I loved this book for so many reasons and for the most part it was absolute perfection for me. The dark academia ambiance, the subtle gothic atmosphere, the vampires, the academic rivals, the private school of girls, the ode to literature and poetry. This was marvelous. And a beautiful Carmilla retelling.

My fondness for Sierra Simone and Donna Tartt were ever present and I enjoyed the academic rivalry between Carmilla and Laura and their subsequent love story.

I think my very favorite thing about this book was the prose, the attention to literature and poetry, as well as the religious metaphors to love and sex. I loved the exploration of female sexuality and a female protagonist that wasn’t rail thin and had real insecurities about her body. There were so many moments where I felt seen and thought “wow I’ve thought this exact thing before.”

Absolute brilliance.

Okay, part of this is my own fault. I have a tendency to not notice when a book's description is overtly hinting that the book is about vampires, because I don't want to read about vampires and so it doesn't usually cross my mind that other people do want to. So that's not the fault of the book.

Vampires aside, I still had a lot of issues with this. There's a lot of technically beautiful writing in this book, and some really intense moments of unhealthy obsession and attraction between the main characters, which is exactly what I was hoping to get. But these things were not balanced out by good character development or a strong plot, so it never felt as satisfying as it could have.

I think this book really bit off way more than it could chew. The characters and their relationships to each other move and change so fast and so dramatically, and there's no sense of what's causing those changes; there's no depth to their development. There are also a lot of details that get brought up and then either dropped or never made relevant in any tangible way. Laura's desire to be ordained (really her entire interest in Christianity), her Mississippi background, Carmilla's life in Europe, the entire setting of Western Massachusetts--none of that ever informs the story or the characters meaningfully. This is especially disappointing to me when the book is billed as dark academia, which is typically very concerned with the specific situations and locations of its characters (side note: there was really no discussion of class in this book either, which to me is a must-have in dark academia). Lots of other themes are touched on, but nothing feels followed through to any kind of conclusion.

Also, at one point a character is near a lake at night and says that she startles a nightingale in a tree above her, and like, no you didn't. You live in Massachusetts. There is probably not a nightingale within a thousand miles of you.

Unfortunately, my search for the perfect unhealthy lesbian relationships book continues.

I am gonna be honest, whenever the professor Delafointaine was mentioned or present in the background, I wished she wasn't there. Because it kind of acts a constant obstacles between the fmcs. Laura and Carmilla's relationship growth was all around Delafointaine. Because C wanted to have her full attention and she thinks that Laura is ruining her spotlight; not academically but as affections/feelings.
Laura on the other hand, is a somewhat interesting character. She is shown as a smart and well spoken student. Her interaction with Carmilla was definitely different from how she normally behaves around others, especially Delafointaine. Laura isn't the powerless casualty to be tempted and violated by the overpoweringly solid, malicious vampire.

Read if you like?
-'dark' academic rivals
-ff romance
-rep of plus size fmc & bi fmc
-owd

Yearners, piners, anguishers unite! Gibson’s retelling of Carmilla is for us lovergirls.

I’d like to preface that dark academia is one of my least favorite sub-genres of fiction but I chose to read this ARC anyhow because I love Gibson’s work. The prose was unsurprisingly beautiful harnessing both the melancholic nature of dark academia but adding sexy twists along the way.

I think Education in Malice does a wonderful job in exploring the nature of “power” in interpersonal relationships and how imbalance perpetuates cycles of abuse. This theme is something relatively constant in Gibson’s work and I think the insidious nature of it is what appeals to me. Carmilla and Laura’s characters are wonderfully written and the “tortured artist” tropes at their core make them all too relatable to me. Vampirism has always been a metaphor and I love how Gibson weaves it into their story with rich historical lore and settings.

I’d recommend An Education in Malice to anyone who is a fan of sapphic romance, dark romance, and isn’t afraid to explore heavier themes of generational trauma and abuse.

Thank you @netgalley @redhookbooks for the ARC of An Education in Malice!

I am back and forth with how I feel about this book. On one hand it was written beautifully, but on the other I just couldn't get into the characters as much as I thought I would. I think that the uneven power dynamic and the toxicness of obsession is what really made me feel like the ending was a bit anticlimatic.

But there was nothing wrong with the book at all in technicality, I think that it's just a me thing. I think those that really enjoy ST Gibson's work are those that will love this book.

OKAAAAYYYY so yeah this one was good, the vibes were right, I could see the plan, but there was something off about it. Maybe my expectations were far too high. I did enjoy it, but I'm not sure why it didn't hit for me the way I wanted it to. :( I would give it a 3.75

I don't have a lot of one-sitting reads these days, but this was ittttt. I *devoured* this book—pun intended—over the course of one evening, and I feel like I could have read 200 more pages. I loved the alternating POVs of Carmilla and Laura; the simultaneously gothic and retro setting was a pairing I didn't know would slay so hard. Prof. De Lafontaine was the complicated villain(ish) that we needed—an eccentric, perfectionist, lesbian, vampire counterpart to The Secret History's Prof. Morrow. Carmilla and Laura themselves were also an excellent study in contrasts, but I do wish the burn were a little slower. There were implications of time passing, but I don't feel like I got to marinate in their angst enough for the depth of connection later to be believable.

Thank you to Redhook and Orbit for the opportunity to read and review!

Thank you for providing an advance reader copy! I think that this was a very well written book, however the themes in the book were not quite my thing.

I'm beginning to think ST Gibson's books just aren't for me. They just read so slow. I think she has beautiful writing but this story just fell flat for me. I didn't enjoy the characters and honestly the story just seemed off to me. I felt like there was no urgency for the matters at hand and honestly the rivals to lovers was remedied a little too easily for me. It was a nice surprise to find that it is in the same world as A Dowry of Blood, I was not expecting that.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. First and foremost, I loved a A Dowry of Blood and I think S.T. Gibson writes beautifully. My two main issues with this was 1) pacing and 2) overnight lovers that I wasn’t sold on.

So pacing…I was about 40% through and it was so slow. I was approaching slump territory. We barely had any new information and not much happened. What we did know was that Carmilla had an unhealthy obsession with her teacher and Laura was a church girl with some dark hidden desires. Then the last 20% rushed through the storyline.

As for character development, I understand that it was the time period and maybe I’m reading this with too modern ideals and understandings. But everyone at the school seemed to understand Laura and accepter her but she didn’t of herself. Given that Carmilla was an international student, I didn’t understand how she knew what southern church girl stereotypes were. It was difficult for me to invest in this relationship because it felt really one sided. I get Laura’s attraction - Carmilla was smart and very worldly. But Carmilla was basically a a girl who needed a mother (De La Fontaine) then was jealous of Laura when another came along. So it was hard for me to see why the flip in her attraction to Laura.

Again I did find Gibson’s prose eloquent, give these were poetry students, but it vould come off a little high brow or pretentious. This book had potential to really talk about power dynamics and inappropriate relationships and have you feel some type of way about them. But it just didn’t for me.

When I read A Dowry of Blood last year, I was captivated by S.T. Gibson's writing style. Seeing she had a new booking coming out, this time a sapphic Carmilla retelling? Sign me up!

Told between two rival students' perspectives, An Education in Malice spins a gothic tale between the two young girls and their mysterious poetry professor. Both girls are simultaneously captivated by the other while also feeling contempt at the others' attention from Professor De Lafontaine. What starts as a fierce rivalry quickly turns into infatuation and obsession.

Professor De Lafontaine also has an agenda of her own, and when the girls are unknowingly swept into her seductive lifestyle, they find themselves caught in a dark and sinister web. Choices must be made, and relationships are challenged in this toxic romance tale.

The prose in this story was gorgeous, although the plot was not quite as dark and abusive as ADOB was. I was swept away by the beautiful language and was quickly hooked on the Dark Academia setting. The rivalry setup was so intruiging, especially with a professor who is just as obsessed with her students and adds to their growing tension. When Professor D's old life gets brought into the mix, it ratchets up the tension even more.

The one thing I wish there was more of is Professor D's POV and background. She is an antagonist so much of the story and has the largest character growth, so I wish we had a little more knowledge about her. I think this and having a little more action with the big bad would have made it perfect for me.

If you want to read a literary masterpiece with elements of gothic romance and an understanding of what toxic, obsessive love does to relationships, I highly suggest picking this one up!

R E A D I F Y O U L I K E D
Gothic Romance
Toxic Relationships
Sapphic
Vampires
Dark Academia
Poetic Prose

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the review copy!

I have been in a bit of a reading slump this new year; I haven't been able to focus on and finish most of the books I've tried to read. Until I started reading An Education in Malice.

As soon as you start reading, you immediately know, "yes, this is an S.T. Gibson novel." Her writing is so captivating, she immediately pulled me into her world. It felt like such a natural followup to A Dowry of Blood. The prose wasn't too flowery, but it was still lyrical and easy to read and devour.

I genuinely don't think I have any critiques. I loved all of the characters' dynamics, I loved the dark academia setting, I loved the fantastical elements involved. I adored the romance. I didn't think it felt rushed or out of place, it felt very natural to me. I also loved seeing a callback to A Dowry of Blood.

I read this book at a time when I needed it most. After constantly being distracted and my reading moods switching constantly, S.T. Gibson was able to make me enraptured.

Vampires: check
Dark academia setting: check
Rivals to lovers: check
Queer longing: check


I think I like this more than A Dowry of Blood. It certainly pays homage to Carmilla while also reinventing it entirely. The dark academia aspect was executed perfectly. If there's one thing S.T. Gibson does well (besides vampires, obviously) it's writing relationships with imbalanced power dynamics.

IT IS SUCH AN ADDICTING SAPPHIC BOOK I found myself loving it and being shocked by it at the same time. I'm still thinking about it, honestly.

An Education in Malice

3.5/5 ⭐️

You will like this book if you enjoy;
•Academic rivals to lovers
•Sapphic vampires
•dual POV
•Dark Academia/Gothic

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for the eARC opportunity to read this book!

I went into this shortly after having read A Dowry of Blood and had such high hopes after being fully enthralled and obsessed with that read. Unfortunately that was not the case with this read. I did not fully connect with the characters and felt some disconnect with this story for some reason.

As ALWAYS the writing is beautiful and poetic in this Carmilla retelling - but I feel like I was hoping for more substance. And that might be where it fell flat FOR ME.

*I received an arc of this book in exchange for a review*
I absolutely devoured this book- start to finish in 1.5 days because I simply could not put it down. This book was dark, lush, and seductive. I was on the edge of my seat watching as everything unfolded till the last page. I was left wanting a bit more closure at the end, but at the same time I can appreciate the way Gibson decided to end the book.
I'm curious to see what might have changed from proof --> final copy and am patiently awaiting my library loan so I can find out!
I will say that the content warning page at the beginning of the book was very accurate- so if any of the mentioned situations do not sound like your vibe than a less adult dark academia book might be better suited. Overall though the book was captivating, and I would recommend it!

I absolutely adored A Dowry of Blood and when I saw Gibson had another vampire type book coming out, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Sadly this lacked the lush prose they pulled so strongly at my soul that I loved in Dowery, and that made it difficult to move past how little dark academia tends to work for me. I love Gibson’s writing and will definitely be checking out future works, but this one ended up being the wrong fit for me.

on her first day of class at saint perpetua’s college, laura is thrust into a rivalry with the beautiful carmilla. they’re drawn together by their poetry professor, de lafontaine, who has her own obsession with carmilla.

just when i was craving a new vampire book to obsess over, s.t. gibson delivered!!! i absolutely loved the vampires + 1960s women’s college setting combination. i haven’t read carmilla, of which this is a retelling, but this aspect also seemed promising to me. this is the kind of book you never want to put down, even after finishing. i can’t wait to read more from gibson!

Beautifully written, and I loved the poetry. This was my first S.T. Gibson, and I loved the writing and definitely want to read more from her, but overall it felt a little lacking. I liked Carmilla and Laura alright, but I didn't really care for De LeFontaine, and I didn't care for the obsessive relationship with Carmilla.

Ah, Gothic and Dark Academia vibes. These were made for one another. I love them so much. This is my favorite genre. Add to it a sapphic romance? Chef's kiss.

This is an exploration of toxic relationships and obsessive ambition that shifts into a story about self-discovery with a heady and strangely sweet Sapphic romance. Love the Carmilla retelling!

Gibson has a talent for prose, though I wish she'd gone further into the darker aspects in this story. It feels like it doesn't have enough teeth. Pun not intended.

I always appreciate a good Gothic novel's open ending. Masterfully done and super fun, just a little more YA than I was hoping for.

Thanks to Netgalley and Redhook Books for the copy. This is an honest review and all opinions are my own.