I think this is the mini review that took me out of my usual faire, so while I didn’t love these books, I appreciated having read them anyway.
A Dowry of Blood came onto my radar because of the FairyLoot edition, and not gonna lie, that special edition is GORGEOUS. To be fair, I hadn’t actually planned on reading it anytime soon, but then I watched The Invitation, and the last bit of that movie made me mutter about how most vampire stories WOULD NEVER.
I definitely think this book wasn’t for me, though. Don’t get me wrong, the prose was wonderful, and that first act was absolutely rich in the telling. I loved those beginning chapters and the gradual descent into a realization that what seemed perfect is really just gilded. But much like most of Dracula’s consorts, I kind of started getting bored.
As for The Radium Girls, I think I’d borrowed this after watching the first few episodes of the TV show, and was interested in actually learning about the accounts through audiobook. The show itself had visceral imagery that made me want to puke, but the book as an audiobook was no better. I had gone from several emotions of nausea, disgust, anger, and depression just listening to the women’s stories.
I can’t say I’d enjoyed The Radium Girls, but I certainly appreciated knowing about this dark past.
Story and Somnomancy 