• A Dowry of Blood

  • By: S.T. Gibson
  • Narrated by: Abby Craden
  • Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (915 ratings)

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A Dowry of Blood  By  cover art

A Dowry of Blood

By: S.T. Gibson
Narrated by: Abby Craden
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Publisher's summary

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.

Contains mature themes.

©2021 S. T. Gibson (P)2021 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: Romance

What listeners say about A Dowry of Blood

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

heartbreakingly beautiful

Wow! My favorite book I read all year. If your into lyrical and romantic writing then this is for you. There are some sex scenes, which is not my taste but it wasnt too much. Ugh I'm in love with this book. The narrator voice was 10/10, she should win some reward for this performance. This story was heartbreakingly beautiful and everything I needed and didnt know.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Lush, bloodthirsty, progressively smothering

“All my carefully crafted excuses for you dissolved like sugar under absinthe,
revealing a truth I had spent centuries avoiding.”
This was indeed a lyrical, Brothers Grimm-style tale of a master vampire and his undead paramours.
The narration was sublime and worked with the writing to create quite the mood. The couplings are vaguely written, with the bloodthirst receiving far more detailed, and sensuous, attention. I also found the polyamorous relationships credibly, captivatingly portrayed.

“…you are a ghost, a long night’s fever dream that I’ve finally woken up from
… 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.”
The lyrical writing was sometimes too much, throwing down multiple similes or metaphors when one sumptuous image was enough; this style wore out its welcome after a while, like a too decadent dessert.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Was this written by a teenager?

I remember writing this badly when I was 13 or 14. It's truly godawful stuff. Abysmally bad. So painfully overwrought it brings tears to the eyes - from constant rolling.

I tried to read this in print a few years ago, and could barely make it past the first few pages.

I tried listening to it for a book club this month, and it was torture.

Narrator was good. I feel sorry for her having to read this book.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I never wanted it to end!

So well written. The narrator was perfection. In fact this is the first time I’ve enjoyed something enough to leave a review

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Phenomenal

This is one of the strongest vampire stories I’ve read in a long while. Gibson’s prose is beautiful, especially read out loud. I also have to give major props to Abby Craden for an excellent performance. She gave each character their own nuances and her delivery really helped bring this story of the undead to even greater life.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good story, not great.

I liked this book, but don’t love it. The narrator was ok. It was a quick read.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Good vampire story; not Dracula

This is a fun and interesting queer, polyamorous vampire story which explores abusive relationship dynamics. As a stand alone story it is interesting and good, I would have rated it 4 stars. This is not a retelling of Dracula from Dracula’s wife’s pov as it’s been marketed as. The connection to Bram Stoker’s Dracula story is incredibly weak and condescended down to a single line of passing reference 3/4 through the book. The vampires have none of the powers or restrictions of Bram Stoker’s vampires. They never say the name Dracula once in the story. If you forget about what you heard about this story being a Dracula’s wives story you will probably enjoy it. If you really wanted a Dracula story, this isn’t it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved This!

This book was a great listen. I loved this story about Dracula's brides and always wanted to know the backstory of his brides. I got Anne Rice vibes while listening and loved it! I always felt that vampires would have sexual fluidity due to immorality. If you want to listen to a queer vampire story, check this out! It doesn't disappoint. The narrator brought Constanta to life and felt every emotion she was going thru in her journey with Dracula and the others. I want to read more about these vampires in this universe.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow

That was amazing! Loved every second of it. Beautiful writing and epic story. Perfect for the Halloween season.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL WHY IS THERE NO MORE!🧛

THIS WAS SO EBTERNAINING A TEUE VAMPIRE STORY NOT A RETELKING OF ONE OR A MODERN ONE BUT A NEW STORY OF ONR CHARACTER DRACULA AND HIS SHORT UBTOLD TELLING OF HOW FAR HIS GRIP ON HIS BELOVEDS LIVES GET IN THE END. I JUST SAD TGERES NO BOOK 2 OR A SIMILAR SERIES LIJE THIS THAT I CAN ENJOY. AS I BELIEVE IT IS IB THE TIME OF 1919 AND ENDS WUTH UNANSWEREED OR MORE SO ROOM FOR GROWTH OF CHARACTERS AND THE LIFE THEY LIVE INDIVIDUALLY AND THE RESULTS OF EACH AND TOGETHER . ONLY TIME WILL TELL WHAT WILL OR WIBT BECOME AND I SINCERELY HOPE THAT THE AUTHIR CHOOSES CONTINUATION OF THIS STORY . I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS AUDIOBOOK TO ALL VAMPIRE ENTHUSIAST A EVERYWHERE 🧛🥰🥳

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