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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This worked less for me than Dowry of Blood for characters and plot but wow I love Gibson’s writing so much.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very easy read despite the darker tone of the story. The prose at times is stellar, particularly when discussing poetry, and at other times is just fine (feeling very YA). I appreciated the character work, but it didn't climax as anything special to me.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for the ARC - this review is voluntary.
I would like to start by saying, this isn't something that I would usually pick up. I find retellings intimidating especially when I know little of the original novel. But I am so glad I requested this and tried something new as this book completely took me by surprise.
An Education in Malice was a beautifully written tale of great love, passion, sacrifice and betrayal. Filled with all-consuming obsession and rivals to lovers, this Gothic Carmilla retelling sees Laura and Carmilla pitted against one another in a desperate attempt to win their poetry Professors attention. Finding themselves stuck between trying to figure out their growing feelings for one another within a toxic environment, while navigating the dark secrets of Evelyn De Lafontaines second life and her dark obsession with Carmilla.
I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed into this dark bloodthirsty world. I am and will always be a massive sucker for anything vampire related and am so grateful that I went into this blind. The first 20-30% I had no idea where this book was going to go and became a little sceptical whether this book was for me, but as the plot unfurled and gained pace, I found myself wrapped up in the characters and needing to know what would happen next.
"Love is sacrifice, Professor. Whether it's you on the butcher's table or not, someone always bleeds."
Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for the ARC - this review is voluntary.
I would like to start by saying, this isn't something that I would usually pick up. I find retellings intimidating especially when I know little of the original novel. But I am so glad I requested this and tried something new as this book completely took me by surprise.
An Education in Malice was a beautifully written tale of great love, passion, sacrifice and betrayal. Filled with all-consuming obsession and rivals to lovers, this Gothic Carmilla retelling sees Laura and Carmilla pitted against one another in a desperate attempt to win their poetry Professors attention. Finding themselves stuck between trying to figure out their growing feelings for one another within a toxic environment, while navigating the dark secrets of Evelyn De Lafontaines second life and her dark obsession with Carmilla.
I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed into this dark bloodthirsty world. I am and will always be a massive sucker for anything vampire related and am so grateful that I went into this blind. The first 20-30% I had no idea where this book was going to go and became a little sceptical whether this book was for me, but as the plot unfurled and gained pace, I found myself wrapped up in the characters and needing to know what would happen next.
"Love is sacrifice, Professor. Whether it's you on the butcher's table or not, someone always bleeds."
fuck yes. fuck i loved this so much. every book should be this sapphic, this bloody, this sensual. so much tension in every chapter, and i couldn’t anticipate where the story would go next, couldn’t predict the way out of it. i didn’t want this to end, because it ending meant i would be forced to part with lovely laura and carmilla.
"But then I got what I wanted, and now I don't know what to want. I've always known what I wanted, Laura, I'm positively made of wanting. It's strange, to be sure of so little."
A sapphic dark academic's wet dream, a story dripping with gothic prose, pretentious poetry, and gay vampire s*x. This was my first foray in to S.T. Gibson's work, and I was hesitant at first. That feeling was quickly dashed away as the characters pulled me in to their dark, pretentious world. The language is almost too heavy with metaphor and flourish but it lends itself to sinking you right in to the setting.
Also!!!! one of the main characters is FAT!!!!!! and is still an object of affection and literally no one talks about her weight except herself and even then the mentions aren't full on self-loathing. like i was already really sold on the gay vampire sex but that detail pushed it over the edge for me. all in all this is a dark, dirty little romp of a book that pulls you in, deep. thank you to orbit books for the ARC of this seductive, sanguine story!
A sapphic dark academic's wet dream, a story dripping with gothic prose, pretentious poetry, and gay vampire s*x. This was my first foray in to S.T. Gibson's work, and I was hesitant at first. That feeling was quickly dashed away as the characters pulled me in to their dark, pretentious world. The language is almost too heavy with metaphor and flourish but it lends itself to sinking you right in to the setting.
Also!!!! one of the main characters is FAT!!!!!! and is still an object of affection and literally no one talks about her weight except herself and even then the mentions aren't full on self-loathing. like i was already really sold on the gay vampire sex but that detail pushed it over the edge for me. all in all this is a dark, dirty little romp of a book that pulls you in, deep. thank you to orbit books for the ARC of this seductive, sanguine story!
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i'm so confused. The premise of this was amazing: lesbians, academic setting, 18+ characters, VAMPIRES. But somehow it didn't really deliver. This took a direction I wasn't expecting and not the one I wished it did. However, I still had a good time overall. I laughed a lot, I don't know if I was supposed to. It's a big cheesy/cringey at times and I wasn't too much into the cuteness.
But since I didn't have a bad time, I can't rate this too low. However, this isn't good overall I would say. I don't know I'm so confused. I'm not mad at it but I can't say I liked it really.
And also just because of De Lafontaine I can't rate this lower than 3 stars.
Also I have to mention: I love how Gibson explores different types of relationships and different ways to see love.
But since I didn't have a bad time, I can't rate this too low. However, this isn't good overall I would say. I don't know I'm so confused. I'm not mad at it but I can't say I liked it really.
And also just because of De Lafontaine I can't rate this lower than 3 stars.
Also I have to mention: I love how Gibson explores different types of relationships and different ways to see love.
dark
fast-paced