The season is upon us: Wrap a scarf round your neck—tightly—and crack open a e book of undead intrigue.
A Dowry of Blood
A queer, feminist reimagining of Dracula, S.T. Gibson’s A Dowry of Blood begins with its narrator, Constanta, reclaiming a small little bit of energy. She refuses to grant her abuser a title, as an alternative referring to him as “you” all through the e book. Her abuser is a prototypical vampire, susceptible to daylight and silver, who sires new vampires by giving them his blood. He finds Constanta close to dying, grants her immortal life and, regardless of calling her his bride, sees her as a possession. Over the years, Constanta is joined by two different consorts—Magdalena, a politically savvy thinker, and Alexi, a sprightly socialite and actor—who turn out to be her pals, lovers and allies.
A Dowry of Blood focuses on Constanta, her abuser and his different spouses; no different character is current for greater than a handful of pages.This slim focus, alongside with a number of time jumps and Constanta’s stream-of-consciousness narration, creates a dreamlike haze. As every new consort enters the narrative, the home’s environment transitions from cloistered and dank to frenetic with want and simmering riot. The story’s specificity ebbs and flows in line with Constanta’s reminiscence: Events she struggles to recall are blurry, however she hyperfixates on what she remembers in wealthy element.
In the custom of the very best vampire tales, Gibson makes use of her characters to discover how centuries of time would have an effect on a once-mortal thoughts. A Dowry of Blood whisks readers by human historical past, arriving on the daybreak of the twentieth century, drenched in blood.
House of Hunger
In the fantasy world of House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson (The Year of the Witching), an industrial revolution is in full swing, condemning the traditional homes of the Aristocracy to a sluggish decay into irrelevance. The House of Hunger is one among these dying homes, nevertheless it’s nonetheless influential sufficient to proceed indenturing bloodmaids like Marion Shaw, who is keen to simply accept the place when it’s supplied to her.
At the House of Hunger, she might be handled nicely, totally fed and paid sufficient to maintain herself and her brother afloat earlier than receiving an unlimited pension as soon as her service ends. But throughout her time as a bloodmaid, Marian’s blood might be harvested to grant well being and sweetness to the homes’ aristocratic members. In Henderson’s world, blood has magical properties and can also be utilized in medication, steam engines and different scientific endeavors.
Countess Lisavet, head of the House of Hunger, already has 4 different bloodmaids, and Henderson makes use of them as an example the risks of Marion’s selection. Cecilia, the countess’ oldest bloodmaid, can also be her favourite lover and first blood donor. She is consumed with want for Countess Lisavet and is extraordinarily jealous when the countess’ eye turns towards Marion. Lisavet manipulatively distributes her favors, whether or not they be sexual, emotional or verbal. She makes her bloodmaids’ lives revolve round her till they discover themselves outlined by her consideration.
House of Hunger begins with darkish secrets and techniques and ends with secrets and techniques darker nonetheless. Readers might be on the sides of their seats as Henderson slowly unveils the grotesque horrors on the coronary heart of her creative, gothic society.
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