Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - An Education in Malice

Super solid 4.5, leaning oh so close to a five. This book had me on a leash the entire time I was reading it. I was hooked from the first chapter and tore through the pages as quickly as I could. I always wanted to be reading, always had these characters on my mind.

There's so much in this book that Gibson does well that I hardly know where to start. The dark academia vibes are perfection. The character work is some of the best I've read in a long time. The way the relationships are portrayed in this book... somehow Gibson manages to capture all these subtle, delicate little details that really make everything feel realistic and relatable, even when it's not. There's this careful balance between the comfortable and the uncomfortable and it's handled in a way that's almost playful. It works so well in a book that centers yearning that becomes obsession and idolatry that borders on unhinged. Add in all the trademark moments of college girl life - discovering an independent self, exploring sexuality, deciding where you fit (or don't fit) within the norms and expectations you carry... I could ramble forever about all the ways I found this book relatable in all the best and worst ways.

As for the more horror-ish elements, those were more in the forefront than I expected them to be, but not in a bad way. I do wish certain aspects of that plotline were better fleshed out (not a pun...?) but I found them rewarding regardless. I also have complicated feelings about the ending, but I'll leave it at that to avoid spoilers. Eager to see what other readers think about it.

I'm basically going to scream about this book for a really long time. So grateful to Redhook for an ARC in exchange for review.

Content Warnings

amina_writes_books's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

this is the best lesbian vampire story I've ever read with a twist of dark academia. Wish there was delicious poetry to actually my go with.

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vemiline's review

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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.

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midnightrose_reads's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson is a standalone sapphic dark academia retelling of Carmilla.

It was mostly an enjoyable read for me even though some things bothered me about the plot. Specifically the lack of urgency on the part of DeLafontaine, Laura and Carmilla to dispatch an out of control vampire on the college campus sooner in the narrative. Instead DeLafontaine introduces them to vampire society (specifically Carmilla who she’s turned earlier in the story; with her human companion Laura in tow), Laura goes for Thanksgiving break to San Francisco to spend time with her friend’s family, and DeLafontaine holds these private poetry readings between Carmilla and Laura. There doesn’t seem to be a sense of urgency until towards the end of the book to prevent more murders of the student body which I found bizarre.

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zakiya_luna's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I really enjoyed this book. S.T Gibson never upsets me with her writing and I can't wait for her next books to come out.

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itskenzcarter's review against another edition

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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.

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shellbell_04's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Overall the plot was good but I found myself getting mad at certain characters- but I think that just means they were developed enough to frustrate me on a emotional level. I also wish that the book wasn’t as fast in parts and there was slightly more world building

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bergha1998's review

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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 🔥

“Life doesn’t seem worthwhile without synthesizing my experiences into art, the catharsis of putting it all out onto the page. It’s the only way I’ve ever been able to get other people to understand how I’m feeling.”

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