The Bookish Hour

A Dowry of Blood by ST Gibson (part two)

• Jor & Fab • Season 1 • Episode 54

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A Tale of Two Endings

BOOKCLUB TIME!!

Exploring the intricate layers of "A Dowry of Blood" by ST Gibson (where we discuss the whole book) this episode delves into the differences between indie and traditionally published editions, revealing how these variations affect character arcs and emotional depth. Join us as we dissect the poetic writing and transformative themes surrounding love and betrayal in a uniquely vampiric tale. 

• Deep dive into the poetic writing style and its emotional resonance 
• Comparing indie vs. traditional publishing editions 
• Discussing the impact of narrative changes on character dynamics 
• Highlighting emotional experiences rooted in the story 
• Previewing upcoming literary works like "Education of Malice" 

So grab a warm drink and come join us on the vampy side!

Cover Art by: Fabienne and Jordan
Contact email: thebookishhourpod@gmail.com
Intro/Outro music: Season Two: Ramaramaray by Aiyo via Epidemic Sound Season One: Sweet Psycho via TikTok’s Offical Sound Studio on Capcut
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Podcast: @thebookishhourpod
Fabienne: @oxonheart
Jordan: @sipsoffiction

Jordan:

welcome to the bookish hour with jor and fab a very, a very significant half of this very good and gracious podcast.

Fabienne:

I do not know where that came from I love professional amateurs over here did you know?

Jordan:

well, I mean, yes, obviously, let that sink in just for like a little second or like a small second, a short second, however you want to put it. But did you know that amateur, by the way, um, we have like such a negative connotation, not you and I, we, but like we is like a general consensus, consensus, like people have such a negative um thought when they think of like amateurs, like you know, if you see people like doing something stupid or like wrong or like incorrectly, amateurs, right, but amateurs apparently stems and do not quote me like as in verbatim, because I read it a long time ago but apparently amateur stems from a greek root, or like a latin word which basically means, or roughly translates to, doing it for the love, or like the passion of um loving the thing. In a nutshell, it's maybe a little bit vague I didn't, but it's more of that.

Jordan:

Let me just let me just actually just look it up now, because I don't want to have this. Come, come back and like bite me in the ass and everything. Amateur. Do I spell the same in English as I do in Dutch? Amateur, yes, I do interesting.

Fabienne:

Oh, that's another word that now I know, the Dutch word, literally the same water is also pretty much the same that helps me a lot, except you'll have some words like of is your or that confuses me yeah, no, I get that try for a sec way.

Jordan:

I can't find one. I think I had one fall.

Fabienne:

Witches that works. Vampires that works, I think.

Jordan:

I had one when Winky fall witches that works, vampires Vampires that works, that works. Yes, we are once again talking about vampires and because this episode comes out logically after our previous one, which was part one of A Dowry of Blood, we are now discussing the entire book.

Fabienne:

Yes.

Jordan:

Okay, first thoughts go, I loved it, but, okay, give it to me. No, I I love, I love the writing of this one. Like it felt so obviously like poetic, and I feel like that even that doesn't even come close to actually explaining how this book was written or like how it felt reading the book, but it was truly magnificent. But I feel like at some times it was maybe a bit superfluous in the sense of like it was too flowery and nothing really happened in like I don't want to say a chapter, but like in an entry of sorts. But I still enjoyed again the way how it was written. However, what did disappoint me, actually disappoint me, was the fact and you, you, you remarked on it after, um, after when I have read it, or had read it, I should say the ending in the indie book, like the indie published, the self-published book, turns out to be and I see it as lightly a little different than the traditionally published one. Isn't that correct, jewel?

Fabienne:

yep insert it's so tough because, if you like I don't know how because we kind of talked about this, like you were saying, before this podcast, which is not something I typically want to do but I felt like, as I was reading this one, I felt like it kind of needed to be done and I don't know if it, like I should have not in the sense of like maybe I should have just made you read the indie edition, because I kind of had you go back and read like the last couple chapters, which I don't know if you did or not, but then I kind of told you the ending and I don't know if it's specifically the ending or if it's the fact that everything leading up to it, then you finally have something, so like when you read. So we read the Red Hook edition, which is like the more recent edition, which is the traditionally published edition.

Fabienne:

And you know you probably have to rewrite things and maybe another look at edits and stuff. But I don't think I expected so much change in it. But if you kind of understand and but if you you kind of understand, so hopefully this might spoil things if you don't read the, if you didn't read the indie edition. But in this edition you have the encore of roses. So it's all from Alexi's point of view which kind of makes sense on why she changed the ending from the indie edition, because then the indie edition, basically this whole time you don't know what time frame it is and that's why I was like there's no dates. But then as I'm reading, I'm like there's more and more dates. I'm like what, what, what's going on here? I'm so confused, yeah, but you don't really have any dates. Maybe you have a few things like like here and there, of like kind of nods of where and when it is, but nothing concrete. And then basically you get to the ending and he's getting on a boat, and then she says that he's getting on the Titanic. So you're like, oh my gosh, like it's 1912. And yeah, and like you, just it's like kind of like you finally have something. So it's so exciting.

Fabienne:

Where I think I was just so disappointed in this one because there's that one entry where it's 1919 and it's you. You know that anastasia and her family was just killed and I was like, wait a minute, like this is already completely changing the ending because, like, clearly the titanic already happened. So I was a little disappointed because I also really liked the ending in the way of they just parted ways, they just like they're each going down their own paths, but then this, this is like the HEA. So it's like, if you need Happily Ever After, this is the edition you want.

Jordan:

Yeah, I feel like in that regard too, the Red Hook book, like the traditionally published edition, makes it like it changes the entire genre. Remember when we talked briefly about in a different episode like a long time ago, how there are love stories, like romantic love stories, and there is like a romance story. In a romance they have like happily ever afters, like you know, like the main characters they stay together, etc. But in a love story it could be like a tragic ending. Um, and I feel like that the in the published one supposed, or like originally, was um supposed to be just a love story but then it'll be.

Fabienne:

In a way it's almost, but it's like not even a love story. It's almost like the only thing that's holding them together is their lord. That's the only reason why they're together. So it almost makes sense that he dies. They go different ways, because why? Why would they've survived this trauma? And it's like now that the glue that's holding them together goes away. But the biggest thing is I don't know if you want me to tell you, but the way he died was not the way he died in the indie edition.

Jordan:

Yeah, fuck off, really no, I want no, tell me.

Fabienne:

Okay, now tell me honestly like, don't, I'm so glad you have the indie edition and when you read it in like a year or two or whatever, you have to tell me and you have to give me all the details. Granted, I could be wrong on a lot of these things, but I swear the way he died is not. I know it's not way and from what my memory of two years ago, this is like what I remember. But remember how we were talking about like this edition's not as erotic, it's not as like smutty and spicy, mm-hmm.

Jordan:

I mean, it's very sensual and very romantic and I feel like a lot of scenes are actually written in the sense that I would love to read a sex scene to be, but like parts, if you will, are not like named. Nothing is like he's slinging or it's more like they're kissing and there's like touches and like honestly, that's kind of like how it is in the indie edition.

Fabienne:

There's just more, but the way he died, the way he died was not with a stake, it was actually, um, like more sensual. It was the way it started, with them like starting to have like a group thing, same way, but then they all bite him and basically drain him of his blood. But like, think of it more erotically, type done that is a completely different route.

Fabienne:

yes, it's done so well, but like basically, which, you know how? She goes down to his lair and she's like reading on, like can he be killed? And it's like, yes, he can. And then the other thing, knowing they they won't die when he dies, which honestly I never really understood the first time because I'm like you know if he dies you won't die, because you know he killed his sire, so you should know that.

Fabienne:

But I can't remember if we knew that from the indie edition or not, or if that didn't even come up during the death. But I to where it was like they drained him of his blood by like biting him, biting him, and then she became really strong, kind of like at least they. She took the same path of like her biting them, all biting him afterwards, but it was like during it. So he was getting more and more weak and it like took him a minute to realize that they were like killing him, because he was almost like thought it was this, was this like sensual act of like before sex, and then he's like wait, I'm like really weak, and then they just continued to drain him, like it was actually so much better, because that feels like more of a betrayal than the steak I know I was, so why the hell was the?

Jordan:

steak, then why the hell was that removed and a stake?

Fabienne:

I guess I'm just thinking it was because of like it being traditionally published. Maybe it was like too much, like too much like blood play or something which it's not even they're vampires but I was just like so sad.

Jordan:

The first half of this book is like exactly the same though that is interesting actually, Because apparently a lot of things change at the 50% mark. I feel like even.

Fabienne:

Because you know how I didn't totally read up to the part that I was supposed to for the first half, oh yeah.

Jordan:

Yeah, you didn't do your homework, that's fine.

Fabienne:

Yeah, that was my bad for the first, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, you didn't do your homework, that's fine. Yeah, that was my bad, but and I think I would have kind of picked up on things, because I was kind of picking up on things not being totally the same, but I think I would have, just because I know I don't totally remember all the details because it was two years ago at this point, but then as I'm like reading the second, second half, I'm like no, no, oh, but it's still such a good story.

Fabienne:

It's just I think it's tough if you were to just read this one. I think it's different. So, like I, you have like a different experience than I did, I know, but I'm still.

Jordan:

I'm making you read the indie edition oh no, I know, I know I and I will read it, because now I'm actually really interested to see, or like how to, yeah, to see, like how his death will play out in the indie edition.

Fabienne:

And just wait for like these details to kind of die off and you have like almost a fresh mind. Because I need you to read it from the beginning, because I feel like that's what makes it like, or else I would just be like I'll read from like 50% on, but I feel like you need the full experience yes, mom, we'll do that.

Jordan:

I will notify you once I have. Thank you, I do have this.

Fabienne:

Thank you, I do have to say the encore of roses I did really I did like it for for what it's worth at, got like a little bit extra of like uh, you did.

Jordan:

See, oh, it makes me sound like I, but she changed the ending on me?

Jordan:

No, I know, but I mean like but did you actually enjoy the encore of Roses? Because I felt like it was so out of the blue. I'd rather have seen, I would rather have like read an epilogue, or like an additional entry from Magdalena's part, from like how she met the Lord, because that was never clarified, or maybe even from like the Lord himself, like how he came to be, or like insight into his lair, you know, like what he was doing for research and everything. I did wonder why she picked him.

Fabienne:

Maybe like his muse, so to say, he came more like easily to her true, I mean, maybe she was like I'm not killing you off in this edition, so like you should get your own pov I did find him very cute, though he was very lively, ironically. Yeah, I actually did really like his point of view, just because I don't know it was cute, it was cute. I am still super excited for other books, though.

Jordan:

You said one was coming actually pretty soon, right, and it was a sort of interconnected I don't want to say interconnected standalone, but it was like in the same world it took place, or something.

Fabienne:

I don't think it's not as this one, but I think there is like an education of malice which I think is sapphic. Yeah, that's the one, and it's coming out in February, I think, oh okay, I think it's sapphic.

Jordan:

Oh yeah, then we can read it maybe together here when you're here in the Netherlands, in Amsterdam, sorry.

Fabienne:

Amsterdam.

Jordan:

I'm going gonna circle that. I'm gonna circle that. One date like in, so so many like blue lines and like red stripes and everything. Just circle that bad boy on the calendar. We're here, underline, underline, underline.

Fabienne:

I'm so excited yes it's only an 8 hour flight too, it's not even that bad. It's not even that bad. I mean, I'm so excited.

Jordan:

Yes, it's only an eight-hour flight too. It's not even that bad. It's not even that bad. No, no, no.

Fabienne:

It's, it's, I mean, I mean it's not that great.

Jordan:

It is okay.

Fabienne:

I think it's going to be the time difference, it's the time change.

Jordan:

That's like the big yeah, but you have yeah, but babe you have a red flight, is what you call it Like a red eye, or I don't know how you say it? You can sleep as much as possible, of course, because that's always a tricky thing, like on, you know, like during the flight, and then get here all like fresh and fruity and take you out for mimosas and pancakes.

Fabienne:

Mimosas oh.

Jordan:

And bacon. I like a hot steaming cup with coffee ready for you at the airport, at the rivals. Yeah, um, yeah, but I definitely plan on sleeping talk. I'm still gonna get like the indie edition of like a jar of blood, because I want to look at the. The actual last page, though, because we have. Can you still hear me? Okay? Yes, you can interesting. Okay, so in the edition is here you can Interesting.

Fabienne:

Okay, so India Dishes here. Oh, and that cover. I really like that cover too.

Jordan:

Yeah. But I do like this cover too though I like this cover, I like the blood smear across her eyes Me too? Um fuck, where is the? I don't. Can you double check if we have like a very last entry that's here in the in addition is from on stanta constata constance, her pov, where she says and so, my love, we have come to the end of our lives together. Is that in the published, wow, the written. She has crossed the record book too.

Fabienne:

Let's see, let's see, let's see, let's see. So what was the last line? What was the last line? Well, not necessarily the last line, but it's the last entry where she says and so, my love, we have come to the end of our lives together yes, that is at the beginning of the last entry before the encore of roses okay, okay, because it makes more sense to have the book end here.

Jordan:

Let's just go with like the indie book is like the canon one, and then the red hook book, the, you know, like the traditionally published or traditional published book is just extra.

Fabienne:

So, yes, I feel like the people that need an hea. This is the edition you want to read the red hook, traditionally published edition. If you just want a not a love story, but not a love story in a way, then you want to read the indie edition. But, granted, I don't know if you can even get that edition anymore, so you might not be able to. But I feel like it kind of depends on, like, what you want out of a story you have choices now.

Jordan:

Who doesn't love choices?

Fabienne:

we all love choices we, we love options and choices yes, we do.

Jordan:

I'm also screaming very quickly through that last entry. Moments later, he leaned over the railing of the ship, snatching off his head and waving at us. Moments later, he leaned over the railing of the ship, snatching off his hat and waving at us. I can't. I think I did see Titanic, but I might have just like imagined it because you said it and we heard through the war of noise and busts swirling around us as we looked for Alexi's ship. Ship, ship, ship, ship, ship. Do you have your ticket? Titanic, the fuck, I don't see it here.

Fabienne:

You don't Because I. So I remember buddy reading it with Jesse at the time and I remember being specifically so excited, being like, oh my God, he got on the Titanic.

Jordan:

But isn't it just like putting two and two together? Because you know like ships like actual, like iron, sort, iron, sort of like holes of a ship are like mentioned in this one, and you know like after Industrial Revolution, it's not like you think oh, maybe that's. Titanic, oh, okay.

Fabienne:

Like the name of the ship was italicized.

Jordan:

Okay. Well, give me just two seconds. Okay, I'm going to put those skimming and scanning skills to use. I was always so bad at skin skimming and scanning texts in high school.

Fabienne:

Me too, I'm oh so bad.

Jordan:

All right uh or oh, I thought you said or oh no, no, I just said my bad oh, I was like, or what it was, a long, deep kiss, gentle and slow.

Jordan:

I don't always I don't know why I always like lapse into the british accent. Well, I can't find it, maybe because I'm just blind, but if you say it's here, it is here. If you say it's here, then it is here. Also, jesse, if you do listen to this podcast, still, um, let me know where it is, because I am looking but I can't see it. It doesn't matter, it is here, it is law. Now, it is law. It is law. So you think he died?

Fabienne:

yeah, because, like, even if a vampire, like I think he's in the middle of the ocean, so maybe he's still swimming.

Jordan:

Didn't something happen with God? What's it called the originals or the vampire diaries, where one of them was put in the the bottom of the sea or like an ocean, wasn't it Stefan?

Fabienne:

yeah, stefan, his like evil twin doppelganger Silas oops, hopefully no one, I don't know it's been out for a long time.

Jordan:

Okay, come on, but still, he didn't die and well no, he kept dying oh yeah, that's true but then he would come back and drown again and then die.

Fabienne:

And then come back and drown again and then die very repetitive, if you ask me.

Jordan:

Yeah, very boring, yeah very boring, it's okay.

Fabienne:

It boring, it's okay, it's fine, he's okay, okay.

Jordan:

I actually never finished the Vampire Diaries, I think after that one season where we find out about Silas and, like Alina's first doppelganger, or however you want to call it, I want to say Amara. That's not Amara, it's something with an A, though.

Fabienne:

Well, Amara, isn't she the witch that Silas?

Jordan:

was with.

Fabienne:

Marianne. Oh yeah, no, you're right. Or was Amara Mira? No, because there's like the other. Maybe I should just rewatch it though. Well, I did I just rewatched it.

Jordan:

Yeah, I know, that's why Can't stay behind now, can I?

Fabienne:

So you gotta catch up. Plus, you haven't met Enzo yet, and Enzo's the best I do know.

Jordan:

Enzo though, because you know, oh, so you did, you did watch farther, you did get to him, maybe, but also, like I've seen him like on instagram and, like you know, like memes and like fan pages or whatever, I've seen him like floating, like floating around on the internet and but you haven't gotten to his like part feed. I don't think so no, then you need watching.

Fabienne:

I will. I did a poll on Instagram asking like who people loved more and, of course, like, damon was first Duh, but then Enzo and Klaus were like kind of neck and neck, though Stefan was at the bottom.

Jordan:

No one likes that I um, I, uh, I voted for Klaus. Oh, you did, I did. I love the originals and I just loved, like, his interaction with Caroline.

Fabienne:

Oh, I think Caroline and Klaus should have definitely ended up together. I don't think it should have been Stefan at all.

Jordan:

Thanks, jor, you're welcome. I literally just said no, it is fine, it's fine.

Fabienne:

Okay, so you, you can keep watching, because you don't know what so much drama, it's like a soap opera.

Jordan:

That one series though good gracious, but you know it's it's like it's like a guilty pleasure type of show. Anyways, like you know what's going to happen. Generally speaking, everyone dies and then everyone is is like supernatural god and then there's, I'm just gonna stop talking yeah, yeah, that seems like a wise plan yep, I'm gonna stop talking missy spoilers but yes, caroline and klaus should have been together. Yeah, so not endgame. Unfortunately, now that I think about it, I don't think that I actually finished the originals either.

Fabienne:

I tried the originals. I couldn't even make it through season one.

Jordan:

It was so boring, oh okay, well, great to disagree, then oh. No, I will say, though, to disagree then oh, hmm, no, I will say, though, that it was a little bit like I don't want to say far-fetched, but it was a bit like it was really slow yeah.

Jordan:

In some aspects and like I'm not really sure if that's oh God, let me look it up, if that's the right term, because I don't want to say something weird and have people think of me like, oh, you're odd. Um, I don't know, I don't know if there's any dutch said they're listening to this and they hear me, just like mumble say I'd milk. That's going to be so weird. One second, oh okay, like exploit milk out. Apparently milk out does work. Now I have to give you some context. Um, I feel like the originals because obviously that came like after or like halfway midway through.

Jordan:

Yeah, yeah, and then like, obviously another storyline had to be created for the originals, but I feel like, because the vampire diaries did so well, just like the overall arc for the originals got like. The overall arc for the originals got like milken milked out so badly is.

Fabienne:

Is that how you see it? I don't really remember the storyline of originals. I just remember she was pregnant with the baby and that's like where they started with the originals, but I don't know where the story went.

Jordan:

Like I, I really could not get into it I probably watched no, like three episodes no, I just mean like they thought like okay, well, the vampire diary is like such a big hit. If we just create another show, that's going to be also a big hit. Like they wanted to make it to a cash cow the entire show.

Fabienne:

That's what I'm trying to say but I mean, okay, oh, I see what you're saying, because they did the same thing with Legacies. That's supposed to be a next-gen type thing.

Jordan:

Never even tried to watch it.

Fabienne:

No, no, I actually didn't even know that until somebody was telling me oh, that's supposed to be a next-gen, because the way the Vampire Diaries ends, they do something. And then that's what legacies is essentially about, and I think it pulls from the originals too hmm, maybe well, isn't.

Jordan:

Um. Well, I think I do know that one, though, oh god, we were so much digressing from the dowry of blood, but I mean vampires, probably. What's her name? Hope? It's about the girl, right. Who's Hope? Hayley's, not Hayley.

Fabienne:

Yeah, hayley's kid, oh her name's Hope I didn't make it very far.

Jordan:

No, you did not, but that's her name and I think that's the star. Sorry, is it her the?

Fabienne:

sorry, is it her? Oh, is it her, because I know that in vampires there's some like witches and they're in interesting.

Jordan:

Yeah, in uh legacies, but I'm anything. No, no, you shouldn't.

Fabienne:

You're spoiling stuff. I just need you to.

Jordan:

Oh, yeah, yeah, of course that's going to help you. Lady, just distract yourself from the conversation and me Yep, okay, you know what? Maybe let's just wrap it up here A dowry of blood.

Jordan:

Um, yeah, I will one second, I will still say this I love this story. It gave me a certain emotion. I think I wrote it in my review too, even though I did have some. I don't want to see issues because that feels like too heavy of a word, but I did have some moments where I was like, okay, well, this could have just been like skipped or like not even like written out entirely, just like it was repetitive. But the way it was, the way it was written and the way the story was flowing, the entire formatting, just like the general experience of the story, I experienced an emotion that I had not felt for a long time and it just made me want to keep reading and that's why I love the book still.

Fabienne:

So four and a half stars from me see, and I still I still rate it at five stars like I still love this story. It's like, unlike anything else I've read, and it is the perfect fall read fall goop, spooky, like vampires are your thing, but I do. Yeah, I did still really love this story. I think I was just so stuck on the first edition I read that this still kind of like threw me for a little baby loop.

Jordan:

Yeah, yeah, yup, yup, yup, yeah, I'm gonna reread it, I promise Okay. So that's a wrap on A Diary of Blood. Yes, we're gonna do more buddy reads again, by the way.

Fabienne:

Yes, we are.

Jordan:

I miss them, even though this one was kind of like whack, oh well, you have to get. We kind of had to like get back into him again.

Fabienne:

you know like, yeah, exactly, thank you so much for listening and please don't forget to rate and review wherever you can find us, so catch you next time.

Jordan:

Bye.