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A review by mitzee
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
We love a sapphic vampire romance/horror. Hopefully these are not spoilers and more of a keyword search hint. A short but sweet look into basically one year in the life of these college age schoolgirls at an all girl school in the late 60s. Definitely spicy but in a soft, first love kind of way.
Some notes for myself about the story
The romance in this definitely toes the line between romance and smut (in the best way). There’s a bunch of different themes in this book: an inappropriate professor and student relationship, an enemies to lovers story, a dom/sub relationship, virginity, sapphic romance, coming of age, and abuse of power.
Three major players: De la Fontaine, the 200 year old vampire professor of Poetry who is sophisticated and cool.
Laura, the freshman from Mississippi, a virgin lesbian new to Saint Perpetua’s School for girls. Skilled at poetry, she’s the rare freshman to be admitted to De La Fontaine’s small poetry seminars.
Carmilla, a senior at Saint Perpteua’s and the pet student in De la Fontaine’s class and her protege. They are having a vampire and blood source relationship.
Vampires are not portrayed as self centered bored people with superiority complexes. Describe it as “A life without laws to chafe against.”
At first Carmilla hates Laura, because De La Fontaine takes and interest in her poetry and Carmilla doesn’t like to share. Carmilla has had experience with boys and other girls, while Laura has never acted on her own desires for other girls, but she has a crush and hate for Carmilla.
Meanwhile Carmilla has been letting her professor feed on her for the past four years of their relationship. What Carmilla doesn’t know is that DLF is at this school because she’s looking for her old lover and thinks she’s in a catacomb under the school. She asks Carmilla to bleed into Isis’s mouth and when she does the ancient vampire, DLF’s sire, kills Carmilla and DLF has to turn her to prevent her from dying. Seems like she really does care.
Over the next few months while Isis has been resurrected she’s been killing girls from the school. She really wants to kill Carmilla though the reason why is not clear. DLF wanted to resurrect Isis because she’s in love with her but she learns that things will never be the way she wants.
DLF and Laura devise a plan to kill Isis to save Carmilla, whom they both love. DLF is the one to separate the head from the body. They bury her. DLF leaves the school and the other two girls are adopted by Magdalena and Fabrizio (an older vampire and her human companion) and they are headed for Spain. The book ends with Mag giving Laura the option to become a vampire.
Some notes for myself about the story
The romance in this definitely toes the line between romance and smut (in the best way). There’s a bunch of different themes in this book: an inappropriate professor and student relationship, an enemies to lovers story, a dom/sub relationship, virginity, sapphic romance, coming of age, and abuse of power.
Three major players: De la Fontaine, the 200 year old vampire professor of Poetry who is sophisticated and cool.
Laura, the freshman from Mississippi, a virgin lesbian new to Saint Perpetua’s School for girls. Skilled at poetry, she’s the rare freshman to be admitted to De La Fontaine’s small poetry seminars.
Carmilla, a senior at Saint Perpteua’s and the pet student in De la Fontaine’s class and her protege. They are having a vampire and blood source relationship.
Vampires are not portrayed as self centered bored people with superiority complexes. Describe it as “A life without laws to chafe against.”
At first Carmilla hates Laura, because De La Fontaine takes and interest in her poetry and Carmilla doesn’t like to share. Carmilla has had experience with boys and other girls, while Laura has never acted on her own desires for other girls, but she has a crush and hate for Carmilla.
Meanwhile Carmilla has been letting her professor feed on her for the past four years of their relationship. What Carmilla doesn’t know is that DLF is at this school because she’s looking for her old lover and thinks she’s in a catacomb under the school. She asks Carmilla to bleed into Isis’s mouth and when she does the ancient vampire, DLF’s sire, kills Carmilla and DLF has to turn her to prevent her from dying. Seems like she really does care.
Over the next few months while Isis has been resurrected she’s been killing girls from the school. She really wants to kill Carmilla though the reason why is not clear. DLF wanted to resurrect Isis because she’s in love with her but she learns that things will never be the way she wants.
DLF and Laura devise a plan to kill Isis to save Carmilla, whom they both love. DLF is the one to separate the head from the body. They bury her. DLF leaves the school and the other two girls are adopted by Magdalena and Fabrizio (an older vampire and her human companion) and they are headed for Spain. The book ends with Mag giving Laura the option to become a vampire.