Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - A Dowry of Blood

Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

107 reviews

crybabybea's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

Dark and gorgeous. I was constantly impressed by S.T. Gibson's writing, from her ability to set scenes with palpable energy, to crafting allegories that would fit right into classic gothic literature, to perfecting every word used to add tone and emotion. Definitely the best part of this is the writing, hands down. S.T. Gibson elegantly crafted a lush gothic setting, and although we spend most of the book in the head of our narrator Constanta, the world behind it feels atmospheric and dark.

If you dislike melodramatic writing, you will probably roll your eyes, but I ate it uppp. Here's an example of one of my many favorite quotes:

Don’t ask me why I did it.
I was tired of being your Mary Magdalene. I was tired of waiting expectantly at your tomb every night for you to rise and bring light into my world once again. I was tired of groveling on my knees and washing blood off your heels with my hair and tears. I was tired of having the air sucked out of my lungs every time your eyes cut right to the heart of me. I was tired of the circumference of the whole universe living in your circled arms, of the spark of life hiding in your kiss, of the power of death lying in wait in your teeth. I was tired of carrying around the weight of a love like worship, of the sickly-warm rush of idolatry coloring my whole world.
I was tired of faithfulness.
I made you into my private Christ, supplicated with my own dark devotions. Nothing existed beyond the range of your exacting gaze, not even me. I was simply a non-entity when you weren’t looking at me, an empty vessel waiting to be filled by the sweet water of your attention.
A woman can’t live like that, my lord. No one can. Don’t ask me why I did it.
God, forgive me.
Christ, forgive me.

There isn't much in terms of a plot since it heavily focuses on Constanta and her relationships with Dracula and his other consorts. Because Dracula is controlling and hides as much as he can from the characters, there isn't much in terms of world-building and it's not the kind of book that explores vampiric power. It isn't a fun paranormal book with thrilling twists and magical settings.

Instead, the author takes us through Constanta's struggles in an abusive, coercive relationship, which fits perfectly in the gothic world she sets up for us. The writing is strung along with confusion, like you know something isn't right but you almost want to convince yourself that you're reading too much into things and seeing things that aren't there. I think it's such a brilliant way to portray a relationship like this, filled with constant gaslighting, walking on eggshells, fear and anxiety. It's a bittersweet journey to take as you watch Constanta swing from devotion to terror so quickly, and the way she is programmed by her abuser's behavior to watch for every tiny micro expression and hidden meaning behind every word he speaks, until the very end when after centuries of abuse she snaps and determines to find her way out.

The way the novel is written is super unique as well, an epistolary story written in second-person perspective. Constanta details her life in letters addressed to her abuser in hopes of explaining why she felt she had to make the choices she made.

I found the ending brilliant and incredibly accurate to what it feels like to finally cut yourself loose from an abuser; it's not only full of rage and hatred but also love and grief, and as much as you are grieving the glimpses of happiness you found during your abuse, you grieve the life you could have had, the years wasted, the confusion and the intoxication of adoration and passion mixed with hatred and anger. I really loved this portrayal so much.

The novel does include sexual content, but I didn't find the sex scenes to be about pleasuring the reader like typical smut scenes do. To me, they served to depict the intense passion wrapped up in all of the character's lives, the way they clung to each other and the way they defined love for themselves in a space that was suffocating and controlling. The codependency and the way they loved each other like family made the scenes feel less sexually gratifying and more for the purpose of storytelling and furthering the bonds between the characters.

Content Warnings

bodiless's review

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dark emotional mysterious relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

THE BEST BOOK EVER ITS SO SAD.

Content Warnings

elskede's review

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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shaylatrumpower's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

3.75

This is an interesting read. I found the narrative voice to be unique and engaging. However, I would have like more depth and detail. There was a lot of telling rather than showing which usually doesn't work but for the most part suited this particular style.

Constanta was the most well rounded character and we do see her growth through the story. However, Magdalena and Alexi felt less so. I found this to be partially a construct of the narrative. They are vastly younger than Constanta, especially Alexi, and have less time to "grow up" to the extent she does. But it does feel lacking at times.
"You" (Dracula, who is never actually named) is stagnant but purposely so and that carries through the narrative well.
This is in no way a faithful retelling to Stoker's Dracula and in fact there was only one mention of the events of the novel in passing.

One "ick" I had was Constanta's relationship with Alexi. She outrightly states she feels motherly towards him. She spends quite a bit of time explaining how their relationship is not sexual until suddenly it is. It felt clumsily handled and took me out of the story for awhile.

.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It moved at a steady pace and I finished it rather quickly.

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errie's review against another edition

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dark

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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judassilver's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

1.5

I am the outlier in this. I wanted to like this book so badly, the premise and glowing recommendations were so promising, but I just really didn't like it. At no point did I enjoy myself while reading it, and the greatest compliment I can give it is that it was over quickly. It just struck me as shallow all around: shallow characters operating in a shallow, recycled setting, within shallow relationships with each other, to reach shallow, already-established conclusions. I was also disappointed at the superficially researched historical details, which I would normally be more forgiving toward if they weren't the crux of the only dimension this book had. The inaccuracies, the anachronisms, and the thin characters make it hard to maintain a suspension of disbelief necessary for enjoying this book. At no point did I believe this story. I didn't buy the insta-lust/love between any of the characters, I didn't buy that they actually existed in the historical setting provided (flavorful background that never had any consequence or lasting impact btw), and most importantly I never bought that "You" was Dracula. Before reading this book all I saw was people describing this as a re-telling or re-imagining of Dracula, but I fail to see how this book is at all related to Stoker (aside from the blurb and one off-handed mention of the Harkers that came off as more of an almost insulting cameo than an homage). Where are the Gothic elements, the seductive yet toxic lure of blood-soaked immortality, the tension, where is the powerful, inhuman monster that is Dracula? It's all just set dressing on a barely sketched-out plot about domestic abuse, which would be compelling in its own right if it allowed the reader to reach their own conclusions without constant interruptions from the narrator. The retrospective distance of the letter format really hurts any emotional impact this book could have had, and it left me feeling very detached. There were very few actual scenes in this book-- very few instances where characters actually did and said things in a described setting. I felt like I was reading a collection of summaries filled out with metaphors and repetitive descriptions that occasionally made for a good quote pull that would look nice on a blog. It's a vampire story that wants to be profound but seems scared of development, ambiguity, and actually being a vampire story. It's simultaneously so overwrought yet so hollow, and ultimately it's just so very boring. A Dowry of Blood is the very definition of style over substance, unfortunately.

Specific spoilers:

Constanta only ever targets people who "deserved it" so she has the moral high ground on big bad Dracula makes me roll my eyes. Feels hypocritical when she goes on to create more immortal bloodsuckers of her own with no introspection.
The sex scenes were fine, I do feel like they were to the detriment of any possible emotional development though. This could be commentary on sex as a coping mechanism but the epilogue kinda killed that for me.
The sexual relationship between Alexi and Constanta: Ew, ew, ew, ew. I liked the setup of the implication Dracula groomed his brides, even while underage, and swooped in on their most vulnerable. That felt very real to an abuser and was a rare moment of subtlety. I could have done without Constanta getting the hots for Alexi while reiterating how young he was and how much she felt like his mom, and then having sex with him. Which again almost felt like a commentary on emotional incest and how entangled sexual and emotional relationships can get under an oppressive abuser who controls every aspect of your freedom of expression. Their splitting up at the end almost sealed this for me... and then the epilogue killed my appreciation.
"a modern Machiavelli"... 5 seconds with Google, I beg you.

Content Warnings

tifftastic87's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense 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

When he found her Constanta was dying, his blood brought her back and gave her a life unlike anything she had ever experienced. But soon, the shiny veil over her eyes was raised and as he brought another woman into their marital bed, Constanta began to see him for what he was, a monster.

Constanta's growth from meek and demure wife to someone strong and protective under the abuse of her unnamed husband was such a dark ride to be on. The way abuse and control was used in this story was so real and raw that I had to pause for a moment a few times.

I was tired of the circumference of the whole universe living in your circled arms.

I was tired of carrying around the weight of a love like worship.

The way he manipulated his spouses into loving him and fearing him and how Constanta felt it as both safety and chains really got to me.

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leedolee's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This was the most entertaining read ever. I love reading anything involving vampires and retellings of Dracula. It was a fast paced book and written as if it were in letters. I've never read a book quite like this.

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bethsreading's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful 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

3.5

A dark and intoxicating exploration of love, polyamory, and abusive relationships. While I did find the writing style to be somewhat too overindulgent, it still worked given the gothic nature of the story. I think the relationships and dynamics felt real and nuanced and the vampire element added to the gothic atmosphere, but did not overshadow the real focal point of the book which was the relationships. I definitely recommend.

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hottermelon's review

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dark emotional reflective 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

4.25

Content Warnings

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