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A review by heather_harrison
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you NetGalley, Hatchette Audio & S.T. Gibson for this audio-arc of An Education in Malice in exchange of my honest review.
Last year I devoured both Le Fanu's Carmilla and S.T. Gibson's previous work A Dowry of Blood - so needless to say I had high expectations of this going in.
This retelling follows Laura's arrival at Saint Perpetua's College, as she finds herself immediately falling into an academic rivalry with classmate Camilla, both of which are under the thrall of the capricious and mercurial poetry professor, Ms. De LaFontaine.
I enjoyed the alternating chapters between Laura and Camilla. The narrator did well to distinguish between the two voices, however I felt that as the novel darkened it became harder to tell. While this definitely is in line with the events of the story, it did make it a bit harder to follow.
Read for:
- Dark academia
- Sapphic vampires
- Academic rivals to lovers
- Dark romance & horror blend
The book starts with trigger warnings - which was definitely useful.
The romance and spice were liberally blended, and were also heavily tied to many triggers - however the exploration of trauma, grooming, and obsession was accurately toxic in the best possible way.
This is definitely not going to be everybody's cup of tea - but I devoured this in two days, and honestly wished I could have finished it earlier.
Last year I devoured both Le Fanu's Carmilla and S.T. Gibson's previous work A Dowry of Blood - so needless to say I had high expectations of this going in.
This retelling follows Laura's arrival at Saint Perpetua's College, as she finds herself immediately falling into an academic rivalry with classmate Camilla, both of which are under the thrall of the capricious and mercurial poetry professor, Ms. De LaFontaine.
I enjoyed the alternating chapters between Laura and Camilla. The narrator did well to distinguish between the two voices, however I felt that as the novel darkened it became harder to tell. While this definitely is in line with the events of the story, it did make it a bit harder to follow.
Read for:
- Dark academia
- Sapphic vampires
- Academic rivals to lovers
- Dark romance & horror blend
The book starts with trigger warnings - which was definitely useful.
The romance and spice were liberally blended, and were also heavily tied to many triggers - however the exploration of trauma, grooming, and obsession was accurately toxic in the best possible way.
This is definitely not going to be everybody's cup of tea - but I devoured this in two days, and honestly wished I could have finished it earlier.
"I felt certain I could perish like this. Suffocated by her thighs and die perfectly happy."
- An Education in Malice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death, Blood, and Sexual content