Rating - ⭐⭐⭐
"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. 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."
A Dowry of Blood is a horror fantasy novel by S.T. Gibson.
Retellings and reimaginings are a taboo subject for me because they never seem to be good for some reason. So I guess at the least I should be thankful that this book wasn't horrible?
I honestly don't have much to say about this book because it was so short. I listened to the audiobook on 2x the speed and was done it in two and a half hours. For a book that short it needs to pack a punch to leave an impression, but it was just kind of boring. The writing was rather lyrical but that is the only thing really good about this story.
We follow Constanta, who was turned into a vampire by Dracula. This story is essentially her recounting the events of her life leading up to her decision to kill him. It just wasn't anything particularly interesting to read about.
Aside from just not being something I cared to read about, there was something about this book that put me off, and that would be the fact that Dracula refers to his brides as siblings. When he would take a new bride he would say go kiss your sister or brother which was...not something I wanted to hear.
I don't really get the hype for this book, but if you enjoy books about a woman who gets trapped in an unhealthy relationship and has to make a choice in order to save herself and her loved ones, maybe this will work better for you?
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