On the surface, it’s a Dracula retelling through one of his brides, Constanta, with romance, and reflections on immortality and desire. But scratch a little and it’s also a story about domestic violence, how abusers establish their dominating position and the effects on their victims. From her savior he slowly becomes her captor, and the way their relationship is depicted is very realistic.

He takes advantage of Constanta’s ignorance to subjugate her and belittle her so much to the point that she shrinks herself down to appease him. But through her love for Magadalena and Alexi, she finds her voice and strength back to protect them from him in a way she could never protect herself.

I loved the characters and felt close to Constanta who shows an extraordinary amount of courage for the sake of two people she didn’t expect to have so much affection for. The story spans centuries, and I liked the differences in their way of life from city to city and century to century.

It’s an epistolary novel and reads like a confession, but Constanta isn’t writing for us, she’s writing to Dracula, which makes it a very intimate, personal and poignant story. I was completely bewitched by S.T. Gibson’s elegant and poetic prose which flowed beautifully and was full of gorgeous imagery.

If you like quick reads, vampirism as a metaphor, and stories where love ultimately prevails this might be for you!!