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bookboxbabe's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
oh boy…ummm, where do i start? *sweats nervously*
this was such a letdown. i was so excited to start reading this because even though i hadn’t read a dowry of blood, i had heard amazing things.
unfortunately, this book was, shall we say, not good.
the prose is overly flowery, the plot was virtually nonexistent, the characters were bland and i didn’t care about what happened to any of them, and the conflicts just never really felt fleshed out enough for me to care
also, the vampire aspect could’ve been taken out and nothing would’ve changed. like the vampirism was so non-important that i’m struggling to see how this was a “carmilla” retelling, aside from the name
Graphic: Murder, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Minor: Drug use
heathersinkwell's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Death, Blood, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Confinement
forgottenangstycharacter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
An Education in Malice has been one of my most anticipated releases of the year. A dark academia version of Carmilla in the 60s? Sign me up. This is interestingly the second canonical vampire retelling/re-imagining I’ve read over the past two months, the first being Reluctant Immortals
An Education in Malice is told in dual PoV between Laura Sheridan and Carmilla Karnstein. Laura is a 20 year old freshman at Saint Perpetua’s school, enrolled in a senior poetry class run by the demanding and vampiric Professor De Lefontaine (Laura’s governess in Le Fanu’s Carmilla ). She yearns for the admiration of her professor over the clear class favourite, Carmilla, who has an inappropriate and all-consuming relationship with her professor. The two girls are pitted against the other, both vying for the attention of their professor, in blend of toxicity and artistic genius.
I wouldn’t call this a retelling, it’s a transplant or even an AU (and I meant that in the most affectionate way). The elements of girlhood and obsessive relationships between women shines here. One of my favourite parts of this book is the delicate balance of what could be contradictory desires within her characters. Carmilla is simultaneously hyperindependent, worldly, sharp, cutting and incredibly needy.
“In her righteous indignation, she seemed like a wrathful goddess but now she sounded very much her age, a child chasing after the approval of her mentor.”
Laura is sheltered, sweet, eager and also incredibly needy. Transforming her from her sheltered, upper-middle class existence schloss in Styria to the epitome of Southern politeness and grace was a smart move on Gibson’s part. Ultimately, Gibson taps into the essence of Le Fanu’s Carmilla, it’s a story about yearning, obsessive love and neediness. Both young women yearn for love, friendship and each other. Laura and Carmilla do not become the fast friends of the original novella, but that doesn’t stop the obsessive infatuation they have for each other. Yet, finally, we get the explicit sapphism that was denied in Carmilla.
It was toxic, messy and Gothic. I loved it!
This is the dark academia I have been looking for ever since reading The Secret History. Gibson’s strength in writing is the atmosphere and her prose. I wish I had recorded more of the beautiful prose but as I was often listening to it while driving I couldn’t. Her writing makes sure you feel New England's biting cold and the mist as the characters walk across the quad. You feel the same rage as Laura and Carmilla.
I have to shout out the audiobook narrator, Stephanie Cannon, who brought the book to life, effortlessly shifting between Laura's Southern Mississippi accent and Carmilla's refined Austrian accent, never confusing me with who was speaking or which PoV we were in.
This is a character-focused book that centres Laura and Carmilla’s relationship with vampirism being a metaphor for artistic brilliance that brings immortality, while giving everything a bloody tint. The first half was addictive. The second half ramped up the plot back it was relegated to the background as a murderer ripped through the school. I felt like the horror could have been amped up here as the reader knew who was behind the murder, but the focus was centred on Laura and Carmilla’s desire for each other. This of course led to a fair bit of spice, which didn’t always work for me (but that’s personal preference and not a fault of the writer). Also this is a S. T. Gibson book it’s to be expected. I wish there was a bit more of a sense of things closing in on our characters, and further challenging their dynamics. This occurred right towards the end but I wanted more of it. I also wanted the dynamic between Laura, Carmilla and De Lafontaine to be resolved a little more neatly.
I wanted either Carmilla or Laura to finally say no and extract themselves from their relationship. I suppose relationships like those depicted aren’t always neatly resolved, I just wished that it culminated in a breaking point.
Overall, this is an amazing take on Le Fanu’s Carmilla and even with the things I wasn’t sure of, this is a book I highly recommend to most people. It is beautifully written, I adore Laura and Carmilla and the atmosphere is top-notch!
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Violence
just_one_more_paige's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Death
herelieshenry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Murder
Minor: Abandonment, Violence, Bullying, and Death
Body image issues; Secondary relationship with power imbalancebookswithbethx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Death
katyakat's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Outing, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexual content, and Death of parent
bibliofrog's review
- 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
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
- 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
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.
Graphic: Blood and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Death
veecaswell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
What I loved about A Dowry Of Blood is here too. Her writing is just something I adore. The way she crafts a scene and builds tension and drama in her writing is incredible in this book until the very last page. Gibson is able to put you in a scene and make you feel you are the watching with such talent and that is something I did love about this book.
Character wise, things were okay. Maybe I've just read alot of books in this sort of 'dark academia' genre with reminisces of other books for me thrown in with vampires even though this a retelling of Carmilla. I feel like the author has revitalised the story for sure and the romance in this book is written well, if not I feel done a little too quickly.
A book packed with tension, obsession and drama, I feel this book would be a great book to be a gateway to classic books, but also a book that if you love the dark academia genre, you're going to want this in your collection. Beautifully written and crafted well I will definitely keep on reading this author's work.
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, and Blood