Name: F's review of A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson
Item: A Dowry of Blood
Rating: 3.5
Author: F

S. T. Gibson

"A dizzying nightmare of a romance that will leave you aching, angry and ultimately hopeful." --Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf A deliciously dark retelling of Dracula, A Dowry of Blood is a saga of obsession, desire and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love. Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things. Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband's dark secrets. With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death.

A Dowry of Blood

Hannah Nugent

There was no huge argument that predicated my decision to betray you, no ultimate act of tyranny. I simply broke under the weight of a thousand tense nights, a thousand thought- less, soul-stripping words. I felt like I was losing my mind in that place, and eventually my desire to do something about it, anything about it, outweighed my fear of you. 

But then, I was still optimistic. I still wanted to believe I was living in a fairy tale, that I lay down every night with a prince instead of a wolf. I wanted to believe you.

You made it into an art form, this quiet sort of violence. You were so far into our heads your gentle suggestions so often felt like our own thoughts.

Quietness seemed to me a creeping sickness, one that would infect my brain with images of the horrors of that night. 

Even loneliness, hollow and cold, becomes so familiar it starts to feel like a friend.

Aimee :)

There is no horror left in this world that can surprise me. Eventually, even your death becomes its own sort of inevitability.

You did not let me keep my name, so i will strip you of yours. 

Molly Sanderson 

What is more lovely, after all, than a monster undone with wanting? 

But the girl I had been disappeared the instant you pronounced me yours.

Lilith

Good, I wanted to say. I wanted to spit the word out onto the ground at your feet and watch the shock cross your face. I wanted to cause you a lifetime of inconvenience, dig my heels in the next time you tried to move us, kick and scream when you tried to enforce your curfews. I wanted to fill the cathedral with accusations of every unkind and controlling thing you had ever done to me or Magdalena, and make you answer for them. But instead, all could say was:

I tried to be generous with you my love... but the seeds of doubt, once planted, put down deep and stubborn roots.

"Water your mother's flowers with their blood."

bri 🍂

My piety was a sporadic, half-feral thing, sometimes lashing out at God with teeth bared, other times nuzzling against His loving providence like a kitten.

What is more lovely, after all, than a monster undone with wanting?

Rina

Slowly, the noose of your love was loosening around my neck.

"Being around him is like burning up with fever. I know I'm not well, but I'm too delirious to do anything. What medicine is there for that sort of thing?"

You spun whole personalities out of silken promises to get get close to whoever you needed to. 

“Stand up, my dark miracle," you said, pulling yourself to your feet and holding your hand out to me. ”Come and face the night."

It was never my intention to murder you. Not in the beginning, anyway.

I think I'm looking for something very...specific in a Dracula retelling/adaptation. And I have not found it yet.

Kiersten

Kayla Sitton

Victoria 

"Love is violence, my darling, it is a thunderstorm that tears apart your world. More often than not, love ends in tragedy, but we go on loving in the hopes that this time it will be different." 

You did not let me keep my name. I will strip you of yours. I say you are a ghost, a long night fever dream that I have finally woken up from. I say you are the smoke wisp memory of a flame, thawing ice suffering under an early spring sun, a chalk ledger of debts being wiped clean. I say you do not have a name. 

I want Constanta, Magdalena and Alexi to be happy and reunited after probably decades so they can love each other freely and endlessly.

Jenny Engel

envee

I really did enjoy this book. the writing is so beautiful to me. i honestly don’t really understand the bad reviews i read. there was great character development towards the end. The story was saddening and i really felt for all of them. I love the format, being a letter addressed to Dracula himself, it just allows the reader to actually imagine themselves involved which makes the book even more impactful. The only thing i didn’t like was the polyamorous relationship because i personally am not into that sort of thing, but i won’t judge those who do. Same with all the sec scenes, i didn’t expect there to be so many and i’m not a massive fan of smut and i felt like this book didn’t need that many.

Eh. Mediocre at best. I read it. I wish I didn’t. 

Nena

“I was tired of carrying around the weight of a love like worship, of sickly-warm rush of idolatry coloring my whole world.”

This novel is told in an epistolary format. Love letters detailing the rise and fall of Dracula’s centuries long affair with his first bride, Constanta, and with his two consecutive spouses, scheming Magdalene and willful Alexi. 

Constanta details with stunning clarity the nature of her mercurial husband’s quiet violence. How he gently, and almost imperceptibly, molds her to his will and desire like one might mold a hunk of soft clay. 

She lives many lifetimes this way, until her her love for Magdalene and Alexi, the only thing seemingly stronger than her devotion to her husband and sire, forces her to act. 

I thought I would enjoy this book more. I loved the premise. I loved the polyamory aspect between the brides. I loved the queerness of it all. But I just felt that the format put me at a distance from both the characters and the events. 

I was very removed, emotionally, from Constanta’s letters detailing her past. It felt like she was reciting from a separate book and paraphrasing. I wanted to read what she was reading, unfiltered. Unabridged. 

This ended up being a very middle of the road read for me, but I gave it an extra half star for how well done I found the relationship between the brides. 

Catherine

“I was tired of carrying around the weight of a love like worship, of sickly-warm rush of idolatry coloring my whole world.”

This novel is told in an epistolary format. Love letters detailing the rise and fall of Dracula’s centuries long affair with his first bride, Constanta, and with his two consecutive spouses, scheming Magdalene and willful Alexi. 

Constanta details with stunning clarity the nature of her mercurial husband’s quiet violence. How he gently, and almost imperceptibly, molds her to his will and desire like one might mold a hunk of soft clay. 

She lives many lifetimes this way, until her her love for Magdalene and Alexi, the only thing seemingly stronger than her devotion to her husband and sire, forces her to act. 

I thought I would enjoy this book more. I loved the premise. I loved the polyamory aspect between the brides. I loved the queerness of it all. But I just felt that the format put me at a distance from both the characters and the events. 

I was very removed, emotionally, from Constanta’s letters detailing her past. It felt like she was reciting from a separate book and paraphrasing. I wanted to read what she was reading, unfiltered. Unabridged. 

This ended up being a very middle of the road read for me, but I gave it an extra half star for how well done I found the relationship between the brides. 

Katie Guo

short, good, all the characters are bi and its a massive orgy all around (it is way more serious than that and deals with the concept of an abusive relationship really well)

Madison Grady

4.5 stars i think i went in expecting something else from what it gave

annie

"It was never my intention to murder you. Not in the beginning, anyway."
Well it was mine. Fuck you, Dracula

Charlotte Massie

This was phenomenal !

This book as brought me the peace and closure I needed. At first I was expecting to cry and hurt, but now that I finished the book without a single tear rolling down my cheek I actually feel good. 

I’m in peace with the past and happier than ever. And I am so proud of myself for this accomplishment.

The writing was beautiful and I felt truly connected to the characters, which I all loved. I have mixed feelings toward Dracula, because I know how the characters felt, I know how much they loved him and still hated him. And it’s probably more trauma bound than love, but still. When you are deep into this kind of relationship you really think you are in love. 

I have cut down the head of my own « Dracula » in my head a dozen of times and yet Dracula’s death still hurt me. And yes it was satisfying and liberating and empowering, but still violent and harsh and difficult to digest. I know how hard it is to free yourself from the monster who keeps you trapped in his palm, it’s like you are cutting out yourself the air that keeps you alive and a part of yourself dies. But that is only the begging of your freedom, and that’s how it felt to read about Dracula’s death, but also when the characters took their decision. 

The author understood exactly what it is like to be stuck in an abusive relationship and made this story feel real. One of the best books I read this year, or ever. Definitely a new favourite !

A Dowry of Blood is a dark gothic retelling of Dracula's brides. It's moody and delightful, and is written as a kind of letter from Constanta to her husband (Dracula) after his death.  

"You did not let me keep my name, so I will strip you of yours. In this world you are what I say you are, and I say you are a ghost, a long night's fever dream that I have finally woken up from. I say you are the smoke-wisp memory of a flame, thawing ice suffering under an early spring sun, a chalk ledger of depts being wiped clean. I say you do not have a name."

This is a very clever little book and such a delight to read. The relationships, the story and the writing weaves together seamlessly to create the most perfectly dark and disturbing novel. It was a beautifully intoxicating reading experience.

The only thing I would say is not to go into this hoping for some big plot, because this isn't that kind of book. It's more melancholy and quiet and very character focused.

Sophie Elaina 

A Dowry of Blood is a dark gothic retelling of Dracula's brides. It's moody and delightful, and is written as a kind of letter from Constanta to her husband (Dracula) after his death.  

"You did not let me keep my name, so I will strip you of yours. In this world you are what I say you are, and I say you are a ghost, a long night's fever dream that I have finally woken up from. I say you are the smoke-wisp memory of a flame, thawing ice suffering under an early spring sun, a chalk ledger of depts being wiped clean. I say you do not have a name."

This is a very clever little book and such a delight to read. The relationships, the story and the writing weaves together seamlessly to create the most perfectly dark and disturbing novel. It was a beautifully intoxicating reading experience.

The only thing I would say is not to go into this hoping for some big plot, because this isn't that kind of book. It's more melancholy and quiet and very character focused.

I enjoyed the narrative and the prose were well done, however I think the writing could be a bit tighter and more impactful, the flowery prose sometimes made the story feel vapid. Though I’m excited to read more from Gibson and see how her writing evolves 

Florence

Tahlia Rempel

I DNF about half way through, the writing was good but it’s just not for me.

It was a fun easy read. I appreciated the content warning at the beginning. 

I found this an interesting take on Dracula and his wives.  

Jodie Reads

A decent read I enjoyed it but wouldn't read it again.

I liked how the book dealt with control and abuse and how our main character wasn't blind to It. Thought it was well written and inteating. I did feel like the ending was a let down and could been better

Samantha King

A decent read I enjoyed it but wouldn't read it again.

I liked how the book dealt with control and abuse and how our main character wasn't blind to It. Thought it was well written and inteating. I did feel like the ending was a let down and could been better

The writing is amazing, obviously. That’s like the first thing anyone ever says about it, but it’s true.

I loved the way the writing made me feel, like the vibes and gave off and how I felt in the days that I read it (don’t know if that will make sense to anyone but me but anyway)

There’s vampires, it’s queer, it’s gothic what more could you want.

I started this like two-three weeks ago, so it took me a little while to read, not really sure why. But I’m not sure I read it at the right time. I think I will reread this book sometime in the future and it will probably get a higher rating.

The way it was written and presented was really cool too, the way it was written to be like a letter to Dracula from Constanta was really unique.

Over all I really enjoyed it and did loved the characters and relationship dynamics and I’m excited to one day reread it and be able to love it even more.

Jade 

The writing is amazing, obviously. That’s like the first thing anyone ever says about it, but it’s true.

I loved the way the writing made me feel, like the vibes and gave off and how I felt in the days that I read it (don’t know if that will make sense to anyone but me but anyway)

There’s vampires, it’s queer, it’s gothic what more could you want.

I started this like two-three weeks ago, so it took me a little while to read, not really sure why. But I’m not sure I read it at the right time. I think I will reread this book sometime in the future and it will probably get a higher rating.

The way it was written and presented was really cool too, the way it was written to be like a letter to Dracula from Constanta was really unique.

Over all I really enjoyed it and did loved the characters and relationship dynamics and I’m excited to one day reread it and be able to love it even more.

Alexa M

"You did not let me keep my name, so I will strip you of yours. In this world, you are what I say you are, and I say you are a ghost, a long night's fever dream that I have finally woken up from. I say you are the smoke-wisp memory of a flame, thawing ice suffering under an early spring sun, a chalk ledger of debts being wiped clean.
I say you do not have a name." 

The writing in this was TOP TIER. Probably the best I've read in a loong time. However, the story was lacking for me and for such a short book, I felt like it was dragging. But, the quotes in this... so good. 


(also why did a book less than 300 pages take me over a week to finish lets talk about it lol)

oh my fucking god. i am going to go reread this rn. 

this book was written so well, it made my heart ache from the very first chapter. truly such a great tale of both true love, and silent abuse. it was written with such a majestic air, that i could truly imagine that Constance had written it. 

a dowry of blood is guaranteed to be one of my favorite reads of the year, truly such a great piece of literature. 

it was both heavy and light and i could quite literally not put it down. 

laura

5/5 ⭐

oh my fucking god. i am going to go reread this rn. 

this book was written so well, it made my heart ache from the very first chapter. truly such a great tale of both true love, and silent abuse. it was written with such a majestic air, that i could truly imagine that Constance had written it. 

a dowry of blood is guaranteed to be one of my favorite reads of the year, truly such a great piece of literature. 

it was both heavy and light and i could quite literally not put it down. 

big slay buchas 😻😻

I say this about a lot of books but truly I have no words for this one…ahhhhhhhh

I don’t think there’s any way to even describe how this book made me feel at all, all I know is that it was everything I needed in my life. Vampires, the most beautiful writing ever, complex characters, queer relationships…just wow. It was so truly heartbreaking and my god did I feel every second of this book. The extra story at the end too…crushing omgggg. 

I’m adding this to my favourite books of all time I just feel SO strongly about it and I can’t put into words just how good this was for me

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A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson

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