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clairesreading 's review for:
An Education in Malice
by S.T. Gibson
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it's nowhere near as beloved to me as Dowry of Blood was, but I can't deny that it wasn't very entertaining, dark, intense, transgressive and marked by the author's gorgeous writing.
First things first, this story is a lot different, even if it does involve vampires. Without spoiling anything, this is a story about two college girls who are rivals for the attention of their mysterious poetry professor, and get sucked into said professor's dark life and manipulation.
It's a very quick read (I myself finished it in less than 24 hours, just like Dowry of Blood) and it's very atmospheric and moody, really something I would advise as an autumn gothic read with sapphic characters, melancholic and tortured vampires, and transgressive sexual exploration in the face of faith.
What's important to know about this story as well is that it is heavily centered around a pattern of gaslighting, abuse, power imbalance between a professor and her students, and while the story does eventually acknowledge the relationship as unhealthy and damaging, the ending was in my opinion a little too kind on the professor, making it feel as if the emotional abuse wasn't "that bad". However past that, the ending did leave on an uncertain note, leaving the reader to decide for themselves what exactly will happen after the story has ended.
I think overall this is a good book, and it's entirely possible that I expected too much from it following Dowry of Blood's success and perfection. I found a lot of elements I enjoyed, such as the relationship between Carmilla and Laura, the ambiance, the simple plot, the darkness and philosophy of certain things. I would def advise on reading some of the TWs, they didn't deter me but I can't say I was personally intrigued by some of the sexual transgressions in the story, not in any negative way, but just because it wasn't my personal cup of tea. The problem is that I feel like this book fell short of the writing and depth of the author's previous work. It felt like it could have been so much more, and like the author was limiting herself with the naiveté of her characters, never truly giving them the autonomy and power they deserved. I will say however that despite being a bit simpler, it does a good job at establishing relationships, ambiance and a rhythm to its story, i just personally felt like it fell a little short of what I expected from this author.
I did however expect worse considering the mixed reviews, and my final opinion would just be that if you liked the author's previous work, or if you're simply intrigued by the story and don't mind reading a story with abuse of power, abuse and gaslighting (I will say the professor's behavior was truly unsettling for me from the start, and I would not recommend this book to just anyone), give it a go, it's a quick read and an intriguing representation of vampires that echoes the classical representations we've had of them in the past.
First things first, this story is a lot different, even if it does involve vampires. Without spoiling anything, this is a story about two college girls who are rivals for the attention of their mysterious poetry professor, and get sucked into said professor's dark life and manipulation.
It's a very quick read (I myself finished it in less than 24 hours, just like Dowry of Blood) and it's very atmospheric and moody, really something I would advise as an autumn gothic read with sapphic characters, melancholic and tortured vampires, and transgressive sexual exploration in the face of faith.
What's important to know about this story as well is that it is heavily centered around a pattern of gaslighting, abuse, power imbalance between a professor and her students, and while the story does eventually acknowledge the relationship as unhealthy and damaging, the ending was in my opinion a little too kind on the professor, making it feel as if the emotional abuse wasn't "that bad". However past that, the ending did leave on an uncertain note, leaving the reader to decide for themselves what exactly will happen after the story has ended.
I think overall this is a good book, and it's entirely possible that I expected too much from it following Dowry of Blood's success and perfection. I found a lot of elements I enjoyed, such as the relationship between Carmilla and Laura, the ambiance, the simple plot, the darkness and philosophy of certain things. I would def advise on reading some of the TWs, they didn't deter me but I can't say I was personally intrigued by some of the sexual transgressions in the story, not in any negative way, but just because it wasn't my personal cup of tea. The problem is that I feel like this book fell short of the writing and depth of the author's previous work. It felt like it could have been so much more, and like the author was limiting herself with the naiveté of her characters, never truly giving them the autonomy and power they deserved. I will say however that despite being a bit simpler, it does a good job at establishing relationships, ambiance and a rhythm to its story, i just personally felt like it fell a little short of what I expected from this author.
I did however expect worse considering the mixed reviews, and my final opinion would just be that if you liked the author's previous work, or if you're simply intrigued by the story and don't mind reading a story with abuse of power, abuse and gaslighting (I will say the professor's behavior was truly unsettling for me from the start, and I would not recommend this book to just anyone), give it a go, it's a quick read and an intriguing representation of vampires that echoes the classical representations we've had of them in the past.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Gaslighting