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bones-clouds · 16 days

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best books i read in 2024:

"a dowry of blood" s. t. gibson

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

genre: gothic, vampire, horror, lgbt

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.

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earlgreyandanime · 2 months

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Wait, what? Oh my God! That's awesome!

#I have so many questions now #a dowry of blood #s t gibson #dracula #jonathan harker #mina harker

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drowninginabactatank · 1 month

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TFW you are intrigued by a book and you look to purchase a copy but the out of print cover is gorgeous and the in print cover is garbage...

In this case it was A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson, look at the stunning oop cover 😱

DANCING SKELETONS!! The border motifs!! The veiled portrait!!

#I am looking on the 2nd hand market but pricing is hundreds of dollars 😭#a dowry of blood #s t gibson #s. t. gibson #bookblr #bookworm #bookish 📚#mine #oop #Loki.speaks #gif warning

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ijustkindalikebooks · 3 months

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Review: An Education In Malice by S.T. Gibson.

Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua's College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ceremonies welcome students into the fold. On her first day of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her own dark obsession with Carmilla. But as their rivalry blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and dark magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.

As soon as I saw S.T Gibson had a new book coming, well, I knew I had to read it.

What I loved about A Dowry Of Blood is here too. Her writing is just something I adore. The way she crafts a scene and builds tension and drama in her writing is incredible in this book until the very last page. Gibson is able to put you in a scene and make you feel you are the watching with such talent and that is something I did love about this book.

Character wise, things were okay. Maybe I've just read alot of books in this sort of 'dark academia' genre with reminisces of other books for me thrown in with vampires even though this a retelling of Carmilla. I feel like the author has revitalised the story for sure and the romance in this book is written well, if not I feel done a little too quickly.

A book packed with tension, obsession and drama, I feel this book would be a great book to be a gateway to classic books, but also a book that if you love the dark academia genre, you're going to want this in your collection. Beautifully written and crafted well I will definitely keep on reading this author's work.

(Thanks to the author/netgalley for the arc copy for honest review)

#booklr #books #bookblr #fiction #book #an education in malice #s t gibson #orbit #dark academia #vampire #lesbian vampires #this book has all you ever need

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shxpeshifterr · 2 months

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#booklover #booklr #books #booksbooksbooks #books and reading #book lover #current read #s t Gibson #st gibson #an education in malice #pretty books

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phaedraismyusername · 2 years

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In light of discovering that today is Bi Visibility Day I just wanted to chuck out a couple of book recommendations in case anyone is looking for some bi rep in their TBR

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

- let's get the big one out of the way first. The book follows Evelyn Hugo, one of Hollywood's most famous actresses for more than half a century, as she tells her incredible life story to an up and coming young reporter... with the big question being - with seven husbands to choose from, who was the true love of Evelyn's life? I flew through this book y'all, its not even a genre I generally read but I genuinely couldn't put it down lol.

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

- We follow our boy Felix as he seeks out love and his place in a world he feels marginalised from. Being black, queer, trans, and desperate for his first love, he finds himself in a complicated web of unhealthy relationships and poor choices as he enacts his plan for revenge on his online abusers. Not gonna lie, this was a haaaard read for me. You just want Felix to be happy and watching him go through the ringer and make some terrible choices along the way is a trial lol. I would highly recommend seeking out the trigger warnings for anyone who has issues with identity, from dead naming to catfishing, this book has a lot of hurt in it.

Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

- a YA southern gothic that follows our girl Shady Grove. Sad, poor, and desperately in love with her best friend, all Shady wants to do is play her music, but when her brother is accused of murder she believes the only way to prove his innocence is to use her music to call up the ghosts to learn the truth, just like her daddy used to, as she follows him down the path that may have led him to his early grave. Absolutely chock full of bi pining.

Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson

- the story of Constanta, Dracula's first wife. What happens when the person you love is capable of terrible things, and where will you find comfort? It's only 250 pages, it's a dreamy and atmospheric story about obsession and finding yourself and everyone is bi. Excellent times to be had by everyone.

The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake

- we follow our girl Violet as she's sent to stay with her uncle after her younger brother's attempted suicide. Wracked with complicated guilt and grief, and at a crossroads between who she was and who she wants to be, she finds herself a group of friends who help her along her path of self-discovery as she becomes fixated on the idea of solving a centuries old family mystery. Just a lovely book that left me all misty-eyed in places, and it has an *actual* love triangle rather than just having two love interests which is shockingly rare lol

#bi visibility #bi visibility day #book recs #seven husbands of evelyn hugo #felix ever after #ghost wood song #dowry of blood #last true poets of the sea #taylor jenkins reid #kacen callender #erica waters #s t gibson #julia drake

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the-bookish-hag · 26 days

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A review no one asked for.

A Dowry of Blood by S. T Gibson is a gothic memoir of the life spent with our main character, Constanta, and the man who rebirths her anew. She is the first wife of our villain, he who shall not be named, and she writes to remember her time with him as he truly was. Her pages depict this bloody lord and dark savior to be a guise as S.T Gibson slowly pulls him apart like a cadaver on a slab. Thus allowing Constanta to see that he was not made of gold and warmth but organs forged of bloodlust, power, and jealousy. We follow Constanta as she navigates being stuck between a rock and a hard place to a new rock and the same hard place. As time goes on she gains comrades but slowly the gilded veil over their beloved captor falls and she must rise to the occasion.

As someone who has read Bram Stoker, and Anne Rice I find this sits well amongst these powerhouses. A Dowry of Blood is seductive and sparkles like cold glassy eyes locked on a flame. The horror is more than just gore; it is abuse, manipulation, and control. I read this book in 2 days, it was hard to put down. I appreciate the trigger warnings right off the bat and the feminine rage not being twisted by the male gaze. I appreciate the depiction of immortals not caring for labels such as sexuality as things like that should matter as little as time does to them. A bisexual polycule should not be surprising at this point.

This book shows you that sometimes love can be dangerous, and smothering. That it is possible to find freedom in the most unlikely circumstance. And how powerful knowledge can be in that process. I thought the mental strife was written well and I believe that to be the real battle to be won. *Spoiler warning* Killing him was easy, jumping the mental hurdles to get there was the hardest part. This is not action packed, it is a slow burn but like candle wax on enticed skin. You will want more.

#s t gibson #a dowry of blood #tbr list #horror books #booktok #reading #TGH reviews

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gay-art-vibes · 3 months

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Erm guys….

What if I told you there was a dark academia Carmilla retelling coming out soon WITH spice?

Anyhow I just finished this and loved it. I read around 100 sapphic books a year and this is one of my faves now. But then again, I am a former creampuff so do with that opinion what you may.

This book comes out Feb 15th.

#WLW #WLW books #Carmilla #creampuff #sapphic books #sapphic #s. t. gibson #an education in malice

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gellavonhamster · 1 year

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the brides: beyond dracula

(or, a list for those who would like to see more of the weird sisters)

🩸 A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson - told from the perspective of Dracula’s first bride, Constanta, this is an alternate-universe story of the Brides through the ages, their relationship with Dracula becoming increasingly more abusive, and the three of them finally breaking free of this relationship. A slightly more detailed review here.

🩸 The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave - a young adult prequel novel about the two dark-haired Brides, here reimagined as two Romani sisters. A slightly more detailed review here.

🩸 Dracula, Motherf**ker! by Alex de Campi and Erica Henderson - a very short graphic novel about the Brides and a crime scene photographer called Quincey Harker fighting Dracula in the 1974 Los Angeles. A more detailed review here.

🩸 Van Helsing (2004) - that one action movie where Van Helsing is an immortal monster hunter played by Hugh Jackman, and also Frankenstein’s monster is there. Love this movie or hate it, it can’t be denied that the Brides play quite a big role in it.

🩸 Bit (2019) - not a Dracula adaptation, but still a vampire movie that draws on the concept of the Brides of Dracula. The main character, Laurel (a trans woman played by a trans actress), moves to LA to her brother after graduating high school, is bitten by a pretty girl she meets at the club, and joins a vampire girl gang. The power dynamics in the group eventually lead to a confrontation complicated by the return of a powerful ancient vampire called ~Vlad~ (there’s a flashback sequence about him set to Rasputin by Boney M. If you even care).

🩸 The Invitation (2022) - if you don’t mind some randos (because the Harkers would never!) being given the names of the characters of Dracula, here’s a Gothic romance/horror movie about a young American woman Evie, who finds out she has relatives in England, accepts their invitation to a wedding, goes to England where a rich lord starts courting her, and then all hell breaks loose. This one goes the easy way of making Dracula young-looking and handsome, but I’d say he’s still scary enough, and if vampirism was taken away, this could still be a horror movie about fucked up rich people à la Ready or Not.

🩸 The Brides (2020) - before the pandemic, ABC was developing a TV series about the Brides in the modern world, starring Gina Torres as one of the three. Then COVID-19 happened, and the show got scrapped. Only the trailer remains. By the look of it, it would have been cheesy, but I still found it interesting to get a glimpse at what could have been.

#dracula daily #dracula #bram stoker #the brides of dracula #a dowry of blood #s. t. gibson #the deathless girls #kiran millwood hargrave #dracula motherf**ker #van helsing #bit 2019 #the invitation #the brides 2021 #gella talks dracula #talk talk talk #my contribution to the Simping for Female Villains trend on tumblr is caring about these ladies more than stoker probably intended #fell free to add any media if you have any more suggestions!

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bones-clouds · 13 days

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best books i read in 2024:

"an education in malice"

s. t. gibson

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️, 5

genre: dark academia, gothic, vampire

synopsis:

Sumptuous and addictive, An Education in Malice is a dark academia tale of blood, secrets and insatiable hungers from Sunday Times bestselling author S.T. Gibson, author of the cult hit A Dowry of Blood.

Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua's College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ceremonies welcome students into the fold.

On her first day of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her own dark obsession with Carmilla.

But as their rivalry blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and dark magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.

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earlgreyandanime · 2 months

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#a dowry of blood #s t gibson #I'm now picturing Constanta as Natalie Dormer in The Tudors #natalie dormer #the tudors #anne boleyn #constanta

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hojiteaversion · 9 months

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In every generation there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.

And it sucks, sometimes. She had other plans in life other than chase the undead in cemeteries, you know? But still, she has come a long way from the scared little Slayer she was. Nowadays, she's just sick of these 600+ year old immortal men who think she is substitute for therapy.

Little does she know: the stakes are higher than ever.

I shall be glad as long as I live that even in that moment of final dissolution, there was in the face a look of peace, such as I never could have imagined might have rested there.

Vlad is mysterious, but he's kind. She's sure of it. He has assured her they will find the reason for the spots in her memory, and the wounds on her neck. She's not afraid with him. In truth, she's in a blissful daze… She can barely remember meeting him, or how she got here, or… who was waiting for her. Does she have anyone else?

She doesn't need anyone else. She has Vlad, and life is bliss.

Because I take things away from stupid, evil old men. It's what I do. I've always done it. They deserve to lose everything. And I deserve to have all their stuff.

Laia doesn't really remember her human life at this point. And does it matter? What is a human to her?

She likes watching them, though. She likes the blush blooming in their cheeks when they are in her presence. She likes the way they try to emulate her, to show her they are worthy of being near. She likes how they bare their necks, eager. She likes the horror sweetening their blood when they realize they will not survive her, because they are nothing.

Just like she was nothing to Vlad.

Just like he is nothing now.