A review by marthalperezs
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

 This is a Carmilla retelling, which is the OG vampire written like a decade before Dracula, it follows Laura who just joined a new college where she’s pursuing writing and poetry under the top teached Mrs. De La Fontaine while competing with her already pet student Carmilla. 
I LOVED the rivals to lovers plot and I really liked the whole gothic academia vibe that the author created within the book. 
She wrote an environment that is believable even when the main topic is vampires because she wrote the girlhood to coming of age pipeline really well. 
I do feel the end was kind of rushed like trying to tie loose ends in the last chapter. 

Overall this was a really enjoyable book and I’m dying to read A Dowry of Blood.

Thanks to the Redhood and Orbit team for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review! Love y’all.