Reviews - Carmilla and Laura

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433 reviews for:

Carmilla and Laura

S.D. Simper

4.11 AVERAGE

gee_rothvoss's review against another edition

4.75

emotional inspiring 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: No

Equal parts gothic and dreamy, "Carmilla and Laura" is a retelling of Le Fanu's classic vampire tale "Carmilla", which went on to inspire Stoker's own masterpiece "Dracula" and, as such, all subsequent vampire stories. If you read the original and paid attention as you did, you probably noticed that there was a romantic and sexual undertone to Laura and Carmilla's dynamics (which was not accidental at all, dear reader!). Most probably, if you enjoy sapphic stories, it left you somewhat disappointed to not have Carmilla turn Laura into her immortal lover... Which is why I've got good news, because this novella does just that!

Although it's never easy to write a high-quality retelling that keeps most of the original plot and key events, but adds new layers and sets up the scene to achieve a different outcome, I must say that S.D. Simper's execution of "Carmilla and Laura" was masterful. In these pages we meet shy Laura as she slowly but strongly falls for her father's mysterious guest Carmilla, and as the story progresses and the two young women grow more and more attracted to each other, the plot progressively weaves in a beautiful sapphic love story that upgrades the original in more than one way. One of my favourite things about "Carmilla and Laura" was that there were beautiful metaphors that put Carmilla and Laura's immense love for each other into perspective through religious imagery and holy-feeling gestures. It was amazing not only because of the beautiful prose itself, but also because it fit the story well due to Laura's upbringing as a Christian woman at a time in which sapphic relationships and sex between two women weren't even considered possible.

Although I hesitate to describe it as trauma per se, Laura's fears about eternal damnation (which are naturally rooted in her religious upbringing) and sinning beyond redemption felt like a nuanced depiction of what queer people with religious trauma struggle with. In that sense, it was beautiful to see how Carmilla held Laura's hand through it but didn't try to push her or dismiss her fears, and it was incredible to watch Laura come out stronger on the other side of her fear.

In terms of the romance, the book was sweet as cherry jam! Besides, all the spicier scenes were handled with elegance and beauty without losing any heat, and oftentimes they made my heart swell with happiness for these two fictional women who found eternal happiness in each other's arms. Overall I loved "Carmilla and Laura", and IMO it should be a must-read for anyone and everyone who enjoys sapphic love stories!