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sleepyreaderthings'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? Yes
5.0
I don’t even have the words to describe how wonderful this book is, and I’m mad at myself for not picking it up sooner. I love how it was beautifully written as a letter to Constanta’s lord, husband, and captor. S.T. Gibson told a story about love, manipulation, friendship, sexuality, and abuse. The poetic prose gripped me and transported me to their time. I felt angry, joyous, and sad all at once. This is relatable for so many who have been treated wrongly by past lovers who said or did bad things in the name of love or protection. This book is about selfishness and hate, but it’s also about how we can escape those things and hope for a better future.
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death, and Adult/minor relationship
taylorreads17's review against another edition
- 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
unicornpng's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Death, and Blood
gisblanketfort'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Violence, Death, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, and Toxic relationship
leedolee's review against another edition
- 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
liss_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Confinement and Death
kynarreth's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Murder, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Gore
ehmannky'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
2.0
In terms of the horror advertised, it doesn't exist. It's a fine study of an abusive relationship, but it's not much of a horror novel. There's no tension in this book. It's an epistolary novel told by the eldest of "Dracula's" brides, Constanta, and you're never left to wonder how or why the relationship gets bad or the true nature of Dracula or even really how she escapes from him. And because it's an epistolary novel, a lot of the little moments of possible character development aren't shown. Like, why are the three brides drawn to this vampire...we only ever see his worst sides, never the allure that she assures us is there. In every aspect, it felt like a summary of a story rather than the story itself. Also, Constanta is a boring character. She is never truly angry, she's so Emotionally Strong and never falls into depression, and she's always 100% right about only feeding on those who "deserve it" (which is a vampire trope I'm just coming to strongly dislike). Also, despite the fact she states in the book that people are not meant to live forever, it's fine she made new vampires because she is, after all, Good(TM) and will never ever turn abusive or uncanny even if she also lives 1000 years.
And my smallest complaint about this book is I hated the way the Harkers and the original novel are brought in as a funny aside. This novel is so barely based on Dracula that I felt it should have been omitted entirely.
Gibson's writing is lovely, but this story just fell flat for me. The best part is the epilogue, which is set
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Violence
hottermelon's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, War, Gaslighting, Child death, Child abuse, Blood, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Mental illness
ljp817's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
Minor: Abandonment and Infidelity