This book was so much fun! I didn’t know I needed a book about werewolves, vampires, and AI’s with big personalities , but it turns out I did. Every character in this story is so quirky but in a somehow down to earth way despite the fact that the majority of the plot takes place in space.

I would definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a light hearted read that you can absolutely fly through! It’s hilarious and at times just outright silly. It’s so different from anything else I’ve read recently and was just what I needed.

This is scheduled to release the first week of June so keep an eye out for it!

I am at all loss for words. I have read non stop for 34 hours, even at work. Rarely do I pay attention to the blurbs from other authors, because I don’t know if they are honest or not. After 30 pages into this mastermind of a book I scrolled back to the blurbs and I KNEW they were all true.

I have read 4 novel published by Bindery and I am an eager follower of Jaysen. I trust this man’s judgement about books. This book needs a cult.

This author is a FORCE. I have never felt this consumed by a kvasi-cozy-scifi-fantasy-opera in my life. The sentences are pure poetry, the character development is essentially gold and full of heart. The found family, the humor and THINGS ARE HAPPENING FROM START TO FINISH made this book one of the best books I have read in my life. I laughed, cried, WTF-ed and OooOOOoHhh! constantly.

There was so much happening and it was all written and told in a way that held me on from start to finish. I never wanted it to end. I need book 2 in less than five hours, please. I need the movie, the tv-series and audiobook quicker than a mother hunting for her baby’s pacifier.

This author is pure genius and it filled a big gap I had after reader all the “Murderbot” stories. Please let this book win all the awards.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me this amazing arc copy.

Demeter just wants to do her job: shuttling humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri. Unfortunately, her passengers keep dying—and not from equipment failures, as her AI medical system, Steward, would have her believe. These are paranormal murders, and they began when one nasty, ancient vampire decided to board Demeter and kill all her humans.

To keep from getting decommissioned, Demeter must join forces with her own team of monsters: A werewolf. An engineer built from the dead. A pharaoh with otherworldly powers. A vampire with a grudge. A fleet of cheerful spider drones. Together, this motley crew will face down the ultimate evil—Dracula.

I didn't know what to expect from this - it's definitely something new! I really enjoyed the world, the creatures, and the banter. Banter between AI, you guys. Go read this. Fun, interesting, unique, unforgettable! 4.5⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

What a ride! This book was a total sci-fi romp in the best way. It was fast-paced, funny, heartfelt, and full of surprises. The cast of characters alone is worth picking it up: AIs, humans, werewolves, vampires, and an aliens. I wasn’t expecting it to have as much emotional depth as it did, but it managed to balance the chaos with some genuinely tender, thoughtful moments. It kept me entertained from start to finish!

Big thanks to Netgalley, Barbara Truelove, and Bindery Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC!

This book was dazzling. For some reason before I started reading it, I didn't connect that Phoenix meant the animal - I kept imagining Phoenix, Arizona. This was quickly cleared up when I started reading.
This was a beautiful exploration of a time in history we don't hear much about, and from a perspective I hadn't been taught about. The structure of the book was really interesting too - dual timelines was really fun.
I liked both storylines, but I think the one in the past was slightly better. The idea of a pencil giving up its secrets with a magical power was SO interesting. I loved the exploration of communication, what we decide to share, what is shared without our consent, and what it means to post online.
One thing that was a little disappointing, and I'm assuming this was related to it being an ARC, not the final version, most of the emojis that are included in the text came through as squares, so I had to just guess what was being said by the context. This was not a huge part of the text, so don't let that put you off, but it was something I noted.

Thank you to Bindery Books for access to this ARC! I thoroughly enjoyed this story about a spaceship, medical AI system and a ton of monsters. Spanning decades, this book followed characters and their relationship with the spaceship Demeter. I don’t know how this author managed to make AI and monsters wholesome but they did it! If you enjoy OG monsters with new back stories and twists this book is for you.

You’ll love Of Monsters and Mainframes if character driven books with original characters and an humorous style are your cup of tea! I enjoy the mashup of genres. I sometimes struggle with books that don’t have a more defined and evenly paced plot, but this story made it work!

This novel was so creative and entertaining. It had me hooked from the start and was fast paced throughout. I laughed and gasped and had the best time. The way the author made a little community out of the various anthropomorphized parts of the ship was brilliant. The incorporation of classic horror characters was perfect. The speculation on consciousness and personality in AI was both terrifying and so sweet. I loved it.

This is one of my favorite books of 2025!
If you like universal monsters, sci-fi, and/or found family, then do yourself a favor and pick up this book.
Of Monsters and Mainframes is a dazzling new addition to the sci-fi genre. The book is written mostly from the perspective Demeter, the main operating system of a passenger spaceship whose humans keep being killed by monsters. And it all starts with Dracula. As the decades unfold, Demeter is joined by a cast of unlikely creatures that must work together to defeat Dracula and save Demeter.

I loved every minute I spent reading this book. The relationships between the characters were so fascinating and fun to read, especially Demeter and Steward’s. As a horror fan, I loved seeing new takes on classic monsters. Each character was distinct and easily resembled their inspiration monster without feeling like something we’ve seen a million times.

I truly have nothing bad to say about this book. At first, I was a bit hesitant about the transitions between chapters. Sometimes it jumps to years later and you have no idea what happened in the years between, but this is actually a wonderful part of the structure because it puts the reader in line with Demeter’s perspective. It helps us understand her choices and her growth more.

At the end of the day, Of Monsters and Mainframes is easily in my top 5 books now. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy (the cover is gorgeous) and I highly recommend this to…everyone. I can’t wait to see more from this author.

*Huge thank you to Barbara Truelove, Bindery Books (Ezeekat Press), and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced e-arc of this book in exchange for honest review.*

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove is a first person multi-POV paranormal sci-fi that features multiple classic monsters. Demeter is a spaceship shuttling humans across the galaxy with Steward, her AI medical assistant. But when multiple murders happen on the ship, Demeter needs to take down the person behind them: Dracula.

The genre for this book is pretty hard to pin down. It is definitely sci-fi as it is set in space and the main character is a space shuttle moving through the stars. But the more fantastical elements could be categorized as horror or paranormal, with paranormal sitting in a space between fantasy and horror because it’s often both. The pulpier aspects include Frankenstein, the mummy, a werewolf, and Dracula himself, which are very iconic parts of the horror/paranormal canon. It’s like if someone took these characters, classic sci-fi, and pulp horror and threw them in a blender. It’s niche but people who love both sci-fi and horror and have a fondness for classic speculative literature might really love it.

The pacing is fairly quick with most chapters only being a couple pages and some are made up entirely of the binary code. While some readers really want to sink into a sci-fi book and have a lot of worldbuilding for the space aspects being introduced, Of Monsters and Mainframes follows pulp conventions and seeks to be entertaining and a fast-read while also touching on other themes. There is some worldbuilding, especially within Demeter’s POV and if you have working knowledge of classic movie monsters, you’ll be able to put a lot of the pieces together fairly quickly.
I would recommend this to fans of genre-blending books and readers of sci-fi who are looking for something with horror or paranormal elements

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy of the book. Holy fuck was this a great book. Between the nods to all of the classic monster movies to just the wonderful way it was written. I absolutely loved this book and all of the characters. This has definitely been one of the best books I've read this year. Absolutely splendid. I'm going to have to buy this book when it officially comes out, and I will be recommending this to all of my book reading friends.

werewolves and vampires and... AI!? This is probably the most unique book i've read this year. it has some of the funniest whiplash humor i've ever read, with an AI just doing it's best, and a second AI who should really see a therapist... oh wait, it is a therapist. and whoever heard of werewolves in space?! the book is hilarious, emotional, filled with some of the most amazing characters, with a plot that feels like it's bouncing around until it all comes full circle. there won't be a single moment were you don't feel gripped by the story, i was absolutely hooked from the get go, and couldn't put it down! the sci-fi mixed with the classic monsters from history. we get to see werewolves, vampires, frankenstein and even come across Cthulu! not to mention the group of ragtag individuals that we get to meet and fall in love with.

this book was refreshingly original, fast paced, packed with action and emotion and vibrant world building. i loved it so much that i plan on getting the audiobook as soon as it releases just so i can listen to it and love it as much as i loved reading it! you won't regret getting this book, not at all!

I'd like to thank Ezeekat press, Bindary Books and Netgalley for this ARC.

I tore through this book quicker than Demeter accessed her sub-files. Oh, I could go into all the deep thinking about how realistic this story is or question the logic behind whether AI could really do these things, but you know what? I don't care. Why? This is a heartfelt fictional account of finding oneself and one's family in the most unlikely places—even interstellar transport moving at light speeds. This book does it with humor, emotion, and monsters. It's just wonderful, and it is one of the best books I've read this year. It's definitely going in the top 10 for 2025. I hope everyone gets a chance to read this unique and wonderful book.

Thank you, NetGalley, EzeeKat, and Bindery Books, for the eArc--thank you so much! These opinions are mine.

TL;DR: Van Helsing, but as played by a Murderbot-style ship’s AI, with the delightfully cozy and heartwarming flavor of Becky Chambers The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.

Full Review:
I had no idea what to expect from Of Monsters and Mainframes, but having finished it, it’s safe to say this is currently my favorite sci-fi read of 2025!
Demeter is the AI of an older, outmoded spaceship, who wants nothing more than to do her job of delivering her passengers safely to their destination at the end of the universe-crossing voyage.
There’s just one problem: all of her passengers are dead, brutally torn apart by…she’s not sure exactly what, because there’s no way her internal sensors could actually be picking up DRACULA, right?
After a few years in storage following this bloodbath, the “ghost ship” is sent on another voyage to convey passengers back to Earth. And wouldn’t you know it, there’s more murder and mayhem—only this time, it’s a…werewolf?
With everyone aboard save two children dead, Demeter has to fight all of her programming to try and keep these innocents alive and somehow get rid of the werewolf.
And that’s just the beginning of the wild, ludicrous, and absolutely adorable story.
Of Monsters and Mainframes has the same slightly sarcastic, dry humor and self-aware machine sentience that made Murderbot such a fun read, but with the cozy and heartwarming feel of a Becky Chambers novel.
The whole cast of characters—the hyper-neurotic Demeter and her fussy onboard medical AI, Steward; Agnes and Isaac and Frank and even Steve-the-very-much-not-Steve—are a delight, with so much humanity despite many of them being absolutely not humans.
The “monster hunting spaceship” flavor of the story is absolutely absurd and beautifully creative. I loved seeing Demeter and Steward’s desperation to avert disaster and bloodshed with their limited capabilities. It was an incredibly inventive use of science fiction and space travel, and demonstrated an impressive understanding of (fictional) aerospace engineering and astrophysics while still being a light-hearted and fun read.
Fans of Project Hail Mary and The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet will delight in this book as I did. It strikes a wonderful balance between cozy and adventuresome, action-packed and heart-warming, with a whole lot of entertaining AI neuroticism on display.
A hell of a ride, and a hell of a story!

This isn’t my usual genre but I loved every single thing about this book! Apparently, I’m a huge fan of sentient things that shouldn’t be sentient. A sentient spaceship? Yes, please. Fictional, or rather—not so fictional, monsters on board? Bring it!

The story drew me in right away. I adore Demeter and Steward so much. Their personalities are perfect and work together so well, even when the two of them are clashing. And starting the story off with an entire ship of people dead and not knowing why but then Demeter discovering that it’s because of Dracula? It was such an amazing start to the book. Every other character that was brought in along the way was an asset to the story and just what was needed to move the story along.
This is a very character driven book and I LOVE that.

Jaysen described this as a sci-fi horror comedy and that about sums it up! I don’t read horror at all so I almost passed on this one but it’s not scary and I’m sooooo glad I took a chance to read it.

Top tier read, for sure!!!

Demeter is an exemplary transport ship (just ask her) who prides herself on her programming and ship-handling skills. But when her passengers die (and then keep dying), she doubts that "equipment failure" is at fault. Slowly, the cause of these paranormal murders is revealed and Demeter will find out how far she's willing to go to solve the mystery.

I loved this. Unabashedly. I want spin-offs and deep lore and fanart and fanfics and merch and anything else about this story I can get my hands on. Told (mostly) from the perspective of Demeter, the ship's main AI and Steward, the AI for the medical bay, this was a remarkably human exploration of grief, love, legacy and what it means to be human. There are so many little references to horror classics thrown lovingly into the mix, and this book was such a breath of freah air. Truelove's writing is crisp and to-the-point, and she's given these characters such strong voices that it would be difficult not to get attached.

This book has a lot of set-up before the main plot gets underway, but this world-building and character introduction is so worth it. I've unlocked a new favourite trope (found family in space) and I have no idea how I'm going to fill that gap now. I was rooting so hard for everyone, and their interactions and snark filled me with joy. Books should be fun and this was such a prime example of that! I am genuinely upset that I have no more of it to read, and it's been a while since that has happened.

Read it. Read it! End of story. I'm requesting that my bookstore bring this title in because it's going to be my entire personality for the next month. I'm going to buy a physical copy of this one as a birthday gift to myself. Really hope to see Barabara Truelove write more in the future.

CW blood, violence, death, body horror, medical content

This is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. I loved Demeter so much. Her voice felt so real despite being an AI computer program. The characters had such good chemistry and I really hope this is not our only adventure with them.

This was an absolute 5 star read! Everything in this book just worked so well, from the vampires to the werewolves and the AI ship overriding its code and saving two kids from a different werewolf. I just loved it so much!

Of Monsters and Maniframes by Barbara Truelove is a thrilling concoction of sci-fi, comedy, and horror! I could not put this book down! Imagine the most unlucky AI ship, who has a very hard time keeping humans alive, playing host to the Monster Mash 😆 There are so many enjoyable quirky things about this book and I don't want to spoil them for you.

Hands down, I love all the characters, and they have so much depth! Everyone has unique relationships with each other, and their interactions are hilarious. I loved how the monsters were updated to how they may function and come about in an advanced sci-fi world. I really can't pick a favorite character, so just assume it's everyone except for Dracula 😆

I'm not usually a horror person, and there were moments I felt a little too creeped out, but the comedy and the situations make it less horrific for me 🥰 If you are looking for a unique adventure (even if horror or sci-fi are not your thing), you might be pleasantly suprised by this one! 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pick this one up now!

Of Monsters and Mainframes
by Barbara Truelove
Science Fiction
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Jun 3, 2025
Bindery Books
Ages: 16+

Demeter's record was perfect until that one certain trip from Earth to Alpha Centauri. A little alarm kept telling her something was wrong, but she could not find it until she checked the cameras. After piecing together what the pixels were trying to show, she realized that all of her passengers were dead, and had been for a while. But once docked, the humans didn't believe her report of a shadow.

And then it happened again....

And again...


This was a cute story told from many different POVs that included futuristic vampires, aliens, werewolves, a mummy, a created monster, humans, and AIs.

It was a little hard to follow, there were so many characters talking throughout, what I would call, short stories of Demeter's flights through space. Yes, Demeter is the ship. But what made it worse was when it jumped into the future without any explanation until pages or so later, then the reader realizes how they got there. I, at first, thought that a chapter had been left out, but luckily, before I DNFed it, I had the explanation. I get why, but I felt it took the pacing and flow of the story away. (But all of these 'shorts' did connect.)

There were funnies, and the banter between Demeter and Steward I enjoyed, though I didn't care much for the 'aliens', they didn't feel fleshed out that well. Maybe something from their POV would've helped. But I think the best characters were the spider drones. They were just so happy to repair.

Not many would call this cozy because there is violence and gore, so it's not suitable for readers under sixteen, but there's still that family discovery that gives it a cozy feel.

Making the 'stories' flow together better would earn this one more star.

3 Stars