Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

37 reviews

frankieclc's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Blood

Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual violence

smeyer's review against another edition

dark hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, and Gaslighting

jackieyvette's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.75

Constanta, I would have never treated you like that girl! 
This book was a bright light after a week of slumming through my last book at sloth speed. It’s was dark and cryptic and sad, but also the three are so caring and loving to each other it makes you see them for who they are and not what they’re become. 
Read the TW for this book though there is a lot to deal with. 
It’s a super quick read though I finished it in one sitting.  

Crying score: No, but yes. But no. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

lenorenore's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• 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: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Grief, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War

ccouey's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: War

vixenreader's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.5

As someone escaping a toxic polycule, this was a kick in the balls for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Cursing, Genocide, Cannibalism, and Abandonment

Huge content warnings for anyone who has experienced an abusive, toxic polyamorous relationship and how it affects everyone in the polycule. There is also an example of healthy polyamory and great bisexual representation.

bookspaperink's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

5.0

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for sending me a digital arc of this book to read and review.

I utterly adored this book and could not put it down. 

A Dowry Of Blood is a blood soaked, queer polyamorous reimagining of Dracula’s Brides, told from the perspective of one of his brides Constanta. 

Constanta is a medieval peasant, saved from the brink of death by the strange and mysterious Dracula and whisked away to become his bride and lead an undying life of aristocratic luxury.

This novel spans centuries, narrated from Constanta’s perspective and written as an open letter to her husband and sire.

When her husband adds an aristocrat and a young Russian artist to their household and marriage bed, Constanta starts to notice a much darker side to her husband.


This book explores heavy themes and subject matters. I would recommend researching the trigger warnings.

This novella was so beautifully written and atmospheric. It’s a perfect Autumnal spooky season read. 

I am keen to read more of S.T Gibson’s work.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, and War

Minor: Confinement, Mental illness, Sexual content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Stalking

Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, and Gaslighting

celestriakle's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.5

Read this book for prose alone. The language is poetic and beautiful and flows so nicely that it makes this a quick read; I finished the last two sections in one sitting. The intensity of the relationships each "wife" has to Dracula is gripping. It's fascinating to see how the dynamics slowly shift over the long timespans of the book, and how differently each character reacts to Dracula's abuse.

The main weakness of the book however is the characters relationships outside of Dracula. The book ends with

all 3 in a romantic relationship, and supposedly they fell in love this whole time, but they never have very much chemistry. They read far more like sister-wives trying to protect each other from Dracula than lovers with their own relationship outside him, with nothing to keep each other together once he's gone.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Torture, Death of parent, and War

I tagged for incest, but it's not true incest: all four main characters are not related, but are frequently described with family terminology, despite being in a romantic relationship. Alexi and Constanta in particular are constantly described as mother/son, with Alexi's youth compared to everyone else frequently mentioned, but they still end up romantically entangled and share a sex scene.

anapthine's review against another edition

dark 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Incest, Fire/Fire injury, and War