Robin’s Review of The Real Monster (The Mortal Coil Universe) 

The Real Monster (The Mortal Coil Universe) 

Some monsters wear masks. Others wear your name.

When Detective Emily Parker is called to the scene of a ritualistic murder, she expects blood. She doesn’t expect the voice of the dead whispering in her ear—or the symbols carved into the victim’s skin to match those in her sister’s unsolved case.

What begins as a hunt for a serial killer becomes a descent into ancient darkness. With the help of a mysterious historian named Van Helsing, Emily unearths a hidden war waged across centuries… and finds herself at its center.

But the truth is more terrifying than any myth.

Dracula was real.

And he was only the beginning.

The Real Monster is the first novel in The Mortal Coil Multiverse, a gripping fusion of psychological horror, supernatural mystery, and cosmic dread.
This is not just a story about vampires.
This is about what’s waiting after them.

Robin’s Review

Trigger Warnings: Murder, blood rituals, grief, sibling death, supernatural horror

What Did I Just Walk Into?

Ritualistic murder? Check. A detective haunted by her sister’s death? Check. Blood that acts alive and whispers your name through shadows? Double check and also—NOPE. The Real Monster isn’t just flirting with vampire lore, it’s raw-dogging psychological horror and cosmic dread while doing donuts in a graveyard. Dracula exists, but surprise! He’s just the tip of the fanged iceberg.

Here’s What Slapped:

Mr. Sanchez doesn’t waste time. Detective Emily Parker is sharp, grieving, and psychic-adjacent—basically the emotional and supernatural equivalent of walking into a haunted crime scene with a gun, a grudge, and unresolved trauma. The pacing? Tight. The vibes? Cultish. The blood? Glows. The twist? There’s a historian named Van Helsing and a literal diagram of seven ritual anchors. (And yes, one of them is a crown. Another is a mirror. Let the ancient evil treasure hunt begin.)

Best of all? You feel this book. Emily’s memories of finding her sister’s body, her guilt, her creeping realization that she’s part of something much older than she signed up for—it’s layered horror done right.

What Could’ve Been Better:

Honestly? I wouldn’t say no to a few more answers on the sigils and the seven-pointed crown lore. But let’s be real—I’m here for the descent, not the clarity. Let the multiverse unravel.

📖 Perfect for Readers Who Love:

📖 Detective horror with supernatural threads

📖 Ritualistic vampire-adjacent murder cults

📖 Dark fantasy meets modern procedural

📖 Stories where “the blood is life” isn’t just flavor text—it’s a plot point

📖 Characters who walk straight into the dark, flashlights be damned

Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review

Walk With Me Into the Dark