"Dowry of Blood" by S.T. Gibson is a beautifully written and hauntingly dark retelling of the classic novel "Dracula" from the perspective of his three brides. This is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. I went into this completely blind, and so glad I did because not being such a big fan of vampires I absolutely devoured this, and I worry I may not have picked it up otherwise.

The novel follows Constanta, the eldest bride, as she recounts her journey from a young girl in Romania to a powerful vampire bride. Along the way, she meets and falls in love with Dracula, but their relationship is not the romanticized version often depicted in popular culture. Instead, it is a twisted and tragic tale of power and control. I absolutely loved seeing the progression of the characters over the span of centuries, and how they mentally grew relative too Dracula.

Like I said, Gibson's writing is poetic and evocative, creating a vivid and atmospheric world that draws the reader in from the very first page. The characters are complex and compelling, particularly Constanta, who is both sympathetic and terrifying. The exploration of themes such as love, betrayal, and the nature of evil make for a thought-provoking read that lingers long after the last page.

"Dowry of Blood" is a stunning debut novel that reimagines a classic tale in a fresh and captivating way. It is a must-read for fans of gothic literature and anyone who enjoys a good vampire story with a dark twist. Mainly though, I respectively want Gibson's writing in anything I ever read ever again.

I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. The prose really drew me in with how beautiful it is. There were multiple times where I had to put the book down to take in the line I had just read. It was like it stopped me in my tracks.
The story itself if fairly simple, but the way it is elegantly told over many centuries while not feeling drawn out is masterful.
The relationships felt realistic throughout, despite being about polyamorous vampires.
I loved it. I wish I could read it again for the first time.

I received an eARC copy of this book from NetGalley and Little Brown Books/Orbit in exchange for a review.
Warning: this review contains some mild spoilers (marked with *)

I want to start by saying that the writing in this book is very well done. Gibson has a great talent for creating vivid imagery and giving her characters a unique voice.

That being said, you could probably read the back cover of this book and you know the whole story already. There's not much meat on the bones with this book. I had heard a lot of recommendations from friends that this was a dark and romantic story that they held in high regard. Unfortunately it wasn't the case for me.

I'll admit that I'm not really a romance fan in general. I don't mind it in a story, but I don't like when it IS the story, if that makes sense. But the trope of insta-love has got to be one of my least favourite things to read. *Constanta falls in love with 3 people throughout this book, and one of those times it's basically against her will because she gets turned by Dracula, but the other two are based on very little. Constanta is just a lusty, horny woman I guess. But honestly, it's kind of boring. I like when characters build a relationship and you can see them change and grow, whereas here, they just instantly want to bone each other. If you take the sex out of this book, you'd probably be left with about 10 pages.

Finally, throughout the book, Constanta constantly mentions things like "I've seen what you do when you're angry" or "you treated me so badly" or "you were so cruel", but that's it. Dracula basically does nothing in this book. I love the premise, getting a first hand POV from Dracula's wife, that's awesome. We all know the phrase 'show don't tell' but this book doesn't follow that. I constantly found myself thinking "come on, show me SOMETHING!!"

I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who will enjoy reading 300ish pages about vampires having sex and drinking, but although it's well written, it's just not my style.

I've been curious about this book for a while now - my daughter read it when it was self published and it became one of her favourite books!
And to be fair, it lived up to the high expectations!a tale of love and obsession, it grabs you by the heart and will take you on a ride to the end. A beautifully written fascinating story with characters you love or hate - it's one that stays with you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for the advance reader copy.

I was intrigued going into this book and story due to the vampire element and also it being from the point of view of a ‘bride’.
The story, in the form of a letter, flowed very well and you could feel the passing and changing of time; especially with Constanta who is seeing revolutions and cities fall while trying to love her master.

The narrative is told from Constanta's point of view; but how she introduces Magdalena and Alexi paints a complete picture of their characters and how they fit into the romance/'marriage'.

It's a gorgeous gothic romance with the expected elements of gore and sex added into the mix.
An overall enjoyable read, plus the cover is stunning!

Picking up his book I was promised a retelling of Dracula’s bride, a gothic dark romance and queer content; what’s not to love! I expected it to be a thrilling novel of vampires living through adventures and mysteries, but those assumptions were not quite right.
It’s an epistolary novel, that focuses mostly on the feelings and evolution of Constanta’s life and her family, rather than historical and societal events of the outside world.
Sure there are some adventurous and suspenseful moments, but it’s not the core feature of this book. Yet once I started reading the novel, I was in no way, shape or form even remotely disappointed. After all I was completely captivated by the beautiful prose, the depth of the emotions and the ambiance throughout it.

Constanta tells her and her siblings’ story, beginning at a time of what seems to be a dream full of love, trust and newfound freedom, until the dream slowly turns into a nightmare. While you, as the reader, already know that what is inevitable and must happen at the end, it never renders the story boring, since it’s very much about the journey and not the destination.


All in all, I wholeheartedly enjoyed this book and can recommend it in good faith to everyone who enjoys reading about love and the darkness it sometimes brings. Just don’t expect it to be a story full of suspenseful adventures, or Dracula himself, but rather a story of deep emotions and how they evolve over time. It has about as much to do with Dracula as Castlevania (both the game and TV-Series), but still satisfies the same itch.

"I wanted to dash myself against your rocks like a wave, obliterate my old self and see what rose shining and new from the sea foam."

I have become somewhat of a book devourer, rushing through each one in a desperate need to know the whole story NOW... but with this book I wanted nothing more than to take my time. I found myself re-reading pages to fully appreciate the depth and the power of the words.

I don't have the ability to put into words how this book made me feel. It will haunt me for a very long time. It was achingly beautiful and heartbreaking in the same breath. I feel like I could read this over and over and still not be able to read it without feeling so intensely.

Thank you for writing this book. For putting into words the feeling of a love that consumes you entirely until you don't know who you are anymore. And thank you for giving that story a happy ending.

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: A Dowry of Blood
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): S.T. Gibson
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fantasy/Horror/LGBT Romance
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 4th October 2022
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 5/5

”This is my last love letter to you, though some would call it a confession. I suppose both are a sort of gentle violence, putting down in ink what scorches the air when spoken aloud.
If you can still hear me wherever you are, my love, my tormentor, hear this:
It was never my intention to murder you.
Not in the beginning, anyway.”

If you think that quote is beautiful, wait til you read the rest of the story.

The prose in A Dowry of Blood is simply stunning. It has a haunting and atmospheric quality to it, addressing the antagonist, the main characters husband, as ‘you’, never providing him with a name and yet still capturing an undeniable intimacy. The writing is really what stood out the most for me in this vampiric novel.

Lured into a life of vampirism, Constanta is promised vengeance, Magdalena is promised freedom, and Alexi is promised a family. Constanta, Magdalena, and Alexi are beholden to their husband, who is also their sire. That is the only rule. To obey.

But vile tempers and one dark secret is enough to unravel this found family.

“Love makes monsters of us, Constanta, and not everyone is cut out for monstrosity.”

The pacing of this book is really quick, and the chapters are really short, which is appreciated because in terms of plot, there wasn’t really that much excitement, so to still be kept on my toes was a treat.

This book really does read like a love letter and a confession at the same time. This author has a way with words that reads like inky magic. I will definitely be checking out more of their work.

𝑲𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉 @ 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒉 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚
🧚‍♀️🤍

I really enjoyed this. The perspective was so interesting, and I really feel that we got to know and experience a lot even though it's such a short little book. I will definitely be reading more from S.T. Gibson in the future!

A Dowry of Blood is a dark and sultry tale of love and obsession.

I had high hopes for this diving in, but unfortunately for me, this novel just didn't live up to the hype.

Told through the form of a letter to her 'Lord' we follow the story of Constana, the first wife of Dracula, as it unfolds to his murder. For this book being meant to be a gothic tale of a classic vampire tale I was expecting a much more atmospheric and gripping story whereas here the elements of the original tale are forgotten and replaced by a pretty basic love story.

The characters all felt surface level leaving me constantly wishing the author would dig deeper but never did so I never managed to form a connection to a single characters within this story. The romance which was undoubtedly the only focus of this book felt far too melodramatic to me. Within a first meeting the characters would be able to confess deep love for one another almost instantly. I could also not sympathise with the characters as their actions felt contradictory to their own behaviour.

I think the main thing that let this novel down was the prose. Although it can not be to others tastes, I do personally enjoy more lyrical, poetic writing but A Dowry of Blood took this too far as the over zealous, metaphorical writing didn't match with the lack lustre plot it was trying to embellish, so for me the writing felt too pretentious for itself.

For me this book just felt like it didn't have a core. Their weren't characters that captivated me, the plot was almost non-existent and prose was irritating. I believe this could have been a much better novel and seems to have been over hyped.

A haunting and gothic tale about manipulation and control, I couldn't read fast enough! The emotional abuse disguised as good intentions and love was so well written it was hard not to feel altered by it myself. I loved this sapphic take on Dracula's bride and the comfort that Constanta, Magdelena and Alexei found in one another despite the torment they lived in. The format of writing the story as a series of letters from Constanta was a refreshing way to tell the story.

I loved Constanta, Magdalena and Alexi!! Some of the best characters ever read in my whole life!

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A Dowry of Blood follows Dracula’s brides but with queer and polyamory twist of the old story. The story is told through a love letter from his first bride Contanta reflecting on their long life together. The story focuses on the controlling behavior of the sire towards his brides. It takes place over centuries in Europe starting in medieval Romania. It is beautifully written, about how a relationship that cannot end with the wheel of time becomes destructive.

The characters are all bi/pansexuall with the quad being M/F/F/M. With equal parts gore and sex is this story not for the weak of mind but if you can stomach it I cannot recommend this story enough.

"A Dowry of Blood" by S.T. Gibson is, the story of Dracula and his wives told through letters to him by his Wife Constanta.

I would give "A Dowry of Blood" by S.T. Gibson a 5-star review because, 1; I really enjoyed the format 2; I liked how it's told through letters 3; I liked the LGBTQIA especially Polymarus and Bisexual reps 4; this honestly held my captivated from the first page and 5; this was such a unique way to write this and was quite powerful and written well.

Loved the unique narrative and the way the book was written! Didn’t really feel fast paced but don’t think that would have been possible to build up to the end.

Would definitely recommend!

Oh wow this book was amazing.

I genuinely cannot fathom how great this book was. I felt so immersed in the story and I can see myself thinking about this book for all of time.
The prose is absolutely beautiful, I could put a few of my favourite quotes here but I’d end up quoting almost the entirety of the book. I genuinely cannot get over how mindblowingly beautifully written this book was. One of my all time favourite reads, I am going to be recommending this book forever.

There’s no other way I can find to perfectly describe this book than the way the author describes it in her afterword:
A story full of tenderness and brutality, sensuality and violence, and manipulation and freedom.

The way this book is written as a sort of letter to Dracula, refusing to outrightly say his name, was such a clever way of writing and I’m obsessed with it.

If you read one book this year, make it a dowry of blood, you will not regret it.

Also listen to preachers daughter by Ethel Cain whilst reading this book, there is no other artist that matches the vibes of this book as perfectly as Ethel Cain.

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson is an outstanding book that pulled me out of my reading slump. From the very first page, it offers an enthralling tale about love, toxicity, and a woman's journey to claim her power. Despite Dracula being one of the main characters, readers do not need to be familiar with the classic story, except that he is a vampire.

The story is a letter addressed to Dracula from his wife, chronicling their love story from the moment he turned her into a vampire, their centuries-long relationship, the places they traveled, the historical events they witnessed, and the people they welcomed into their polyamorous marriage. The writing is concise and intentional, devoid of extraneous details, and reads like a love letter brimming with emotion and personal history.

Dracula is a fascinating character, and the author masterfully portrays the toxicity and manipulative nature of a narcissistic partner. He controls every aspect of his wife's life, from where they live to whom they interact with and how much she knows about herself. His behavior is designed to serve only himself, leaving his wife desperate for his affection. Despite this, the author highlights the tender moments between them, making readers root for her and empathize with her struggles.

The pacing and prose are exceptional, maintaining a captivating flow throughout the book. Maggie and Alexi are well-crafted characters, and the story explores Maggie's mental health and the impact of being controlled by someone else's expectations. The diverse cast of characters, each unique and collected by Dracula like prizes, adds depth to the story.

A Dowry of Blood is a fantastic read with LGBTQ+ representation, strong characters, gothic themes, and a female protagonist who discovers her inner strength and ends the toxicity.

I've heard so much about this book, it's not really my usual style but I thought I would give it a go, and I am so glad I did. This is my first 5 star book of the year which says a lot! This is definitely a dark romance (with a medium spice rating!) but it is one of the most beautifully written pieces of work I have ever read. The imagery is stunning, so many ironic little turns of phrase when describing the main characters that are just so clever and bring some gentle rays of light into an otherwise dark story.
The characters are very complex, as are the relationships with each other. The story is so rich, so enthralling and all done with so few characters. I can't talk highly enough about the story, the characters and the writing. It really is exceptional.
Vegans and vegetarians approach with caution!!!

I had never heard of A Dowry of Blood until just a few weeks ago, which is ridiculous on my part as I love all things undead. Luckily for me I soon rectified that and read it as soon as possible, and I’m happy (but not at all surprised) to say that I was enraptured from the very first page.

Constanta’s life as a bride of Dracula starts when we first meet her, broken and dying in a Romanian village. He saves her, essentially damning her to the life of a vampire, and from there they roam the Earth in search of blood, meaning, and an all-consuming lust that belies even their darkest of loves. Magdalena joins their ranks as time spans ever on, and their group is later rounded out by a young, hedonistic boy called Alexi.

This trio of troubled characters are enamoured with each other, yet they’re always under Dracula’s spell — he’s controlling, manipulative, and darkly dangerous, even though he supposedly loves all three of them deeply. His coercive nature and lack of empathy towards his own kind makes for a fascinating portrayal of this most famous of vampires, and it’s such a brilliant way to tell his story.

I’ve been somewhat obsessed with vampires since an early age, and I don’t think I’ve come across a book quite like this before. It’s beautifully written by S.T. Gibson, and told as a letter written from Constanta to Dracula, who cleverly never once gets named throughout the novel. As a retelling it’s up there with one of the best, and as a wholly new reimagining spanning centuries of history, it’s nothing short of genius.

Lyrically told and absolutely addictive, A Dowry of Blood is dark, gothic, and suitably violent in a way only creatures of the night can be. Reminiscent of stories of old, it perfectly captures what it means to live forever, and the choices that inevitably accompany such a lonely burden. Make sure to read this if you have even a passing interest in Dracula and the vampire genre, as I don’t think there’s been a better book in this vein (ha!) for quite some time. Highly recommended.

Thanks to S.T Gibson, Orbit and Netgalley for an advanced copy of A Dowry of Blood in exchange for my honest opinion. My vampire loving heart enjoyed it so much.

A reimagining of Dracula's brides, Constanta is the eldest - and suffers the most at the cruel hands of her husband, her captor, her saviour. The complex relationship between that of her and her vampire sire, the sense of loyalty that she has for him even when he hurts her repeatedly was a different take on the usual.

The addition of Magdalena and Alexi along the way, the conflicting emotions she feels as each joined their undead family was compelling to read.

Another thing that I enjoyed was the nod to Bram Stoker's Dracula - it was only a few sentences, but it was a lovely addition.

I read this in one sitting and it was both intriguing and heartbreaking, and I didn't want it to end!