3.5/5 Stars

Of Monsters And Mainframes was on okay read. It wasn't really for me but it definitely has on audience out there.

I can totally see why so many people rave about this book. It’s pretty cute and unlike anything I’ve ever read before, but I don’t think it was for me.

I thought it was well written, the characters were interesting, and you got to learn about them without a lot of info dumping, which is hard. The narrators did a great job, but some times I thought Demeter’s computer sounding voice was an amazing effect, and sometimes it got on my nerves. The chapters in binary were a great touch, and while easy to skip on the page, it was hard to listen to on the audiobook, not knowing if i should skip ahead or if I was going to miss something.

I did like the originality and concept of this book, but I don’t read a lot of sci if, so some of the space stuff was over my head. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this.

Of Monsters and Mainframes was a wild ride! The concept of werewolves and Dracula in space totally worked, and I loved the eerie, clever dynamic between the ship’s AIs as they tried to make sense of the humans dying around them. The initial rivalry between Demeter and Stewart added great tension, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the AI relationship.

I listened to the audiobook and thought it was well done overall, though the narration of long strings of numbers (especially all the zeros) got a little annoying. Still, the story itself was unique, fast-paced, silly, and full of dark charm. Definitely recommend if you like sci-fi with a twist.

Thank you #NetGalley and Dreamscape Lore for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Demeter is an economy passenger ship taking people on the multi-year journey between Earth and Alpha Centauri. Life for her, and the medical AI Steward, is normal until a monster attacks the people on board and Demeter is forced to fight back in order to save herself.

I really enjoyed the early part of the book where all the different monsters were introduce, and I loved the ending, but I felt like there were parts in the middle that were a little slow. I really loved the characters. Demeter and Steward really grew on me over the course of the book as they grew through their unexpected adventures traveling between Earth and Alpha Centauri.

I did think it was very funny that the audio book started with about 5 minutes of binary being spoken aloud, but I was glad there were only a few chapters of binary and the rest were very short. I did think the narrators did a wonderful job with the voices, especially the narrators for Demeter and Steward, and all the narrators helped me know which characters was the POV character for the current chapter.

✨ 4/5 stars ✨

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook!

This was such a fun and unique adventure. A sentient space ship, vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein, and a mummy. This totally seems like it would be a chaotic mess, but it was a fun read! The audiobook added so much to the story as the narration was fantastic. It brought to life the characters, even the space ship! If you like sci fi or paranormal stories, this is definitely a book for you!

I just finished Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove and here are my musings.

Demeter just wants to do her job… she is a shuttle taking humans from Earth to Alpha Centauri… Her programming doesn’t have a revenge setting but when an ancient evil infiltrates her ship and kills all her passengers, Demeter must work without paranormal creatures to avoid being decommissioned for a crime she didn’t commit.

This is not a book I ever expected to read so 10 out of 10 for uniqueness. An AI working with a werewolf to hunt a vampire? Brilliant!

Firstly… because I did the audiobook… all of the 000111010101 binary stuff…. ANNOYING AF. I get that they were making a point but I skipped every time that started. I think this is one of those moments when this works better as a hardcover than audio.

I liked the side characters a lot. It was pretty humorous and the side characters added some extra layers to the story that it definitely needed. It’s hard to connect with AI because hello… It’s AI so having other characters rounded the story better for sure. I like how the author changed the lore of the mythical creatures too so that added a new dimension to a tale as old as time.

I definitely enjoyed it. The found family stuff was awesome.

4 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @dreamscapemedia for my gifted copy

I had to DNF this one almost immediately due to the audiobook narrator. They audiobook production has made some.... questionable choices. Literally, the first FIVE MINUTES of the audiobooks are just reading out long sequences of numbers. I restarted my Netgalley app repeadetly because I thought it was broken but no, they literally decided to record 5 minutes of what's probably supposed to represent some sort of code, but its just the narrator reading out numbers in a weird robotic voice. One I skipped past that sadly it didn't really improve. The story reads like a Murderbot knock off and I couldn't deal with the narrator's weird voice - I wish I had listened to the sample before I requested!

That being said, I am still interested in the story so I will add this to my TBR and pick it up in print at a later date.

The central concept, a spaceship shuttling colonists across solar systems whose passengers keep mysteriously dying, is truly fresh and gripping. I don’t want to give away too much, but the supernatural element that creeps in is unexpected and engaging. The way the mystery unravels kept me coming back, and despite some uneven elements, I really enjoyed this book overall.

There’s a wide variety of character perspectives here, which works well for keeping things dynamic. Personally, I found myself preferring certain POVs over others. Demeter’s chapters, as a robot trying to make sense of humanity, were a highlight - those sections struck a great balance between curiosity and emotional detachment. Steward was also a standout, and I found myself really connecting with their parts. In contrast, others wore on me a bit, though by the end of the story, even the more annoying characters had grown on me.

The interludes and side characters add a nice bit of texture and humor. The variety of voices in the audiobook and different perspectives definitely adds depth, even if it’s a mixed bag in terms of personal enjoyment.

The audiobook itself could use a bit more polish. The lack of chapter titles makes it hard to navigate, and some voice actors were stronger than others, particularly when they were voicing characters outside of their main role. That said, the production still carried the emotional weight and energy of the story effectively.

In the end, this was a fun, thought-provoking listen with some rough edges. It’s weird but it’s got heart and an interesting mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an audio arc in exchange for my honest thoughts. This was such an interesting concept and was executed pretty well. It was cool to hear about appearances of all the classic monsters, frankenstein, dracula, mummy, etc. My biggest issue as far as listening were the bits of code from Demeter(the ship), it was minutes of just zero/ones that could easily be skipped over in physical/ebook format but was somewhat annoying as audio. My issue (which is probably a me problem) with the story itself was there was SO much happening that i felt i never really connected with any of the characters or really came to care about what happened with them. It's nice when a book is exciting and fast paced but this for me was just kind of overload at points. I didn't really care for a few of the parts, especially demeter's . My favorite was the fish people/dr stu's part. I was happy with the conclusion but in a very surface level way as again i didn't really feel connected to any of the characters. I think perhaps if the story was a little shorter and not as much going on i would have liked it more. The narrators were all great and gave personality to the characters that i don't know if i would have been able to feel in a book format.

Queer cozy space horror with a side of romance that feels like Murderbot meets Universal Monsters??? Immediately yes!! Absolutely obsessed with Of Monsters & Mainframes!

🎧💀 Audiobook Review: Of Monsters & Mainframes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I pressed play, blacked out, and woke up emotionally bonded to a werewolf pirate. 10/10 experience.”

Look. I was just browsing for a little background chaos, maybe something sci-fi and quirky to fill the void while I folded laundry. What I got instead? A haunted spaceship, a vampire with a vendetta, a bisexual space-werewolf pirate with zero chill, and a robot doctor who’s one malfunction away from rage-quitting the galaxy.

And that was just the warm-up.

This book didn’t ask me to suspend disbelief. It tackled me, made me choke-laugh, and then hurled me face-first into a glitter-soaked wormhole of cosmic horror and unhinged comedy and I’m not the same. I’ve changed.

Let me introduce you to the emotional support chaos crew:
🧛‍♂️ One vampire with centuries of beef and zero patience
🐺 A werewolf disaster bisexual who probably smells like gunpowder and poor decisions
🤖 A doctor-bot with clinical burnout and no bedside manner
🧟‍♂️ Frankenstein’s monster who somehow became my therapist??
🧙‍♂️ A cursed mummy on a mission
🕷️ Spider drones who just want love and snacks
🧠 And the ghost ship AI who is absolutely not okay

It’s giving Mass Effect if the Normandy was haunted and everyone had trauma.
It’s giving “found family but make it feral.”
It’s giving “what if Dracula... but in SPACE?”

And the audiobook? Absolute chaos-bringing art. The narrator deserves a crown, a raise, and a mandatory nap. Every voice was sharp, distinct, and dripping with weird little personality tics I could hear the unspoken eye rolls, the deadpan sass, the intergalactic panic. I legit had to pause and rewind because I was laughing too hard to keep up.

Sure, the pacing is fast. The POVs are like a merry-go-round on speed. Time jumps? Absolutely. But once you surrender to the madness, it becomes comfort chaos™. The kind you want to wrap yourself in and scream about with friends at 2AM.

Frank? My king. My emotional rock. My new patron saint.
This is officially a comfort listen and I will be returning. Possibly repeatedly.

If you're into monster misfits, glitchy AI drama, space horror that’s somehow hilarious, and the most dysfunctional found family ever assembled this book is your new obsession amd the audiobook a must .

Press play and let it ruin you in the best way possible.

3 Stars. The ideas and themes in Barbara Truelove’s Of Monsters and Mainframes were very interesting, though it didn’t quite work as an audiobook for me. I loved the new twists on Dracula and other monsters, and will likely pick this up again in the future. Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Dreamscape Lore for the advanced audio copy.

3.5 stars

Of Monsters and Mainframes is a science fiction novel centred around AI-run space ships plagued by paranormal murders. To save her passengers and settle a grudge, the ship Demeter, must team up with her own team of monsters. The start of this book is by far the best part in my opinion, I was very confident it would be 5 stars, but I feel like less would have been more plot-wise. It deviated too far from what made the set-up so enjoyable which was the character work.

I really loved that this book included perspectives from both AI systems and humans. The AI characters were super charming and endearing. I didn't connect with the humans as much but I liked how the two groups bounced off one another. The band of monsters that come together later on definitely didn't each get the time and attention they deserved in order for me to feel one way or another about them.

I love that this is accessible sci-fi and straight forward enough for readers who are not familiar with the genre to enjoy (I think it could possibly be enjoyed more by newbies to the genre). It also stands out from the pack because of how character driven it is - similar to Becky Chambers' work in that sense.

Barbara Truelove’s Of Monsters and Mainframes is a genre-bending masterpiece that fuses speculative fiction, cyberpunk, and literary depth into one unforgettable experience. I went in expecting clever AI and all the monster heavy-hitters—but what I got was so much more: a profound commentary on memory, identity, and the fragile boundary between humanity and code.

Set in a world where ancient myth bleeds into digital reality, Truelove’s prose is both lyrical and razor-sharp. The inner workings of the system pulse with heart and life, and the monsters are more than just beasts—they're metaphors, traumas, and a haunting reflection of society itself.

It’s rare to find a book that so deftly balances intellect and emotion, myth and machine. Highly recommended to anyone who believes stories can be both technically brilliant and emotionally raw.

Though I’m not usually someone who gravitates toward audiobooks, I cannot stress enough how phenomenal this one is in audio format—thanks to a fantastic full-cast performance that truly brings the story to life!

Huge thanks to Barbara Truelove, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC.

4,5 stars rounded down.

This is such a weird, fun little book.

We follow the autopilot AI on a spaceship named Demeter as she shuttles passengers between Earth and Alpha Centauri. Unfortunately, she's just woken up from a shut down and realized that all her passengers are dead. The killer? Dracula.

A sci-fi monster party with AI that slowly gains feelings? Sign me up. This is definitely not going to be for everyone. It's campy, it's out there, and at times it's downright goofy. However, the slowly budding relationship between the autopilot AI and medical AI made me feel things I've never felt for drones before. The snarky voice of the medical AI, Steward, made me laugh, especially in contrast to the sweetly naive Demeter. The way the author weaves different classic monsters into the narrative and updates them is very well done. Frankenstein is a particular favorite of mine in the book. Overall, if you want a fun space romp that involves love, found family, violent death, and piracy, this book is for you.

The narrator was also perfect! The voice for the AIs is exactly how I would have pictured them.

With the boom of AI in our everyday lives, it was only a matter of time until it became a topic in so many books. I’ve read ones with horror aspects, ones with romance ones, as well as sci-fi lifelike self aware ones. Of them all, I think this was the most successful, because it has elements of all of those genres brought together.

I don’t know what I thought I was going to be reading about with a name like Of Monsters and Mainframes, but it wasn’t the classic Universal Horror Movie monsters in space. I was definitely told all about this book months ago and it didn’t click or something, because as I was reading it, I kept getting more and more surprised. Not in a bad way, but it a “Oh! That’s interesting!!” way.

I love that if you weren’t a fan of those horror franchises, you wouldn’t know all of the Easter eggs that the author placed carefully throughout. The voyage of the Demeter was disastrous in the Dracula mythology. Everyone died on the ship that he was carried from Transylvania on. So that being the first thing you find out about in this book was kind of iconic.

My ONLY real qualm with this story is that at the beginning of some chapters, the page is just a series of 0’s and 1’s. Which if you are physically reading, you can just flip the page. Seeing as how I listened in audio format, my dumb gay a$$ listened to MINUTES of someone saying them… it was droning and draining. So the second and beyond time it happened, I fast forwarded to the next chapter. Now, binary digital numbers make sense, since the ship is AI. So that is a valid page. It just doesn’t make for great listening.

I enjoyed this sci-fi AI story with horror and romance elements and multiple queer and non-binary characters. I’d definitely read Barbara Truelove’s next book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted ALC.

This was SO MUCH FUN to read! I feel like it brings together the best of Murderbot and Project Hail Mary.... plus werewolves. It was smart, delightful, touching, and insightful. And it made me cry over robot ai, which as an ai hater, was completely shocking.

Of Monsters and Mainframes is perfect for the readers who want a little zany humor and are ready for a new all time favorite read.

This book was weird, chaotic, and kind of interesting. I had no idea what I was getting into, but once I started it was so bizarre I had to keep going. It’s part sci-fi, part paranormal, and part l fever dream?!

The main characters are an AI spaceship and an AI med-bot, and we follow them as they deal with everything from to Dracula to fish-people and other monsters . And somehow it all kind of works? You have to just go with it and embrace the absurdity. Don’t take this book too seriously, just enjoy it for what it is.

Following AI’s inner thoughts and how they work together is an interesting concept and this book has plenty of “what the hell is happening?” moments when you consider it’s AI and monsters of legends/fairy tales, but it somehow comes together in the end. Definitely not for everyone, but if you weird reads this is a fun and interesting one.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media | Dreamscape Lore for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely adored this book. the variety in character species and personalities and the humor just really hit for me and I couldn't stop reading because I kept wanting to see what was going to happen. The audio was fully cast as well and it just added so much to the story. 100% recommend.

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! especially now with the Audiobook being so brilliant! with a full cast of amazing narrators, lending life and passion to the already brilliant book. i especially love Demeter's voice. though, all the ones and zeros tends to get a little irritating, thankfully, i can just skip those chapters and i don't have to worry about missing anything!

I'd like to thank Ezeekat press, Bindary Books and Netgalley for the E-book, and Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for Audiobook ARCS