I have no words. It was utterly gorgeous and I never expected this story to consume me from the very beginning to the end. Laying with her made me feel so vibrantly alive. It was almost enough to make me forget that I was already dead."

Seductive, lyrical and rich with period detail . . . a dark triumph’ Mary McMyne, author of The Book of Gothel 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.While I adored all the characters, except maybe Constanta's husband, our main character Constanta outshone the rest here. Her growth throughout the book, from a rescued girl to a strong woman with a heart of gold, made the whole book for me. Seductive, lyrical and rich with period detail . . . a dark triumph' Mary McMyne, author of The Book of Gothel Overall it was an excellant book I didn't know I needed until today. I heard that S.T. Gibson has a new book coming out set in the same universe. Safe to say that I am incredibly hyped <3 While the book was enjoyable but I found events to be repetitive at times and that made the story predictable which killed the joy. Characters were written beautifully, specially Constanta and Magdelena, it was the other two which were half baked. Book has little to no world-building but as soon as Alexi entered the equation, I felt like author was in a hurry to wrap things up. There was no built up to the finale. A Dowry of Blood is a love story. In fact, I would argue that this book covered many dimensions of love. For example, Constanta's relationship with her husband is one of control, manipulation and despair. Gibson's way of telling its effects on Constansta's mental state is very prominent as the readers can feel her emotional exhaustion/resignation and her anger as their relationship progressed. Moreover, Constansta's relationship with Magdalena (oh Magdalena my love) is remarkably written. The passion, the love, the lust between them was everything I need. Additionally, I love how everyone in this book is just 💖bisexual💖without being vilified.

I loved that near the end Constanta wasn’t manipulated by Dracula the hate she had and the way she saw past his begging made my eyes swell up with tears of joy because remember she’s spent centuries with this man who had initially saved her from dying and in his weird and twisted way he did love her so pushing all of them feeling aside and to kill him must have taken everything especially when he’s begging her and telling her that he loved her and will forgive her for trying to kill him so I’m proud of her 🥰 If I were you, I would go into this more for the the lyrical writing than a grand plot in case that’s something you’re expecting. It’s more focused on character relationships and dynamics, which isn’t a problem for me but it might affect you. 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.I loved how atmospheric this work was and how gorgeous the author’s writing style is. The work took place over several centuries, and I enjoyed the concept of seeing the different countries in different times, though the setting was never the focus of the work and left me wanting a bit more from it. However, as this was written to be a focused, character-driven story, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the work. I loved that there was real romance and that the author kept the bedroom scenes to a low spice level. The polyamorous relationship was well done, not just in the bedroom, but in their deep connection with each other. The polyam relationship in Dowry is significant in the way it shows how the daily lives of everyone in the relationship intertwine, and how different characters have different dynamics with each other. Polyam relationships are often simplified down to sexual relationships (and Dowry does have its fair share of sex scenes), but seeing Constanta's dynamic with Magdalena, and Constanta's dynamic with Alexi, and Alexi's dynamic with Magdalena and so forth, was something I enjoyed. You seemed to me a fire burning in the woods. I was drawn in by your enticing, smoky darkness, a darkness that still stirs memories of safety, of autumn, of home.” I've had A DOWRY OF BLOOD on my to-read list for a while but I'd heard it was a densely atmospheric read and I have to be in the right mood for those, so it's been sitting patiently on my Kindle for months. Finally, after reading a string of creepy and gothic reads, I decided I was ready to top off my Halloween-in-March sundae with this blood-dark cherry of a book: a confessional, and a toxic love story, depicting Dracula and his not-so-willing brides (and bridegroom).