Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
My thoughts of this book have varied wildly throughout the book, going from being intrigued at the start to hating it leading up to the middle, to loving it, to ending it feeling… meh. This unfortunately won’t leave a lasting impact on me behind how much I did not like the audiobook. I found the reader’s accents to be weird and I found the writing pretentious rather than lyrical. I also felt that the author was trying to do a dark academia thing but it lacked ease and felt very forced.
The whole book just felt like it was trying really hard which is never fun to read. However, around the 55% mark the plot did pick up so held my interest to the end.
The whole book just felt like it was trying really hard which is never fun to read. However, around the 55% mark the plot did pick up so held my interest to the end.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
not sure what any of this had to do with carmilla, but go off i guess
I preferred a dowry of blood but this was still really good! If you enjoyed this, definitely read ADOB
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book includes a dual POV with ideas of dark academia, sapphic vampires, academic rivals to lovers, and LGBTQ+ representation.
Realizing that I may just not be a fan of S.T. Gibson’s work. Both this retelling and A Dowry of Blood were intriguing with their first few chapters and then sped up to resolve conflict which causes a lack of depth in the plot and the lack of yearning and relationship between characters. The relationship dynamic between Carmilla and Laura carried this book with their naivety and passion. But for Professor DeLaFontaine to be portrayed as such a sought out, passionate, and respected instructor turned into jealous and morose changed my rating for this book.
Overall rating
3.25-3.5 ⭐️/ 5 ⭐️
spice: 1.5 🌶️🌶️
Realizing that I may just not be a fan of S.T. Gibson’s work. Both this retelling and A Dowry of Blood were intriguing with their first few chapters and then sped up to resolve conflict which causes a lack of depth in the plot and the lack of yearning and relationship between characters. The relationship dynamic between Carmilla and Laura carried this book with their naivety and passion. But for Professor DeLaFontaine to be portrayed as such a sought out, passionate, and respected instructor turned into jealous and morose changed my rating for this book.
Overall rating
3.25-3.5 ⭐️/ 5 ⭐️
spice: 1.5 🌶️🌶️
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not enough magic; I don’t like vampires . The elite college atmosphere has some allure, but I somehow want drawn into the triangle.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really liked it and this probably would’ve been a 4.5 but the ending felt very abrupt and slightly disappointing. I did really enjoy the book though. 🖤
After humming and hawing over whether or not to dive into this fantasy reimagining of Sheridan LeFanu's famous Carmilla, I finally decided to pick up An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson. Gibson is well-known among the sapphic reading community for her debut novel A Dowry of Blood, which I have not yet read. With her second novel, Gibson invites readers to reimagine the well-known sapphic duo of Carmilla and Laura as college students attending St. Perpetua's university in Massachusetts, USA. Immediately, I was thrust back into a mid-2010s nostalgia of spending late nights watching the web series Carmilla, which had a similar premise. In An Education in Malice, Carmilla and Laura are part of an exclusive poetry cohort, instructed by the dazzlingly seductive Professor De Lafontaine. This novel is filled to the brim with vampiric lesbian bloodlust, poetry snobbery, and provocative teacher-student entanglements, which is a dangerous concoction for me, and I was eager to sink my teeth into it (pun not intended).
What I liked:
Something I noticed right off the bat was that this novel came with content warnings at the beginning of the book! I'm a huge advocate for CW's and TW's, and I've never seen them used in a printed published work like this, and I think it was done very tactfully. Atmospherically, An Education in Malice is a great cozy-yet-thrilling, Dark Academia read that effortlessly envelops you in Laura and Carmilla's world. In my opinion, the most decadent scenes were those that took place privately in De Lafontaine's apartment, with intoxicating and heady moments where the line between student and teacher blurred just enough to keep my attention. Full of private poetry recitals, silky loungewear, and expensive liquor, Gibson does an excellent job immersing the reader into this small setting quite often without getting redundant. I also felt that the reader's relationship with De Lafontaine's apartment changed over the course of the novel as tensions rise, turning it from a scandalous safe haven to a hostile and suffocating cage.
I'm not very well-read in the genre of fantasy, largely because I'm picky when it comes to world building and I like to sink into stories without the labour of acquainting myself with systems of government, magic, and lore (unless it's a long-term commitment, such as with Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings). It's simply not my cup of tea. An Education in Malice avoids this artfully, by drawing on age-old vampire lore taken from most mainstream interpretations and vampire stories, while giving enough space for the reader to imagine what it all might look like on a grander scale. I realize this might not be everyone's taste, but I like that Gibson gives us a peak into her vampiric world at a microcosmic level while simultaneously acknowledging the existence of a much larger world, a much larger story (which is a great tactic for exploring the same universe in other works, such as with A Dowry of Blood). S. T. Gibson is a master of writing small scenes in small worlds, which makes this book so easy to devour.
What I Didn't Like:
I wanted to like this book, and there were aspects that I really did enjoy. I finished the book in three days, which is quite a feat for me, as I'm a dreadfully slow reader. However, I had some major qualms with An Education in Malice that disappointed me from as early as the first chapter.
The most glaring issue I take with the novel by far is the tone of the university setting. Like I mentioned, I have not read A Dowry of Blood, but I would wager to guess that Gibson excels in writing vampire fantasy, whereas her prose and dialogue pertaining to college students is milquetoast at best, if not downright corny. There is a certain charm about the setting, which takes place vaguely between the 1980s and 90s, complete with incense and Motown music blaring from the dorms, but something about the new girl almost getting hit in the head with a frisbee was a bit Disney Channel for my tastes.
The poetry cohort scenes made me cringe quite a bit, as it consisted of Laura and Carmilla reciting their angsty, flowery poetry to their beloved De Lafonataine and receiving lavish praise from their instructor with little to no criticism. When Laura shares her poetry during the first class, De Lafontaine replies:
"Glorious, [...] Absolutely glorious. The tender spareness of language, the rich sensuality of religious metaphor. Your style is unapologetically modern yet accessible. Well done, Laura." (20)
I initially assumed De Lafontaine's unbridled praise for Laura's work was simply meant to provoke Carmilla, her protegee, which becomes the center point of Laura and Carmilla's relationship, but her love of her students' poetry is more or less consistent, save a random outburst of deeply personal criticism that De Lafontaine dishes Carmilla:
"Your mother left you because she didn't want you, Carmilla, and you must come to terms with that. You cannot hide forever in childhood; eventually you must face the facts of life and grow up. I fear that you'll shrink into a sort of perpetual girlhood. I should call you Petra Pan" (79).
Obviously, this venom is born from De Lafontaine's jealous of Carmilla's waxing affection for Laura, but it felt sudden, unjustified, and downright inappropriate (even from a teacher who is drinking the blood of her student). I think that this is a product of the novel's strange pacing, and uncertainty within its place in an academic setting. The pedagogy and environment of St. Perpetua's is unrealistic, which gives the story an unsettled foundation that seems superfluous in a way that distracts and muddles the plot. One could read this as the school being superficial in comparison to the much more dire plots involving vampires, but it doesn't hit the mark in ways like The Secret History by Donna Tartt does.
This is a major issue when it comes to the up and coming Dark Academia genre in novels. I cannot help but feel like books like this are trying too hard to fit into a too-literal, idealized academic setting, with their gothic-sounding universities and morally-ambiguous, angsty student cohorts. With The Secret History being widely canonized as the bible of Dark Academia fiction, I think it offers more of a criticism of the often romanticized institutions that these new novels seem to miss the mark on; they often focus too heavily on decadence and surface-level aesthetics and fail to engage with criticisms of the corrupt.
Lastly, going back to the pacing, Laura and Carmilla's relationship is very strangely-paced in my opinion. I understand that it was an enemies-to-lovers tale, but Laura's overt kinkiness as told through her intrusive thoughts about Carmilla from as early as their first meeting poise her as something of a predator:
"For one white-hot instant, that dark instinct to overcome and over power, to kiss and bruise, flared to life in my stomach. I imagined myself slotting my fingers into all that black hair and tugging until her mouth was hovering over mine. I imagined the soft, surprised sound she might make, the sweetness of her breath ghosting across my lips" (11)
Don't get me wrong, this passage is gorgeously hot, but they had barely spoken a word to each other when Laura's narrative takes a hard and unexpected shift into wanting to have sex with Carmilla. For me, it dampens the slow burn that it feels like Gibson was trying to implement, of Laura getting frustrated by simultaneously resenting Carmilla and wanting her sexually. If the reader is let into these fantasies as early as the eleventh page, it leaves very little room for building to a climax (which doesn't happen for another 130 pages). When the climax does come, Carmilla's feelings for Laura seem to come from out of left field, since her fascination with Laura seemed only to ever rise to a need for rivalry and banter.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book after getting past the awkward dialogue and pacing. It had sprinklings of bloodlust and kinky lesbian relationships, but there wasn't quite enough to sate what my heart desires. I think An Education in Malice could have been so much more than it was. Should I read A Dowry in Blood? Do you have any other lesbian vampire recommendations? Please do send them along! I'm hungry!
What I liked:
Something I noticed right off the bat was that this novel came with content warnings at the beginning of the book! I'm a huge advocate for CW's and TW's, and I've never seen them used in a printed published work like this, and I think it was done very tactfully. Atmospherically, An Education in Malice is a great cozy-yet-thrilling, Dark Academia read that effortlessly envelops you in Laura and Carmilla's world. In my opinion, the most decadent scenes were those that took place privately in De Lafontaine's apartment, with intoxicating and heady moments where the line between student and teacher blurred just enough to keep my attention. Full of private poetry recitals, silky loungewear, and expensive liquor, Gibson does an excellent job immersing the reader into this small setting quite often without getting redundant. I also felt that the reader's relationship with De Lafontaine's apartment changed over the course of the novel as tensions rise, turning it from a scandalous safe haven to a hostile and suffocating cage.
I'm not very well-read in the genre of fantasy, largely because I'm picky when it comes to world building and I like to sink into stories without the labour of acquainting myself with systems of government, magic, and lore (unless it's a long-term commitment, such as with Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings). It's simply not my cup of tea. An Education in Malice avoids this artfully, by drawing on age-old vampire lore taken from most mainstream interpretations and vampire stories, while giving enough space for the reader to imagine what it all might look like on a grander scale. I realize this might not be everyone's taste, but I like that Gibson gives us a peak into her vampiric world at a microcosmic level while simultaneously acknowledging the existence of a much larger world, a much larger story (which is a great tactic for exploring the same universe in other works, such as with A Dowry of Blood). S. T. Gibson is a master of writing small scenes in small worlds, which makes this book so easy to devour.
What I Didn't Like:
I wanted to like this book, and there were aspects that I really did enjoy. I finished the book in three days, which is quite a feat for me, as I'm a dreadfully slow reader. However, I had some major qualms with An Education in Malice that disappointed me from as early as the first chapter.
The most glaring issue I take with the novel by far is the tone of the university setting. Like I mentioned, I have not read A Dowry of Blood, but I would wager to guess that Gibson excels in writing vampire fantasy, whereas her prose and dialogue pertaining to college students is milquetoast at best, if not downright corny. There is a certain charm about the setting, which takes place vaguely between the 1980s and 90s, complete with incense and Motown music blaring from the dorms, but something about the new girl almost getting hit in the head with a frisbee was a bit Disney Channel for my tastes.
The poetry cohort scenes made me cringe quite a bit, as it consisted of Laura and Carmilla reciting their angsty, flowery poetry to their beloved De Lafonataine and receiving lavish praise from their instructor with little to no criticism. When Laura shares her poetry during the first class, De Lafontaine replies:
"Glorious, [...] Absolutely glorious. The tender spareness of language, the rich sensuality of religious metaphor. Your style is unapologetically modern yet accessible. Well done, Laura." (20)
I initially assumed De Lafontaine's unbridled praise for Laura's work was simply meant to provoke Carmilla, her protegee, which becomes the center point of Laura and Carmilla's relationship, but her love of her students' poetry is more or less consistent, save a random outburst of deeply personal criticism that De Lafontaine dishes Carmilla:
"Your mother left you because she didn't want you, Carmilla, and you must come to terms with that. You cannot hide forever in childhood; eventually you must face the facts of life and grow up. I fear that you'll shrink into a sort of perpetual girlhood. I should call you Petra Pan" (79).
Obviously, this venom is born from De Lafontaine's jealous of Carmilla's waxing affection for Laura, but it felt sudden, unjustified, and downright inappropriate (even from a teacher who is drinking the blood of her student). I think that this is a product of the novel's strange pacing, and uncertainty within its place in an academic setting. The pedagogy and environment of St. Perpetua's is unrealistic, which gives the story an unsettled foundation that seems superfluous in a way that distracts and muddles the plot. One could read this as the school being superficial in comparison to the much more dire plots involving vampires, but it doesn't hit the mark in ways like The Secret History by Donna Tartt does.
This is a major issue when it comes to the up and coming Dark Academia genre in novels. I cannot help but feel like books like this are trying too hard to fit into a too-literal, idealized academic setting, with their gothic-sounding universities and morally-ambiguous, angsty student cohorts. With The Secret History being widely canonized as the bible of Dark Academia fiction, I think it offers more of a criticism of the often romanticized institutions that these new novels seem to miss the mark on; they often focus too heavily on decadence and surface-level aesthetics and fail to engage with criticisms of the corrupt.
Lastly, going back to the pacing, Laura and Carmilla's relationship is very strangely-paced in my opinion. I understand that it was an enemies-to-lovers tale, but Laura's overt kinkiness as told through her intrusive thoughts about Carmilla from as early as their first meeting poise her as something of a predator:
"For one white-hot instant, that dark instinct to overcome and over power, to kiss and bruise, flared to life in my stomach. I imagined myself slotting my fingers into all that black hair and tugging until her mouth was hovering over mine. I imagined the soft, surprised sound she might make, the sweetness of her breath ghosting across my lips" (11)
Don't get me wrong, this passage is gorgeously hot, but they had barely spoken a word to each other when Laura's narrative takes a hard and unexpected shift into wanting to have sex with Carmilla. For me, it dampens the slow burn that it feels like Gibson was trying to implement, of Laura getting frustrated by simultaneously resenting Carmilla and wanting her sexually. If the reader is let into these fantasies as early as the eleventh page, it leaves very little room for building to a climax (which doesn't happen for another 130 pages). When the climax does come, Carmilla's feelings for Laura seem to come from out of left field, since her fascination with Laura seemed only to ever rise to a need for rivalry and banter.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book after getting past the awkward dialogue and pacing. It had sprinklings of bloodlust and kinky lesbian relationships, but there wasn't quite enough to sate what my heart desires. I think An Education in Malice could have been so much more than it was. Should I read A Dowry in Blood? Do you have any other lesbian vampire recommendations? Please do send them along! I'm hungry!