Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - A Dowry of Blood

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

77 reviews

madiiilm'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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A Dowry of Blood was originally sold to me as a sapphic retelling of the story of Dracula's brides, which is a disservice to what this book actually is in my opinion. This book is, instead, a story of strength and survival in the face of coercive control and intimate partner violence. Told by Dracula's wife Constanta who, through her letters to him, tells of her life from the time she became Dracula's life to

her killing him

. Through their centuries together, Constanta paints their marriage as an incredibly toxic one where he feels the need to control and, eventually, his other brides Magdelena and Alexi as well. I enjoyed reading about the growing bond between Constanta, Magdelena, and Alexi and how they gave each other strength to live through the emotional abuse they faced from their husband. I, however, felt the pacing was a bit rushed at points. I wanted to hear more about Constanta and Dracula's relationship before Megdelena came into the picture. I wanted to see more of how his love bombing and grand gestures of love conditioned her to stay with him later on. I also found some of the writing brought me out of the story. There were multiple confusing metaphors and prose that felt a bit overdone. This is a personal preference of mine but still, one that impacted my enjoyment of this story..

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lifeofchrstnlvly's review against another edition

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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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faduma's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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nely's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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fromthefoxhole's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? Yes

3.5

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

The premise is cool af, the story of Dracula's brides x the story of Judith from the bible.
I just personally can't deal with the whole faux-incest plot (I did my time with Cassandra Clare, okay?).

The chapters are....kind of letters? Like the POV is from Constata, his first wife, but she's writing "you did x and I felt bad about it" so it's a bit clunky.

For the plot, we watch as Constata is saved and turned by Dracula, and then realized beneath his charm and promises lay both a madman and an abuser. He opens their marriage by force, setting her up to be the bad guy if she denied Magdalena and Dracula - but M is introduced as both a companion for C and a sister to her, as well as a lover. For a while, C manages to tamp down her jealousy and frustration, but watching him wear down Magdalena's extroverted and curious nature erodes her restraint. When he feels as though he has hit a wall with M and C, he pries the marriage open again, this time for Alexi, a youthful, exuberant arts model. His arrival brightens both Dracula and Magdalena, where C is wrought with a protective urge, and likens herself to his nursemaid. A, though, is young and bullheaded, and likes to pick fights with Dracula, arguing and demanding, pushing the envelope as far as he can. When Dracula's restraint snaps, leading to him publicly killing a young woman Alexi had invited into their home and then slapping Alexi across the face while scolding him, C is finally sure. She schemes with her fellow brides, puts together a plot based on Dracula's own knowledge and research on the vampiric limitations, and they enter into a pact to murder their sire.

Upon the completion of this gruesome task, all 3 brides wrestle with twin rivers of grief and relief winding through their ribs. They promise to write and meet regularly, then split and travel on their own.

The epilogue is from Alexi's perspective, and he is sad that both M and C have taken other companions during their years apart. He worries they no longer care for him as much as they used to. Like any good quasi-related trio of lovers, they fuck about it.

For all it's contents, I think a Dowry of Blood most suffers from the POV, though that sort of incest piece is a very close second. I did enjoy the writing, both the quality and the gentle way Gibson approaches the abusive nature of the relationship between Dracula and it's brides.

I won't read it again, but I'm not mad I read it.

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