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crybabybea's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Murder, Body horror, Grief, and Physical abuse
Heavy depictions of gaslighting and abuse. One of the main characters experiences severe mental illness due to the abuse which results in her developing a pattern of depression/mania.jaylene's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
Best read of the year!!
Moderate: War, Murder, Self harm, Gaslighting, Body horror, Death, and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault and Drug use
A dark retelling of Dracula from his bride's perspective.mals_library's review
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content and Physical abuse
lailybibliography's review against another edition
- 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
I made you into my private Christ, duplicated with my own dark devotions. Nothing existed beyond the range of your exacting gaze, not even me. I was simply a nonentity 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.
I think this might just be my favourite retelling. The dynamic between Constanta, Magdalena and Alexi is so touching and tragic, soaked in blood yet so enticingly erotic and horrific. I’m left in awe of how S. T. Gibson weaved this masterclass in depicting the centuries-long abuse of these three lost souls by an intricate web of gaslighting, isolation, love-bombing and manipulation. Equal parts a love story and escaping a monster, I am so in love with this novel. I cannot wait to read more of this author’s works.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Blood, Grief, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Gaslighting, Pandemic/Epidemic, Emotional abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Infidelity, Body horror, and War
Minor: Sexual content
rachelblair's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, and Murder
iranian_yogurt's review against another edition
Graphic: Blood and Body horror
alloftaysreads's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
taylorreads17's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gore, Blood, Infidelity, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Body horror
Moderate: Physical abuse
leedolee's review
- 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
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Gore, Grief, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Sexual content, Torture, and Toxic relationship
themagicalworldofnian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
And OMG this book. I absolutely loved it and it is a new all time favourite.
The books starts of with "I never dreamed it would end like this, my lord: your blood splashing hot flecks onto my nightgown and pouring in rivulets onto our bedchamber floor. But creatures like us live a long time. There is no horror left in this world that can surprise me. Eventually, even your death becomes its own sort of inevitability". Reading this sentence alone, I knew this was going to be a 5 star read for me.
Just how lyrical the prose is, astounding. It adds to the amazing gothic vibe throughout the story.
The book is written in the form of an open letter from the point of view of Constanta, the first bride. It shows thin line between love, obsession and evil.
I just loved that it was written in the form of an open letter, since it made the book way more personal and you could just feel the on going struggle of feelings.
The ever changing relationships were also so intriguiging to see and be a part of.
Further the power dynamics, manipulation and gaslighting in the story illustrate how it can sometimes be very hard to see the abusive nature of a relationship. And the nature of consent, how it can sometimes feel impossible to say no.
This will definitely be a book that will reappear into my mind. And overall I cannot recommend this book enough.
However keep in mind the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book.
Triggerwarnings: emotional, verbal, and physical intimate partner abuse, gaslighting, war, famine, and plague, blood and gore, consensual sexual content, sadomasochism, self-harm, body horror, violence and murder, alcohol use, depression and mania.
Graphic: Ableism, Gore, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Murder, Violence, and War
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault