Why I Want to Give a Book I Hated Another Chance

Note: This review is based on a book I read a couple of years ago. I have not reread it yet, so the opinions here are based on how I remember my experience reading it for the first time.

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I read A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson a couple of years ago, and it left me absolutely shattered. Not because the story pulled at my heartstrings or because I became attached to a character with a tragic end. I was shattered because I was so angry upon my arrival to the final page to find out that I’d wasted an entire day devouring page after page in anticipation of the moment the internet had described as ‘the bloody, brilliant revenge of a scorned wife’, but it never came. I was so upset by this that I took a novel writing course out of spite and plotted out my own vampire novel (but that’s a story for another time).

A Dowry of Blood, if you haven’t read it, is a Dracula retelling from the perspective of his first wife, Constanta. The story is told through letters written by Constanta to Dracula that cover their entire lives together up to, and past the point of their separation. Everything I knew about this book I learned on tiktok, with reviewers describing it as a beautifully brilliant revenge story filled with emotional turmoil that’s guaranteed to break your heart.

Despite my feelings on the book, I’d still say this is an accurate description. For me, it missed the mark on the ‘brilliant’ aspect of a revenge story, but I think I went in with an incorrect assumption about what the revenge moment would look like.

Poor Expectations: Where Constanta Let Me Down

Everything I knew about this book before I read it I learned from tiktok videos and a few written reviews online. This book had a lot of hype building it up, and a lot of summaries that described it as beautiful, emotionally charged, and admittedly, this is what got me: revenge story.

I’m a sucker for a good vampire story and I love a book that’s short enough to read in one sitting. A Dowry of Blood is both of those things. What it is not, however, is thrilling. Going into a vampire novel described as a beautiful revenge story from the perspective of Dracula’s wife led me to believe (and this is where I fault myself) that the book was going to be filled with complex romance, violence, and a bloody battle against one of the world’s most notorious vampires.

Instead what I got was some pretty low-key manipulation that resulted in our main character wanting to leave her situation. Which she did. Very easily and anticlimactically. I don’t remember her hitting a single obstacle or seeing a single consequence during or after what should have been the most exciting part of the book.

I think this story could have been improved with a deeper exploration of the complexities of abusive relationships. I would have also loved to see a more dramatic escape from the clutches of Dracula. I really mean it, they defeated him so easily. There was next to no challenge to it and I just found that difficult to wrap my head around.

When I finished the book I felt duped. I was just so upset. I also blew through it in one sitting, which I’m sure only contributed to my frustrations. I was just so desperate for a good, dramatic revenge plot. That was my bad.

A Dowry of Blood: The High Points

I don’t really like to leave bad reviews, so I want to highlight the things I thought were pretty cool even though I didn’t connect with the story. If you’ve read my other article explaining how I like to review books, you’ll know that there are things beyond the story that I really appreciate in a book.

One thing I absolutely love is when there’s a little something extra under the dust jacket of a hardcover novel. This is (sadly) so rare to find, but a Dowry of Blood Delivered. The cover art itself is honestly gorgeous, picturing a portrait of who I can only assume is Constanta, our main character with a smear of blood covering her eyes. The detail in the title with the two red O’s intertwined is not lost on me either. I think it’s a nice touch. Under the dust jacket we get this beautifully embossed quote, which is actually Constanta’s first letter to Dracula.

The book itself is written as a series of letters from Constanta to Dracula where she outlines her experience of their life together and the events leading up to her decision to break ties with him. I thought this was a very interesting way of telling a story and S. T. Gibson did an amazing job with it. As you read through Constanta’s writing you can really get into her head and see from her perspective what it feels like to be bound to an immortal and all powerful man that breaks her down little by little; through her trust, her self-confidence, and her independence until she just can’t take it anymore.

The book is bound with rough edges (recently I found out this is called deckle edging) which I think is a great choice that really complements the story being a collection of handwritten letters. Each letter begins with an illuminated initial as well, a historically common feature in handwritten manuscripts. I think this gives a nice nod to the time period in which the story takes place.

One more thing I appreciate is that the book opens with an author’s note that lists potential trigger warnings. This is something I wish I saw a little more of, especially in books that deal with difficult themes.

In the end, I am going to read this book again

I actually am very excited to give this book a reread. I think my sour opinions of it stem from a misunderstanding of the book's themes and genre. I wanted a complex, fierce fight for freedom and what I got was, well… Not that. This book is not focused on physical fighting and abuse. It’s about manipulation and control, and breaking free from that. Going back in with the right expectations, I think (I hope) I’ll really enjoy this one. We’ll see.

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I hope reading this review will convince others to give books they didn’t enjoy another chance! I do plan to give A Dowry of Blood another go, and I’ll link an updated review here when I get there. Thanks for reading :)