Reviews with content warning for Body horror - An Education in Malice

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

11 reviews

okgm's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I purchased this book at a pride book fair event because I recognized the cover from my storygraph recommendations—God, I chewed this book up & GULPED. I read a few pages at the laundromat & decided that my next day off would be spent entirely by reading in my window. Finished in a single (despite have to get up and walk about to cool down from the especially spicy scenes) sitting and it was well worth it. I think if I had read this author’s first project, I would have expected the plot better (given I read the excerpt at the end of the book) however, it was an exciting read both in storyline and smut! I was worried in the beginning that I might find it hard to engage (the language started off a bit bold in my opinion) but today I was SAT. This met so many of my interests: obsession over poetry, rivalry/enemies to friends to lovers (god i have loved every girl who bullied me in childhood—I’ll write that down for my therapist), religious imagery, creatures of the night, the romanticization of academia, my WORD. Walking cliché much? I shut this book loudly & proudly at 1 in the morning and now I will be retiring for the evening. God bless lesbianism, amen <3

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krispi_kebob's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

An Education in Malice is quite the story. I found myself invested in the characters right from the beginning. I appreciated the content warnings at the start of the book a lot to understand what I was getting myself into - the story is complicated, morally grey. I appreciated that sex and sensuality were not the total purpose of the book, but rather fit into the plot like a key in a lock.

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gabburrit0's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

vampiric lesbians who are just trying to be gay but there's also jealous, older lesbians who are bringing the newbies in between them resulting in serial murders. so a casual day for the girls.

in all seriousness, this was a nice, bite-size story that I instantly liked. the atmosphere was really what drew me in as well as Fontaine. i personally would've given this book a glowing 5 stars if we had delved further into Fontaine and Irene's background (like an off chapter from Fontaine's POV) but I understand that she's supposed to be this brooding and mysterious character and I can respect Gibson for sticking with that til the very end

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egheinze's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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themagicalworldofnian's review against another edition

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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 ⭐️
2 🌶️

Wow S.T. Gibson did it again. If you have read A Dowry of Blood this gives the same vibes ✨

An Education in Malice is a sapphic Carmilla retelling, do I even have to say anymore 🤯
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 love💕. She just has a way with words that I can’t 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.

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amina_writes_books's review against another edition

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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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bergha1998's review against another edition

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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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madlysoph's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.0

I fell deeply in love with the imagery and overall vibe established in the beginning of the book. Never have I yearned more for a traditional college experience on a campus with ancient buildings and a rich history. The first few chapters feel sunlit, not necessarily light, but the sun is shining and you, nor the characters, yet know the horrors possible. The characters are all beautifully developed and the three main characters feel whole. De Lafontaine never feels fully known by the reader, because she keeps so much of herself from Carmilla and Laura, as much as they know, we know. This entire book is poetry, I found myself constantly finding lines I wanted to write down. An important thing to know about this book is there is a very distinct first and second half of the book. It is not marked, but there is a specific plot point that very clearly marks the two halves of the book as different. The first half does an amazing job of establishing and creating this world that they live in. The St. Perpetuas campus felt real and I could vividly see it in my mind's eye as though I were there. I loved the creation of the routine, the focus on academia and the obsession with the poetry seminar. The beginning of Laura and Carmilla's obsession with one another, how it slowly but surely goes from embers to a burning fire. The second half is where we delve more into darkness and De Lafontaine, she becomes more known and yet held at arm's length. Academia becomes more of a background part of the story and vampires take the forefront. The evolution of Laura and Carmilla's relationship is so delicious to read, the rivalry to obsession to lovers was done so beautifully. Once their relationship blooms it's so much softer than one would think yet also just as depraved as one expects. I deeply love S.T. Gibson's writing and was thrilled to have a cameo of Magdelena my darling! The ending was bittersweet yet not painful and left the door open for future adventures with Laura and Carmilla in this vampiric world. Fair warning that is book is incredibly horny and there is an orgy scene, all characters are twenty or older and there is very clear consent for everything sexual that happens.

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phoricho'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? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book was my introduction to dark academia and also S.T. Gibson, and it did not disappoint.

Gibson writes such individual and layered characters, and it really shines through. Although the main cast of characters is quite small, they are realistic and complex, each with their own struggles and journeys that, at times, align with each other and, at others, conflict. This creates extremely complex relationships between them.

Although told in dual POV, this book is narrated only by Stephanie Cannon, who did an incredible job. Cannon didn’t just read, she put on a performance. Distinguishing the characters with different accents not only helped to know whose POV I was in but also added to the depth of the characters and the overall immersion of the story. At first, I didn’t even realise that there was only one narrator.

Some of the themes in the book include the exploration of sexuality and desire, discovering who one is as a person, complex relationships and power dynamics, the dangers and consequences of getting what you want and losing yourself in obsession. These were such powerful themes that each character explored in their own way.

Overall, I loved this book. Even days later, I still find myself thinking about it. It’s the perfect book if you love dark academia, complex characters & themes, and a dark, twisted and thought-provoking story.

CW/TW: Uneven power dynamics, inappropriate relations between professor and students, toxic academic environments, blood, gore, murder, consensual sexual content, public sex, kink (negotiated and spontaneous), alcohol and drug use and smoking. Brief references to racist political policies, homophobia, and religious discrimination against women.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for sending me this audiobook for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are 100% honest and my own.

Content Warnings

steen19's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Dark academia 🤝 vampires

A sapphic enemies-to-lovers, on a college campus, with dark themes and crisp fall vibes. It’s dual POV, there’s catacombs, there's a monster, and a possessive poetry professor.

I flew through this. Quite literally I started it at dinner and stayed up until 1am to finish it. The writing was so smooth and vibrant.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for my advanced digital copy!

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