A Dowry of Blood

by S. T. Gibson

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A self-published sensation in the UK makes its way to our shores. Have a look-see at #adowryofblood and #dowryofblood. Then feast your eyes and imagination on this gorgeous horror novel for fans of Dracula.

THE DARK FANTASY BOOKTOK BLOCKBUSTER!

In this dark, fantasy sensation, S. T. Gibson spins the gothic, seductive tale of Dracula's first bride, Constanta.

This is my last love letter to you, though some would call it a confession. . .

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 dizzying nightmare of a romance that will leave you aching, angry and ultimately hopeful." --Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316501286
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	03/22/2022
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	21,425
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

S.T. Gibson is an author, literary agent, and village wise woman in training. She currently lives in Boston with her fiance, spoiled Persian cat, and vintage blazer collection.

Editorial Reviews

07/04/2022

Anyone going into Gibson’s purported retelling of Dracula expecting it to do what it says on the tin is in for a surprise; the few glancing allusions to the original are so brief as to be barely a footnote. The dark, seductive tale that Gibson (Robber Girl) delivers instead has far more in common with “Bluebeard.” It takes the form of a love letter/murder confession from the heroine, Constanta, to the captivating but tyrannical unnamed vampire who turned her and made her his bride before becoming her abuser, chronicling their relationship from plague-ridden medieval Romania through a violent, whirlwind tour of Europe, to 1920s France. Along the way, Constanta’s husband masterfully manipulates her into twice agreeing to expand their family, turning first Magdalena, a ruthless Spaniard, then Alexi, a boisterous Russian actor, into vampires and bringing them into their marriage bed. Passion and genuine love arise between “my lord’s” three consorts, and it’s Constanta’s concern for Magdalena and Alexi that finally allows her to break her husband’s thrall and see his strict rules and jealous rages for what they are. The result is a messy, in-depth portrait of emotional abuse that nails Constanta’s complex intermingling of love, pain, fear, and anger in mesmerizing prose. Thorny, fast-paced, and unabashedly queer, this is sure to draw readers in. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Dark, lush and heartrendingly romantic."

—Lyndall Clipstone, author of Lakesedge

"A powerful take of possession and liberation. This is a Dracula retelling unlike any other - undeniable and unforgettable."—Rose Szabo, author of What Big Teeth

"Stunningly gorgeous and devastatingly romantic, you won't want to miss this one!"—Katee Robert, author of Neon Gods

"A dizzying nightmare of a romance that will leave you aching, angry and ultimately hopeful."—Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

"Atmospheric and lush. . . it will haunt you in the best possible way."—Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart

"A thrilling and seductive Gothic rife with spine-tingling tension and dark romance. A Dowry of Blood left me breathless."—Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching

"A Dowry of Blood is an intoxicating perfume that lingers - an undying love story where beauty and horror clasp hands." —Rachel Gillig, New York Times bestselling author of One Dark Window

“Seductive, lyrical, and rich with period detail, this daring retelling casts the Harkers' story aside to follow Dracula's medieval bride and her tangled romance with his consorts over the centuries. The horror—pulsing and beautiful—comes as much from Constanta’s insights into her husband’s psychology as it does from bloodlust. A dark triumph.”—Mary McMyne, author of The Book of Gothel

"A Dowry of Blood is a delectable jewel of a tale, shimmering with dark, beautiful prose. Gibson balances mournful gothic possession with heartfelt emotional authenticity for a thrilling ride from start to finish."—Tori Bovalino, author of Not Good for Maidens

"Perfect for readers interested in creative, gritty, and steamy horror retellings."—Library Journal

"Gibson’s lush prose will transport readers to a sumptuous and provocative world that is openly queer and unabashedly sexual."—Booklist

"A lyrical Gothic ode to queerness, polyamory, and violence. Its complex depiction of abuse and survival is both thorny and moving, and like nothing else you’ll read this fall."—Paste Magazine

"In the tradition of the best vampire stories, Gibson uses her characters to explore how centuries of time would affect a once-mortal mind. A Dowry of Blood whisks readers through human history, arriving at the dawn of the 20th century, drenched in blood."—BookPage

From the Publisher

09/01/2022

Gibson's (Robbergirl) feminist restyling of Dracula (a surprise hit when it was self-published in Jan. 2021) begins with Constanta bleeding out on the ground, surrounded by the bodies of her family after the massacre of her village. Then Constanta is reborn and remade in the likeness of a powerful, mysterious stranger, and his dark appetites soon become hers as he introduces her to the world of the undead. Secrets and lies, as well as a malevolent kind of love, bind Constanta to him, but when creative, charming Alexi and intelligent Magdalena join their relationship, life as she knew it begins to unravel and she is forced to see her husband in a harsh new light. Constanta realizes that she must uncover her husband's dark secrets that bind them all together and then decide if the cost of her freedom, along with that of Magdalena and Alexi, is worth the loss of the man they love. Constanta's quest forces her to fight for herself and her partners and try to once again overcome the odds to survive. VERDICT Perfect for readers interested in creative, gritty, and steamy horror retellings.—Jenna Harmison

Library Journal