prosepander's reviews
17 reviews

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

A queer reimagining of the story of Dracula’s brides. It paints a picture of the manipulative and abusive Dracula, and the story of how Constanta, Magdalena, and Alexi came to love him- then eventually kill him.

Of course, I would love to gush about the queer and polyamorous romance throughout the novel. I’m always a big supporter of alternative relationship styles (assuming it’s consensual and healthy). Though the seductive and increasingly toxic Dracula draws together Constanta, Magdalena, and Alexi, their relationship together grows organically into one of unconditional love and acceptance.

Ultimately, this novel was what got me back into reading last year. It was creative and captivating. I think you should read A Dowry of Blood if you enjoy queer reimaginings of classic tales, but please avoid if you are triggered by abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, and anything of the sort. This novel goes deep into Dracula’s toxicity toward his brides.

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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

4.5

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling is a claustrophobic thriller about isolation, desperation, and loving someone despite their flaws while also having that love returned.

I loved the relationship. Gyre and Em are two toxic and broken people, but they love each other, and the building of trust between the two was compelling to me. Watching Em grow from a person with the singular goal of

finding her mother and father, no matter how many people have to die to get there to someone that is willing to risk her own life to rescue Gyre

was an immensely satisfying arc.

While I greatly enjoyed the novel, I would understand if some readers would find the plot slow and not terribly exciting. Personally, I found the laser focus on Gyre and Em’s relationship to be wholly engrossing. I think it’s important for readers to understand that this is a character-focused novel rather than a plot-focused one, if that makes sense.

All in all, this was one of my favorite reads of the year. I would recommend it to anyone that’s interested in slow-build psychological horror and deep characterization. If you are a person who prefers fast-paced action in your novels, this may not be the one for you.

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Slewfoot is a story of hard work and vengeance, evolution, and an unlikely friendship- wrapped up in a setting that includes the wonder of magic juxtaposed with real-world and fantastical violence.

One of my favorite parts of Slewfoot was the slow-growing relationship between Samson and Abitha, from enemies to what I would describe as platonic soulmates. I fell in love with their gentle friendship.

The only thing I didn’t enjoy was not the author's fault in the first place. What drew me to this novel initially was its comparison to Robert Egger’s The VVitch. While Slewfoot is shallowly similar to The VVitch in the way that it is about witchcraft in Puritan America, the tone and themes could not be more different. In that sense, I was disappointed by Slewfoot because I was looking for something more similar to The VVitch with its very slow build and bleak tone. However, I want to be very clear that this is not Brom's fault in the slightest. The novel was beautiful and unique, just different from how I’ve seen other influencers present it.

Overall, I have a great affection for Slewfoot. I would not recommend this book to those looking for something similar to The VVitch. However, I would like to recommend this book to those who like novels with a more naturalistic view of witchcraft and those who enjoy a “good for her” kind of ending.

Bunny by Mona Awad

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced