I had a hard time getting into Dowry mainly because I thought it was going to be completely different from what it actually is. Dowry is an epistolary novel, which essentially means that the story is told through letters, in this case from Constanta, 'Dracula's' first wife - although he is not named throughout the novel. I personally didn't find the content in the letters compelling, but I really loved, Gibson's writing the prose was lyrical and provoking, and the symbolism thoughtful.

Some of the chapters (letters) I found more compelling than others, particularly ones that moved the story forward, but it was also odd trying to find a balance between moving the story forward and really being able to sit in a time period as this is a novel that spans centuries. I think Dowry could have been a bit longer so that could have been achieved, especially as the ending is given away at the start; it just felt at times like the letters were bullet points of the plot.

Constanta and Dracula were the best-developed characters out of the four, Magdalena's background developed however, Alexi was just kind of thrown in there. Least developed, not much known, and frankly unlikeable as a character for me. However, I also think that speaks well to Gibson's writing because  Constanta did say that he was too young to be 'turned' and that did play into the maternal role she took on towards him; however, they did sleep together, so that was odd. 

Constanta was the reason I kept reading because at its core this is a novel about her emancipation and her arrival at freedom from Dracula's manipulation and control.

Overall, I gave it three stars because the quality of Gibson's writing is just superior and I will be buying a copy.

Thanks to S.T. Gibson, Net Galley, Little Brown Book Group UK, and Orbit for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Book #244 of 2022