A review by rachelditty
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

Really enjoyed this read! The language was beautifully crafted, and the emotions were extremely potent. I thought it started to drag just a bit toward the three-quarters mark, but I think that was only because I was getting a little tired of You doing the same thing over and over--find someone else to turn, get upset with Constanza whenever she did anything, and then threaten everyone who looks at him wrong. But the beginning was extremely gripping, and I loved the ending.
It was so fitting to have Constanza kill You, and I absolutely loved the fact that she talked about never mentioning his name again when recalling her story. That was really fun. I got a bit scared toward the end that Constanza, instead of killing You, was going to kill herself, or kill all four of them. But I'm so glad it came to a happy ending. It was so lovely and heart lifting to read about three people in a toxic relationship still finding love and comfort in each other and learning to live their lives outside of that abuse. <spoiler/> What a great story. Would definitely recommend to others.


Some quotes:

"What I am trying to say is, I'm trying to tell you, even loneliness, hollow and cold, become so familiar it starts to feel like a friend."

"I will make you into nothing more than a man, tender and brutal in equal measure."

"I wonder if you would have wanted me if you found me like that, vibrant and loved and alive."

"When life fails you, spite will not."

"I had never been inclined to violence before, but then again, I had never born witness to acts so vile they demanded retribution."

"You could never resist a survivor. Or a mirror."
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