Bitter Waters by Vivian Shaw – Review

Published: June 25, 2024

Publisher: Orbit

Series: Dr. Greta Helsing #3.5

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 164 (Kindle)

My Rating: 4 Stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
A witty, charming standalone novella starring Greta Helsing, doctor to the undead, who must get to the bottom of a mystery involving a newly turned child vampire.

A barrow-wight shows up on Greta and Varney’s doorstep one night with 11-year-old Lucy Ashton who’s been newly—and forcefully—bitten and turned. Who did this to her, and why? With the help of her vampiric friends, Greta is determined to find out.

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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!