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

tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

Set in St Perpetua’s college in Massachusetts in 1968, USA we follow the two narrators.
Laura (around 19), from a small town is engrossed by writing and poetry, is pretty introverted and flourishes in miss De Lafontaine’s class.
Carmilla is around 24 and also a very talented writer who is obsessed with miss D as well. She is from Austria and came specifically to the US for the teacher. The character seems very American to me and not European or Austrian enough. 
Miss De Lafontaine is a brilliant teacher and poet around 40 years old.
She absolutely misuses her power as a teacher. I found her very one dimensional in her subtle cruelty. 
Laura and Carmilla have an obsessive devotion to her.
The ladies are both pretty self-involved and whiny, which for gifted college students isn’t that rare.
The book starts off very very slowly. We get a lot of details, like the outfits they are wearing. I’m not sure how all those adjectives and descriptions add to the story. Around 29% it starts to get more interesting.
I have been absolutely loving dark academia and adding a sapphic layer I was hoping it would be a 5 star read, but unfortunately it wasn’t. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
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