Synopsis:
A lyrical and dreamy reimagining of Dracula’s brides, A DOWRY OF BLOOD is a story of desire, obsession, and emancipation.
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.
Edition:
Paperback
My Thoughts:
Who knew it was time for a fresh take on Dracula? Well, probably everyone, really. Is Dracula amazing? Duh. But it is oooooooold. And we’ve heard the Count’s story about a billion different ways by now. But you know what we haven’t heard much about? His brides. And S.T. Gibson has delivered!
A Dowry of Blood is everything I could have wanted from a book about Dracula’s Brides. It has all the beautiful, flowery prose of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but it feels entirely fresh since he is almost a non-entity. I mean, obviously he is there. You can’t tell the story of his Brides without his presence. But as a reader, you don’t like him. You don’t really care what happens to him. And he has earned your scorn.
Dracula doesn’t matter. He’s a monster. An abuser. A collector of personalities, which he discards as easily as he obtains. And that, I think, is what makes A Dowry of Blood really special. I think that Gibson recognized this monstrous aspect of him which has not (to my knowledge) really been explored before. Like, we know he is a monster because he kills, but how many readers do you think clocked all of the other ways he betrayed his monstrousness? We’ve made generations worth of what is essentially Count Dracula fan fiction following in movies and other varietal re-tellings. He’s typically highly romanticized. We don’t see him as a monster so much as a tragic and sexual creature. But he’s not. He’s a fucking jerk. And I LOOOOOVE that this book really addresses that.
“You did not let me keep my name, so I will strip you of yours. In this world, you are what I say you are, and I say you are a ghost, a long night’s fever dream that I have finally woken up from. I say you are the smoke-wisp memory of a flame, thawing ice suffering under an early spring sun, a chalk ledger of debts being wiped clean.
I say you do not have a name.”
He is an abusive husband. He controls, he imprisons, he manipulates. But he makes each Bride feel special. But are they really special to him? Does he really see them as anything more than a diversion? At it’s core, A Dowry of Blood serves to humanize the Brides, and it succeeds admirably. It shows the Brides as people separate from their maker. They are 3 distinct individuals with their own hopes, dreams, personalities, and reasons for embracing immortality. I had a favorite – I loved Den Mother-y Constanta. She was so strong, but she didn’t immediately understand that about herself. She was like the steel rod that held up the foundation of her poly group. Please forgive me if that is not appropriate terminology – I did a bit of research, but I recognize that Wikipedia can only take me so far. But…I think I got it right?
About the Author:
S.T. Gibson is a poet, author, and village wise woman in training.
She holds a Bachelors degree in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and a Masters of Theological Studies from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Rating:
BRB. Gonna go get every book S.T. Gibson has ever written.
A Dowry of Blood By S.T. Gibson Nyx Publishing Published: January 31, 2021 ISBN: 9781916366930 Format: Paperback, E-book, Audio 248 Pages Author's Website
Adding to my TBR right away!
I think you’re gonna love it!