A Dowry of Blood
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- Create Date：2021-06-04 09:55:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：S.T. Gibson
- ISBN：1916366937
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Summary
A lyrical and dreamy reimagining of Dracula’s brides， A DOWRY OF BLOOD is a story of desire， obsession， and emancipation。
Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger， Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king。 But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit， Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things。 Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts， she begins to unravel their husband’s dark secrets。
With the lives of everyone she loves on the line， Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband。 But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death。
Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger， Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king。 But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit， Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things。 Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts， she begins to unravel their husband’s dark secrets。
With the lives of everyone she loves on the line， Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband。 But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death。
Reviews
Jordan Brown
，
Gorgeously written， sexy and gothic， pretty much everything I could ask for to kick off Pride Month
Alvaro Garat
，
great
Lauren
，
The writing was very beautiful and I loved the tours of Europe throughout the ages。 I loved Constanta's voice （I wish we could have learned her real name） and the ending was so satisfying。 The writing was very beautiful and I loved the tours of Europe throughout the ages。 I loved Constanta's voice （I wish we could have learned her real name） and the ending was so satisfying。 。。。more
jude
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A Dowry of Blood is a masterfully written story of how love blossoms and sours and how one might learn to love again after abuse， and again， and forever。 It's hard to describe the ways this book made me feel， so I know I'll be rereading it soon enough。 If you want to read something that is dark and lovely and beautiful and heart-wrenching， pick this up as soon as you can。 A Dowry of Blood is a masterfully written story of how love blossoms and sours and how one might learn to love again after abuse， and again， and forever。 It's hard to describe the ways this book made me feel， so I know I'll be rereading it soon enough。 If you want to read something that is dark and lovely and beautiful and heart-wrenching， pick this up as soon as you can。 。。。more
Elle
，
This is an ethereal， elegant and poetic Gothic retelling of Dracula’s Brides， but make it queer， which serves to make it even more Gothic。 When I tell you I squealed。A Dowry of Blood is written from the perspective of Constanta， his first bride （within this small story， at least）， a young Romanian woman who is saved from the brink of death during a raid on her village and clasped by the claws of undeath。 It is framed as a letter， she recounts their time together from beginning to end， detailing This is an ethereal， elegant and poetic Gothic retelling of Dracula’s Brides， but make it queer， which serves to make it even more Gothic。 When I tell you I squealed。A Dowry of Blood is written from the perspective of Constanta， his first bride （within this small story， at least）， a young Romanian woman who is saved from the brink of death during a raid on her village and clasped by the claws of undeath。 It is framed as a letter， she recounts their time together from beginning to end， detailing her death， her rebirth， every moment of their marriage that slowly tore her apart， up until the time she murders him。The whole thing is an allegory for an abusive relationship， which is not uncommon within stories such as these， especially ones that center around vampires。 I thought at first that it might turn out to be full of clichés， or perhaps just nothing particularly new， but Gibson’s writing is melodious and she breathes a beautiful new life into this old tale while still capturing the sensual， Gothic aesthetic of the original Dracula without becoming overbearing。 She succeeds in returning the idea of a vampire back to what it is， a dark and vicious creature of death， in a way that a lot of more modern stories have lost。I do feel however， to a point， that this felt more like the prologue to what could have been， maybe should have been a longer story。 I’m torn between whether or not I think it would have been better with more， or if I would just have preferred it。 While it is certainly excellent for a 230-ish page short story， the characters are surprisingly well rounded and the world building is sufficient enough， I would have really loved to see even more。 This could easily have been a much longer novel and worked just as well。 。。。more
Shay
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"How can I blame you for wanting her， my lord， when I wanted her so badly myself？"This book is for you if。。。 you love paranormal romance and lyrical writing。 I was pleasantly surprised by A Dowry of Blood， I'm not usually one for paranormal romance so this was really good for my standards of paranormal romance。 But even still I was pretty bored though most of the book， there were beautiful moments that I loved but overall I was just going though the book waiting for more moments that I enjoyed。 "How can I blame you for wanting her， my lord， when I wanted her so badly myself？"This book is for you if。。。 you love paranormal romance and lyrical writing。 I was pleasantly surprised by A Dowry of Blood， I'm not usually one for paranormal romance so this was really good for my standards of paranormal romance。 But even still I was pretty bored though most of the book， there were beautiful moments that I loved but overall I was just going though the book waiting for more moments that I enjoyed。 I did find the way the relationship was written very interesting， it was definitely an abusive relationship， and I could see where if you are affected by those types of relationships I would say don't read this。 The writing type of S。T。 Gibson was really what pulled me into the book and the reason I finished it， the lyrical style was just perfect for this type of book and I'm definitely interested in reading more。 I don't have much to say on this book， I didn't connect to any of the characters except maybe Alexi but he was brought in so close to the ending。 I really was surprised by this and I think that if this book is something you think you'll like， definitely pick it up for a read。 CAWPILE Rating: 6。86/10Stars: 3/5 Stars I liked this more than I expected。 。。。more
Nikki
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Trigger Warnings for: Blood， gore， self-harm， domestic abuse， death， isolation， discussion of plagueThis was really good。 Wow。 Despite how short it is， it is rich and full and fantastic。 The characters are absolutely incredible， especially Constanta， Magdalena， and Alexi （who's only in 90 pages！ He feels like such a fleshed out， well developed character and he's somehow only in 90 pages！ Granted the book is barely 240， so a good chunk of the book but still。） This is an intense story about to Trigger Warnings for: Blood， gore， self-harm， domestic abuse， death， isolation， discussion of plagueThis was really good。 Wow。 Despite how short it is， it is rich and full and fantastic。 The characters are absolutely incredible， especially Constanta， Magdalena， and Alexi （who's only in 90 pages！ He feels like such a fleshed out， well developed character and he's somehow only in 90 pages！ Granted the book is barely 240， so a good chunk of the book but still。） This is an intense story about toxic， abusive relationships。 It fully captures what it's like to be in an abusive relationship and why they're so hard to escape。 However it is also about love and family， specifically Constanta， Magdalena， and Alexi's love for each other which is so complex and dynamic and fascinating。 Constanta's love for Madgalena， and vice versa was lovely。 （view spoiler）[I'm emotional about them seeing a play about Judith killing Holofernes and Magdalena commenting that she and Constanta could be Judith and the maid and then the poetry of Magdalena holding Dracula down while Constanta killed him。 Chef's kiss。 Excellent。 Love it。 （hide spoiler）] The addition of Alexi was also fantastic and I ended up adoring him very quickly。 I normally find shorter novels like this to be a bit empty and lacking and while I would have absolutely loved to spend more time with these characters， the way the story was told made it work。 The combination of first and second person perspective came across clearly as a letter and so it made sense for Constanta to skim over years， decades， centuries， in her retelling of her life with "you"。 Despite the skimming and despite the little time spent， these characters still felt real and fleshed out and they still grew so much over the course of such a short novel that still spanned hundreds of years。 It's a deeply character driven story， since we know how it ends。 Constanta tells the reader right from the start that this is the story of how she kills "you"。 So there isn't really a "plot" exactly， but it doesn't suffer for lack of one。 Just absolutely phenomenal。 I highly enjoyed this story and highly recommend it。 。。。more
LiseReader
，
I wanted to be brought by the hand into your world and disappear into your kiss until us two could no longer be told apart。I never knew the meaning of the word enthralled before you。I was no woman， I was merely a supplicant， a pilgrim who had stumbled across your dark altar and was doomed to worship at it forever。« Love makes monsters of us， Constanta， and not everyone is cut out for monstrosity »
Brandee
，
Check out this review and more on The Quill to Live！S。T。 Gibson tells a deliciously dark tale about Dracula through the eyes of his wife and it’s everything。 This was a story I never knew I needed until it was in my hands and then I proceeded to feverishly devour it like a newly turned vampire。 A Dowry of Blood is equal parts horror and romance， detailing a tragic story of love tainted by Dracula’s sinister nature。 It’s absolutely enthralling and will quickly sink its teeth into you。The entire b Check out this review and more on The Quill to Live！S。T。 Gibson tells a deliciously dark tale about Dracula through the eyes of his wife and it’s everything。 This was a story I never knew I needed until it was in my hands and then I proceeded to feverishly devour it like a newly turned vampire。 A Dowry of Blood is equal parts horror and romance， detailing a tragic story of love tainted by Dracula’s sinister nature。 It’s absolutely enthralling and will quickly sink its teeth into you。The entire book is a sorrowful letter from Constanta to her lover and abuser， Dracula。 She opens with a gruesome depiction of his death bed and attempts to explain why she ultimately had to kill him。 Constanta decides only the full story of their life together will do her justice， so she starts at the beginning when she is taking her last， desperate breath in the mud。 A handsome man appears at her side， granting her salvation， revenge， and immortal life as his vampire bride。 The man we know as Dracula whisks her away to his remote Romanian castle where Constanta quickly learns subservience to manage her husband’s controlling behavior and dark moods。 She is enamored by his love and limited attention， but their life together changes dramatically as they move to new countries and introduce new vampire brides to their family。 Dracula is keeping secrets， and as his cruelty worsens， Constanta must decide if her love for him is worth the abuse she and the other brides experience at his wicked hands。 Three pages into A Dowry of Blood and I was already intoxicated by Gibson’s prose。 Page seven and I knew I was done for。 “I will render you as you really were， neither cast in pristine stained glass or unholy fire。 I will make you into nothing more than a man， tender and brutal in equal measure， and perhaps in doing so I will justify myself to you。” Display this book in a gallery because it is a work of art。 Gibson writes beautifully， and she wasted no time in capturing my attention。 She was as alluring as Dracula， sweeping me up in her romantic， poetic charm。 Then would enact her cruelty with depictions of the brides’ despair and loneliness。 It was a delightful mixture of dread and hope。 And I， like the dutiful Constanta， followed her every sentence with infatuation and horror。 As immortal beings with nothing but time on their ageless and maybe clawed hands， we witness Dracula and his brides settling in different places。 Aside from indulging in some of the cultural happenings at the time， their location mainly serves as a backdrop to the tragedy of their lives。 Gibson provides the required context and sets each scene efficiently。 I particularly liked her decision to keep the focus on the family dynamics so that the location and historical events didn’t steal the show。 Whether the location is Austria， Spain， Russia， or France， the crown jewel is Constanta and the story she painfully recounts。 Because the book is a letter written by Constanta， it’s easy to become one with her inner thoughts。 It also helps the reader understand the essence of her fellow brides， their experiences together， and the survival tactics they develop。 Constanta is loyal to a fault but walks the harsh line that Dracula draws in order to keep everyone safe。 She wants to stay silent to survive but struggles to keep this demure mindset when her new family is threatened。 Magdalena is brilliant and full of life， easily capturing the hearts of everyone she meets。 After years of abuse， her vibrancy is often dimmed by depression， the episodes detailed so painfully by Constanta that I felt my heart break several times over。 Alexi is young and wild， a charismatic artist wanting to experience all the world’s pleasures。 He is fearless and openly challenges Dracula， striking a fear in Constanta that is honed into a fierce protectiveness。 I loved seeing these characters through Constanta’s eyes。 Not only do we learn a lot about the brides， but it gives us great insight into Constanta’s personality and personal growth。 Her initial selfishness and frustrations at the onset of these new relationships are all on display， but then we see how her love for each person blossoms into something irreplaceable， and it made their bond all the more meaningful。 Listen。 A Dowry of Blood is awesome。 Want to be scared？ Dracula is a terrible husband。 Want to swoon over some romance？ Good luck not falling for Magdalena。 What about something that reads like a haunting poem？ *Gestures to entire book*。 Come for the vampires and stay for literally a million other reasons。 I guarantee this story will be unlike anything you read this year。 Rating: A Dowry of Blood – 9。0/10 。。。more
Sam
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I loved this book so much。 If you’re into a sapphic retelling of Dracula’s Brides， you should pick this up。
Kamilla
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Read this for a youtube video where I read Booktubers favorites: https://www。youtube。com/centaneRiley Marie was my first pick and so was this book and oh my， this was amazing。it gave me chills， anger， frustration， sadness。It showed me that people who are in toxic and abusive relationships usually are still there as they STILL love the person！！！It was so important to me to read this book and I hope everyone who is thinking about reading it， does so。 💓 Read this for a youtube video where I read Booktubers favorites: https://www。youtube。com/centaneRiley Marie was my first pick and so was this book and oh my， this was amazing。it gave me chills， anger， frustration， sadness。It showed me that people who are in toxic and abusive relationships usually are still there as they STILL love the person！！！It was so important to me to read this book and I hope everyone who is thinking about reading it， does so。 💓 。。。more
Amodini
，
That was one dazzling and magical and dark romance。 RTC。
Margo
，
Pretty interesting retelling of Dracula's brides。 It is told in hindsight by Constanta， the first wife of Dracula， who is writting a letter to her dead husband trying to explain why she killed him。 More than an external plot， this is a very careful exploration of abuse in love。 The Dracula she portrays in the story is handsome， charming - but also terribly addicting and controlling。 She owes him her life， but the obsessive love she feels for him is at odds with fear at his cuelties and her desir Pretty interesting retelling of Dracula's brides。 It is told in hindsight by Constanta， the first wife of Dracula， who is writting a letter to her dead husband trying to explain why she killed him。 More than an external plot， this is a very careful exploration of abuse in love。 The Dracula she portrays in the story is handsome， charming - but also terribly addicting and controlling。 She owes him her life， but the obsessive love she feels for him is at odds with fear at his cuelties and her desire to live without the chafing of his rules。 It's really hard to explain， other than this was a really intense and crude portrayal。 It makes me wonder if the author was writting from personal experience， only because Constanta's struggle felt so raw。 As she unravels her story， you can feel her pain and anger pulsing off the page。If this piques your interest， I would definitely give it a shot。 。。。more
Audrey
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This has to be the most beautifully written book I have ever read in my life。 All I have to say is。。。good for her。
MK
，
Dark queer take on Dracula’s brides and everything I’ve ever wanted in a gothic horror vampire story。 Big content warnings for emotionally abusive relationships， and well worth the read。 Constanta’s journey from carefully selected and groomed victim to under-the-thumb bride to avenging angel was extremely satisfying。 Her relationships with the other brides found and made along the way， both wonderfully queer， were nuanced and rich， if not terrifying in Dracula’s shadow。 I loved how he was never Dark queer take on Dracula’s brides and everything I’ve ever wanted in a gothic horror vampire story。 Big content warnings for emotionally abusive relationships， and well worth the read。 Constanta’s journey from carefully selected and groomed victim to under-the-thumb bride to avenging angel was extremely satisfying。 Her relationships with the other brides found and made along the way， both wonderfully queer， were nuanced and rich， if not terrifying in Dracula’s shadow。 I loved how he was never named， his power systematically stripped and taken by the brides as they remembered their own。 A short little novel that moves at a quick pace for all its lush writing。 Highly recommend and already know several friends I’ll be thrusting this upon。 。。。more
Celina
，
A Dowry of Blood was our first Wilted Rose Book Club pick！ I don’t think we could have had a more perfect start。 The writing was so hauntingly beautiful and I could have easily read hundreds of more pages！ I wish this was a full novel instead of a novella， but I heard the author plans to give us bonus content in her newsletter。 I signed up immediately！“You could have kissed me or slit my throat and either would have made as much sense。”I loved the way this was written in second person in the for A Dowry of Blood was our first Wilted Rose Book Club pick！ I don’t think we could have had a more perfect start。 The writing was so hauntingly beautiful and I could have easily read hundreds of more pages！ I wish this was a full novel instead of a novella， but I heard the author plans to give us bonus content in her newsletter。 I signed up immediately！“You could have kissed me or slit my throat and either would have made as much sense。”I loved the way this was written in second person in the form of a letter to a former abuser。 Constanta never names him and I felt that was such a powerful move。 Watching her go back to the start and showing how she slowly woke up to the situation she was truly in had me in awe。 The strength she had to stand up to her abuser was inspiring and I feel so many will relate to her situation。 I am happy it starts off with her finally free and writing this letter because I was able to look forward to the abuser’s downfall。 It made it all the more satisfying。Now I want to get into the other brides。 I absolutely loved Magdalena and Alexei！ They turned Constanta’s relationship into a polyamorous one。 I really enjoyed how smart and witty Magdalena was。 She was always glowing when she was fully herself。 Alexei was so creative and social。 The definition of charismatic。 I loved seeing how quickly the loved and protected each other， especially against the abusive one。 My favourite moments were the time the three of them spent together。 I really wish we got to see more once they were finally free。“You did not let me keep my name， so I will strip you of yours。 In this world， you are what I say you are， and I say you are a ghost， a long night’s fever dream that I have finally woken up from。 I say you are the smoke-wisp memory of a flame， thawing ice suffering under an early spring sun， a chalk ledger of debts being wiped clean。 I say you do not have a name。”I respected Constanta by not naming her abuser， but I will now mention him as part of my review。 Obviously， this is Dracula。 I really liked that he wasn’t romanticized and stayed true to the manipulative character we learned about from Stoker。 It was refreshing to see him as the abusive person he is and to not even give him a perspective。 I liked that this was all about his brides and his downfall。 Honestly iconic。If you have always been interested in Dracula’s brides and love polyamorous relationships with hot badass vampires， please read this beautiful novella with its stunning prose！ Also if you love Deathless， definitely give this a read！ I plan to read more from this author。Thank you to Nyx Publishing for the arc！ This title was released January 31， 2021。 。。。more
Dea
，
Even if she gets her way in the end， I don't want to read through 200 pages of abuse and gaslighting。 Not saying this book is bad， it might be I don't know， I am just saying that I don't want to read it for the sake of my emotional health。 Even if she gets her way in the end， I don't want to read through 200 pages of abuse and gaslighting。 Not saying this book is bad， it might be I don't know， I am just saying that I don't want to read it for the sake of my emotional health。 。。。more
Bernadette
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4。25-4。5
Julia
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I think， my lord， that this is when you loved me best。 When I was freshly made， and still as malleable as wet clay in your hands。Wow， la verdad no pensaba que "A Dowry of Blood" me iba a encantar como lo hizo， pero realmente es algo especial y cada página lo demuestra。 Es una novela que se lee muy rápido y está narrada de forma lírica， lo que la hace aun más mágica。 La historia se encuentra narrada desde la perspectiva de una de las novias de Drácula， Constanta， quien nos relata su vida a lo I think， my lord， that this is when you loved me best。 When I was freshly made， and still as malleable as wet clay in your hands。Wow， la verdad no pensaba que "A Dowry of Blood" me iba a encantar como lo hizo， pero realmente es algo especial y cada página lo demuestra。 Es una novela que se lee muy rápido y está narrada de forma lírica， lo que la hace aun más mágica。 La historia se encuentra narrada desde la perspectiva de una de las novias de Drácula， Constanta， quien nos relata su vida a lo largo de los siglos como esposa de este vampiro centenario tras ser transformada a una no-muerta。 Específicamente muestra cuan abusivo y manipulador es este ser， a pesar de lo encantador que puede ser al principio para esta chica que lo ha perdido todo。 Así， por medio de este libro la autora logra reflejar de forma excelente la gravedad de las relaciones tóxicas， y lo difícil que puede ser salir de ellas。 Por lo mismo， es una novela que aborda temas bastante complejos y es definitivamente para adultos。En fin， ha sido una lectura que me ha gustado mucho， me ha parecido muy interesante， tiene una frases que son una maravilla y lo que más destaco es la relación entre Constanta， Magdalena y Alexi，the Brides of Dracula， quienes sencillamente se merecen el cielo y toda la felicidad del mundo。 I had found something else too， buried deep underneath habit and fear and years of loyalty to you。 Anger， white-hot and blinding。 Bright enough to illuminate even the darkest night。 。。。more
Justice （arieslibraries）
，
THIS WAS PERFECTION。
Genesis
，
This was absolutely chefs kiss so good
Kimaii
，
Okay， wow！ At first I didn't know if I could get into the novel because of its writing style， but I quickly got used to it。I'm sad it's over， but it was such a good read。 The way abuse was written also felt realistic， and it reminded me of things I've gone through in the past。 All in all， this book was amazing and a definite 5 stars for me。 Okay， wow！ At first I didn't know if I could get into the novel because of its writing style， but I quickly got used to it。I'm sad it's over， but it was such a good read。 The way abuse was written also felt realistic， and it reminded me of things I've gone through in the past。 All in all， this book was amazing and a definite 5 stars for me。 。。。more
Maureen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。5。 At first I really was not enjoying it at all。 Just a narrative of a dysfunctional relationship。 But after a time he/ she/ they began to find a way through。
Lulu （the library leopard）
，
hm okay this slapped and i will accept the return of vampire books if they're all as deliciously gothic and well-written as this hm okay this slapped and i will accept the return of vampire books if they're all as deliciously gothic and well-written as this 。。。more
Missie ☆
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if you like villains， and/or stories bound to make you cry （or feel something） i highly recommend this book。 i'm still recovering if you like villains， and/or stories bound to make you cry （or feel something） i highly recommend this book。 i'm still recovering 。。。more
Niki Lynn
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Love was always said to be blind until the very end， and this was true for Constanta。 Spending hundreds of years with her love， her maker， her husband， she learned so many things。 Languages， different cultures， a life of luxury， and finding love in two people she didn't think she'd welcome into her life at first。 Magdalena and Alexi。 Their relationship was what they all needed from each other， but Alexi's bold and unrelenting ways gave the girls the strength they needed to finally come alive and Love was always said to be blind until the very end， and this was true for Constanta。 Spending hundreds of years with her love， her maker， her husband， she learned so many things。 Languages， different cultures， a life of luxury， and finding love in two people she didn't think she'd welcome into her life at first。 Magdalena and Alexi。 Their relationship was what they all needed from each other， but Alexi's bold and unrelenting ways gave the girls the strength they needed to finally come alive and want to live more than a shadow at their husbands feet。 I adored this story and it gave me a very different view of how I always pictured Dracula。 The style of writing in this book made it so much more intimate to me， the writing of a love letter that Constanta is writing to Dracula after she had killed him and filling the pages with their lives and her memories。 I've never read a point of view like this before and it makes me want to find more books like this。 。。。more
Tiffany Miss。Fiction
，
I never dreamed it would end like this， my lord: your blood splashed hot flecks onto my nightgown and pouting rivulets onto our bedchamber floor。 But creatures like us live a long time。 There is no horror left in this world that surprise me。 Eventually， even your death becomes its own sort of inevitability。Quando si iniziano libri in una maniera totalmente casuale， senza avere nessuna informazione se non 'dracula'， 'prospettiva femminile' e 'queer'。TW:Le tematiche non sono elaborate in profondit I never dreamed it would end like this， my lord: your blood splashed hot flecks onto my nightgown and pouting rivulets onto our bedchamber floor。 But creatures like us live a long time。 There is no horror left in this world that surprise me。 Eventually， even your death becomes its own sort of inevitability。Quando si iniziano libri in una maniera totalmente casuale， senza avere nessuna informazione se non 'dracula'， 'prospettiva femminile' e 'queer'。TW:Le tematiche non sono elaborate in profondità ma sono parte integrante della story， quindi se queste cose non fanno per voi attenzione！Si parla di violenza e sangue， relazioni abusive， depressione， stati maniacali e catatonici， contenuti sessualmente espliciti， autolesionismo， abuso emotivo， verbale e fisico， gaslighting， body horror。Niente， una scrittura così magnifica da farmi quasi piangere， ricca， densa， lirica e piena di immagini memorabili。 La sedicenne gotica che ancora non è morta in me ha danzato su questa tomba di dolore con un senso potentissimo di immedesimazione， empatia， tristezza ma anche comprensione。 But you found me alone， my lord。 Beaten down to a shadow of my former self and very near death。 It was as though fate had laid me out for you， an irresistible banquet。 Of promise， you would say。 Of potential。 I say it was vulnerability。 Non che sia una grande recensione questa ma， a caldissimo， quella vicinanza nella rappresentazione di una relazione abusiva così intrisa di lucidità postuma mentre si riflette sul passato， quanto ci siamo ritrovate in quei passi e quanto ancora ci fanno stare male。 Costanta è una di noi。Poi queerness a gogo， crudeltà， vendetta， sangue （tanto。。。 e non di certo solo perchè parliamo di vampiri） e confusione， inasprimento， durezza， amarezza sempre più eterne e profonde。 Ad ora， la mia lettura preferita in questo 2021。You did not let me keep my name， so I will strip you of yours。 In this world， you are what I say you are， and I say you are a ghost， a long night's fever dream that I have finally woken up from。 I say you are the smoke-wisp memory of a flame， thawing ice suffering under an early spring sun， a chalk ledger of debts being wiped clean。 。。。more
erina
，
4。5/5rtc
Noor AL-Huda
，
OK。 So， I was invested in the overall story and did enjoy reading it， but here's what broke this book for me: It's not a vampire story。 The main story could have been told in any setting， at any time， it could even have been a contemporary story without any supernatural elements。 The characters being vampires has no real impact on the story。 But this book is marketed as a vampire story， so I expected vampires。 And on top of that， it is marketed as a retelling of Dracula from the perspective of o OK。 So， I was invested in the overall story and did enjoy reading it， but here's what broke this book for me: It's not a vampire story。 The main story could have been told in any setting， at any time， it could even have been a contemporary story without any supernatural elements。 The characters being vampires has no real impact on the story。 But this book is marketed as a vampire story， so I expected vampires。 And on top of that， it is marketed as a retelling of Dracula from the perspective of one of the brides。 That was the point that got me really interested and why I wanted to read this book so badly。 But the villain is neither Dracula nor do we find any elements of the Dracula story， except for a castle being in Romania。 And again， that castle could have been anywhere， it didn't even necessarily need to be a castle。Maybe， probably， this is marketing's fault， because the story itself is good。 But I was promised something different and after finishing this book， I felt a little cheated。 。。。more
Megan
，
Beyond amazing。 It ended way too quickly; I could have read on for 400 hundred pages at least。 So beautiful， lush and complex in how many versions love can present itself。 I loved its unashamed and bold queerness and the gothic atmosphere。 Wow。 👏🏻👏🏻
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Dowry of Blood
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Dowry of Blood&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Dowry of Blood&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0