Each solution to $x^2 + 5x + 8 = 0$ can be written in the form $x = a + b i,$ where $a$ and $b$ are real numbers. What is $a + b^2$?
Seeing that factoring will not work, we apply the Quadratic Formula: \begin{align*}
x &= \frac{-(5) \pm \sqrt{(5)^2 - 4(1)(8)}}{2 (1)}\\
&= \frac{-5 \pm \sqrt{25 - 32}}{2} = \frac{-5 \pm \sqrt{-7}}{2} = -\frac{5}{2} \pm \frac{\sqrt{7}}{2}i.
\end{align*} Now we see that $a = -\dfrac{5}{2}$ and $b = \pm \frac{\sqrt{7}}{2},$ so $a + b^2 = -\dfrac{5}{2} + \dfrac{7}{4} = \boxed{-\dfrac{3}{4}}.$