A Dowry of Blood

Every Halloween week, I treat myself to a new book in the dark romance or horror genre, and A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson has become one I revisited this year. It absolutely did not disappoint the second time around. If anything, it felt even more haunting and emotionally layered on the re-read. This isn’t just another vampire story. It's a reimagining of Dracula told through the voice of one of his brides, and it is nothing short of mesmerizing. The book is a story of survival, lust, self-discovery, and liberation, all wrapped in lush, lyrical prose that reads like a confession and a love letter at once. What I loved most was its tone and style. Gibson’s writing is sensual yet restrained, poetic yet raw—a fresh take on the old-world Gothic tale. The setting feels both timeless and intimate, the relationships darkly magnetic. It explores power, obsession, and control, but also healing, autonomy, and what it means to reclaim your voice after being silenced. It’s not simply horror. It’s emotional alchemy. You feel the ache of desire, the tension of fear, and the eventual freedom that comes from breaking a toxic bond. Gibson turns monstrosity into metaphor, and blood into a symbol of rebirth. For readers who crave dark romanticism, morally complex characters, and beautifully tragic prose, "A Dowry of Blood" is a must-read. It’s a love story and a survival story that lingers like a spell long after the last page.

✨4/5✨ I feel absolutely heartbroken yet hopeful. In the beginning you see Dracula as someone who loves Constanta to no end and just wants the “best” for her. Who shuts her in for “protection”. The abuse that was in this book was so perfectly written and drawn out. I loved Dracula all the way until the end, even when I shouldn’t have. The control he had was sick, the manipulation was sick, everything about him was terrible. And I KNEW this. I was so angry with him and with Constanta/Magdalena for not standing up for themselves. But, when those little loving and happy moments he shared with Constanta, Magdalena, and Alexi came, he sucked you right back in on his side. While reading I thought, “He still loves them, he just shows it in terrible ways at times. He’s doing this all because he loves them.” But that’s it isn’t it? Maybe it’s because I can relate to the abuse from past experiences, but the author was able to transport your mind into this relationship the characters had in such a perfect way. Where I was even making excuses for Dracula’s behavior during the book, and I was SAD at the end (Ew, right?). Hopeful, of course, but just emotionally drained and sad. The whole book to me was just heartbreaking and absolutely beautiful at the same time. It had everything. (((((((SPOILER BELOW)))))))) I think what makes it so beautiful at the end is the bravery of the characters. They didn’t just let the abuse go on even longer, and that’s the hardest thing they could have done. The hardest and bravest thing for anyone to do in that situation really; What was best for them. Whether it be leaving (...or slaying Dracula), they chose happiness and freedom. 🦇⚔️🦇⚔️🦇

This book was decent. I enjoyed the letter style of the chapters. I enjoyed the dark, gothic elements and I enjoyed the emotional aspect. This books takes place across multiple locations and multiple timelines. The descriptions were not great and there wasn’t much cultural context to be able to exactly remember each place or timeframe that they were in. The characters were shallow and did not convey the moodiness I felt like this book needed. Some of the sister and mother/son references just weren’t working for me. It felt predatory and gross. The writing was beautiful and poetic but with some of these other things in mind it just felt greatly lacking.

This is a very creative way of talking about abuse and abusive relationships and from the very first page you know what you're dealing with. It's poetic, without trying to glorify horrible behaviors, and it's straightforward without diminishing the reality of the topic either. It is just told.. as it is. It's a story about survival, self love, family and that internal battle between what you think is normal and okay in a relationship and realizing you deserve better and fighting for it. It is told from the the survivor's pov addressing their abuser directly, uncovering and confronting all the subtle ways they've been abused and neglected and how they finally manage to see and live with that reality. I devoured this book in a day! - I kept waiting for them to reach their breaking point and taking action and when you get to that point... it is absolutely glorious! It is a very real and current story, told through the eyes of a hundreds year old vampire, with blood and gore and tears. You can't help but empathize with them and cheer them on throughout their journey and celebrate the end. Cannot recommend it enough.

Constanta's story is not new, but it is unique. Swept away by a dark and handsome stranger, she finds herself completely dependent upon him for survival. While he offers her physical intimacy, and is initially warm and loving, the situation subtly shifts. He keeps her comfortable, but becomes gradually more distant and cold. He experiments in secret, allegedly trying to catalogue the differences between vampires and humans. He mocks Constanta for her attempt to only target miscreants for her necessary feedings. He isolates her, tossing her crumbs of tenderness for good behavior, and meting out rage and cruelty for any perceived deviation from what is sanctioned by him. He lures others into their lives, unbeknownst to her, only to repeat the same vicious cycle with his new "pets". Constanta suffers these violations, afraid to defy their dark master. Pushed to act, or face annihilation, Constanta and her siblings do the unthinkable. This was better than I thought it would be, dragging me through the darkness, to a hopeful end.

This is one of the best books I’ve read in 2023. I could not put this down. It’s a short read, and every chapter was filled with meaning and thoughtfulness for the readers understanding and enjoyment. This book was about love. But not the kind you assume. This is about the kind of torturous toxic love that you delude yourself into thinking their love is worth the pain, worth the bad, that’s it’s because they love you that they treat you that way. This was about finding one’s self, breaking free, living to live and not for the whims of someone else’s existence. It was painful, heartbreaking, exhausting to witness. And I loved every word. It was beautifully written. It held my attention at every turn. The ending was perfect. I honestly have not one single criticism for this book.

This creation of a story takes you on an intrinsic journey through toxicity, love, and rebirth. In some ways their stories were beautiful and alluring, while in other ways haunting. A perfect ode to gothic horror. I think this’ll be a gothic tale that exposes the rawness of love and devotion in a very dark, emotional way. Stunning work on the characters, their expressions, the motifs and the elements of sexuality. Definitely a great read!

Ok sooooo this book was all over my tiktok, so I had to read it. I enjoyed it somewhat, but omg, so not my thing. If ur into orgys and stuff, then this is definitely the book for you, lol. I found myself frowning as I was reading because I found some of the content a little gross, lol. But, did I have to finish it? YES!!!!!! I did not care for the audible version of this book. It's just not my cup of tea. I believe the writing is good. The story was good, and it is a quick read.

Chegou em condições

Thank you NetGalley and Nyx publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. “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” A Dowry of Blood is a modern retelling of Dracula’s Brides, told by Constanta to her nameless lover and sire. Filled with some of the lushest most swoon worthy writing I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, truly a lyrical masterpiece, my inadequate words do not do justice to how fantastic this book was. I wanted to savour ever word and let them sink into my soul. “We’ve waltzed through a hundred tiny apocalypses, you and I, walked unharmed through the ash of countless crumbling regimes. We feast on the ruin of empires,“ This was the vampiric tale of desire, obsession, and strength I have always wanted and with polyamory added in! Ugh I loved this so hard, I’m off to go buy myself a copy.

El libro está muy mal cortado, el papel no es de mala calidad y hasta donde revisé la impresión está bien, pero el corte de las hojas es horrible, cero calidad

First of all: the audiobook of this is exquisite. One of my all-time favorite performances. Melodramatic, breathless, emotional. Perfectly matched the story and really brings out the poetic prose. This is pretty exactly what it says on the tin. Written in an open letter format from Constanza to Dracula, chronicling the entirety of the turning of her as a vampire to the conclusion of their relationship. It’s got Bluebeard’s Bride vibes with a dash of queer relationships as their marriage grows to include others and Dracula controls his family by putting them under his thumb with sex, violence, and mercurial attentions that feels in line with his character, but also expanded upon for this more intimate setting. Had the structure had more points of conflict or interest to interrupt the overlong brooding and one-track, predictable denouement, it would have been an easy 5-star read for me. I started with reading it on the page but when I switched to audio when cooking, I never went back. I highly recommend the audio experience.

Livro chegou rápido e a história é muito boa!