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A review by chaptersbydani
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
5.0
This was initially a 5 star read for me, might be more of a 4 star upon reflection. It is damn good though.
A Dowry of Blood is a retelling of a certain vampire (his name isn’t directly mentioned in the books but there is a pretty big hint dropped) but from the perspective of one of his brides. It’s her confession, of sorts, because she killed him (not a spoiler, you find out immediately). This is a story of abusive relationships.
And, for the NA rating, I expected this to be a dark read. But it’s not. It’s heavy, of course, but more than it’s just honest. It covers the entire scope of an abusive relationship. From the initial attraction, to the realization that something is wrong, the attempts to break free… most importantly, we see freedom from our characters.
There’s no fetishization of the abuse. The author doesn’t stop once the MC is out of the relationship. We see some of the post-breakup healing. And we see each of the brides happy and thriving in their own way.
I think this book is so so important for that alone. It’s one of the few books I’ve seen that actual handles domestic abuse well.
More than that though, I loved the characters (except for Him). Constanta is so incredibly wise. I loved Alexi’s energy and vibe. I loved the Bram Stoker reference and the subtle mentions of vampiric lore.
Very addictive read. I read this in one sitting and was not intending to 😂 definitely check the trigger warnings but I highly recommend.
A Dowry of Blood is a retelling of a certain vampire (his name isn’t directly mentioned in the books but there is a pretty big hint dropped) but from the perspective of one of his brides. It’s her confession, of sorts, because she killed him (not a spoiler, you find out immediately). This is a story of abusive relationships.
And, for the NA rating, I expected this to be a dark read. But it’s not. It’s heavy, of course, but more than it’s just honest. It covers the entire scope of an abusive relationship. From the initial attraction, to the realization that something is wrong, the attempts to break free… most importantly, we see freedom from our characters.
There’s no fetishization of the abuse. The author doesn’t stop once the MC is out of the relationship. We see some of the post-breakup healing. And we see each of the brides happy and thriving in their own way.
I think this book is so so important for that alone. It’s one of the few books I’ve seen that actual handles domestic abuse well.
More than that though, I loved the characters (except for Him). Constanta is so incredibly wise. I loved Alexi’s energy and vibe. I loved the Bram Stoker reference and the subtle mentions of vampiric lore.
Very addictive read. I read this in one sitting and was not intending to 😂 definitely check the trigger warnings but I highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny