This was not my favorite but better than Savage Blooms. In general, the Dowry of Blood was her best novel in my opinion.

Lots of twists and turns but not overall for me. I liked the authors debut much better but still glad I read this.

This book started very good, but ultimately fell flat for me. Love the premise and the writing was as beautiful as S.T Gibson’s writing always is, but the characters were lacking depth, and the ending was rushed and nonsensical. I loved A Dowery of Blood, and this felt like it was trying to live up to that hype. Still love S.T Gibson, and look forward to reading more of her work.

I really enjoyed the book but I felt more connected to the authors previous work Dowry of Blood. I felt more of the characters hearts and souls in that book, felt their agony. This book is still a great read but it left me wanting a little more.

The kind of world building most authors can only dream of! S.T. Gibson is the master of atmospheric, immersive story telling. This also strikes a nice balance between suspense and info dumping, that I tend to struggle with in fantastical storytelling.

I was late to the party on this one and had fully intended to make it my summer read last year. But life got in the way, and I pushed it aside because it didn’t feel like the right time for a school-set dark academia novel. I even went so far as to order a physical copy, thinking, I’ll read it in the fall and it’ll be more of a fall vibe.

Well, now it’s the next summer, and as I’m holding the book, I realize I never actually read it. I start reading through and find myself thinking, this is that perfect “coming back from summer break, moving into the dorms, meeting the people who will set the tone for the rest of the year” energy.

I didn’t refresh myself by reading m the summary before starting…just dove right in. So I’m about 50 pages in when I start wondering… are they vampires? Or is this all sapphic euphemism? Then page 108 happens. Yes THEY ARE VAMPIRES. They are sapphic vampires. I was screaming, devouring the rest of the book straight through to the end.

Five stars. I can’t wait to recommend this to more people, especially my Episcopal friends, because there’s a certain delicious irony in Laura being Episcopalian. Easy 5 stars and a short read.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I’m sorry for myself I sat on this.

First of all, can we talk about how beautiful that book cover is? A dark academia book that is set in the state I live in? Count me in!

I love me a book with a beautiful cover, queer representation, vampires and duo point of view's. Gibson created such a beautiful and riveting atmosphere for this book, if that makes sense. The prose was absolutely beautiful. It is everything and anything I could want for a dark academia retelling of Carmilla. If you like everything blood, lust and inappropriate? This book is for you. The pacing is a little slow at times, but boy, is it worth it. I do wish for more yearning, and the relationship to be less rushed. It is definitely more for the vibes, than an actual fleshed out story. But if you want a quick, solo book that is wonderfully sexy, then this book is for you.

Dark academia is the perfect place to be when all you’re craving is a crisp fall day. This was such a fun read and I really enjoyed the banter and tension between the different characters. This was a read a bit outside of where I normally hang out, but I’m glad I branched out. This is a book that I would recommend to reader wanting to dip their toes in the dark academia setting and not be too overwhelmed. I am so excited to see what else S.T. Gibson puts out in the future,

I found this book to be super refreshing gothic vampire story. The poetic style of ST Gibson writing really pulls you in and the romance, of course, is gorgeously written!

Sorry to say that I never got around to reading this one, but it has all the makings to be a great read!

DNF only because of the times/type of academic setting, not because of the work itself. Sometimes, I find it hard to read certain settings and this was a me problem. If the description seems up your alley, I encourage everyone to give it a shot.

Thank you NetGalley and Redhook for the EARC.
This is my second book from this author and I am in love! Their characters are so well thought out and grow so well throughout the book! I can't wait to read more from them!

The rivalry between Laura and Carmilla is a bit boring to begin with. The progression it takes as they devople and their attraction grows is just amazing.

I love a good dark academia book and this one did not disappoint! Looking forward to more of S.T. Gibson's work!

I found myself flipping through the pages and skimming most of the chapters beyond about the 30% mark. Predictable, with uninteresting characters and highly uneven pacing. I rather enjoyed Gibson's other novels, but this one left almost no impression on me at all. It wasn't bad--it simply was not interesting enough to stick in my mind after the last chapter.


***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

I didn’t love this one. It was well written, appropriately atmospheric, and made me yearn for my days at university, but when things really got going I didn’t like what was happening. Overall I would still recommend for anyone looking for a sapphic vampire story set in dark academia. 2.5 stars

The romance plot was very strong, but the overarching conflict felt pushed to the backburner at times.

Thank you to Redhook Books and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

I've said it once and I'll say it again: the only toxic I want is of the lesbian vampire variety.

This was such an intriguing read full of so much to keep thinking about for weeks, months after finishing it. From the academic setting and the teacher-student relationships to the thoughts on the effects of love, both toxic and good, this book really goes through it all. Right when I was getting used to the academics and the rivalry, it brought in the vampire story line and revived it all (no pun intended).

This book is so deep that I'm not sure any review can do it justice. The only thing I wanted was a little bit more from the initial relationship between the two girls. I wanted to see more of them being rivals and then forming a relationship, not just be told about the months that passed and how they had been drawn to each other.

If you're looking for a vampire read, please, get your hands on this one!

Queer vampire dark academia? Sign me up! Beware; if you don’t like spice with your gothic descriptions, then this book is not for you. Otherwise, this is a fun ride with an age gap love triangle. I would consider this a great read for winter. Loved it!

I wanted to love this more than I actually did. The writing was excellent and the vibes were immaculate, but it just felt like something was missing. I couldn’t connect with the story or the characters, and I found myself taking frequent breaks from this. I still plan to read Gibson’s other books, but this one just didn’t capture me the way I’d hoped.

This was my fourth book by this author and I think I just need to give it up. Their books aren't for me-- I think it's the writing style but I am always left wanting more. I know this will be really well loved by folks, but I felt myself really slogging through it.