Fantasy

A Dowry of Blood

A Dowry of Blood

  • Downloads：9339
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-12-22 08:51:29
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：S.T. Gibson
  • ISBN：0356519287
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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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。

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Reviews

Other_than_all ，

Specyficzna i mroczna。 Bardzo szybko się czyta。 Dla fanów gotyckich i wampirzych opowieści。

Alysses ，

This took forever to get into。 At the hour mark I wanted to DNF。 At 60% it finally got interesting。 Do what you will with that info。

Jessica （jessies。booked） ，

Is this one really your favorite or were you told it should be？

Tina Wilson ，

3。5*

Natalie ，

When you see an self-published novel take the internet by storm like this one did， you just have to read it。 And boy did I read this one。 Its rare for me to almost ever want to read a book again once I have read it once， I am not a re-reader。 But the second I finished the last delicious morsel of this book， I wanted to flip to the first page and read it all over again。 In the self-published treasure A Dowry of Blood， the author S。T。 Gibson flips BramStoker’s Dracula tale right side up again， ret When you see an self-published novel take the internet by storm like this one did， you just have to read it。 And boy did I read this one。 Its rare for me to almost ever want to read a book again once I have read it once， I am not a re-reader。 But the second I finished the last delicious morsel of this book， I wanted to flip to the first page and read it all over again。 In the self-published treasure A Dowry of Blood， the author S。T。 Gibson flips BramStoker’s Dracula tale right side up again， returning it back to the queer feminine roots fromwhich the story emerged。 This dizzyingly passionate story of Dracula’s bride is a sensual talebetween desire and love， ownership and freedom， the lack of light and the presence of the dark，and which one holds the true power to conquer in the end。。。As she lay dying， Constanta is saved by a dark and possessing figure。 A Dowry of Bloodis her story of lust， power， love， and control in search of a fantasy she was promised。 Constantais joined by two other consorts， Magdalena and Alexi， two souls in which Constanta is suddenlyenticed to widen her world view for。 The four creatures of the night find themselves inextricablytwisted together in dark romance。 Through a forged bond of love the three spouses worktogether to break the dark threat of power permanently gathering over their heads。 This darkthreat being the very thing that brought them all back to “life，” Dracula himself。“I lost myself so entirely in charting the contours of my love foryou that there wasn't any room for tracking time。There wasn't any room to examine the past or the future，there was only the eternal now。”26 years before Bram Stoker unleashed Dracula on the world， a novella by the name of Carmilla appeared。 Its author， Sheridan Le Fanu， chronicled the relationship between a human woman and the beautiful vampire Carmilla herself （pictured to the left。） Despite the rigid ideals of the Victorian Era in which both stories were released， the influence of Carmilla cannot be understated， as you see many recurring themes and details repeated and reused in Stoker’s Dracula。Gibson has returned this tale to its roots with the “modernization” of its relationships。 Shemanages to bring the story into modern view without losing the classic Victorian-style energythat is intertwined within both Camilla and Dracula。 The prose with which the book is writtenfeels akin to an Old English classic itself but its ideas and relationships are so authentic tohumanity it removes itself from the picturesque and morally rigid writings of that time。 Instead offigures of fiction written to teach controlling lessons， we see real humanity reflected in all of thecharacters。“At the time， I would have called it proof of your love， burningand all-consuming。 But I've grow to understand that you havemore of the scientist obsessed than thelove possessed in you， and that your examinations lendthemselves more towards a scrutiny of weakness， imperfection，any detail in need of your corrective care。”Written in second person， the letter style of the story feels so deeply private there is noway that they could be anything other than a confessional letter written from one being toanother。 Upon reading the first sentence， you feel as if you have pried into the privacy of reallives by peaking into the pages。 The execution of this story is soul-gripping and so deeplypersonal。 Despite not a single mention of his name， the reader knows that the “You” in this storyis our fateful Dracula from tales of old， a testament to his impact on literature。The bisexual and polyamourous representation goes a long way to take this from a fantasy to a dark thriller that seems to be more a record of history than a novel written in farce。 Following in the hidden footsteps of the lives of real queer people through history， the representation of sexuality seen here is supremely authentic。 Beyond this， the depth with which each and every emotion is described is almost intoxicating。 Every step of these character’s progression is dripping with ecstatic energy， life rolling off of them in such intense waves that even the most miniscule events have weight， and purpose， and value。 After being reborn again every character has a “new life” to create for themselves from scratch。 That’s the journey these characters walk through this story。 The search for the boundaries of what it means to be human。 The spend their time with their right hand along the maze wall and follow it every step until they see the specific shape of their own humanity realized before them， which interestingly becomes the breaking point in the story。“I was tired of carrying around the weight of a love like worship， of sickly-warm rush of idolatrycoloring my whole world。”This book has to be put down as one of the best releases of 2021。 It is a brief 230ishpages and yet you watch the years pass just as the characters themselves do in their immortallives。 If the prose seems daunting， check out the audiobook！ It is narrated by Abby Craden， hersultry voice brings to life the essence of Constanta and her persisting devotion。 Not only this butS。T Gibson has just released an epilouge short story “An Encore of Roses” this month。 A finalkiss goodbye to a sickeningly sweet story。 。。。more

Jenny Jemison ，

I devoured this book and was left ravenous for more 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Allison ，

Haunting， darkly sexy， beautifully written， and ultimately triumphant。 Gorgeous and compact exploration of love， abuse， and power。 I couldn't put this down。 （Also kept coming back to the summary I read that called this "polyamorous brides of Dracula join forces and unionize" which is hundred percent what this is。） Haunting， darkly sexy， beautifully written， and ultimately triumphant。 Gorgeous and compact exploration of love， abuse， and power。 I couldn't put this down。 （Also kept coming back to the summary I read that called this "polyamorous brides of Dracula join forces and unionize" which is hundred percent what this is。） 。。。more

Raelene ，

I don't know what the point of this book was， aside from being oddly incestuous。 Thankfully， no one is actually related。 But his insistence for Constanta and Magdalena to accept and refer to each others as sisters was so awkward。 Especially while he was literally inside of Magdalena， trying to get Constanta to join them and fuck her too。 I do understand that Dracula's brides were referred to as 'sisters' but I don't think they fucked in that case？ Correct me if I'm wrong。 Either way， it didn't w I don't know what the point of this book was， aside from being oddly incestuous。 Thankfully， no one is actually related。 But his insistence for Constanta and Magdalena to accept and refer to each others as sisters was so awkward。 Especially while he was literally inside of Magdalena， trying to get Constanta to join them and fuck her too。 I do understand that Dracula's brides were referred to as 'sisters' but I don't think they fucked in that case？ Correct me if I'm wrong。 Either way， it didn't work for me。And then Alexi came， and it got worse。 It's repeated constantly how young he is。 Costanta feels like his mother。 But also his sister。 They are all referred to as siblings。。。 very shortly after having sex。 Alexi is described as 'Little Alexi' multiple times， and is described as 'a child caught between two warring parents' when Constanta and Dracula are fighting。。。 they're his lovers！ Not his parents！Okay I shouldn't just rant about that one specific thing， so I'm going to move on from that， but honestly I noticed that The Smol Moth's review pretty much says everything else that I could possibly write， so I'm going to link it here。 I'm bummed that this didn't work for me。 This has been read by about a dozen of my goodreads friends/followers and most gave it a 5 star， and many called it their favourite book of 2021。 Soo I'm a bit surprised。 Oh， I listened to the audiobook and I didn't love it。 Maybe it would be better to physically read？ I found the narrator to be very inconsistent。 The speed and volume she spoke would change sometimes， as would the accents she added。 I am glad that so many people loved this， because reading really is so subjective。 But I won't be recommending it to others。 。。。more

Allison ，

First of all， I loved and appreciated the warning at the beginning of the book about the themes of the book。 It made me feel like the author truly cares for her readers and that made me want to read the book all the more。 I have never read a book with a similar format but I loved it。 It was so easy to feel the betrayal and hurt HE left on the other three。 I felt Constanta's pain as she learned what a monster he actually was。 Very well written。 First of all， I loved and appreciated the warning at the beginning of the book about the themes of the book。 It made me feel like the author truly cares for her readers and that made me want to read the book all the more。 I have never read a book with a similar format but I loved it。 It was so easy to feel the betrayal and hurt HE left on the other three。 I felt Constanta's pain as she learned what a monster he actually was。 Very well written。 。。。more

Christine （myfictionaldays） ，

4，5 this book was so lovely

Isabella Reeves ，

Good for her！

nofy ，

no words

FraB ，

Due stelle invece di una solo perché non ci sono errori grammaticali

Madison ，

I don't know what I expected going into this， but I was really hoping for a five star read！ Unfortunately， it didn't quite get there for me。 I really loved the writing， but the story didn't captivate me in the same way it seems to have captivated other reviewers。 It was very atmospheric and dark。 There is nothing silly or hokey about the vampires in this book as there sometimes is that element in other vampire fantasy novels。 I think I would have liked to know more about the characters and their I don't know what I expected going into this， but I was really hoping for a five star read！ Unfortunately， it didn't quite get there for me。 I really loved the writing， but the story didn't captivate me in the same way it seems to have captivated other reviewers。 It was very atmospheric and dark。 There is nothing silly or hokey about the vampires in this book as there sometimes is that element in other vampire fantasy novels。 I think I would have liked to know more about the characters and their backstory， but overall this was a really unique fantasy novel。 I look forward to more from ST Gibson。Be sure to check out the TWs which the author leaves at the beginning of the book。 Thanks to Redhook for the gifted copy。 。。。more

Cinzia Biaggi ，

Inutile e prevedibile。 Forse il libro più noioso sui vampiri mai scritto， siamo ben lontani da Anne Rice。 L’ultimo capitolo dal punto di vista di un personaggio diverso non ha alcuna utilità se non aggiungere una descrizione di un’orgia。 Che perdita di tempo

Dajedelibro😎 Dajedelibro ，

Regà due stelle perché sto libro non mi ha detto assolutamente nulla…。。magari se avesse avuto 200 pagine in più e fosse stato scritto in maniera diversa che non fosse una raccolta di memorie sarebbe stato meglio。 Bello il vampirismo， belle le cose a tre ma mi sembra fine a se stesso…。。settordicimila avvertimenti all’inizio del libro “potrebbe dare fastidio perché ci sta questo questo e questo” e l’unica cosa che vagamente mi ha urtato è la manipolazione ma perché sono molto sensibile al tema。 To Regà due stelle perché sto libro non mi ha detto assolutamente nulla…。。magari se avesse avuto 200 pagine in più e fosse stato scritto in maniera diversa che non fosse una raccolta di memorie sarebbe stato meglio。 Bello il vampirismo， belle le cose a tre ma mi sembra fine a se stesso…。。settordicimila avvertimenti all’inizio del libro “potrebbe dare fastidio perché ci sta questo questo e questo” e l’unica cosa che vagamente mi ha urtato è la manipolazione ma perché sono molto sensibile al tema。 Tolto ciò…。libro molto piatto， storia niente di che， personaggi molto standard e un cattivo che è bello ma non balla…。delusione， mi aspettavo molto di più。 。。。more

Ciara ，

It was so-so。 Probably set my expectations too high。 The ending fell short， as though the writer wanted to hastily wrap everything up。 I was expecting more cruelty， more violence， more blood。 I did not feel any sort of connection with the Dracula in this story。 I definitely liked the relationship between Constanta， Magdalena， and Alexi， though。 Overall， I would have liked this better if it were a little longer。

Bailey ，

Rating: 1。5/5 starsAnd so continues the trend of disappointing vampire books this year。 While the writing was beautiful and I really liked how the story spanned history， for a story about polyamorous vampires it was very dull。 My biggest issue was with how the obsession and fear that the characters constantly felt never evolved or changed throughout the story， which made the book feel very one note and repetitive。 At the end， Constanta references the kindness Dracula showed her， but there is not Rating: 1。5/5 starsAnd so continues the trend of disappointing vampire books this year。 While the writing was beautiful and I really liked how the story spanned history， for a story about polyamorous vampires it was very dull。 My biggest issue was with how the obsession and fear that the characters constantly felt never evolved or changed throughout the story， which made the book feel very one note and repetitive。 At the end， Constanta references the kindness Dracula showed her， but there is not a single scene where this was shown to the reader。 This made the level of obsession feel unrealistic， especially for how long they all were together。 The story would have been much stronger and more nuanced had the relationship had just as many highs as it had lows。I also thought that the reference to the Harkers was clumsy and unnecessary。 It would have made more sense to not mention it at all， especially for how much this story deviates from the end of Dracula。 The way this is set up makes it feel like a totally separate universe that just so happens to share a couple sort of related characters。 There were also key parts of Dracula's character as presented in the original story that were completely absent from this story， making it feel as though it's not a retelling at all。I feel as though there were too many missed opportunities and shortcomings of this book for me to rate it any higher。 。。。more

Mariana ，

I enjoyed the book， it was a quick read。 I think personally I just didn’t like the perspective it was written in， personal choice。 Otherwise， it’s well written and was a decent story。

Clarice Montgomery ，

Looks like I’m in the minority here。 I don’t like fiction that’s written entirely in diary format。 There was an obnoxious amount of flowery metaphors throughout the story which I found grating。 The entire book also felt needlessly sexually exploitative and vampire sex scenes always make me think of AIDS。The whole thing made me feel sad in an angry way if that makes sense。 Not my thing。

Jessie Spangler ，

This was really， really good。 A queer retelling of Dracula？ Hell yes。What resonated with me the most， however， is the story of feeling powerless and stuck in a toxic relationship， then finding the strength to fight for freedom。 I loved Constanta， Alexi （even though we don’t get as much character building for him）， and Magdalena。 Constanta’s character arc through the story is flawless， in my opinion。 The beginning of this book hooked me immediately。 It was so intense， and then it definitely slowe This was really， really good。 A queer retelling of Dracula？ Hell yes。What resonated with me the most， however， is the story of feeling powerless and stuck in a toxic relationship， then finding the strength to fight for freedom。 I loved Constanta， Alexi （even though we don’t get as much character building for him）， and Magdalena。 Constanta’s character arc through the story is flawless， in my opinion。 The beginning of this book hooked me immediately。 It was so intense， and then it definitely slowed down a bit before we meet Magdalena。 But the writing was so engaging， and at times quite beautiful。 This novel is definitely a very character-driven book， which I always appreciate。 I also enjoyed the unique formatting of Constanta looking back as though she is writing a letter to him （we never get his actual name， another thing I surprisingly enjoyed that I feel like I usually would be annoyed with）。 I think it really worked for the story overall。 Probably closer to a 4。5 stars for me， however， *only* because it does feel a bit repetitive at times。 。。。more

Stephanie Di Nardo ，

4。5/5。 A beautiful study of grief， pain， desire， and love。 The characters are alive on the page and details are vivid but not overwrought。

Alex Duffy ，

IT WAS SO GOOD LOVE LOVE LOVE

Pizzaiolə Pazzə ，

Un buon romanzo， scorrevolissimo， che racconta l'emancipazione e la liberazione da un elemento tossico e violento di una cellula poliamorosa di vampirз bisessuali。Nonostante il tema affrontato sia pesante la prosa rimane leggera e il libro si legge senza venire troppo contagiatз dall'angoscia e dall'ansia della protagonista riuscendo comunque ad empatizzare con lei。Si avverte tutta la lucidità di una persona che riesce ad uscire da una relazione violenta e che guardandosi indietro ha il coraggio Un buon romanzo， scorrevolissimo， che racconta l'emancipazione e la liberazione da un elemento tossico e violento di una cellula poliamorosa di vampirз bisessuali。Nonostante il tema affrontato sia pesante la prosa rimane leggera e il libro si legge senza venire troppo contagiatз dall'angoscia e dall'ansia della protagonista riuscendo comunque ad empatizzare con lei。Si avverte tutta la lucidità di una persona che riesce ad uscire da una relazione violenta e che guardandosi indietro ha il coraggio， e il bisogno， di raccontarsi a qualcunə， di mettere per iscritto il proprio vissuto per poter voltare pagina。 A tutto questo si aggiungono un erotismo e un romanticismo costante per formare un romanzo pervaso da potenti emozioni， che cattura come un fiume in piena lə lettorə dall'inizio alla fine。 。。。more

Mathilde ，

4。5 ⭐️Probablement une de mes lectures les plus marquantes de 2022。

Rae ，

Wonderful。 A unique take on Dracula and his wives。 Would have read it in one sitting but it was too late for me to finish。

Il confine dei libri ，

Voto libro: 4。5Per leggere la recensione in blog cliccare qui:https://ilconfinedeilibri。blogspot。co。。。 Voto libro: 4。5Per leggere la recensione in blog cliccare qui:https://ilconfinedeilibri。blogspot。co。。。 。。。more

Marjolein ，

I absolutely loved this Dracula retelling。 It was dark， gruesome， but totally in character。 It was great reading from the PoV of one of the brides， and I loved spending time in two of my favourite cities （Vienna and Paris）。 It could have been longer？ （Loved the mention of the Harkers！）

Isabelle Harris ，

this book simply could not be more my shit！！ I loved every second of it

TAILA STONER ，

This was probably the most beautiful book I have read all year in regard to the style of writing。 UGH UGH UGH damn。。。 I'm going to have to rewrite my top five books of the year。。。 This was probably the most beautiful book I have read all year in regard to the style of writing。 UGH UGH UGH damn。。。 I'm going to have to rewrite my top five books of the year。。。 。。。more

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