dead through no malfunction of her own. Once is unlucky. Twice, and then *thrice* is cursed. And all signs point to Dracula as the source. At risk of being decommissioned and scrapped, tormented by the other AI's taunts of "ghost ship" and plagued by an increasingly bizarre stream of paranormal entities, Demeter must team up with her onboard medical bay AI (Steward), host of plucky spider drones and some not-quite-human passengers to defeat the prince of darkness himself once and for all.

==

This is a wonderfully fun book that calls on schlocky, b-grade delights of early space operas and Hammer horror while being firmly rooted in the 24th Century. We have vampires, and werewolves, and cult of Cthulhu fishy ooziness and more - on a spaceship! Yes, it is messy, and there's blood and gore, and it could have been an earnest horror show, but instead this book leans into the utter improbability of it all and the AI character's documenting of the events skirts just the right balance between impersonal and absurd.

I was fortunate to be granted an ALC of the audiobook in addition to the ebook. The narrators do a fantastic job embodying the characters (although the binary codes at the start of each section did throw me for a while! At first I thought the audio file was corrupted!). Each chapter of the book was told from the POV of a different characters, and so too did the narrators, as they brought their chosen characters to life. I particularly liked the actors voicing Demeter and Steward, as they injected the right level of wide-eyed, slightly unhinged naivety and jaded sarcasm into each.


This is a b-movie in a book/audio book. And I meant that in the best way (because I love the old kitsch b-grade films). It's the sort of book that you'll either love or hate, and I, for one, love it!

~Many thanks to NetGalley, Bindery Books and Dreamscape Media for an ARC/ALC of this book. I have since purchased the audiobook through Audible. ~

A fun, funny, and cozy sci-fi horror mash-up that didn’t fully live up to its potential

I received an ARC of Of Monsters and Mainframes through NetGalley and Ezeekat Press, and I was genuinely excited—it promised space travel, Dracula, werewolves, Frankenstein’s creature, AI doctors, and a sentient spaceship. The premise sounded like the perfect blend of sci-fi and horror, with a quirky twist.

What stood out most to me was the humor. The interactions between Demeter (the ship’s AI) and Steward (the medical AI) were consistently witty, and often made me laugh. The tone is cozy, despite the body count—a sort of soft, sarcastic take on space horror with monsters.

The multiple points of view were also a highlight. Shifting between the ship, the crew, the monsters, and even spider drones (hello, hello) gave the story energy and variety. Barbara Truelove clearly has a knack for voice and character.

That said, the book felt too long for me. Some sections dragged, and I occasionally struggled to follow the logic of the plot. The pacing lost momentum midway, and a few resolutions felt too convenient.

Still, I’m glad I read it. It was imaginative, charmingly weird, and genuinely entertaining at times.

Highlights:

Humor: snappy, sarcastic, and clever

Tone: surprisingly cozy for a story about vampires and space murder

Structure: multiple perspectives kept it lively

Drawbacks:

Plot: not always coherent or compelling

Length: could have been tighter and more focused

This is a book for readers who enjoy their horror a little goofy, their sci-fi a little heartfelt, and their AI a little too curious.

I’m giving this book 3 stars—it had many enjoyable elements, even if it didn’t fully live up to my initial hopes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Bindery Books (an imprint of Ezeekat Press) for the opportunity to read this ARC. This review reflects my honest and personal opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

Of Monsters and Mainframes gives big Murderbot by Martha Wells vibes in the best way. It’s very character driven, and told mainly from the AI of a spaceship’s point of view. Having a narrator who sees everything through pixels and is limited to what happens on board her ship makes it easy to build tension and limits the knowledge of the reader, who for the most part is seeing the story through her eyes. I loved the cast of characters and the occasional shift of perspective from their chapters.

I do wish there had been a translation or something for the binary code portion as it felt tedious to decode on my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book ended up being so much more than I anticipated, and I am so glad.

It might not seem possible, but this book managed to terrify me, make me break down into tears more than once, and give me the same unbridled joy that The Mummy (1999) gives me.

First off, the story is phenomenal! Having us follow the Ships AI where we know certain things and are limited in knowledge in other areas and having it make sense what so fucking good! I LOVE Demeter's AI. She is so sweet, and I would die for her! Steward is the bestest little uptight AI goblin, love her too! I love that these two end up together. So cute it almost took me out! The other characters are also awesome: Agnus, Frank, Steve, and Mina!

The fact that the story starts off as a horror sci-fi stuck on a ship scenario with multiple deaths was a genius level of terror. It left me feeling so uncomfortable in the best way. This is what I want to feel from horror. Then, having it switch halfway through into an adventure/Avengers-esque plot was so much fun.

I think Dracula was an amazing antagonist. Though I do wish the final battle with him had had more. I still had a good time. I think this, being essentially the Universal Classic Monsters in space, is a stroke of genius.

While I do think the latter half wasn't as strong as the first part, it is still a strong finish that left me feeling satisfied. I NEED a beautiful physical copy of this on my shelf, because in addition to everything else, have you seen this cover? HAVE YOU SEEN THIS COVER? Fucking Fantastic!!!

The book is also surprisingly queer, which was just a cherry on top of a scrumptious dessert. If you are a fan of Sci-fi, horror, Universal Classic Monsters, The Mummy(1999), and Becky Chambers' books, this is the book for you!

Note: if you do read this book, it is absolutely worth translating the binary code to text. You should also pay close attention to the unit numbers of Demeter each time they are changed...This level of detail was also so, so fun!

I need to talk about this book for 72 hours straight.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 407
Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller
Audiobook Narrator: Gail Shalan, Emana Rachelle, Chris Devon, Zura Johnson, Charlie Albers, Cary Hite, Eve Passeltiner
Duration: 12 hours 52 minutes
Release Date: June 3, 2025

Demeter is a sentient passenger spaceship, who wants nothing more than to do her job flying humans around the galaxy. But it’s hard to hold your metaphorical shoulders high when your passengers keep getting murdered due to unforeseen paranormal events caused by actual vampires, werewolves, and, um, a Frankenstein. She also keeps getting gaslighted by Steward, her medical AI system.

I love a good sci-fi thriller and this one was just delightful! There are sentient, queer computer systems, real-life monsters, and adorably cheerful spider robots. Full of action, giggles, and feelings, this book has it all.

I especially enjoyed the full cast of narrators on the audiobook. They really brought this epic adventure to life.

Thank you, @BarbaraTruelove, @Dreamscape_Media, and @Bindery_Books for my free copies.

What a weird but delightful book. I feel obligated to give this five stars based on my enjoyment alone. There was a major part of the story I felt was glossed over and it got fairly cheesy, but I still had a great time. The writing was excellent and the story was new and I probably need to buy a copy.

I love unintentionally picking up a book with queer characters, especially during Pride month.

The beginning of the book gave me Hail Mary meets The Passenger vibes, but it definitely took on a life of its own. There were some really great characters in this story, and I never expected to have sympathy for a computer, but I found myself really rooting for this oddball team.

I think this is a great mix of sci fi and fantasy with just a touch of romance thrown in.

I did receive an audio copy of this book. Starting an audio with 4 straight minutes of binary code read out loud was a little aggressive and almost made me want to skip the audio (It does happen a couple more times later in the book). There are a handful of narrators who really helped bring individual characters to life. They all did such an amazing job bringing out the emotions of the book. Very easy to follow even at an increased speed.

I am not sure I really knew what to expect going into this one but it ended up being this delightfully weird story about vampires, werewolves, a mummy, and a few AI, all set onboard a space ship. Every character was a joy to read, the plot was bonkers in the best way, it has the most adorable found family vibe, and honestly I just had a really enjoyable time.

One of the easiest 5/5 stars I've ever given a book, and my first one in over 2 years! I knew by about 25% into the book it was going to be 5 stars!

I had such a blast with this story! The plot itself is a mix of mystery, mayhem, and comedy, I loved every second of it.

The concept of monsters in space is amazing. I loved which monsters Truelove decided to include, the roles they played into the plot as well as seeing how Demeter and Stewart would react and respond to everything. Speaking of Demeter and Stewart; I absolutely adored the characters (Demeter, Stewart, Agnus, Frank, Steve, the spiderbots), they're all interesting, amazing, and the characterisation of them was great so you can easily tell who is who and what their personalities are like. I was especially smitten with Demeter and Stewart, as you can tell, I love them so much! They almost made me cry a few times while reading.

Also, it is rare for me to find books or bits of books funny, however I found myself chuckling quite a lot while reading this one.

I will definitely be buying a physical book for myself, and I'll definitely be reading more from Truelove!

Extra kudos for the fact this book has LGBTQ+ content!