Take a photo of a barcode or cover
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Beautifully written. Simple story, I'm sure compelling for the time it was written. Quick read, very recommendable as a sapphic classic and, of course, just A Classic. Worth reading, I might even re-read it some day!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Minor: Child death, Death, Car accident, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood
Moderate: Ableism, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Murder, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Classism
Minor: Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Honestly, complaining about pacing problems or plot macguffins in a horror story this short and this old would be redundant. I enjoyed it a lot. I would not survive a homoerotic codependent friendship with a beautiful lesbian vampire and I am okay with that.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship
Honestly all the triggers in this book are EXTREMELY mild in my opinion (the time period after all wasn't especially keen on graphic gore and psychological violence). Keep in mind that this book, having been written SO long ago, is dismissive and even very slightly hostile towards the homoerotic female friendship at its centre, but frankly it is SO mild even then. This book is a stiff gothic vampire story, it is not especially upsetting to the modern audience.
Main character's mother is dead, it is brushed over excessively briefly.
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Child death, Murder
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
How come I had never heard of this book before?
I have this book for so long in my shelves and never looked at it twice... how? I know why... is this horrible cover, this cover is ugly. Anyway, I really loved this book. Who would thought that the predecessor of Dracula was a lady vampire...
This is a very short book with a great story in it. Very raw, very cruel, very tough. The way Carmilla manipulates people around her is very creepy and, at the same time, appealing. There is this constant sexual innuendo between the two (aparent) little girls that for todays standarts would be completly canceled. And there's also this thing with Carmilla choosing little girls... Maybe because they are virgins? Probably is from here that the myth around virgins and pure blood emerged... who knows? Maybe was just the author trying (and succeeding) to scandalize society back then.
The point it that this is a awesome book that every horror/vampire lovers should know about.
I have this book for so long in my shelves and never looked at it twice... how? I know why... is this horrible cover, this cover is ugly. Anyway, I really loved this book. Who would thought that the predecessor of Dracula was a lady vampire...
This is a very short book with a great story in it. Very raw, very cruel, very tough. The way Carmilla manipulates people around her is very creepy and, at the same time, appealing. There is this constant sexual innuendo between the two (aparent) little girls that for todays standarts would be completly canceled. And there's also this thing with Carmilla choosing little girls... Maybe because they are virgins? Probably is from here that the myth around virgins and pure blood emerged... who knows? Maybe was just the author trying (and succeeding) to scandalize society back then.
The point it that this is a awesome book that every horror/vampire lovers should know about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Animal death
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Confinement, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Gore, Sexism, Suicide, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
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:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Blood
Minor: Death of parent
dark
mysterious
i know it's a classic but my brain was just like huh. mid.
I KNOW THATS A BAD REVIEW but like cmon. the queerness of it is not strong enough to save it. It's very one sided and kinda predatory im ngl. I knooow thats the point but i thought it would be better than this. I DO like the atmosphere and the fact it's from Laura's pov. The rest of the book is just so whatever and the lil bit of racism threw me off guard lol. Did not care for it.
I KNOW THATS A BAD REVIEW but like cmon. the queerness of it is not strong enough to save it. It's very one sided and kinda predatory im ngl. I knooow thats the point but i thought it would be better than this. I DO like the atmosphere and the fact it's from Laura's pov. The rest of the book is just so whatever and the lil bit of racism threw me off guard lol. Did not care for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood
Moderate: Child death, Racism
Minor: Death of parent
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent
dark
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
Carmilla is quite an interesting book. The plot and allure surrounding (the first of its kind of vampire novel before Dracula became a thing) intrigued, and I felt that Le Fanu’s writing lived up to the hype this book has been getting. I appreciated the quiet horror that Le Fanu employs in Carmilla rather than angling towards a jump scare approach. Additionally, I found myself wondering about the nature of Carmilla’s and Laura’s relationship, especially if Carmilla was truly in love with her (though some of her most popular quotes seem to come straight from a romance novel, if you think about it). Even after the final page, Le Fanu still leaves you second-guessing everything that occurs in the book (but it’s in a good way, I promise), and it’s the type of book that lingers around after you’re done reading it.
An underrated classic that doesn’t get as much attention, I would recommend Carmilla for readers looking for queer vampire novellas to read this spooky season.
An underrated classic that doesn’t get as much attention, I would recommend Carmilla for readers looking for queer vampire novellas to read this spooky season.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Racism, Toxic relationship, Murder
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent