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vemiline's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
3.5 stars
“Hysteria is a made-up patriarchal tool of oppression.”
First let me say thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for giving me the chance to read An Education in Malice. I’ve been wanting to read S.T. Gibson ever since I’ve heard great things about A Dowry in Blood, so I was really excited when I was approved to read this book!
“If I couldn’t touch her, I’d settle for making her squirm.”
How do I even start to explain how I felt about this book? It was a wild ride reading An Education in Malice. I’m glad I knew in advance that this was adult fiction. As a reader who typically reads YA, it was nice to know I was reading about horny teenagers haha.
“I write to remember the exultations and miseries of my life. To capture certain moments, certain… people in amber, so they will never diminish, never fade. When you’re as old as I am, sometimes all you have for company are your memories. When everyone else has left you, they remain.”
An Education in Malice is a very quotable book. This might actually be my first academia book, so I kind of was wondering what academia is. Will it always have words I don’t recognize? Will there always be notable quotes that pique my interest? It was refreshing to take a look at a new type of book that I don’t typically read.
“They looked like vestal virgins processing towards the offertory flame.”
Did I like the characters? I thought both Laura and Carmilla’s character development was interesting to look into.I appreciate the sapphism, but I didn’t really like the insta-love. Is this a spoiler? Eh. Guess I’ll turn on the spoilers button. Like okay, Laura was instantly attracted to Carmilla, but it was like a complete 180 for Carmilla when she started to become more attracted to Laura.
“I wasn’t obsessed, I assured myself. I was only curious.”
I was immediately aware of the power dynamic De Lafontaine had over Carmilla and I was so against their relationship.It turned out to be more mother-daughter than romantic, but it was romantic for Carmilla at least. I thought it was weird, the professor taking advantage of a student’s almost obsession with her. It made me feel pretty icky. I’m glad it turned into something that wasn’t romantic, but it was still weird. Maybe it’s just me, I don’t know.
“You must excel or else fade into obscurity.”
I don’t know why I was surprised about the vampires haha. I think I vaguely remember A Dowry in Blood being about vampires and I think it was said that An Education in Malice takes place in the same world as A Dowry in Blood. I don’t know, the part where things take a big turn immediately made me gasp and I wasn’t expecting that to actually happen.
“In helping things grow, I love knowing that I was the force behind such beauty, that, in the end, it couldn’t exist without me.”
LET ME START ON THE ENDING. Ughhhhhh I hate hate hate endings where the reader has to take guesses on whether the character chooses to do something or not because we will never be sure if it’s right because it isn’t cannon. I’m actually so disappointed in that ending I had to dock half a star. I detest endings like that, and I can only hope that I don’t have to read another standalone that has a similar like ending.
“I couldn’t walk away from what I was being offered: the chance to live an exceptional life.”
All in all, I enjoyed the book, I didn’t hate it. Maybe I’ll actually read A Dowry in Blood, maybe I won’t. I wonder if I’ll actually remember the book and its plot after a while. That pretty much determines whether I feel affected by the book. I’m really glad I was given the opportunity to read An Education in Malice.
“Hysteria is a made-up patriarchal tool of oppression.”
First let me say thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for giving me the chance to read An Education in Malice. I’ve been wanting to read S.T. Gibson ever since I’ve heard great things about A Dowry in Blood, so I was really excited when I was approved to read this book!
“If I couldn’t touch her, I’d settle for making her squirm.”
How do I even start to explain how I felt about this book? It was a wild ride reading An Education in Malice. I’m glad I knew in advance that this was adult fiction. As a reader who typically reads YA, it was nice to know I was reading about horny teenagers haha.
“I write to remember the exultations and miseries of my life. To capture certain moments, certain… people in amber, so they will never diminish, never fade. When you’re as old as I am, sometimes all you have for company are your memories. When everyone else has left you, they remain.”
An Education in Malice is a very quotable book. This might actually be my first academia book, so I kind of was wondering what academia is. Will it always have words I don’t recognize? Will there always be notable quotes that pique my interest? It was refreshing to take a look at a new type of book that I don’t typically read.
“They looked like vestal virgins processing towards the offertory flame.”
Did I like the characters? I thought both Laura and Carmilla’s character development was interesting to look into.
“I wasn’t obsessed, I assured myself. I was only curious.”
I was immediately aware of the power dynamic De Lafontaine had over Carmilla and I was so against their relationship.
“You must excel or else fade into obscurity.”
I don’t know why I was surprised about the vampires haha. I think I vaguely remember A Dowry in Blood being about vampires and I think it was said that An Education in Malice takes place in the same world as A Dowry in Blood. I don’t know, the part where things take a big turn immediately made me gasp and I wasn’t expecting that to actually happen.
“In helping things grow, I love knowing that I was the force behind such beauty, that, in the end, it couldn’t exist without me.”
LET ME START ON THE ENDING. Ughhhhhh I hate hate hate endings where the reader has to take guesses on whether the character chooses to do something or not because we will never be sure if it’s right because it isn’t cannon. I’m actually so disappointed in that ending I had to dock half a star. I detest endings like that, and I can only hope that I don’t have to read another standalone that has a similar like ending.
“I couldn’t walk away from what I was being offered: the chance to live an exceptional life.”
All in all, I enjoyed the book, I didn’t hate it. Maybe I’ll actually read A Dowry in Blood, maybe I won’t. I wonder if I’ll actually remember the book and its plot after a while. That pretty much determines whether I feel affected by the book. I’m really glad I was given the opportunity to read An Education in Malice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Alcohol
itskenzcarter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I can’t even begin to describe how great this book was. The writing was fantastic and it really draws you in. I ended up loving all the characters. I highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
lovelymisanthrope's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.0
I was so excited to pick this book up because of how much I enjoyed "A Dowry in Blood".
"An Education in Malice" is a novel that follows Laura Sheridan as she begins her academic journey at Saint Perpetua's College. On her first day, she meets an enchanting peer named Carmilla, whom she grows to have a vicious rivalry with. Laura and Carmilla are both trying to prove that they are the best poets to their professor De Lafontaine, whom is also obsessed with Carmilla, but for very different reasons.
S.T. Gibson has a beautiful way with words, and her prose is captivating in the most stunning of ways. However, I was not as enamored with this book as I was with "A Dowry in Blood". I still very much appreciated this story, and I enjoyed seeing the author write something new.
Laura and Carmilla are both beautifully flawed women, and I really enjoyed seeing their relationship evolve from enemies to something more. I think they both helped to bring out the best in each other because they both pushed each other to never be complacent. I think they both also brought out the softness in one another, which is so important, especially for a hopeful poet.
This story is about vampires, but I think the vampiric elements are much more of a subpoint in comparison to the other themes going on. I found this story to be more about love, self-discovery, and finding your niche in your art.
I will definitely be picking up more of S.T. Gibson's work in the future.
"An Education in Malice" is a novel that follows Laura Sheridan as she begins her academic journey at Saint Perpetua's College. On her first day, she meets an enchanting peer named Carmilla, whom she grows to have a vicious rivalry with. Laura and Carmilla are both trying to prove that they are the best poets to their professor De Lafontaine, whom is also obsessed with Carmilla, but for very different reasons.
S.T. Gibson has a beautiful way with words, and her prose is captivating in the most stunning of ways. However, I was not as enamored with this book as I was with "A Dowry in Blood". I still very much appreciated this story, and I enjoyed seeing the author write something new.
Laura and Carmilla are both beautifully flawed women, and I really enjoyed seeing their relationship evolve from enemies to something more. I think they both helped to bring out the best in each other because they both pushed each other to never be complacent. I think they both also brought out the softness in one another, which is so important, especially for a hopeful poet.
This story is about vampires, but I think the vampiric elements are much more of a subpoint in comparison to the other themes going on. I found this story to be more about love, self-discovery, and finding your niche in your art.
I will definitely be picking up more of S.T. Gibson's work in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Lesbophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
lightfoot33's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really liked this! I found it easy and compulsive to read. A Dowry of Blood was the better book and this one "hit" me a little less, but overall it was pretty good for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Sexual content
blacksphinx's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Dark Academia started its life as collages of stolen photos posted on Pinterest and tumblr. Gothic churches, colleges in autumn, people in flowing blouses. When I started reading for pleasure again in 2022, I was shocked to discover this was now a literary genre. How do you take collections of pretty photos and turn them into themes and plots?
Well... this book includes an interview with the author. In it, she says her stories start as a music video in her mind with vibes-based images and that's exactly how this novel turned out. It's vibes. It is a collection of scenes that if it was a movie or a music video, would be turned into gifs and reblogged on tumblr until the end of days. There's a massive college party where all four floors of the dorms are transformed into a representation of The Divine Comedy. During the opening ceremony, senior girls in pure white dresses put laurel crowns on the incoming freshmen around a bonfire. Does this have anything to do with the themes of the story? Nope! But they are cool to think about!
Things only happen to push us from one pretty set piece to another. And there's very, very few things that happen in this novel. It honestly bothers me that both protagonists are poets and spend all of their time off-screen writing poetry, but we only get two poems from them in the entire book. The author is a poet... where are the poems? This novel also doesn't need two PoVs, and I sometimes got them confused because they were so similar. (I feel bad that the author admits she struggled to make their voices sound different; I don't think she succeeded.) I also think it's weird that the protagonist being plus size is a selling point but no one mentions this until like 45% through the book?
But the thing is like, I was one of those girls reblogging collections of stolen photos a decade ago. The vibes are immaculate! I would reblog the gifs of the movie of this novel! But it's like, eating a giant puff of black cotton candy from a cone with bookshelves printed on it. There is no substance here. The words are beautiful, but so little happens. I am completely torn on what number to give to this book. It was pretty. It bored me. I'd read her other novels. I'm glad I checked this out of the library instead of preordering it.
Well... this book includes an interview with the author. In it, she says her stories start as a music video in her mind with vibes-based images and that's exactly how this novel turned out. It's vibes. It is a collection of scenes that if it was a movie or a music video, would be turned into gifs and reblogged on tumblr until the end of days. There's a massive college party where all four floors of the dorms are transformed into a representation of The Divine Comedy. During the opening ceremony, senior girls in pure white dresses put laurel crowns on the incoming freshmen around a bonfire. Does this have anything to do with the themes of the story? Nope! But they are cool to think about!
Things only happen to push us from one pretty set piece to another. And there's very, very few things that happen in this novel. It honestly bothers me that both protagonists are poets and spend all of their time off-screen writing poetry, but we only get two poems from them in the entire book. The author is a poet... where are the poems? This novel also doesn't need two PoVs, and I sometimes got them confused because they were so similar. (I feel bad that the author admits she struggled to make their voices sound different; I don't think she succeeded.) I also think it's weird that the protagonist being plus size is a selling point but no one mentions this until like 45% through the book?
But the thing is like, I was one of those girls reblogging collections of stolen photos a decade ago. The vibes are immaculate! I would reblog the gifs of the movie of this novel! But it's like, eating a giant puff of black cotton candy from a cone with bookshelves printed on it. There is no substance here. The words are beautiful, but so little happens. I am completely torn on what number to give to this book. It was pretty. It bored me. I'd read her other novels. I'm glad I checked this out of the library instead of preordering it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, and Murder
Moderate: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Lesbophobia, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Physical abuse, and Confinement
courtyshorty's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Blood
caidyn's review
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.25
Another fantastic vampire book. Delightfully queer and just a fun read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Adult/minor relationship
the_lesbrarian's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was delicious. Vampires, all-girls boarding school, academic rivals to lovers, southern preacher’s daughter and european aristocrat— YUM.
For a Carmilla retelling, I wanted a little more bite. I wish Gibson gave it permission to be more vicious, especially at the ending, which felt shallow in comparison to the original work.
An Education in Malice crafted an alluring atmosphere, intricate relationships, and some truly sumptuous scenes. If you’re looking for a new adult vampire romance, this is the one to read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for the opportunity to read and review An Education in Malice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent and Adult/minor relationship
errie's review against another edition
dark
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Sexual content, and Abandonment
guybrushtmp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have hummed and hawed over what to rate this book. ST Gibson writes beautiful prose. They have a wonderful way with words that feels rich and the embodiment of decadent. However, I think I will be leaving her to others in the future as her stories are not for me, though I would recommend her to anyone who likes dark academia vibes.
I found this book to be a rather slow start and while I enjoyed the hate fucking, I felt like the transition between rivals to lovers was underdeveloped and too sudden. I think more needed to be done to explore the emotions and complexity between the stages for Carmilla.
Speaking of Carmilla, I have realised I don’t really enjoy super entitled characters, which she is. While my ao3 history shows I enjoy a bratty character, Carmilla’s brattiness was more often whiny and childish to me, which to be fair makes sense for her age and character, just is not my preference and good for people to know it a thing.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship