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When Monsters Wake #1
Children of the Night
A thrilling, spine-chilling YA graphic novel from author Victoria Setian and Bloom artist Savanna Ganucheau—a modern spin on the classic horror novel Dracula
There’s no one in town stranger than Mina Murray . . .
An aspiring photographer, Mina has a reputation for hanging around creepy locations in her hometown of New Whitby; graveyards, crypts, or funeral homes no place is too weird for her to sneak into. But when a boat named the Demeter crashes on a nearby shore, Mina’s explorations uncover a whole new level of feral dogs, large boxes of dirt, and most notably, the body of the ship’s captain, completely drained of blood.
Shocked by the grisly scene, Mina sets out to unearth the truth behind what happened on the ship. But the deeper she digs the stranger things get around town. The head editor of her high school’s newspaper goes missing. Her best friend falls ill, plagued by nightmares of a massive, terrifying creature. And the handsome new transfer student, Raf, seems to have everyone under his thrall . . . including Mina’s crush, Jon.
It’s clear that something ominous is going on, but will Mina be able to figure out who—or what—is the cause? Or is New Whitby doomed to become the hunting ground of this evil . . . forever?
Spine-chilling and inspired by Bram Stoker’s classic novel, Children of the Night is perfect for fans of Squad, Clementine, and Anya’s Ghost.
There’s no one in town stranger than Mina Murray . . .
An aspiring photographer, Mina has a reputation for hanging around creepy locations in her hometown of New Whitby; graveyards, crypts, or funeral homes no place is too weird for her to sneak into. But when a boat named the Demeter crashes on a nearby shore, Mina’s explorations uncover a whole new level of feral dogs, large boxes of dirt, and most notably, the body of the ship’s captain, completely drained of blood.
Shocked by the grisly scene, Mina sets out to unearth the truth behind what happened on the ship. But the deeper she digs the stranger things get around town. The head editor of her high school’s newspaper goes missing. Her best friend falls ill, plagued by nightmares of a massive, terrifying creature. And the handsome new transfer student, Raf, seems to have everyone under his thrall . . . including Mina’s crush, Jon.
It’s clear that something ominous is going on, but will Mina be able to figure out who—or what—is the cause? Or is New Whitby doomed to become the hunting ground of this evil . . . forever?
Spine-chilling and inspired by Bram Stoker’s classic novel, Children of the Night is perfect for fans of Squad, Clementine, and Anya’s Ghost.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 13, 2026
9 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
August 6, 2025
firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!
3.5 stars — while the black and white art style, and the actual art itself was phenomenal, i felt that the characters and the story was lacking in depth. we are only teased about what happened to mina’s grandma once in the beginning, and then we don’t hear anything about her until the very end.
i am interested to see what classic horror story the next volume retells, though!
3.5 stars — while the black and white art style, and the actual art itself was phenomenal, i felt that the characters and the story was lacking in depth. we are only teased about what happened to mina’s grandma once in the beginning, and then we don’t hear anything about her until the very end.
i am interested to see what classic horror story the next volume retells, though!
December 18, 2025
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Children of the Night is a new graphic novel series primarily for teens based on Dracula.
I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but I found the plot to be very dragged out and not as mysterious as I hoped it would be. It was immediately evident what what happening from the start, and it just seemed too dragged out to be of real intrigue.
The ARC is in black and white illustrations throughout and I tried not to let this impact my experience withbthe book and tried to visualise what the finished version would be like with colour added but I just couldn't get there and sadly I feel this also washed the book out for me and I feel the completed book will be much more impactful to the reader visually with the colour added.
Children of the Night is a new graphic novel series primarily for teens based on Dracula.
I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but I found the plot to be very dragged out and not as mysterious as I hoped it would be. It was immediately evident what what happening from the start, and it just seemed too dragged out to be of real intrigue.
The ARC is in black and white illustrations throughout and I tried not to let this impact my experience withbthe book and tried to visualise what the finished version would be like with colour added but I just couldn't get there and sadly I feel this also washed the book out for me and I feel the completed book will be much more impactful to the reader visually with the colour added.
October 28, 2025
High school is hard enough for Mina Murray -- a bit of an outsider who'd prefer to view the world through a camera lens instead of head on -- and now she has to deal with vampires?
Bram Stoker's novel gets retold with a teenage cast in the modern day. The friendship dynamics of the first half are solid, so it's almost a shame the vampires have to distract with their antics in the wobblier second half. It would have helped if the villains had been a little more developed and the finale not quite so rushed, but I still had fun throughout and would certainly check out the second book whenever it appears.
Disclosure: I received access to a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.com.
Bram Stoker's novel gets retold with a teenage cast in the modern day. The friendship dynamics of the first half are solid, so it's almost a shame the vampires have to distract with their antics in the wobblier second half. It would have helped if the villains had been a little more developed and the finale not quite so rushed, but I still had fun throughout and would certainly check out the second book whenever it appears.
Disclosure: I received access to a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.com.
October 18, 2025
I really couldn't get into Children of the Night, which is a shame because the idea of the When Monsters Wake series felt like it had potential. The biggest issue for me was the main character; honestly, I just thought they weren't very interesting, and that made it tough to care about what was happening. Beyond the character struggle, the art style, assuming this is an illustrated or graphic novel, was very odd, and simply not to my liking at all. These elements made it hard to settle in and enjoy the world Victoria Setian created.
The pacing of the book was the other major drawback, creating a truly jarring reading experience. It started out super fast, almost rushing through the opening action, and then hit an absolute wall. Once the characters started talking, the book became an immediate overload of dialogue. This constant back and forth between breakneck speed and static conversation was incredibly jarring and made the whole thing feel unbalanced and messy. Because of these structural issues and my inability to connect with the lead or the style, I'm giving Children of the Night a 2 out of 5.
The pacing of the book was the other major drawback, creating a truly jarring reading experience. It started out super fast, almost rushing through the opening action, and then hit an absolute wall. Once the characters started talking, the book became an immediate overload of dialogue. This constant back and forth between breakneck speed and static conversation was incredibly jarring and made the whole thing feel unbalanced and messy. Because of these structural issues and my inability to connect with the lead or the style, I'm giving Children of the Night a 2 out of 5.
November 3, 2025
In this Dracula retelling, Mina is a young photographer, willing to take risks to get her photographs. When a ship crashes into a nearby beach, she sneaks onboard and witnesses the dead captain and the strange coffins below deck. Soon afterwards, a mysterious young man enrolls at her high school and becomes involved in planning a dance that her friend Lucy is organizing. Familiar names appear that mirror the original narrative, as Mina and the other students are soon battling an evil monster.
Artist Savanna Ganucheau’s illustrations flow well, with art that is appealing, yet suits the horror story. The palette is subdued, with accentuated red coloring to reinforce the imagery of Dracula's bloodthirsty ways. Teen audiences who enjoyed 'Squad' will likely enjoy this modern retelling by author Victoria Setian. The conclusion suggests that more adventures await Mina and her friends, making this new series one to invest in. Verdict: This modern Dracula retelling is packed with plenty of mystery for readers to sink their fangs into.
I reviewed this graphic novel for the School Library Journal: https://www.slj.com/review/children-o...
Artist Savanna Ganucheau’s illustrations flow well, with art that is appealing, yet suits the horror story. The palette is subdued, with accentuated red coloring to reinforce the imagery of Dracula's bloodthirsty ways. Teen audiences who enjoyed 'Squad' will likely enjoy this modern retelling by author Victoria Setian. The conclusion suggests that more adventures await Mina and her friends, making this new series one to invest in. Verdict: This modern Dracula retelling is packed with plenty of mystery for readers to sink their fangs into.
I reviewed this graphic novel for the School Library Journal: https://www.slj.com/review/children-o...
January 31, 2026
Quick read. While I enjoyed the book pace and I enjoyed the graphic novel depictions and the characters I don’t know if I would recommend it.
October 21, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley for the free ARC!
The art was fun in this, and it was a cool concept, but unfortunately never quite paid off in my opinion. The characters felt underdeveloped despite having the original story to go on, and the ending was oddly rushed.
Rounding up my 2.5 stars
The art was fun in this, and it was a cool concept, but unfortunately never quite paid off in my opinion. The characters felt underdeveloped despite having the original story to go on, and the ending was oddly rushed.
Rounding up my 2.5 stars
November 19, 2025
*Thanks so much to Netgalley, ABRAMS Kids, and Victoria Setian for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion*
Due to it being an Advanced Reader Copy, my experience with this graphic novel was a little different than those who read this after it fully publishes. The copy I read was not in full color (YET) and it also was not as high quality graphics as it will be when fully publishes, so I wanted to be transparent and let readers know that may have affected my reading experience and rating.
About the book:
Our FMC is super curious and loves photography, so when she randomly runs into a ship crash, she decides to check out the area and take photos. While there, she discovers the captain of the ship seems to have died in a strange way, and soon after weird things start happening in town. There are new people at school, a classmate disappears, and more. Alongside that, her bestie is throwing a Halloween school dance and her teacher forces her to join the journalism club if she wants to keep processing her film for free. So many things are happening to our FMC, but she is determined to get down to the bottom of this mystery.
My thoughts:
This started off really slowly and then sped up towards the end of the book. I can see so many options to the story going forward based on the ending of this graphic novel. This story will be good for lower level young adult readers. I really think I would have enjoyed this more if I read this with color, because color can affect visual stories so much, but that's okay. This story tried to cover a few things... making friends, people bullying you, finding you place, coming out. I think it did a few things well, but because it tried to do so many things in such a short span of time, the delivery felt a little weak. Perhaps it will be stronger later in the series.
Due to it being an Advanced Reader Copy, my experience with this graphic novel was a little different than those who read this after it fully publishes. The copy I read was not in full color (YET) and it also was not as high quality graphics as it will be when fully publishes, so I wanted to be transparent and let readers know that may have affected my reading experience and rating.
About the book:
Our FMC is super curious and loves photography, so when she randomly runs into a ship crash, she decides to check out the area and take photos. While there, she discovers the captain of the ship seems to have died in a strange way, and soon after weird things start happening in town. There are new people at school, a classmate disappears, and more. Alongside that, her bestie is throwing a Halloween school dance and her teacher forces her to join the journalism club if she wants to keep processing her film for free. So many things are happening to our FMC, but she is determined to get down to the bottom of this mystery.
My thoughts:
This started off really slowly and then sped up towards the end of the book. I can see so many options to the story going forward based on the ending of this graphic novel. This story will be good for lower level young adult readers. I really think I would have enjoyed this more if I read this with color, because color can affect visual stories so much, but that's okay. This story tried to cover a few things... making friends, people bullying you, finding you place, coming out. I think it did a few things well, but because it tried to do so many things in such a short span of time, the delivery felt a little weak. Perhaps it will be stronger later in the series.
October 11, 2025
4.5 stars (rounded up)
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc. All views are my own.
I really enjoyed this! A graphic novel I completely sank my lil fangs into. While this arc featured some super cool linework I was provided with some pages of what the final colour version of the art will be and I am EXCITED! It is set to be absolutely gorgeous! I love the art style and what I've seen of the colour palette!
Mina Murray - an aspiring photojournalist from small town New Whitby - explores the wreckage of the recently crashed ship The Demeter. After developing her photos she notices something strange. Then a new arrival at school makes her question things further as she starts to notice a string of unusual things like new boy Raf really not liking his photo being taken and puncture marks appearing on necks. But while trying to get to the bottom of everything, school life must still continue and she's reluctantly trying to find her place in the extracurricular and social scene.
As a vampire lover, a modern Dracula retelling was definitely up my street. This was fun and dark with a lovely cast of characters and I absolutely ate it up. I'm very excited to see what the next graphic novel might cover, I think I might have an inkling of an idea!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc. All views are my own.
I really enjoyed this! A graphic novel I completely sank my lil fangs into. While this arc featured some super cool linework I was provided with some pages of what the final colour version of the art will be and I am EXCITED! It is set to be absolutely gorgeous! I love the art style and what I've seen of the colour palette!
Mina Murray - an aspiring photojournalist from small town New Whitby - explores the wreckage of the recently crashed ship The Demeter. After developing her photos she notices something strange. Then a new arrival at school makes her question things further as she starts to notice a string of unusual things like new boy Raf really not liking his photo being taken and puncture marks appearing on necks. But while trying to get to the bottom of everything, school life must still continue and she's reluctantly trying to find her place in the extracurricular and social scene.
As a vampire lover, a modern Dracula retelling was definitely up my street. This was fun and dark with a lovely cast of characters and I absolutely ate it up. I'm very excited to see what the next graphic novel might cover, I think I might have an inkling of an idea!
November 2, 2025
Special thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review
I'm really bummed about this one. It's hard to get a real feel of the art style since the version I had is just incomplete black and white line work. There was a note of a sample page in color that will be in the complete version of the book when it publishes, but I feel having the incomplete art hindered my enjoyment quite a bit. I just couldn't get a true feel of the vibe of the story, and it was distracting trying to make sense of what the line work was trying to tell me.
Aside from the art, I just didn't find the characters compelling. I didn't connect with any of them, so I didn't really care one way or the other when things started happening to them. The plot took way too long to really get going, and by the time the action really started to happen, my disinterest was so heavy that wasn't really rooting for anybody to win or lose, I was just trying to get to the end to be done with the whole thing
I'm really bummed about this one. It's hard to get a real feel of the art style since the version I had is just incomplete black and white line work. There was a note of a sample page in color that will be in the complete version of the book when it publishes, but I feel having the incomplete art hindered my enjoyment quite a bit. I just couldn't get a true feel of the vibe of the story, and it was distracting trying to make sense of what the line work was trying to tell me.
Aside from the art, I just didn't find the characters compelling. I didn't connect with any of them, so I didn't really care one way or the other when things started happening to them. The plot took way too long to really get going, and by the time the action really started to happen, my disinterest was so heavy that wasn't really rooting for anybody to win or lose, I was just trying to get to the end to be done with the whole thing
October 9, 2025
Nothing new here. Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of the art work either.
Nothing enticed me into the story, I didnt care for the characters. A bit more depth may have improved the story
Nothing enticed me into the story, I didnt care for the characters. A bit more depth may have improved the story
November 6, 2025
A modern YA retelling of Dracula with a Scooby Doo-esque twist.
I enjoyed the drawing style and think it will look fab once the coloured version is available, you get a sample of it at the beginning and it adds a lot more depth to the story I feel.
The downfall for this as a first in the series is that it’s light on the details, shallow introductions to characters and teasing plot lines that I’m sure will come to fruition in future issues.
I enjoyed what I read and I’m sure this will grow into something intriguing and interesting.
3/5 ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher.
I enjoyed the drawing style and think it will look fab once the coloured version is available, you get a sample of it at the beginning and it adds a lot more depth to the story I feel.
The downfall for this as a first in the series is that it’s light on the details, shallow introductions to characters and teasing plot lines that I’m sure will come to fruition in future issues.
I enjoyed what I read and I’m sure this will grow into something intriguing and interesting.
3/5 ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Since I received an Advanced Reader Copy, the copy I read was not in full color. The opening pages had a sample of how the full color would look and it did look AMAZING. However, that was not the book I experienced. The ebook I read was in black and white and just broad strokes or what looked like maybe a mock up? So, I wanted to be transparent and let readers know that this may have affected my reading experience and rating. I tried not to let it impact me, but I fear it did.
The concept of this book was really cool. I always read any book about vampires I can find and I was especially interested in a YA graphic novel about one! That's pretty rare.
I liked the overall story, but it didn't feel as special as I would have liked.
Things I liked:
-The main character. I did like her and enjoyed following her throughout the story. I thought she was relatable as an "outsider."
-I LOVED the depictions of the vampires. It was neat to see them beautiful and lovely one minute and truly horrifying the next. That element of a the graphic novel worked well.
-The character relationships worked well. I thought all of them felt authentic and their interacts felt legitimate.
What I struggled with:
-The plotline of the story seemed pretty basic almost generic. It was pretty obvious what was going on throughout the whole story without any real surprises. It almost went some place interesting at one point (more below in the spoilers section), but it didn't quite get there. As another reviewer mentioned, that might work well for a younger audience with less experience with this type or story.
-It just didn't hold my attention enough.
Overall, it was a decent story, it just wasn't as compelling as I'd hoped.
Spoiler section:
-I felt like it was unfair for Mina's love interest to get mad at HER for assuming he was straight when he asked her to the dance. In my opinion, he mislead her. I get that the author was trying to make a point that it could be exhausting for someone to always feel like they have to come out and tell everyone they're gay, but he specifically asked her to the dance and didn't say "as friends." So I was on her side with that. I didn't like that he made her feel bad about that.
-At one point, I thought the story was going to go to a really interesting place. After the vampire went to the GSA club, he was talking about being an outsider. It seemed like maybe the book was going to draw parallels about vampires being misunderstood outsiders. I thought maybe the vampires wouldn't end up being the villains, but "allies" who worked to help all marginalized communities find acceptance. Alas, that was not this book. It sure would have been interesting though, wouldn't it?
Since I received an Advanced Reader Copy, the copy I read was not in full color. The opening pages had a sample of how the full color would look and it did look AMAZING. However, that was not the book I experienced. The ebook I read was in black and white and just broad strokes or what looked like maybe a mock up? So, I wanted to be transparent and let readers know that this may have affected my reading experience and rating. I tried not to let it impact me, but I fear it did.
The concept of this book was really cool. I always read any book about vampires I can find and I was especially interested in a YA graphic novel about one! That's pretty rare.
I liked the overall story, but it didn't feel as special as I would have liked.
Things I liked:
-The main character. I did like her and enjoyed following her throughout the story. I thought she was relatable as an "outsider."
-I LOVED the depictions of the vampires. It was neat to see them beautiful and lovely one minute and truly horrifying the next. That element of a the graphic novel worked well.
-The character relationships worked well. I thought all of them felt authentic and their interacts felt legitimate.
What I struggled with:
-The plotline of the story seemed pretty basic almost generic. It was pretty obvious what was going on throughout the whole story without any real surprises. It almost went some place interesting at one point (more below in the spoilers section), but it didn't quite get there. As another reviewer mentioned, that might work well for a younger audience with less experience with this type or story.
-It just didn't hold my attention enough.
Overall, it was a decent story, it just wasn't as compelling as I'd hoped.
Spoiler section:
-I felt like it was unfair for Mina's love interest to get mad at HER for assuming he was straight when he asked her to the dance. In my opinion, he mislead her. I get that the author was trying to make a point that it could be exhausting for someone to always feel like they have to come out and tell everyone they're gay, but he specifically asked her to the dance and didn't say "as friends." So I was on her side with that. I didn't like that he made her feel bad about that.
-At one point, I thought the story was going to go to a really interesting place. After the vampire went to the GSA club, he was talking about being an outsider. It seemed like maybe the book was going to draw parallels about vampires being misunderstood outsiders. I thought maybe the vampires wouldn't end up being the villains, but "allies" who worked to help all marginalized communities find acceptance. Alas, that was not this book. It sure would have been interesting though, wouldn't it?
July 30, 2025
💫 NetGalley ARC Review 💫
A Hauntingly Good Read!
Children of the Night: When Monsters Wake #1 is an absolutely phenomenal start to what promises to be a gripping series! From the moment we meet Mina Murray, with her fascination for all things macabre, I was completely hooked. Her quirky interest in graveyards and funeral homes makes her a wonderfully unique protagonist, and her journey into the bizarre aftermath of the Demeter's arrival is expertly paced, building suspense with every turn of the page.
The blend of classic horror elements with a fresh, modern twist is brilliantly executed. The feral dogs, the mysterious boxes of dirt, and the gruesome discovery of the drained captain immediately set a chilling tone. As Mina delves deeper, the escalating strangeness—from the missing editor to her best friend's terrifying nightmares and the enigmatic Raf—kept me on the edge of my seat. The tension is palpable, and I found myself frantically turning pages, desperate to uncover the truth alongside Mina and her friends.
Beyond the thrilling plot, the character development and the connections between them are truly a highlight. Mina is a compelling lead, and her relationships with her best friend and even her crush, Jon, feel authentic and layered. What's more, I deeply appreciated how the graphic novel integrates LGBTQ+ topics seamlessly and normally, without fanfare or tokenism. It's refreshing to see these aspects of characters' lives portrayed as simply a part of the fabric of their world, as accepted and everyday as any other detail. This inclusivity adds a wonderful richness to the cast and makes the world feel even more real.
This graphic novel is a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling, with artwork that perfectly complements the eerie narrative. I devoured every panel and was left with a powerful craving for more. I am incredibly excited for Book 2! The subtle hints about Mina's grandmother's death have me completely intrigued, and I can't wait to see how that mystery unfolds and connects to the unfolding horror in New Whitby. And the introduction of Van Helsing promises to be an absolute game-changer, adding another layer of classic horror deliciousness to the mix. This is a must-read for any fan of supernatural mysteries and a truly deserving five-star rating!
A Hauntingly Good Read!
Children of the Night: When Monsters Wake #1 is an absolutely phenomenal start to what promises to be a gripping series! From the moment we meet Mina Murray, with her fascination for all things macabre, I was completely hooked. Her quirky interest in graveyards and funeral homes makes her a wonderfully unique protagonist, and her journey into the bizarre aftermath of the Demeter's arrival is expertly paced, building suspense with every turn of the page.
The blend of classic horror elements with a fresh, modern twist is brilliantly executed. The feral dogs, the mysterious boxes of dirt, and the gruesome discovery of the drained captain immediately set a chilling tone. As Mina delves deeper, the escalating strangeness—from the missing editor to her best friend's terrifying nightmares and the enigmatic Raf—kept me on the edge of my seat. The tension is palpable, and I found myself frantically turning pages, desperate to uncover the truth alongside Mina and her friends.
Beyond the thrilling plot, the character development and the connections between them are truly a highlight. Mina is a compelling lead, and her relationships with her best friend and even her crush, Jon, feel authentic and layered. What's more, I deeply appreciated how the graphic novel integrates LGBTQ+ topics seamlessly and normally, without fanfare or tokenism. It's refreshing to see these aspects of characters' lives portrayed as simply a part of the fabric of their world, as accepted and everyday as any other detail. This inclusivity adds a wonderful richness to the cast and makes the world feel even more real.
This graphic novel is a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling, with artwork that perfectly complements the eerie narrative. I devoured every panel and was left with a powerful craving for more. I am incredibly excited for Book 2! The subtle hints about Mina's grandmother's death have me completely intrigued, and I can't wait to see how that mystery unfolds and connects to the unfolding horror in New Whitby. And the introduction of Van Helsing promises to be an absolute game-changer, adding another layer of classic horror deliciousness to the mix. This is a must-read for any fan of supernatural mysteries and a truly deserving five-star rating!
March 19, 2026
When the Demeter crashes to shore, Mina is able to be the first on board, with both her smartphone and her old film camera, able to witness the weird crates of soil and the captain dead, tied to the wheel with two puncture marks in his neck. But this is New Whitby, and this is the modern day, so we have a rewrite of "Dracula" that (at least initially) both sticks slavishly to the original and updates as much as possible. And it is quite the remarkable melange of old and new – the fly-eating, the school gay soc, the children of the night and what music they make – although that's not the soundtrack for the school dance…
Purists will blanch, and many will see this as a book that caters to a young teen audience and nobody else, but I think that while it wasn't for me I can see merits here. My impressions may be wrong, as I'm basing my thoughts on just the line art and not the full coloured finished product, but what I saw of a palette heavy on the red and purple and gloom certainly shows this is done seriously, in earnest. It makes no quips about what it's doing, but in presenting things straight you have to believe these characters have barely heard of a vampire, and that none of the countless examples of our culture that feature them actually exist in this fictional world.
This awkwardness is probably the biggest stumbling block – again, Stoker fans will think that that is Jonathan being one of the characters falling for the vampire's sexual magnetism. I have to say I was convinced this would end at some midway point, to resume in some future sequel, until it rushed somewhat to prove me wrong. And while I can't pretend to be impatient for any future books, this didn't count as too bad a variation on the classic. From me, three and a half stars, from the intended reader probably somewhat more.
Purists will blanch, and many will see this as a book that caters to a young teen audience and nobody else, but I think that while it wasn't for me I can see merits here. My impressions may be wrong, as I'm basing my thoughts on just the line art and not the full coloured finished product, but what I saw of a palette heavy on the red and purple and gloom certainly shows this is done seriously, in earnest. It makes no quips about what it's doing, but in presenting things straight you have to believe these characters have barely heard of a vampire, and that none of the countless examples of our culture that feature them actually exist in this fictional world.
This awkwardness is probably the biggest stumbling block – again, Stoker fans will think that that is Jonathan being one of the characters falling for the vampire's sexual magnetism. I have to say I was convinced this would end at some midway point, to resume in some future sequel, until it rushed somewhat to prove me wrong. And while I can't pretend to be impatient for any future books, this didn't count as too bad a variation on the classic. From me, three and a half stars, from the intended reader probably somewhat more.
November 15, 2025
Mina is mostly an outsider in her school due to some strange tendencies… like getting on the wreck of the ship just to take photos and encountering a body of the ship’s captain - with two marks on his neck and drained of blood. And so she finds herself in the middle of a series of suspicious events unfolding in her school.
Unfortunately, it really didn’t work for me. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I found Mina annoying most of the time and most side characters lacking any depth. I also felt like events of the story warranted much more emotional reactions than we were given. After what happened with Ren people just moved on with their life like it was nothing and it felt really inadequate.
The art style - while aesthetically to my liking - definitely didn’t carry the story. Whenever action sequences were taking place, and things were meant to be happening quickly, I was immediately getting lost. It felt like the artist was struggling to portray dynamic movement. Also, there were moments I was mixing some characters up because they were looking to similar. In some scenes I wasn’t certain if we were looking at Jon or Ren for example.
Overall, the premise was good, but the story was lacking. All the cards were revealed from the get-go, so there wasn’t a single plot twist throughout the book. With lack of intrigue, characters I couldn’t connect to, and action sequences I couldn’t follow, this title was unfortunately a disappointment to me.
Unfortunately, it really didn’t work for me. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I found Mina annoying most of the time and most side characters lacking any depth. I also felt like events of the story warranted much more emotional reactions than we were given. After what happened with Ren people just moved on with their life like it was nothing and it felt really inadequate.
The art style - while aesthetically to my liking - definitely didn’t carry the story. Whenever action sequences were taking place, and things were meant to be happening quickly, I was immediately getting lost. It felt like the artist was struggling to portray dynamic movement. Also, there were moments I was mixing some characters up because they were looking to similar. In some scenes I wasn’t certain if we were looking at Jon or Ren for example.
Overall, the premise was good, but the story was lacking. All the cards were revealed from the get-go, so there wasn’t a single plot twist throughout the book. With lack of intrigue, characters I couldn’t connect to, and action sequences I couldn’t follow, this title was unfortunately a disappointment to me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Mina Murray is a high school student on the fringes of her peer groups. She's fascinated by the dark and weird and there's a rumor she's a witch that's followed by death. She and her grandmother's trusty film camera have a talent for finding disturbing shots and stumbling on police crime scenes before the authorities get there. After getting caught using the school dark room without permission, Mina is told to work for the school paper in order to access the dark room, and she has to cover the school dance that her friend Lucy is putting together. When the school gains a new, hot and mysterious, student called Raf, Mina's life get a whole lot weirder. A student goes missing, John Harker is acting strange, and her BFF Lucy faints and is admitted to the hospital. Mina puts the instances together and wonders, could Vampires actually be real?
I've always enjoyed remixes in classic literature. Sometimes, a new story still brings the same symbolism but introduces newer modern ideas. I feel that is the case with Children of the Night. It's a new idea of the Dracula story, the same plot points appear, but the way we get there is fully different and I loved it. I was also delighted to see that one of my favorite characters actually survived in this version! The artwork was really gripping and the designs of the vampires left me unsettled. Well done! As this is Book 1, I look forward to how the story further develops in Book 2.
I've always enjoyed remixes in classic literature. Sometimes, a new story still brings the same symbolism but introduces newer modern ideas. I feel that is the case with Children of the Night. It's a new idea of the Dracula story, the same plot points appear, but the way we get there is fully different and I loved it. I was also delighted to see that one of my favorite characters actually survived in this version! The artwork was really gripping and the designs of the vampires left me unsettled. Well done! As this is Book 1, I look forward to how the story further develops in Book 2.
February 8, 2026
This graphic novel has many things I love: gothic vibes, vampires, a dash of horror, and references to classic literature. Victoria Setian took Dracula concepts and made them her own in a way that was refreshing and made me want to keep reading. There were moments that were weird and felt a tad off beat from the rest of the story, but those were few are far in between.
Children of the Night follows the story of Mina, an outcast that prefers the dark room to (most) people, as she tries to figure what some of these strange occurrences are in her town. When Raf, a mysterious young man everyone seems to find enthralling, arrives to school, things begin to get even stranger. We get to follow Mina and her friends on this journey as they try to figure out what exactly is going on before it's too late.
It was suspenseful and intriguing, but there were a few parts that were a little predictable. The predictability wasn't so horrendous that it ruined the story though. I truly enjoyed it, even if I disliked some of the dialogue. I cannot wait to see what this looks like in full color where the final print is meant to be full color. So, if you like vampire novels or vampires in general, you may want to consider this as your next purchase.
Thank you NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Children of the Night follows the story of Mina, an outcast that prefers the dark room to (most) people, as she tries to figure what some of these strange occurrences are in her town. When Raf, a mysterious young man everyone seems to find enthralling, arrives to school, things begin to get even stranger. We get to follow Mina and her friends on this journey as they try to figure out what exactly is going on before it's too late.
It was suspenseful and intriguing, but there were a few parts that were a little predictable. The predictability wasn't so horrendous that it ruined the story though. I truly enjoyed it, even if I disliked some of the dialogue. I cannot wait to see what this looks like in full color where the final print is meant to be full color. So, if you like vampire novels or vampires in general, you may want to consider this as your next purchase.
Thank you NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
If you’re a fan of Stranger Things, I think you may be a fan of Children of the Night. And if you’re looking for good LGBTQ+ rep, this book is also for you!
High school sucks! But it is extra difficult for Mina, who is navigating grief, being a social outcast, and having her hobbies viewed as “weird”. Things take an even worse turn when a handsome and charming new student is enrolled at her school and she starts to piece together that he may be a bit too old for high school.
I will always be a sucker for an outcast making friends, working through conflicts, and being an absolute legend when it’s called for. I love the feel of this graphic novel, it is creepy and it is tense, but it is also heartwarming and highlights the importance of friendship and community.
The art is also beautiful, and even though most of the art in the ARC is line work, it still paints such a stunning picture and moved the story along seamlessly. There are some unanswered questions, and some story arcs that aren’t fully followed in the first volume, so I look forward to the second. Give it a chance if you’re into suspense, mystery, and stories about friends working together to defeat evil (with some help from garlic).
4.25/5
If you’re a fan of Stranger Things, I think you may be a fan of Children of the Night. And if you’re looking for good LGBTQ+ rep, this book is also for you!
High school sucks! But it is extra difficult for Mina, who is navigating grief, being a social outcast, and having her hobbies viewed as “weird”. Things take an even worse turn when a handsome and charming new student is enrolled at her school and she starts to piece together that he may be a bit too old for high school.
I will always be a sucker for an outcast making friends, working through conflicts, and being an absolute legend when it’s called for. I love the feel of this graphic novel, it is creepy and it is tense, but it is also heartwarming and highlights the importance of friendship and community.
The art is also beautiful, and even though most of the art in the ARC is line work, it still paints such a stunning picture and moved the story along seamlessly. There are some unanswered questions, and some story arcs that aren’t fully followed in the first volume, so I look forward to the second. Give it a chance if you’re into suspense, mystery, and stories about friends working together to defeat evil (with some help from garlic).
4.25/5
August 2, 2025
Thanks to ABRAMS Kids and NetGalley for the ARC.
Upon starting this read, I was unimpressed. The story seemed unremarkable and hollow.
But, as the story progressed, I found more and more to like about it.
In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I will be vague, but the conflict with the central antagonist stoked up some real curiosity in me. Especially an interaction towards the end, that utilized horror in the way it was intended, using the extraordinary to depict a real horror, was haunting, uncomfortable, and powerful.
I feel unable to comment on the art, as the illustrations in the ARC I was provided were noted as being incomplete. That being said, the way that the antagonistic character was drawn was notable. In horror, less is often more, and the simplified design of the antagonist has stuck in my brain long after completion.
Ultimately, while some elements of the story are bland, such as many of the characters, this graphic novel is a short and engaging read.
Upon starting this read, I was unimpressed. The story seemed unremarkable and hollow.
But, as the story progressed, I found more and more to like about it.
In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I will be vague, but the conflict with the central antagonist stoked up some real curiosity in me. Especially an interaction towards the end, that utilized horror in the way it was intended, using the extraordinary to depict a real horror, was haunting, uncomfortable, and powerful.
I feel unable to comment on the art, as the illustrations in the ARC I was provided were noted as being incomplete. That being said, the way that the antagonistic character was drawn was notable. In horror, less is often more, and the simplified design of the antagonist has stuck in my brain long after completion.
Ultimately, while some elements of the story are bland, such as many of the characters, this graphic novel is a short and engaging read.
February 10, 2026
Modernized, YA adaptation of Dracula in graphic novel format. This is tagged as the first in the series, which I suppose will adapt other, classic monster stories. As an adaptation, it's fine. It hits all of the story beats, and I did like how it remixes the order of events to bring things together in a slightly different way. But there really isn't much of a sense of mystery here. Everything is very obvious, which I suppose is to be expected in an adaptation of such an iconic monster story. I also struggled with the main character. I didn't have much sense of her interior life, or how she feels about pretty much anything. I also thought it was kind of weird that there's supposedly all of these rumors at school about how she's cursed or morbid or death obsessed or whatever, without any sort of explanation. People can be mean, especially teens, but there's usually something that rumors are built on, even if that something is an intentional lie.
October 16, 2025
This is a great modern young adult retelling of Dracula! While using many of the core elements of the original story Setian definitely establishes Children of the Night as a work of its own. I loved the diverse cast of relatable characters. Setian developed the characters in a way that made them feel truly real. There was a nice balance and blending between the vampire storyline and the everyday lives of the teenage characters in high school. I think Children of the Night is able to stand out from other YA vampire stories by fully showing what makes vampires horrific monsters of the night.
Thank you Abrams Fanfare and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Abrams Fanfare and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 17, 2026
I have such mixed feelings on this one, because I really love the concept. YA modern day Dracula is a great premise, and at some points, I really felt this worked. However, I was let down in a few ways. First, this has a pretty large cast of characters, all of whom were likable enough but never fleshed out. Also, the villains felt more cartoony than real. I think this is one of the big issues of having a large cast in a graphic novel. It can be hard to truly get to know them. My last qualm is that the art style wasn't my favorite. It was just lacking something that really made it pop.
Now, you might think I hated this based on all of that, but I'm pretty sure I'll be picking up the next book in this series. I'm excited to see how this world grows.
Now, you might think I hated this based on all of that, but I'm pretty sure I'll be picking up the next book in this series. I'm excited to see how this world grows.
October 13, 2025
I started this one with some trepidation. Retellings can so easily be a disaster--good news--this one is totally enjoyable! Even though I have an advanced copy (thank you Netgalley) and the art isn't fully final, I like looking at the pages. Mina and Lucy are well portrayed characters. Reading some of the book via text messages is always fun. My only wish is that New Whitby was described a little more. The setting, beyond generic high school, isnt really fleshed out. Seems like a strange omission, since the main character is a photographer. I will aboslutely buy this for my classroom as a nice entry point in the classics and their various retellings. A thoroughly fun read.
November 29, 2025
I had to remind myself as an adult to read this as if I was the angsty teenager that it was written for, which helped immensely with my ability to enjoy the easter eggs that are embedded throughout the book. This is a fairly tight first volume and the characters are developed just well enough to make me willing to keep reading about them. The group has an appropriately Scooby Gang feel for the age-range and the light-horror plot lines. There's nothing that's exceptional here, but there's plenty that's solid, and I think my students will really enjoy it.
Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC.
Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Children of the Night is a supernatural YA graphic novel. Mina is a social outcast who has gotten into photography. She's drawn to things others stay away from like graveyards. She stumbles upon an old crime scene but gets in trouble using her school's dark room. She's then forced to work for the school's paper as a photographer. When she snaps a pic of new student Raf, things quickly devolve as mysteries keep unfolding around her.
This was a fairly straightforward mystery, but I liked the connections Mina made with her friends. I look forward to seeing the final art for this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Abrams for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was a fairly straightforward mystery, but I liked the connections Mina made with her friends. I look forward to seeing the final art for this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Abrams for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
February 24, 2026
Interesting. I do feel the ending was rushed. They killed Raf so quickly then it just cuts to newspaper clippings about Ren's death and Raf 'disappearing.' Idk how well resolved Mina's relationship with her parents was either. Though after not including her in her beloved grandmother's funeral, I'm not sure that's quite repairable. Her freaking out about Jon being gay did seem more about her having a crush on him then like she said about it being about someone asking her out. Cause wtf was with all the blushing in all their scenes together, and her being so overjoyed all that day. Also, girl, you could've asked someone too.
February 10, 2026
Mina is a bit of a loner. She prefers to view life through the lens of her grandmother's old camera. When an old ship wrecks on shore, Mina is the first on the scene with her trusty camera ready. One of the things she gets a photo of is the dead captain, who looks to have died a nightmare of a death. When a new student starts at school and all sorts of strange things begin to happen, Mina believes events are tied to the new student--and the death of the ship's captain. A fun retelling of Dracula.
August 24, 2025
A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
With that being said, I didn’t feel strongly about this story. It didn’t have the depth I thought it would have, and it felt that the story could had been told more powerfully with half the content.
The art was good! I loved the character designs but the story didn’t pull me. Not what I expected, but still read through it. I think it’s still worth a read.
With that being said, I didn’t feel strongly about this story. It didn’t have the depth I thought it would have, and it felt that the story could had been told more powerfully with half the content.
The art was good! I loved the character designs but the story didn’t pull me. Not what I expected, but still read through it. I think it’s still worth a read.
September 25, 2025
'Children of the Night' comes off as more of an outline than a fully developed story. There are many elements used that are baseline tropes without further development, unique twists, or smooth integration. Reading this, I skimmed quite a bit because the storyline and characters were predictable and lacked depth. It's meant to be horror, but other than the climax of the story, none of the 'spooky' parts felt suspenseful or unsettling.
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