The Brides
Will be published approx. on 21. January 2027
Book
Paperback/Softback
400 pages
978-1-0350-5928-7 (ISBN)
Description
'Haunting and seductive . . . I drank in this wonderfully sapphic, gothic tale with a sense of ever-deepening dread' - Francesca May, author of This Vicious Hunger
Chilling, gothic and utterly gripping, The Brides is a stunningly original reimagining of Bram Stoker's Dracula - with a devastating sapphic romance at its heart.
'Come to me, and be mine for eternity'
1884. When Mafalda journeys to Budapest to care for her grieving aunt, her secret love, Lucy, hurries from London to comfort her, with chaperone and lady's maid in tow.
But lady's maid Alice, blessed and cursed with the Sight, is tormented by terrifying visions. When chaperone Eliza falls prey to a disturbing wasting illness, the women hope to seek the healing waters of Transylvania. At a nobleman's invitation, they set out for Castle Dracula.
In the depths of the forest, miles from civilization, their host reveals his true intentions; a monstrous ambition which will tear the women apart.
And not all of them will survive.
'Dracula's worthy successor . . . chills and delights in equal measure' - Johanna Van Veen, author of Blood on Her Tongue
Perfect for fans of Hungerstone by Kat Dunn and The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.
Chilling, gothic and utterly gripping, The Brides is a stunningly original reimagining of Bram Stoker's Dracula - with a devastating sapphic romance at its heart.
'Come to me, and be mine for eternity'
1884. When Mafalda journeys to Budapest to care for her grieving aunt, her secret love, Lucy, hurries from London to comfort her, with chaperone and lady's maid in tow.
But lady's maid Alice, blessed and cursed with the Sight, is tormented by terrifying visions. When chaperone Eliza falls prey to a disturbing wasting illness, the women hope to seek the healing waters of Transylvania. At a nobleman's invitation, they set out for Castle Dracula.
In the depths of the forest, miles from civilization, their host reveals his true intentions; a monstrous ambition which will tear the women apart.
And not all of them will survive.
'Dracula's worthy successor . . . chills and delights in equal measure' - Johanna Van Veen, author of Blood on Her Tongue
Perfect for fans of Hungerstone by Kat Dunn and The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.
Reviews / Votes
The Brides is Dracula's worthy successor: a gothic, sapphic epistolary novel that thrills, chills, and delights in equal measure. I loved every page! -- <b>Johanna Van Veen, author of <i>Blood on Her Tongue</i></b> Haunting and seductive, The Brides held me in its thrall and I drank in this wonderfully sapphic, gothic tale with a sense of ever-deepening dread -- <b>Francesca May, author of <i>This Vicious Hunger</i></b> An epistolary gem. Part homage, part reinvention, here the titular brides of Dracula are rich, vivid characters with needs and hungers of their own, saturated with the atmosphere and tragedy of the gothic. A deft, heartbreaking successor to Dracula's bloody legacy. -- <b>M. K. Hardy, authors of <i>The Needfire</i></b> A beguiling and intricately woven novel glistening with bloody suspense, flush with mounting dread, Charlotte Cross's debut The Brides is an accomplished successor to Stoker's gothic masterpiece. The story sank its teeth into me and wouldn't let me go. -- <b>Leigh Radford, author of <i>One Yellow Eye</i></b> Cleverly interwoven with its source material, elegant and timeless . . . Destined to be the standard by which we measure versions of classics in the future: the more you know and love Bram Stoker's original, the more you will enjoy The Brides -- <b>Marian Womack, author of <i>The Golden Key</i></b> The Brides slides into the Dracula corpus as if it's always been there - a prequel and a sequel all at once - while at the same time feeling new and fresh and wholly, entirely its own. A must-read for anyone who loves Dracula, or vampires, or nuanced, meticulously researched explorations of the women living in the shadows of well-known narratives -- <b>Bar Fridman-Tell, author of <i>Honeysuckle</i></b>More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 130 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-0350-5928-7 (9781035059287)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2026
Tor Nightfire
€19.49
Available for download
Person
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.