Take a photo of a barcode or cover
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The writing was beautiful. Each page you can find more than one sentence that really strikes you.
There were times where I genuinely felt myself getting sick when reading the things she was feeling or going through.
I found the storytelling to be really immersive. At times I did not find the sex scenes to be appealing, but I suppose it did coincide with the plot to show us the bonds in which they shared.
I think the book could have ended without the “An Encore of Roses” but that is merely my opinion. I guess it can appeal to those that want to see our main characters living a better life.
There were times where I genuinely felt myself getting sick when reading the things she was feeling or going through.
I found the storytelling to be really immersive. At times I did not find the sex scenes to be appealing, but I suppose it did coincide with the plot to show us the bonds in which they shared.
I think the book could have ended without the “An Encore of Roses” but that is merely my opinion. I guess it can appeal to those that want to see our main characters living a better life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War
Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Perfect for fans of Addie LaRue and Interview with a Vampire, this book is a twist on the story of Dracula, following Constanta through the perils of being both a vampire and his wife.
A Dowry of Blood is primarily driven by the relationships between characters, from the abusive possessiveness of Dracula to the strange bonds developed between his lovers. Their interactions and connections guide the story in a very powerful way. The sex scenes were a little much for me, especially at the end, but I loved seeing openly queer romance in a vampire book. The overall moral and plot of this story was really good, and it was incredibly well written. I highly recommend this book if you like historical fiction, romance, and vampires.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Incest, Self harm, Sexual assault, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, War, Pandemic/Epidemic
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A tale of Dracula’s bride(s) - who they are, how they were made, & how it ended.
You’re told in the first five pages how the story will end, but I was still enraptured & tense, waiting for the final blow.
Beautiful prose, a strong voice, & a character that deserved 300ish pages of contempt. Incredible story with great pacing, epic storytelling, wonderful attention to detail, & a perfect ending. Read it in one sitting!
You’re told in the first five pages how the story will end, but I was still enraptured & tense, waiting for the final blow.
Beautiful prose, a strong voice, & a character that deserved 300ish pages of contempt. Incredible story with great pacing, epic storytelling, wonderful attention to detail, & a perfect ending. Read it in one sitting!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, War, Classism
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5⭐️ This was an unexpected surprise. A unique story. A vampire abusive relationship..such intensity. I loved the way this was written with its metaphors and true emotions behind every word. It really painted the reality of being in an abusive relationship/marriage. The chokehold that takes part of such an intimate bond was described in a way that made this story flawless and definitely worth rereading in the future. The delicate balance the fmc had to take in order to live a life, worth living. My only issue with the book is I wish there were chapter stops instead of just the parts 1-3 but a great vampire tale and that’s just me being nitpicky.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Murder
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
LOVED THIS. The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder
Cawpile rating: 6 / 3⭐️
I went back and forth on my rating for so long because there were large sections of this book that I loved and large sections of the book that I really couldn’t have cared less about. It took me almost two weeks to get through it even though the book actually reads pretty fast. I just never wanted to pick it up because I was having such a mixed experience with it.
First the things that I loved:
The writing! This book has the perfect balance of poetic writing that flows really well and is easy and quick to read. It doesn’t drag the book down or make it feel slow and never tripped me up or felt tedious to read, all problems I often have with ‘pretty prose’.
The way it explores domestic abuse, while not something I’ve personally experienced, felt very well done. It shows how you can still have love for your abuser without at any point justifying the abuser’s actions or defending the abuser. It was done in a way that was believable to me.
I really liked the addition of (unnamed) Dracula studying vampires and how they work, I thought that was cool and something I don’t think I’ve ever seen in a vampire story before.
Now the things I didn’t like:
The first thing I noticed I was at least able to ignore throughout most of the book so it wasn’t too bad. That being that this isn’t believable as an epistolary novel at all. It’s supposed to be made up of letters that Constanta is writing to an unnamed Dracula after she kills him (this is revealed on the first page and isn’t a spoiler), explaining her side of the story and why she did it. But it reads like a prose novel where the narrator is speaking to someone. There’s no sense to when one letter ends and another starts, they don’t start and end like a letter typically does, it just starts and ends like a chapter in a book would. I get that the author wanted it to be reminiscent of the book Dracula by making it epistolary but it wasn’t done well. I just read it as if it was a regular novel and that made so much more sense.
The second and main issue I had was entirely subjective. That being the romance between Constanta, Magdelena and Alexi was extremely instalove/lust and felt forced to me. I didn’t buy their love for each other because of how quickly it moved. If you’re not bothered by really fast moving relationships then you might not mind, but I’m actually incapable of caring for a romance in a book if it’s instalove, so the parts that were mainly focused on that (as well as the sex scenes) I skimmed through because they were boring to me. Unfortunately those all make up a significant portion of the book.
Some quotes:
“You swept your hands over my cheeks, cupping my face and taking me in. The intensity of your attention was staggering. At the time, I would have called it proof of your love, burning and all-consuming. But I've grown to understand that you have in you more of the scientist obsessed than the lover possessed, and that your examinations lend themselves more towards a scrutiny of weakness, imperfection, any detail in need of your corrective care.”
“"They think me a baby-slaying devil," you supplied, with a cordial smile that made it sound more like an introduction.“
“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.”
"It would be easier if he hated us," she said. "But he loves us all terribly. And if we go on letting him love us, that love is going to kill us. That's what makes him so dangerous."
And lastly, because it made me laugh:
"You haven't seen anything. After that whole debacle with the Harkers he was sullen for months." "Who are the Harkers?" "Before your time, dear; just some dreadful Victorians."
I went back and forth on my rating for so long because there were large sections of this book that I loved and large sections of the book that I really couldn’t have cared less about. It took me almost two weeks to get through it even though the book actually reads pretty fast. I just never wanted to pick it up because I was having such a mixed experience with it.
First the things that I loved:
The writing! This book has the perfect balance of poetic writing that flows really well and is easy and quick to read. It doesn’t drag the book down or make it feel slow and never tripped me up or felt tedious to read, all problems I often have with ‘pretty prose’.
The way it explores domestic abuse, while not something I’ve personally experienced, felt very well done. It shows how you can still have love for your abuser without at any point justifying the abuser’s actions or defending the abuser. It was done in a way that was believable to me.
I really liked the addition of (unnamed) Dracula studying vampires and how they work, I thought that was cool and something I don’t think I’ve ever seen in a vampire story before.
Now the things I didn’t like:
The first thing I noticed I was at least able to ignore throughout most of the book so it wasn’t too bad. That being that this isn’t believable as an epistolary novel at all. It’s supposed to be made up of letters that Constanta is writing to an unnamed Dracula after she kills him (this is revealed on the first page and isn’t a spoiler), explaining her side of the story and why she did it. But it reads like a prose novel where the narrator is speaking to someone. There’s no sense to when one letter ends and another starts, they don’t start and end like a letter typically does, it just starts and ends like a chapter in a book would. I get that the author wanted it to be reminiscent of the book Dracula by making it epistolary but it wasn’t done well. I just read it as if it was a regular novel and that made so much more sense.
The second and main issue I had was entirely subjective. That being the romance between Constanta, Magdelena and Alexi was extremely instalove/lust and felt forced to me. I didn’t buy their love for each other because of how quickly it moved. If you’re not bothered by really fast moving relationships then you might not mind, but I’m actually incapable of caring for a romance in a book if it’s instalove, so the parts that were mainly focused on that (as well as the sex scenes) I skimmed through because they were boring to me. Unfortunately those all make up a significant portion of the book.
Some quotes:
“You swept your hands over my cheeks, cupping my face and taking me in. The intensity of your attention was staggering. At the time, I would have called it proof of your love, burning and all-consuming. But I've grown to understand that you have in you more of the scientist obsessed than the lover possessed, and that your examinations lend themselves more towards a scrutiny of weakness, imperfection, any detail in need of your corrective care.”
“"They think me a baby-slaying devil," you supplied, with a cordial smile that made it sound more like an introduction.“
“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.”
And lastly, because it made me laugh:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Gore
The gore actually wasn’t that bad at all, unless you count blood as gore. It’s very bloody with lots of mentions of cutting or biting so if that bothers you I’d be wary, but there’s only one scene with actual guts towards the beginning and it’s only a paragraph.
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The writing was so beautiful and even though it was describing an abusive relationship, it was all done in such a poetic way, even the ugliness looked pretty
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail