Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

49 reviews

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

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

probablytoolate's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Blood, Death, Violence, Murder, and Sexual content

jackiepreston's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual content, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Torture, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Alcohol

bugsoup's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

this book was so sexy and perfect to feed my gothic desires of fall. i adored gibson’s writing throughout and fell in love with the characters. read this if you want a short but sweet queer vampire story with revenge on abusers!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Blood

Moderate: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Dysphoria, and Mental illness

Minor: Self harm

aileron's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Blood, Domestic abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

Moderate: Mental illness and Infidelity

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Self harm

livfowler's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, War, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

nova_lilias's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• 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

4.0

Interesting take on abusive relationships that I really enjoyed. The writing was beautiful. Very quick read. Not a fan of the polyamorous sex scenes; I could've done without the threesomes and foursomes, but it was part of the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, War, Murder, Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Self harm

Minor: Child abuse

neomreads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

I was not expecting this book to be so good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Violence, Blood, Sexual content, Self harm, Body horror, Vomit, Gaslighting, War, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Sexual assault and Drug use

marsh_mall0w's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Bullying, Gaslighting, Grief, Blood, Death, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Sexism, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Sexual content

Minor: Self harm, Alcohol, Stalking, Medical trauma, and War

sproutedpages's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Self harm, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Blood, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, and Gore

Moderate: Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, and War

Minor: Sexual assault and Drug use