Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - A Dowry of Blood

Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

23 reviews

sxndaze's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

dreamy prose that carries you across all three parts. it’s a quick read and truly delicious. gibson writes the various relationships constanta has with ease and fluidity and they’re fascinating to read.

can definitely see why it’s highly recommended by others

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aileron's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

3.0

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toy_masterpiece's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful slow-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

⭐️🎧Audiobook Listener🎧⭐️

I've never listened to a book that was read how this one was read. But wow, Abby Craden did a phenomenal job giving Constanza a voice.

This book explores the different ways emotional abuse affects the victims but with vampires. The ending

got me emotional because sometimes, the best you can hope for after escaping abuse is to be a safe place for others so that the abuse is not perpetuated. And Constanza gets that opportunity, they all do, they all survive.

I enjoyed reading Constanza's experience of polyamorous love. Where she adds to the love in her heart to the point of bursting and she keeps loving anyway. I can't help but feel refreshed by a romance that does not wane with time, that does not get weighed down by jealousy because compersion (the love one feels when they see their love in love) takes its place.

Also loved: zero homophobia in this book. Even though religion is passingly mentioned a couple times, any outsider's discomfort with this arrangement is never seen in this book. The blurred lines between caretaker and lover were kind of unsettling but I think that was the point?

This was an interesting take on the vampire story that I have never read before where we actually follow them through their endless lives and what that can do to a person especially when a lot of that time is spent in an abusive relationship. Each character is unique and intriguing. With such a small cast of named characters, it's a surprise that you really get to know them. The book is is short and sweet but the time skips and leaving descriptions to necessary characterizations really help connect you with the characters.

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hunkydory's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

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

4.0

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lifeofchrstnlvly's review

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adventurous dark tense medium-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

2.5

But a few flourishes and embellishments couldn’t change the fact that the very fabric of our life together was tangled and suffocating. I had given you a thousand second chances, made a thousand concessions. And this wasn’t just about me anymore.

The writing in A Dowry of Blood was exceptional and the second-person narrative was a unique touch that made sense for the story. While the ending was satisfying, I found myself wanting more substance in the second half of the book. Specifically, I wished to delve deeper into Constanta's emotional journey leading up to her realization of what she needed to do. While I understand the book's depiction of abuse was an important theme, I would have preferred it to be limited to the first half. It would have been interesting to see Constanta's transformation from an abused wife to a powerful woman seeking revenge, including her planning and emotional state leading up to it.

My main issue with the book was its pacing in the second half. Despite being glad that it was a short read, I found it dragged on. I also believe that while the book contained elements of horror due to the presence of vampires, it should not be classified solely as a horror novel.

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