Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

39 reviews

vej_bou's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This book was so so good!! I haven't read the original Dracula, and I don't think you really need to; the story is compelling on its own. The imagery was not too complex but still rather vivid and enjoyable, the characters were interesting.

I really loved the format, too. The way you follow Constanta's personal growth/journey towards liberation is very satisfying, and I very much felt attached to her character (as well as those of the other spouses).

Also really appreciate the queerness throughout this, as well as the fact that for once in a historic novel(la?) there wasn't any overt homophobia. The depiction of polyamoury as something more than just,, flings and threesomes (or sexual at all) is really refreshing. The rather explicit sex scenes were a bit of a surprise, so big warning for that, but hey - at least they're not just straight ones, which is nice.

Hoverall, highly recommend!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: War

cherylwav's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A Dowry of Blood is truly one of the most beautiful works I have ever read. 
The writing is fantastic, poetic, somewhere between dreamy and terrific. The characters are so exciting and rich in loving traits, I can hardly decide who I love more. Gibson tells a terrifying yet empowering story about love, desire, manipulation and emancipation in tradition to gothic vampire stories written in the style of letters. 
It is a heart breaking yet wonderful story and I recommend this to absolutely everyone that shows the slightest interest in gothic vampire romance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Abandonment, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

inferiorwit's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexism, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gore, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Incest

cgn's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I don’t know what to say about this story other than it kept my interest. I don’t usually like dark stories, but this depiction of abusive relationships was extremely well done. Not a story for me, but I still enjoyed reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, War, Confinement, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol, Colonisation, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Medical content

milk's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content and Gore

Minor: Infidelity, Death of parent, and War

li_reading's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Self harm, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Gore, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Confinement

Minor: Incest and Cannibalism

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Someone on Booktube read this and absolutely loved it, and I was so intrigued that I grabbed it immediately. "Dowry" is a retelling of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and I'm admittedly not big on classics, so I've never read the original book, and I didn't need to in order to appreciate this. This is a re-imagining of Dracula from the point of view of his bride, Constanta, who he plucks from near death and turns, laying claim on her forever in the beginning of the book. The more time she spends with him, the more she realizes all that has been stolen from her - and the other two spouses her husband adds to their family along the way. This is a story about found family, enduring love, and breaking away from the grip of an abuser.

I read this so quickly and I think it broke me out of my slump. The writing is so lyrical and gorgeous, I highlighted so many parts of it as I went along, struck by how beautiful this author could make even the most brutal moments. I thought the characters, while we only got a limited time with them, were well defined and easy to get attached to very quickly. I've never really read anything quite like this before - yes, I've read vamp fiction, obviously, but never one with this much queer representation and never one with polyamory. I'm obsessed with the relationship dynamics of the three spouses in particular. This is a fast paced, short but impactful read that I think all my vampire enthusiasts will eat up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death

Moderate: Mental illness and Infidelity

Minor: Confinement and Death of parent

bookishbutch's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

This was a gorgeous novella. It was rich, dark and decadent, like chocolate. The way the characters were fleshed out made them feel so human (no pun intended), the writing style and that ending! Truly beautiful. (Also, bi polyamorus vampires getting their revenge on their abuser? Yes please!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Sexual content, and Murder

Moderate: Physical abuse and Gaslighting

Minor: Death of parent and Sexual assault

laequiem's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual content