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dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Carmen Maria Machado’s editorial work makes this edition what it is for me. This was so camp and silly at times, and just the right amount of spooky/mysterious to ease into Halloween time 🩸
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Racism, Suicide
That introduction absolutely had me fooled haha! I love it.
I enjoyed this -- it's a classic, of course, so the writing style is very different from what I typically read because I read very few classics. So nothing about the writing was particularly incredible for me, personally.
I also thought that the ending was pretty rushed and the lore and plot overall was a bit flimsy.
However, the vaguely eerie gothic vibes are there, for sure!
I enjoyed this -- it's a classic, of course, so the writing style is very different from what I typically read because I read very few classics. So nothing about the writing was particularly incredible for me, personally.
I also thought that the ending was pretty rushed and the lore and plot overall was a bit flimsy.
However, the vaguely eerie gothic vibes are there, for sure!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Violence
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Toxic friendship
Minor: Death, Racism
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Murder
Minor: Racism
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Murder
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder
Minor: Racism
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Certainly LeFanu needed a monster; he could not imagine lesbian desire otherwise,” says Carmen Maria Machado in a perfectly normal interview.
Having read The Gilda Stories and Fledgling, I was immediately excited to find a queer vampire story pre-dating Dracula. This gothic novel reads much more like a condemnation of deviant desires than an exploration of sexuality and the supernatural as in the case of its more modern counterparts. Yet, I think Carmilla is nonetheless an important piece of vampire and lesbian literary history.
It was slow and tortuous, ridiculously campy, and almost erotic. Though it was not as scary or suspenseful as I had hoped, I had fun!
And did you know Marcia Maren, like Mircalla, is an anagram? Once I realized — after some research, of course — I found an even greater appreciation for Carmen Maria Machado’s introduction and how she twisted LeFanu’s self-serving fiction into her own.
Now I can’t wait to dive deeper into author interviews and fan re-tellings (such as the web series). I love a queer reclamation of a cult classic!
Having read The Gilda Stories and Fledgling, I was immediately excited to find a queer vampire story pre-dating Dracula. This gothic novel reads much more like a condemnation of deviant desires than an exploration of sexuality and the supernatural as in the case of its more modern counterparts. Yet, I think Carmilla is nonetheless an important piece of vampire and lesbian literary history.
It was slow and tortuous, ridiculously campy, and almost erotic. Though it was not as scary or suspenseful as I had hoped, I had fun!
Now I can’t wait to dive deeper into author interviews and fan re-tellings (such as the web series). I love a queer reclamation of a cult classic!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief
Minor: Misogyny, Racism
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Racism
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Homophobia