Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

119 reviews

leedolee's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

bethsreading's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: War

hottermelon's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and War

ljp817's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence

Minor: Infidelity and Abandonment

storytime2390's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Confinement, Mental illness, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

dodiejoyle's review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

hanz's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Self harm, Sexual content, and War

Minor: Drug use and Sexual assault

tlos95'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Blood

Moderate: Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Violence

First off - please research the content warnings for this book, and assess if it's right for you. The story of Dracula's first wife Constanta, told from her perspective. I ripped through this in less than a day, it was very enjoyable and very easy to read. Constanta was an engaging narrator, and it was fascinating but also heartbreaking to follow her experiences of being brainwashed by Dracula and subsequently finding motivation to get out from under his power and fight back. My main issue with the book is in the representation of Dracula's other partners. I felt that not quite enough time was spent building them as characters, and strengthening the bonds between them such that the climax of the story makes sense, . However this is still a relatively minor gripe, and I'd still very much recommend this book :)

crispynugget's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

I picked this book up on a whim before a flight and was pleasantly surprised but how captivated I was by the story. It is short and flows very well. Without giving away too much, the story is about how DV and DA change the people involved over their lives. What keeps it interesting is that the characters are all vampires in a poly relationship. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Gaslighting, and War

Moderate: Death, Blood, and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, and Murder

caitlinemccann's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

3.0

Dowry of Blood was a solid read for me, but I don't think my experience with it lived up to the hype from its release. Lyrically written, with an apt handling of sensitive topics from the perspective of a survivor of trauma and literal centuries of domestic abuse. Yet, I still struggled to feel invested in the overall story. Some of that issue came from not feeling like I understood the main character Constanta on her own; I only ever grasped her in relation to other characters and the emotions they brought about in her. And maybe that's the point? That Constanta's finally able to make meaning in her life in the wake of

murdering her tyrannical, abusive maker

. If so, I sadly don't think that resonated with me in a way that makes this novel shine. If you're a fan of classics and/or retellings of classics, this is still a worthwhile read though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Self harm, Sexual content, Grief, Abandonment, and War