A Dowry of Blood was captivating. The atmosphere was on point and I couldn't look away. It hooked me from the beginning and only released me once I had read the entire book. It's not very long so it was a quick read following our main character Constanta as she is saved from death by a mysterious stranger. He offers her to turn her into a vampire like him, warning her that she will leave everything behind. What begins as a sort of love story between these two slowly but surely turns into something much darker as centuries pass and as Constanta learns who Dracula really is and that she is not his first Chosen Bride... what happened to the others? And what will she do when he brings in two new people in their little family? You'll have to read this book to find out. Overall, I loved it.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

This was so good!! I genuinely loved almost every single thing about it; my only issue really is that I just wanted more of this story. I wish that Gibson had developed the characters' personalities a bit more, and I think making this short story longer could've helped with this. But I adored the pacing and the writing and the character dynamics and the themes explored. The writing style, particularly surrounding the main character's thoughts and feelings and her movement through time had this beautifully evocative poetic nature to it. The character dynamics were probably some of my favorite parts of the book, and I adored getting to see Constanta's growing relationships with Magdalena and Alexi. This is definitely going to end up being one of my favorite books of the year, and I can't wait to read more from this author.

I personally enjoyed this book but couldn't buy it for our library--will recommend to friends and readers who like this sort of thing (specifically, historicals with lush language and queer vampires), though.

Thank you Netgalley for lending an e-ARC of this book in an exchange of honest review.

Keyword: short novel, adult, fantasy, gothic, vampire, abusive relationship, polyamory
Content & Trigger warning: abuse (both mental and bodily) , domestic violence,
blood, gore

✨🌟 9.5 stars out of 10 🌟✨
A lyrical and mesmerizing portrayal of a tragedy, messy and heartwrenching but always tugged you for more. A Dowry of Blood is a short novel about a woman enticed to live a forever life with unnatural being. It tells about the love, the pain, and the dread of living in abusive relationship.

The core of the story is about vampires. So if you like dark alley aesthetic, with brooding castles, smeared blood and luscious sex you will find this book to your liking. The prose also really smooth, full of feeling and powerful. We can really symphatize with the characters because their feelings bleed to us throughout the pages.

Though what I love the most is how the author portrayed toxic and abusive relationship in this book. It's messy and feels realistic. The way someone was turn to obedience despite the abuse because of both love and fear of threats of the abuser. The way the abuser keep gaslighting and manipulating their victims. How the characters persisted and survived despite the abuse.. I also love how the author resolved the story.

Overall I think this is a great read. The writing is a real page turner, that I managed to finish it in one sitting. If you're searching for short meaningful read with a touch of gothic and blood sucking people, then this one is for you.

An absolutely stunning story! I ended up listening to this one on audiobook and it was so beautifully written, deliciously dark and poetic.

Now this is a story that will suck you in! I got through this all in one sitting, I could not and would not stop (plus it's fairly short). Not only was the story itself wonderful, but the narration was exquisit. I felt every word of this story in my soul, it was so powerful and touching. It's a story full of raw, pure emotion and it translates off the page/through audio perfectly.

Of course along with any vampire story comes the darker sides, and this one is quite clear about the abuse of power that comes with it. Constanta's view on her "lord" and the polyam relationships withing the dynamic was eye opening and so important to this story. It brought so much insight and really brought this it to life. *chiefs kisses*

I will definitely be checking out other works by this author, big fan!

Thank you so much to Nyx Publishing and Netgalley for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

A magnificent ode to gothic horror, Starling meticulously unravels beloved tropes to create a horrifically satisfying creation. Dark, erotic, scandalous, thrilling, suspenseful and every bit DELICIOUS: this lyrically stunning gothic tale recollecting the wives of Dracula was exactly the thrill I've been yearning for for what feels like ages. I ate this up! The vibes were very much Crimson Peak (but muchhhh better) meets vampires coalescing into the definition of gothic decadence. I am begging for everyone to pick this book up ASAP!!
Full review to come on my YouTube channel.

Oh my goodness, how did I miss reviewing this one? I absolutely adored this gothic retelling and it stuck with me for quite a while after putting it down. Beautiful imagery and a haunting narrative style. Absolutely worth a read for any gothic literature fan.

This novella is a rather enthralling combination of a love letter and a goodbye letter from the POV of Constanta our MC. The letter itself is addressed to none other that her lover and her abuser, who interesting enough remains unnamed.

It showcases the interweaving of love, reliance, abuse and desire in truly stunning play of prose that I could not tear myself away from. the narrative itself felt strong and invoked emotion and imagery that
I doubt would hold its own unless written the way it was, props to the author for this unique concept.

The stories representation of poly relationships and dynamics was interesting and well thought-out and really played with the human emotions of the brides and gave them all a stellar character arc.

I was lucky enough to get an eARC for this book. It took me a bit to get through it, but I finally did. I did listen to the audiobook, so I’ll only add a little bit about that, but will focus on the whole story.
I think I would have liked this book more if I’d read it and not listened to the audiobook. I found pieces to be frustratingly bad in how the narrator told the story, to the point I found myself rolling my eyes. I had to fight to actually finish this one and I might be the only person with this feeling.
We follow Constanta as she writes the story of how she became a vampire and her life with her abusive sire along the other brides. Though he goes unnamed, we all know that the vampire is Dracula. Constanta does not remember who she was before she was turned, what her name was, only a vagueness. She was nearly killed when her village was pillaged. She caught Dracula’s eye and he turned her and the story follows them as they move through Europe.
Personally, I have mixed feelings about this story. It didn’t have a real driving plot, which might be part of it, and there wasn’t really any character growth, despite the fact these characters are hundreds of years old. For me, if a book doesn’t have a plot, I want to see character growth, but this wasn’t it. I do warn that this book has a lot of gore in it, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it horror like others have. There is also abuse, which becomes worse as the book goes on. My feelings are rather blah about this book. The idea was great, but the story itself was extremely disappointing. The best was the last 5% of the book, which is the only reason this book is 3 stars.

The premise of this book was great. Who wouldn't want to know the history of Dracula's brides? Unfortunately, it didn't serve to its fullest potential. The characters are not as well defined as I would have liked as a reader. What motivated them? What was their backstory? The vampires in this story lived with each other for hundreds of years. There would be very little mystery between all of them. The central character would know why Dracula acted the way he did within two hundred years.

I also wanted Dracula to be more of a villain. He was in this book, but in the original Bram Stoker novel, he was extremely evil. Speaking of the original story, the events that took place were mentioned in passing.

The writing was good (great voice), the pacing was excellent. I just needed more to the story. It seemed too mild.

Sadly I just couldn't get into this book. It just wasn't for me. I do hope it finds it's perfect audience.

4.5

tw: blood, emotional abuse, toxic relationship, gore, violence, murder.

Favourite quote

“You could have kissed me or slit my throat and either would have made as much sense.”

I recommend this for

Anyone who loves gothic novels and vampires.

What I liked

I’m going to sell you this book this way “queer reimagining of Dracula’s brides with a m/f/f/m polycule.”… honestly, need I say more? I was sold the second I read this description.
The prose is so poetic, if I were to highlight my favourite quotes I would probably highlight the whole book.
This book is basically a love letter that the main character, Constanta, addresses to her abuser. This is such a risky and interesting choice, that I cannot help but applaud the author for how well they executed the idea. This narration choice made Constanta voice stronger than a normal narration would have and I’m so here for it. You feel everything as intensely as the main character does and you cannot help but root for her and hope she gets her happiness.
The love/hate dynamic between the main character and the other lovers of her husbands, who eventually become hers as well, is so interesting and nothing like I’ve read before. It’s hard to find relationships that aren’t monogamous represented in media, so I love it when I can find these little gems here and there.

What I didn’t like

It ends, I don’t like that. I want more.

Final thoughts

Such a good book, if you have the stomach for it and the trigger warnings are not a problem, then 100% please read it, it’s so good. I would definitely read more from the author, in particular, it would be amazing to read from the other characters perspectives as well.

Evoked the same feeling of reading Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente again - as in, absolutely devoured me, bones and all. The prose is so lyrical (it is not an over-exaggeration to say I highlighted 50 passages), and the story is so haunting. An instant favourite.

I DID NOT EXPECT THAT. Okay so this book was good, like really good. It was dark, mysterious, full of bloody secrets. Written in a lyrical way, i just flew with it. I cannot even describe it. Reimagining of Dracula's brides, in a lyrical and dreamy way. Story of desire, obsession and anticipation. Sapphic yearning at opera with a gothic backdrop, a blood soaked tale where the heroine embraces monstrosity. Kisses in Cathedrals, polyamorous relationships and vengeance. Let me repeat it again, i was not ready for this gothic queer retelling of dracula but from his brides point of view. It will grip your mind, creep under your thoughts and make you forget everything else, the more you read it, the more you'll crave for it.

I now completely understand why my timeline has been so obsessed with this book. This is exactly what I want from a vampire novel: gothic, villainous, achingly beautiful.

I read this in one sitting and that's mainly because of the writing, which is gorgeous without ever getting dense and didn't trade beauty for accessibility. This showed a lot of skill from a writing perspective.

A lyrical retelling of the brides of Dracula, A Dowry of Blood has managed to bring back my obsession with bloodthirsty vampires. This book is a study in toxic relationships, obsession, love and it's written so damn beautifully.
It was refreshing to read the story of Dracula from the perspective of one of his wives. This is exactly the kind of vibe I look out for when I pick up a vampire book and I"m so happy that this book delivered.
HELL YES TO QUEER VAMPIRES!

A Dowry of Blood was written beautifully and worked well with its second-person tone. I enjoyed the fluidity of relationships and their representation within the classic "vampire story," but I found the plot itself to be very predictable. I basically knew where the story would go from the beginning, and while it was still a generally exciting story, it seemed to drag as I waited for it to go where I felt that it would. I think the length was great but I wish it would have brought something new or exciting into the mix as the plot itself felt a little tired.

This was such an interesting book. I was unsure of what exactly I was getting into when I started this book. I really enjoyed it though. It was dark and sexy and scary! The way it seemed to be a metaphor for a current abusive relationship and how it can suck you in was brilliant. I honestly couldn't put this down.

Gorgeous from head to toe. Absolutely the right thing for me to have read right now, when I was just yearning for something beautiful, for good wordsmithing and character interrogation. This was all that, but also just raw and naked and clean from start to finish. You know the type of story it's going to be from the beginning; at the very least you can make an educated guess. But the journey there was voluptuous and terrible and wonderful. It's a love story -- a multitude of love stories -- wrapped around a revenge story in a super unique way. It's very compact, fitting hundreds of years into a novella format, but the author still painted a very vivid image of Constanta, the first bride, and the rest of our little cast.

And of course, what I really love is the fact that this is a Dracula story, and that's clear off the bat, but his name is never mentioned once. Powerful. The writing doesn't shy away from the violence and ugliness that's a part of their lives (it honestly got to be a bit much for me at times?) but it also very lovingly catalogues all the beauty in it too. I loved Constanta's relationship with Magdalena best, of course, and how helplessly she fell in love with her. All of the relationships involved were fascinating in their own way. Everything is queer and nothing hurts!

(That's a lie. A lot of things hurt. Especially helpless villagers, RIP. 😔)

Really really enjoyable, even in its darkness. Highly recommended.

Content warnings: lots and lots of blood and gore and murder, emotional manipulation and abuse, domestic violence.

*A Dowry of Blood* is the perfect gothic novella that will make you more emo than tears themselves. It's an epistolary book and the letters are from our hero Constanta who's writing to her former partner. The book slowly reveals how their relationship spiraled from the blissfulness it once had. It's about love, family, and how much one's willing to give for a toxic relationship.

The characters, that are not the abuser, are so lovable that it makes you feel so much for their situation. Constanta and the other brides can't help but love this man despite his obvious and intense flaws. I think this is the best book I've ever read about a toxic relationship. Nothing is romanticized and seeing as there is a stream of consciousness narration, we get to see Constanta consistently battling in her head about what to feel. The writing is flawless and very fitting to the setting and camp of the book. It draws you in and transports you into their world. I nearly tabbed every page because I WAS EATING UP EVERY QUOTE. I wish my thoughts were that imaginative.

Some key words that might draw you are polyamorous, queer, and vampires. Do not hesitate and pick this one up now !