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katyakat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"An Education in Malice" by S.T. Gibson, ARC audiobook. Provided by @HachetteAudio through NetGalley
The immersive and atmospheric writing style effortlessly complements the intricate layers of the dark academia setting, drawing readers into a world of mystery and intrigue. As the story unfolds, the complex relationship between Carmilla and Laura is masterfully portrayed, showcasing a delicate balance of rivalry, affection, and conflicting emotions. Through their interactions with poetry professor, De Lafontaine, the narrative delves deeper into the dynamics of power and control within relationships, highlighting the profound impact of such imbalances on individuals.
Around a little over a third into the story, the plot started to slacken and felt somewhat forced. The main villain of the story was disappointing and felt like a background story without much at stake. However, despite these minor setbacks, the overall narrative remained engaging, and I was compelled to see how events would unfold.
Additionally, the narrator's skillful delivery enhances the overall listening experience, with her pleasant voice and subtle accents adding depth to the characters and their surroundings. While I found myself engrossed in the story, I opted to listen at a slightly increased speed to maintain momentum, as the pacing felt a tad slow at standard speed.
Without giving too much away, I found the ending poetic and intriguing, leaving me with much to ponder after the final chapter. Overall, "An Education in Malice" captivates with its richly woven narrative and compelling characters, making it a must-read for fans of dark academia and atmospheric storytelling.
The immersive and atmospheric writing style effortlessly complements the intricate layers of the dark academia setting, drawing readers into a world of mystery and intrigue. As the story unfolds, the complex relationship between Carmilla and Laura is masterfully portrayed, showcasing a delicate balance of rivalry, affection, and conflicting emotions. Through their interactions with poetry professor, De Lafontaine, the narrative delves deeper into the dynamics of power and control within relationships, highlighting the profound impact of such imbalances on individuals.
Around a little over a third into the story, the plot started to slacken and felt somewhat forced. The main villain of the story was disappointing and felt like a background story without much at stake. However, despite these minor setbacks, the overall narrative remained engaging, and I was compelled to see how events would unfold.
Additionally, the narrator's skillful delivery enhances the overall listening experience, with her pleasant voice and subtle accents adding depth to the characters and their surroundings. While I found myself engrossed in the story, I opted to listen at a slightly increased speed to maintain momentum, as the pacing felt a tad slow at standard speed.
Without giving too much away, I found the ending poetic and intriguing, leaving me with much to ponder after the final chapter. Overall, "An Education in Malice" captivates with its richly woven narrative and compelling characters, making it a must-read for fans of dark academia and atmospheric storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Outing, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexual content, and Death of parent
bibliofrog's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Homophobia and Vomit
blakeandbooks's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Thank you to Rehook Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The overall premise of this book definitely had me excited. Dark academia? Vampires? Sapphic? Sounds amazing.
The aesthetic was great, but I think it was overall lacking in substance. I really enjoyed Laura and Carmilla’s academic rival to lovers process. You could feel the tension between them and how much they wanted to outdo the other in De Lafontaine’s class. I enjoyed Laura having a friendship with Elenore, and I was definitely disappointed that it almost immediately dissolved and became unimportant the moment she decided to be with Carmilla, but I understand the reasoning behind it given the ending of the book.
For the rest of the book though, I felt like there was just something missing. I felt like the vampire aspect needed to be delved into more, because it all felt like too low stakes for me to be fully invested. De Lafontaine’s relationship with Carmilla was a main focal point of the book, and it just felt off to me. All of this to say: it felt very anticlimactic.
Now, I will say: I really enjoyed the ending of the book between Laura and Magdalena. Leaving the ending of the book with that ending was a great choice. I think it was the only choice given that Laura and Carmilla were committed to each other.
Overall I think this was a good book, just not enough substance for me.
The overall premise of this book definitely had me excited. Dark academia? Vampires? Sapphic? Sounds amazing.
The aesthetic was great, but I think it was overall lacking in substance. I really enjoyed Laura and Carmilla’s academic rival to lovers process. You could feel the tension between them and how much they wanted to outdo the other in De Lafontaine’s class. I enjoyed Laura having a friendship with Elenore, and I was definitely disappointed that it almost immediately dissolved and became unimportant the moment she decided to be with Carmilla, but I understand the reasoning behind it given the ending of the book.
For the rest of the book though, I felt like there was just something missing. I felt like the vampire aspect needed to be delved into more, because it all felt like too low stakes for me to be fully invested. De Lafontaine’s relationship with Carmilla was a main focal point of the book, and it just felt off to me. All of this to say: it felt very anticlimactic.
Now, I will say: I really enjoyed the ending of the book between Laura and Magdalena. Leaving the ending of the book with that ending was a great choice. I think it was the only choice given that Laura and Carmilla were committed to each other.
Overall I think this was a good book, just not enough substance for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Death
steen19's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Dark academia 🤝 vampires
A sapphic enemies-to-lovers, on a college campus, with dark themes and crisp fall vibes. It’s dual POV, there’s catacombs, there's a monster, and a possessive poetry professor.
I flew through this. Quite literally I started it at dinner and stayed up until 1am to finish it. The writing was so smooth and vibrant.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for my advanced digital copy!
A sapphic enemies-to-lovers, on a college campus, with dark themes and crisp fall vibes. It’s dual POV, there’s catacombs, there's a monster, and a possessive poetry professor.
I flew through this. Quite literally I started it at dinner and stayed up until 1am to finish it. The writing was so smooth and vibrant.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for my advanced digital copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
woolerys's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 3/5
Characters - 4/5
World-building - 3/5
Personal tastes - 2/5
TOTAL: 3.2
I feel very conflicted about this book. The writing was great and drew me in right away. Even when I thought, eh, I don’t know if I like where this story is going, I kept thinking about it and felt compelled to finish it!
My main issue was the two main characters’ relationships with the professor. It is included in the author’s content warnings (thank you) and—vague spoiler here—technically it resolves in what I would consider an appropriate manner, but it happens so late in the book, there’s no time for any reflection, character growth, or real moving past it. While I don’t read a lot of vampire fiction specifically, I gather that exploration of deviance is part of the shapeshifter/paranormal genre, and in some ways, this book does that quite beautifully—the enemies-to-lovers romance between the main characters is a treat. I am just a little extra squicky on teacher/student boundary-trespassing.
Points off the world-building for setting the story in 1968 in America and including racially diverse characters (yay!) but ignoring the reality of racism? That’s how it read to me, anyway, simply because there was zero mention of it, even when there were clear opportunities for it to have been part of the conversation. Otherwise the setting was enjoyable (see: compelling writing), and the characters were well-rendered, if not always likable!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol and Death
ramreadsagain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a digital advance reader copy of this book. The below is my honest review.
This is my first ST Gibson book and it didn't disappoint. It's an atmospheric dark academia reimagining of Carmilla set in 60's Massachusetts, featuring sapphic rivals, irresponsible student-teacher relationships, and a bucketload of blood.
It definitely prioritises vibes over things like character development, for example I felt like the romance stagnated once it was established and we didn't get any followup on each character's poetry development and how their backstories impacted this and their rivalry.
However, I didn't mind too much and I was fully on board for this ride. The writing style was excellent, I think the setting was really well done, and the spicy scenes were top notch. It's about girlhood, infatuation, and vampires, and honestly what more could one want?
This is my first ST Gibson book and it didn't disappoint. It's an atmospheric dark academia reimagining of Carmilla set in 60's Massachusetts, featuring sapphic rivals, irresponsible student-teacher relationships, and a bucketload of blood.
It definitely prioritises vibes over things like character development, for example I felt like the romance stagnated once it was established and we didn't get any followup on each character's poetry development and how their backstories impacted this and their rivalry.
However, I didn't mind too much and I was fully on board for this ride. The writing style was excellent, I think the setting was really well done, and the spicy scenes were top notch. It's about girlhood, infatuation, and vampires, and honestly what more could one want?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol and Death
egkaetzel's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
An Education in Malice, by ST Gibson
ARC review- advanced digital copy provided by Redhook Books
Set to release Feb 13
I feel like it’s important, especially with ARCs to distinguish between when a book is not for me and when I think it is just not well done. This is an example of a book where there are specific reasons it didn’t fit my usual style, it I do think there are a lot of people who will really enjoy it. I did enjoy reading it though!
The book is described as a dark academic fantasy with a heavy romance element. It focuses on the relationships between two poetry students (female) and a poetry professor (female), and the blurred lines between desire, obsession, and rivalry.
Vibes: sapphic romance, enemies to lovers, academic rivals
The truth is this book is mostly a romantasy. It has more depth and plot elements than a lot of books in the genre, and is well written stylistically, but the focus is on the rivalry/romance and not on fleshing out the magical worlds/academic world.
You will like this: if you’re looking for a book that’s romance focused with poetic prose and with a bit of delightful sapphic 🌶️ and dark academic vibes
You may not like this: if you’re looking for a mostly dark academia and fantasy book similar to Ninth House or Atlas Six, or something with a heavier mystery/cult element. Or if you want any poetry, despite all being poets this book basically uses that as window dressing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content
linzeeslittlelibrary's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Drop everything and preorder this book. I finally sat down to read my ARC (a thousand thank you’s to netgalley) and 🤯🤯🤯
Gibson has such a ethereal quality to their writing. It’s evocative and darkily beautiful, the words are like silk. This sapphic dark academia Carmella retelling was dark and romantic, full of obesssion and drama. Just as good as the previous and connected entry A Dowry of Blood. I cannot wait for whatever Gibson pens next. Truly exquisite book.
Gibson has such a ethereal quality to their writing. It’s evocative and darkily beautiful, the words are like silk. This sapphic dark academia Carmella retelling was dark and romantic, full of obesssion and drama. Just as good as the previous and connected entry A Dowry of Blood. I cannot wait for whatever Gibson pens next. Truly exquisite book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content
jamieleepilk's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
4.5
Thank you so much @orbitbooks_uk for this proof.
You really can't go wrong with S.T Gibson vampires 🩸❤️
I adored 'A Dowry of Blood' and I loved this one too.
S.T has such a trademark way of writing, this beautiful lyrical style that is addictive to read. She sucks you in (lol) and keeps you hooked with every page.
This is a retelling of 'Carmilla' told from the perspective of Laura and Carmilla as their lives get entwined with each other and their college professor. I loved the blend of the vampire elements with the dark academia vibes. Between this release and 'Evocation' later in the year, S.T Gibson is going to have one hell of a 2024.
UK Release - 15th February 🗓️ from @orbitbooks_uk
You really can't go wrong with S.T Gibson vampires 🩸❤️
I adored 'A Dowry of Blood' and I loved this one too.
S.T has such a trademark way of writing, this beautiful lyrical style that is addictive to read. She sucks you in (lol) and keeps you hooked with every page.
This is a retelling of 'Carmilla' told from the perspective of Laura and Carmilla as their lives get entwined with each other and their college professor. I loved the blend of the vampire elements with the dark academia vibes. Between this release and 'Evocation' later in the year, S.T Gibson is going to have one hell of a 2024.
UK Release - 15th February 🗓️ from @orbitbooks_uk
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Blood, Death, and Toxic relationship
macaronoui's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
Set in St Perpetua’s college in Massachusetts in 1968, USA we follow the two narrators.
Laura (around 19), from a small town is engrossed by writing and poetry, is pretty introverted and flourishes in miss De Lafontaine’s class.
Carmilla is around 24 and also a very talented writer who is obsessed with miss D as well. She is from Austria and came specifically to the US for the teacher. The character seems very American to me and not European or Austrian enough.
Miss De Lafontaine is a brilliant teacher and poet around 40 years old.
She absolutely misuses her power as a teacher. I found her very one dimensional in her subtle cruelty.
Laura and Carmilla have an obsessive devotion to her.
The ladies are both pretty self-involved and whiny, which for gifted college students isn’t that rare.
The book starts off very very slowly. We get a lot of details, like the outfits they are wearing. I’m not sure how all those adjectives and descriptions add to the story. Around 29% it starts to get more interesting.
I have been absolutely loving dark academia and adding a sapphic layer I was hoping it would be a 5 star read, but unfortunately it wasn’t.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence