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A review by queergoth_reads
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
dark
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
2.5
I got an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley but all thoughts are my own.
I was so excited for this book but unfortunately it didn't really live up to my expectations. I think I made two main mistakes when it came to this
- having incredibly high expectations due to my love of A dowry of Blood.
- Expecting something more like the original tale of Carmilla.
Unfortunately, if felt it fell a bit short. I really didn't feel like it had a the essence of Carmilla and would havd been much stronger as a dark academia book on its own, with maybe the occasional nod to the inspiration, rather than just naming the characters Laura and Carmilla. Because of the name choice I assumed they are meant to be Laura and Carmilla and I didn't feel like this book really captured their characters as I know them.
I do also think there were other parts that could have been a lot more fleshed out. I didn't understand why it was set in the time it was as it didn't feel massively relevant. I also was a bit disappointed to see Laura's friends, especially Eleanor,being so flat - though at least she had a bit more of a backstory than the other friends that occasionally get mentioned and then never see Laura again. I get that it's meant to be about Laura, Carmilla and De Lafontaine, and Laura is often a bad friend but there just wasn't much else to round out the world. People dropped in and I wanted a bit more from them.
I was so excited for this book but unfortunately it didn't really live up to my expectations. I think I made two main mistakes when it came to this
- having incredibly high expectations due to my love of A dowry of Blood.
- Expecting something more like the original tale of Carmilla.
Unfortunately, if felt it fell a bit short. I really didn't feel like it had a the essence of Carmilla and would havd been much stronger as a dark academia book on its own, with maybe the occasional nod to the inspiration, rather than just naming the characters Laura and Carmilla. Because of the name choice I assumed they are meant to be Laura and Carmilla and I didn't feel like this book really captured their characters as I know them.
I do also think there were other parts that could have been a lot more fleshed out. I didn't understand why it was set in the time it was as it didn't feel massively relevant. I also was a bit disappointed to see Laura's friends, especially Eleanor,being so flat - though at least she had a bit more of a backstory than the other friends that occasionally get mentioned and then never see Laura again. I get that it's meant to be about Laura, Carmilla and De Lafontaine, and Laura is often a bad friend but there just wasn't much else to round out the world. People dropped in and I wanted a bit more from them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Violence