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A review by vemiline
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
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.
“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 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.
“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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Alcohol