Author: Charlotte Cross
Publication: July 7, 2026 by Hanover Square Press
Genre: Gothic Horror
Find it on: Amazon | Apple Books | Blackwell's | Google Play | Kobo | Libro.fm | Waterstones
Rating: 5/5★
Before Dracula, there were The Brides. . .
1903. Sir John Seward, survivor of Count Dracula’s murderous campaign ten years before, takes up a post as a psychiatric doctor at an Oxford public asylum. There, a new patient arrives whose traumatic experiences resurrect horrors John has spent a decade trying to forget.
1884. Mafalda Lowell journeys from London to Budapest to care for her recently widowed aunt Reka. She uncovers the chilling truth about her uncle’s death, and writes to her secret love Lucy North for comfort. Chaperoned by former schoolfriend Eliza and lady’s maid Alice, Lucy travels across the continent to be with her beloved.
Only Alice, beset by nightmares and terrifying visions, notices the strange black-clad man who seems to follow them wherever they go. When Eliza is struck down with a mysterious wasting illness, her doctor orders her to take the healing waters of Transylvania, a journey with devastating consequences.
There was meant to be four . . .
A dual timeline novel, told through letters, diary entries, psychiatric reports, that places women at the centre of literature's most famous vampire story.
The Brides by Charlotte Cross is an epistolary novel set in the world of Bram Stoker's Dracula. It's a sapphic gothic horror set in a dual timeline, told through diary entries, journal excerpts and letters. It makes a worthy addition to the Dracula literary canon. I simply adored it!
One timeline is set in 1903 where we read the entries of Sir John Seward who, ten years ago, survived Dracula's reign of terror. Now he has taken up a new post at an asylum in Oxford where the arrival of a new and troubled patient forces John to confront the horrors from a decade ago.
Then we go back to 1884 where Mafalda Lowell who has traveled to Budapest to help take care for her recently widowed aunt. There, she discovers that not all is as it seems surrounding her uncle's untimely death. Mafalda turns to her secret love, Lucy North, who travels across Europe with their schoolfriend Eliza and lady's maid Alice to join her.
Only Alice who is prone to mysterious visions sees the black-clad stranger haunting their journey. When Eliza is struck by a mysterious illness, a desperate trip to Transylvania changes everything.
I loved reading every character's point of view whether it was a diary entry, journal excerpt or a letter. It all deepened the story and brought every character to life in their own way. I absolutely loved reading about Mafalda and Lucy's love story. It's impossible not to root for them and become invested in their relationship even with everything going on. Alice, the lady's maid, ended up as my favourite character. Her letters to her mother and sister, paired with her unsettling visions of the future made her chapters especially compelling.
Throughout the story there also was the mystery of John Seward's new patient. We do know she was also a victim of Dracula but there was a whole uncertainty about who from the 1884 timeline she really was. At first, you think you know the truth, but as the story slowly unfolds, the reveal is a genuine surprise.
The Brides by Charlotte Cross is a compelling origin and sequel at the same time for Dracula's brides, elevated by a tragic sapphic love story. The author intertwines multiple timelines into a seamless gothic tale that's both refreshing and new but also expanding the Dracula mythos most brilliantly.
One timeline is set in 1903 where we read the entries of Sir John Seward who, ten years ago, survived Dracula's reign of terror. Now he has taken up a new post at an asylum in Oxford where the arrival of a new and troubled patient forces John to confront the horrors from a decade ago.
Then we go back to 1884 where Mafalda Lowell who has traveled to Budapest to help take care for her recently widowed aunt. There, she discovers that not all is as it seems surrounding her uncle's untimely death. Mafalda turns to her secret love, Lucy North, who travels across Europe with their schoolfriend Eliza and lady's maid Alice to join her.
Only Alice who is prone to mysterious visions sees the black-clad stranger haunting their journey. When Eliza is struck by a mysterious illness, a desperate trip to Transylvania changes everything.
I loved reading every character's point of view whether it was a diary entry, journal excerpt or a letter. It all deepened the story and brought every character to life in their own way. I absolutely loved reading about Mafalda and Lucy's love story. It's impossible not to root for them and become invested in their relationship even with everything going on. Alice, the lady's maid, ended up as my favourite character. Her letters to her mother and sister, paired with her unsettling visions of the future made her chapters especially compelling.
Throughout the story there also was the mystery of John Seward's new patient. We do know she was also a victim of Dracula but there was a whole uncertainty about who from the 1884 timeline she really was. At first, you think you know the truth, but as the story slowly unfolds, the reveal is a genuine surprise.
The Brides by Charlotte Cross is a compelling origin and sequel at the same time for Dracula's brides, elevated by a tragic sapphic love story. The author intertwines multiple timelines into a seamless gothic tale that's both refreshing and new but also expanding the Dracula mythos most brilliantly.
About the author:
Charlotte Cross writes historical fiction, having been fascinated by stories of the past since she was a child. She grew up in southern England in a small town with a rich history, and spent many happy hours at the local museum where her grandmother was a volunteer. Charlotte now lives in central Scotland with her partner and their opinionated ginger cat. When not writing, she enjoys yoga, reading Victorian novels, and exploring her adopted country. The Brides is her first novel.
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