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emilie_anine's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Kind of one of those books that was a brain-off read for me, which is partly what made it so enjoyable
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Death, Pedophilia, and Toxic relationship
lavender_menaceee's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
This book I amazing I knew within the first ten pages it was going to be a new favorite:) THE WAY LAURA WENT OFF TO GET A KNIFE TO PROTECT HER FROM ISIS OMGš read this book. It seriously altered my brain forever!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent and Blood
themagicalworldofnian's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
An Education in Malice by ST Gibson - review
5 āļø
2 š¶ļø
Wow S.T. Gibson did it again. If you have read A Dowry of Blood this gives the same vibes āØ
An Education in Malice is a sapphic Carmilla retelling, do I even have to say anymore š¤Æ
It follows both Carmilla and Laura, two academic rivals who are infatuated with poetry and getting the approval of their demanding professor De Lafontaine.
While Laura is timid and very insecure about herself and her sexuality, is Carmilla the complete opposite, she is very confident and a bit of a mean girl. They both want the approval of the professor. But there is a thin line between desire, obsession and academic approval.
Again S.T. Gibson her prose is just so captivating an poetic, which I just loveš. She just has a way with words that I canāt describe in any other way than just read her books and stories. The use of literary devices such as metaphors, imagery, symbolism and repetition is done just perfectly. It just adds this extra layer to the writing.
I also just loved the inclusion of a couple of poems written by Laura and Carmilla, tho I would have liked seeing even more of them.
The story is also again very character focused and driven just as her other books. The relationships are written soo good. The relationship between Laura and Carmilla, but also between Carmilla and De Lafontaine. The jealousy, the desire, the obsession, the lust, but also the love and friendship.
I also loved how you could really see the imbalance in power between everyone, but also how it is challenged in certain situations.
I love dark academia and I love S.T Gibson and her poetic writing, so for me this was the absolute perfect combo.
So overall, I would definitely recommend this if you love a dark academia that is mainly character driven with sapphic relationships, vampires and obsession and desire packaged in poetic writing.
5 āļø
2 š¶ļø
Wow S.T. Gibson did it again. If you have read A Dowry of Blood this gives the same vibes āØ
An Education in Malice is a sapphic Carmilla retelling, do I even have to say anymore š¤Æ
It follows both Carmilla and Laura, two academic rivals who are infatuated with poetry and getting the approval of their demanding professor De Lafontaine.
While Laura is timid and very insecure about herself and her sexuality, is Carmilla the complete opposite, she is very confident and a bit of a mean girl. They both want the approval of the professor. But there is a thin line between desire, obsession and academic approval.
Again S.T. Gibson her prose is just so captivating an poetic, which I just loveš. She just has a way with words that I canāt describe in any other way than just read her books and stories. The use of literary devices such as metaphors, imagery, symbolism and repetition is done just perfectly. It just adds this extra layer to the writing.
I also just loved the inclusion of a couple of poems written by Laura and Carmilla, tho I would have liked seeing even more of them.
The story is also again very character focused and driven just as her other books. The relationships are written soo good. The relationship between Laura and Carmilla, but also between Carmilla and De Lafontaine. The jealousy, the desire, the obsession, the lust, but also the love and friendship.
I also loved how you could really see the imbalance in power between everyone, but also how it is challenged in certain situations.
I love dark academia and I love S.T Gibson and her poetic writing, so for me this was the absolute perfect combo.
So overall, I would definitely recommend this if you love a dark academia that is mainly character driven with sapphic relationships, vampires and obsession and desire packaged in poetic writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual content
lila_still_reads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Boy howdy, I loved this book. A Dowry of Blood was alright, but Gibson really got me with this one. Thereās sapphic vampires, thereās healthy exploration of submission/domination dynamics, thereās critique of unhealthy power dynamics in academia. Itās a Carmilla retelling. It rules. Some of my friends now think Iām weird because I wonāt shut up about the dark academia sapphic vampires but jokes on them, Iāve been weird all along.
I loved Laura finding both her confidence and voice without needing to lose her softness. I appreciated that Carmilla never truly finds a healthy dynamic with De Lafontaine but is still able to move forward. I love what a pretentious little shit Carmilla can be and how her growing feelings towards Laura express themselves through academic jealousy and poetry critique.
Itās really good. Thereās a certain scene at a party that just had me floored. Gibson writes tension so well and paces the romantic scenes in a way that made me kick my feet. As someone whoās just left college and has always felt that terrifying need to please authority figures, Carmillaās dynamic with De Lafontaine was both so real and so heartbreaking. By choosing to depict De Lafontaine as more pathetic than evil by the end of the story, I think Gibson actually does a great job in defanging her (pun intended). Carmilla discovering healthier love was beautiful and I loved how her dynamic with Laura subverted my expectations.
It's not perfect- the over-arching danger/mystery element wasnāt always well paced- but I still loved it. Definite recommend if you donāt think itās weird to love the unhinged poetry-writing vampires.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Mental illness
bergha1998's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
3.75
Beautifully written and the setting was gorgeous. As with Dowry of Blood there is so much psychological and interpersonal conflict. It can be difficult and a bit triggering to be honest. However, I really liked Laura and Carmilla.
Fantasy, Enemies to Lovers, Emotional, 2 1/2 š„
āLife doesnāt seem worthwhile without synthesizing my experiences into art, the catharsis of putting it all out onto the page. Itās the only way Iāve ever been able to get other people to understand how Iām feeling.ā
Fantasy, Enemies to Lovers, Emotional, 2 1/2 š„
āLife doesnāt seem worthwhile without synthesizing my experiences into art, the catharsis of putting it all out onto the page. Itās the only way Iāve ever been able to get other people to understand how Iām feeling.ā
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, Body horror, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Toxic friendship, Blood, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Bullying, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Death
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
nightmarebees's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
yeah this one is NOT for the straights
āI wanted to fall at her feet and worship her. I wanted to desecrate her in every filthy manner I could imagine. I wanted all of her, in every way, all at once.ā
after i sped through dowry of blood in a single day, i was so excited to pick this up and it did NOT disappoint. sexy, bloody, toxic, decadent, sapphic as all hell. this one was written for queer girlies specifically. do i hate her? do i love her? do i hate that i want her? should i hate myself for wanting her?
āI was miserably vexed by her presence, but I was just plain miserable without her.ā
the themes of jealousy and envy are so well explored as to make you uncomfortable bc it feels like this book SEES you. the dynamics of the main trio are so messy and entangled that at times you donāt know who to root for.
literally the only thing keeping this from a full 5 stars for me was that something about the pacing felt a bit off. maybe it just felt different bc it took place over such a shorter period of time than dowry.
lush prose, atmosphere that manages to be both spooky and cozy, and a feeling of obsession that made this so hard to put down. i loved this.
āI wanted to fall at her feet and worship her. I wanted to desecrate her in every filthy manner I could imagine. I wanted all of her, in every way, all at once.ā
after i sped through dowry of blood in a single day, i was so excited to pick this up and it did NOT disappoint. sexy, bloody, toxic, decadent, sapphic as all hell. this one was written for queer girlies specifically. do i hate her? do i love her? do i hate that i want her? should i hate myself for wanting her?
āI was miserably vexed by her presence, but I was just plain miserable without her.ā
the themes of jealousy and envy are so well explored as to make you uncomfortable bc it feels like this book SEES you. the dynamics of the main trio are so messy and entangled that at times you donāt know who to root for.
literally the only thing keeping this from a full 5 stars for me was that something about the pacing felt a bit off. maybe it just felt different bc it took place over such a shorter period of time than dowry.
lush prose, atmosphere that manages to be both spooky and cozy, and a feeling of obsession that made this so hard to put down. i loved this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship
missreaderlove's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A dark academia retelling of the classic Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu.
I loved that Gibson stayed true to the majority of the plot in Carmilla, but added in her own little changes and quirks to make it her own.
The last quarter of the book was what dropped it down a star for me - I wished there was a focus other than the romantic story, like the previous parts.
Overall, an intense and engaging novel.
I loved that Gibson stayed true to the majority of the plot in Carmilla, but added in her own little changes and quirks to make it her own.
The last quarter of the book was what dropped it down a star for me - I wished there was a focus other than the romantic story, like the previous parts.
Overall, an intense and engaging novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Blood, Violence, Death, Toxic friendship, 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
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