A Dowry of Blood

"Mild spoiler alert. 🚨 Loved this up until the main character had s*x with the teen she thought of as a son while he called her sister… so yeah. That was a bit jarring. "

"The prose was beautiful. I do wish we could have gotten to know more about the characters, and the pacing felt odd- can't put my finger on why. Still a great atmospheric book for the fall. "

"5 ⭐ LOVED THIS SO MUCH! The writing was so GORGEOUS! "

"vampire story's are my favorite like they really never disappoint me I love the way this one was told I loved all the characters like I truly cared for them well at least the likable ones lol. the writing was so lyrical and its such a short read there's no reason not to pick it up even though it's short the story feels fully thought out and feels complete it was the perfect length I can definitely see myself re reading this every spooky season "

"At first the writing style put me off a bit but the more I read the better it became. The amount of stuff this made me feel was UNREAL, it was so good. The way the author wrote the relationship they all had with each other and the main guy was so real and their struggle to break away from him felt so real. It made me feel very sad/depressed in a way not many books can. I really felt for the characters. Amazing book."

"To start the book spans centuries but the characters do not progress much. Honestly it felt more like a summary of a story. Also predictable in a way. The ending is reviled at the beginning and also the reasoning. So all was left is to wait for the end. <br/><br/>The relationships were nice and complex. I enjoyed their difference and the way the brides connected with each other. But still no progression or character arcs. The story wasn't bad but I think it could have been massively build upon."

"What a beautiful, Haunting, passionate and elegant Book!<br/>I loved reading through this retelling of Dracula set in a historic setting by Constanta his first wife.<br/>Very inclusive, plenty of Satire and dark delicious play. <br/>I will re-read this time and time again. Fantastic!"

"A Dowry of Blood was a captivating story centered around surviving an abusive relationship. I found the style of story telling marvelous and couldn’t put the novel down! We see Constanta’s story told through diary entries that have a nice juxtaposition that keeps readers engaged. Her younger self has a naïve and trusting point of view while her older self has gained perspective that sours her feelings about the relationship. <br/><br/>The prose was gorgeous and overflowing with imagery that put me in every scene. My highlights probably cover about 70% of the book because of how stunning everything was. Although the novel heavily featured gore and disturbing actions from Constanta’s lover, there was also a beauty in how it was being told. <br/><br/>I love the power Constanta gains in the end and how she refuses to let him control her any longer. He doesn’t even get a name in her diary entries. There is so much to be said about victims of domestic abuse and the strength they posses and find throughout their lives and I think this novel does a great job portraying that. <br/><br/>Also, despite the heavy material there is still a hopeful and happy ending that made me so excited for Constanta, Magdalena, and Alexi. I hope they’re still alive and thriving today.<br/><br/>Thank you to Edelweiss for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review."

"Reminds me of "The Interview with a vampire" Short and satisfying. This is the définition of a toxic relationship, the feeling of getting out of that cage. I liked it a lot. Makes me want to travel. now with SPOILERS DON'T READ STARTING HERE "Ch 4 : oommmg of course they went mad, of cooourse they tried to leave and he killed them???! "This time would be different, this time they wound understand us not try to flee " omggggg I'm mad at him the manipulation the I was wronged so I killed them it's the définition of a toxic and a gasting relationship. He did not just compare his past loversto a horse that had to be put down!! Ch5 not Russia ew ! 😭" my feelings during "

"I dnfed this book as I just didn't enjoy it. The only positive aspect was it nailed the gothic atmosphere but otherwise Bram stoker influence was nowhere to be found and this is supposed to be a retelling? Hell Dracula Himself was barely in it and wasn't even named so you didn't know if it was him or someone before him. Not only that but it felt lackluster. The jumps between time periods doesn't make it feel natural and it just felt boring. The Poly relationship was just straight up weird because they kept mentioning one looking way younger or the two females calling eachother sisters during intimate scenes. "