I recently embarked on a literary journey through ST Gibson's "An Education in Malice," and suffice it to say, I am now an unwavering Gibson stan for life. Following the gripping tale of Laura and Carmilla in a haunting New England setting, this novel not only solidifies Gibson as a master of atmospheric horror but also cements my newfound love for the genre.

Gibson's ability to craft an immersive New England setting is nothing short of enchanting. The atmosphere is thick with an eerie sense of foreboding, and the landscape itself becomes a character in the story. The author's attention to detail and vivid descriptions transport readers to a world brimming with gothic overtures and mid-century musings.

The dynamic between the characters adds layers of complexity to the narrative, making each interaction pulse with tension and intrigue. Laura and Carmilla's relationship is the highlight, but equally compelling is the dynamic between both girls and their beloved professor, blending elements of horror, passion, and power. The explosive romance between our two leads is not only a driving force in the plot but also serves as a testament to Gibson's prowess in crafting emotionally resonant narratives.

Having previously devoured "A Dowry of Blood," I find myself utterly captivated by Gibson's distinct voice and storytelling style. The seamless blend of horror and romance is a prime example to the author's versatility, and I eagerly anticipate each new work that emerges from her.

If you're seeking a masterfully woven tale that blurs the lines between horror and romance, look no further than ST Gibson's newest release.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

At the prestigious St. Perpetua's College, Laura Sheridan has an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Their demanding poetry professor De Lafontaine draws them together, and the professor is also obsessed with Carmilla. Laura is drawn into a game of politics, blood thirst, and desire. She isn't as innocent as she wanted to believe, and both Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.

This book takes place in 1968 New England in a small Episcopalian school, with characters named like the vampire story Carmilla. We also have a few content warnings prior to the text to give clues as to what we're in for; dark academia has several flavors, and this one has added blood and vampirism. Laura is freshly arrived from Mississippi in Massachusetts, out of her depth and somewhat reserved from the start, hoping to study writing. Carmilla is a senior, the favorite in the poetry seminar and the kind of girl that others either gravitate toward or hates. The two become rivals in the class, with an undercurrent of desire for each other and the favoritism of De Lafontaine. Even after Laura discovers De Lafontaine's secret and keeps it, she's drawn further into that world and her dominant tendencies as well as her desire for Carmilla.

The book is about toxic, obsessive love as well as vampirism and debauchery. Really, the topics seem to go hand in hand; what else can keep people going for decades or hundreds of years other than obsession? Jealousy, favoritism and secrets abound as a result, with Carmilla at the center of the V relationship. Or W, as it turns out that De Lafontaine has other obsessions besides Carmilla. The prose readily conveys the lush atmosphere and wanting of each character, until they come into their own at the end and no longer dwell in the past or on impossibilities. This was an engrossing read, keeping me up until I finished it.

Once again, S.T. Gibson has blown me away. What an absolutely stunning novel. There wasn't a moment I wasn't entranced by the story, the prose, the characters. Well done!

I read A Dowry of Blood by this author recently, and didn't love it. I thought I would try another book by her to see if I liked it more, or if this author just isn't for me.
Sadly, I didn't love this either. For me, 3 stars means ok. I think the writing is good, but I don't like the theme of these books which seems to be fear and love are the same thing. In both books, the MC loves someone and are terrified of them at the same time. Whether it's fear of abuse or fear of disappointing them, it's fear. It makes the characters seem weak. I'm just not a fan of those relationships at all. I'm amazed at how popular these books are. I like to read strong female characters, not these seemingly brainwashed pushovers.

Thanks to Redhook Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading A Dowry of Blood, I was excited to read An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson. This one is a bit more up my alley in terms of the premise, and I really enjoyed it. This one follows Laura and Carmilla, students at Saunt Perpetua's College. While there, they become involved in an academic rivalry and a web of mystery with their professor.

I thought this book was interesting, but some additional world building could have helped flesh out the world a little more. Things happened, but sometimes it felt like they didn't make a big impact on the story overall. I'm a big S. T. Gibson fan, so I'll keep an eye out for her next work!

S. T. Gibson’s An Education in Malice is an alluring and sensuous dark academia retelling of Carmilla, one that expands upon the carnal desires presented in the original. Our tale begins with Laura, here a college freshman, arriving at Saint Perpetua’s College. It is there that she meets Carmilla, a senior who isn’t used to sharing her spotlight. Their immediate rivalry grows alongside their insatiable ambitions, toward something forbidden.

While the relationship is obviously the focal point, I love how the college lends itself to the atmosphere. Saint Perpetua’s felt like a haunted playground for Laura, Carmilla, and De Lafontaine’s whims and mechanisms. When Laura arrives, she is arrested by the singularity of the college, and so are we. Anyone who has so much as toured a small school will understand the feeling. The outside world ceases to exist in the face of such grandeur, especially in isolation.

And, as lovers of the original Carmilla know, isolation is where obsession thrives.

As this is my first book of hers, I discovered Gibson’s writing style to be delightfully reminiscent of Le Fanu’s. Her prose was gorgeous yet accessible, a strength it maintained for the entirety of the novel, and made the book borderline unputdownable. To my delight, Gibson’s command of language seeps effortlessly into her character writing.

Laura and Carmilla’s characters (and relationship!) were my favorite part of the novel, of course. I loved how much more developed Laura’s character was in comparison to the original. Her POV was always a delight to read, especially as I discovered the darkness of Saint Perpetua’s and the vampire world alongside her. Carmilla was no less entrancing. I’ve always been curious about the workings of her mind and found her POV as a young adult to be enriching to the overall story. Her addition to the narrative further enriched the original’s themes of vampirism, obsession, sexuality, and love.

Unfortunately, while the main characters were well-written, the side characters and plot faltered. The main culprit is a conflict poorly incorporated into the first half, with a hasty execution in the second. A better incorporation could have served to further explore some of my favorite aspects of the book (left out for spoiler reasons). However, this flaw is similar to one I perceived in the original Carmilla, so other readers may not mind it so much. Especially because the writing more than makes up for it.

Overall, I’d give An Education in Malice a solid 7/10! I recommend this book to any lovers of Carmilla and classical vampire literature, but also to anyone looking for a tale of seductive sapphic monsters.

I really loved the sexual exploration and acceptance for a queer character in the 1960s. The fear of coming out was subtle but conveyed well in this book. I absolutely loved the first half of this book. It was very poetic, had a lot of rivalry, and a great build up to the big secret. It kept my interest and was really pretty to read. Then the book changes the main love interests dynamics and the rivalry ended abruptly. When this dynamic changed I felt like the poeticism began to die. It felt a bit contradictory to previous statements the main character had made about poetry being an outlet when she couldn't verbalize. You'd think that in such a stressful moment things would've been presented in an even more poetic style, rather than the change away from poetics. I think the pacing for the last 30% of the book was a bit off as well, like something was missing. I never really cared about the Isis plot, it just didn't draw me in.

Thank you to Redhook Books and Netgalley for providing this e-arc in exchange for a review of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

From the moment I started this book, I was hooked.

This sapphic Carmilla retelling is everything I could possibly want. It is dripping with sexual tension, obsession, and love, every emotion raw and felt right through the page.

The one thing that kept me continuously reading was the sapphic romance: whether that was the love story being told with Laura & Carmilla, or the teacher/student obsession being told through Carmilla & Ms. D. Either way, everything about it kept me hooked through the end.

This was my first S.T. Gibson read, and I've got to say: I absolutely loved it.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this novel. It comes out February 13, 2023.

Unfortunately, I'm DNF'ing this at 40%. It's just not working for me, and I do not want to push myself to finish it just to give it (a generous) two stars.

A lot of my hang ups here are personal:

*This takes place in the 60s--there's no way someone moving to a private school in New England from Mississippi wouldn't have been absolutely dragged for being a country bumpkin. They would be dragged for being a country bumpkin at a New England private school in 2024.
*We're told the MC is this amazing poet and her poetry is mid, at best. It reads like the stuff I published on DeviantArt in 2006.
*The only similarities between this and Carmella are the names used. I do not buy the chemistry between the two, at all, one bit. I find them both insufferable with no nuance or complexity to buffer that.
*I, personally, find that, in terms of craft, there are writers who write beautifully and there are writers who use beautiful word to achieve this purple prose that rings hollow and inauthentic. This novel falls in the latter category for me.
*As someone who has loved poetry for decades at this point, the conversation surrounding poetry rings naive and romanticized. This makes sense for Laura and Carmella, but it does not make sense for their teacher. Again, this takes place during the 60s--how are we not having a conversation about the amazing Black poets that were writing during this time? How are we not having a conversation about how political poetry and poets are? Maybe that comes in later, but...I kind of doubt it. No, lets talk about the Beat poets (*eye roll*). This is such a disservice considering how ahead of its time <i>Carmella</i>.

I also just find it incredibly boring. Nothing is happening. We're just having the same conversations on loop.

I think if you like your standard run of the mill dark academia books, you'd probably enjoy this. I would, personally, comp it to <i>Sleepwalking</i> by Meg Wolitzer. That is not a DA book, but very much aligns on the conversation surrounding poetry.

S.T. gibson never fails to wow with me with her eloquent writing style and her ability to create a fresh new story and perspective on some of these gothic classics.

I fell in love with first work - A Dowry of Blood absolutely blew me away with its rawness and gothic elements and I really enjoyed it. An Education in Malice reminded me of this book too- it is another gothic vampire retelling but its DUAL POV brings a new perspective to this classic story.


I really enjoyed seeing the story thru Laura and Carmilla’s eyes and seeing how their rivalry developed into something more. This book did a great job diving into so many different topics in a very accessible manner and it had me hooked from start to finish.

Dowry of Blood is one of my all time favorite books. I devoured it, and as a huge fan of Carmilla, I was excited about this book. Sadly, I really struggled to get through An Education in Malice. I wanted to love it so much, but I was missing the gothic vibes and tension. I also didn't really care about Laura and Carmilla. In Dowry of Blood, I feel like ST Gibson really delved into the minds of the characters, but here they felt very shallow and flat. However, her writing style is beautiful. While I wanted more from the story and characters, ST Gibson is an wonderful writer. I still love her and will continue to read her, but this one fell short for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

The vibes, the writing, the tension, immaculate. This book is written so beautifully, like no one else but ST Gibson can do. My only drawback was sometimes Laura and Carmilla's voice sounded the same and it was hard to differentiate.

Dark, Gripping, & Stimulating

Thoughts: 💡
The first chapter had a slightly slow and meandering feel to it, but as soon as the story dove into the rivals to lovers vibes I was hooked. There is this moment of intense attraction that quickly burns into rivals that grabbed all of my attention in a sharp flash and from that point on the story had a fast and dark vibe, and I adored every minute of it. The imagery and poetry that permeated everything was spectacular. It was very LGBT positive but still recognized the struggle of marginalized people in the time period. I can’t sing enough praises for this story.

Writing Mechanics: ✍️
The plot is inspired and the language used and structure of it all is brilliant. All the characters were beautifully developed with rich backstories and deep motivations. There were points of the story that were so eloquently written that I had to reread and ruminate on the context and beauty of it. And the poetry! Gah! I can’t sing the praises of it enough! Everything in this book was spectacular!

Fun Bits:
⚜️ Sapphic Vampires
⚜️ Academic Rivals
⚜️ Needing to Please The Teacher
⚜️ Beautiful Poetry
⚜️ Sizzling Romance
⚜️ Plus Size Heroine.

🌶️🌶️🌶️
Characters: 💙💙💙💙💙
Dark Historical Fantasy: Dark Academia, Sapphic Romance, Academic Rivals to Lovers, Vampires, Mystery Vibes
First Person, Present Tense, Dual POV

ST Gibsons pulls you in with her dark academia romance. This book is so good and so smartly written, perhaps I'm biased being an English major but the college campus setting mixed with vampires was magic. The enemies to lovers storyline was well done, the tension build up was great, and the writing was phenomenal. I will be reading everything by this author in the future and can't wait to see what she writes next.

Such a delight to read like wdym a modern retelling of Carmilla???? That too sapphic??????? And the dark academia in this novel? Absolute perfection!

Recommended to everyone who is looking for a well-written sapphic novel.

3.75 ⭐️ but rounding off to 4 because of Gibson's stunning writing.

Much like in A Dowry of Blood, S. T. Gibson's writing is beautiful. She has an exquisite and unique way of phrasing things that I just adore. The way she chooses to weave words together is phenomenal. An Education in Malice is a retelling of Carmilla but it didn't go at all the way I expected it to. It is about two academic rivals vying for the attention and approval of their professor, De La Fontaine. It is a story about love and desire and how easily those two things become an obsession that will eventually corrupt a person. There were a few things about the story that felt underutilized for me. Carmilla and Laura's relationship seemed flat towards the end while I expected more from Carmilla and De La Fontaine's connection. But overall I loved this story simply for the way Gibson chose to tell it.

This was delectable! I loved the progression of the relationships and the overall atmosphere of the story. S.T. Gibson is a master story teller and weaver of thick tension that it was palpable. ugh so good.

DNF - 17%

I just couldn't get into this book. I really enjoyed A Dowry of Blood, so I thought this would be good too. I'm afraid to say I was disappointed. I feel bad that it's a DNF at 17%, but I could not bring myself to try reading it again.

The writing is okay, not as good as A Dowry of Blood, but it's okay. I don't think this one is geared towards what I like to read. I don't understand the instant obsessions, and I don't care enough to find out. It was so easy to put down and not pick back up. Finally, I decided I was just not going to try anymore.

An Education in Malice is a dark academic sapphic retelling of Carmilla brimming with obsession, jealousy and lust. Sheltered Laura Sheridan arrives from Mississippi to Saint Perpetua’s Women’s College in Massachusetts and finds not only an academic foil in the equally infuriating and enthralling Carmilla Karnstein, but also the enigmatic Professor Evelyn De Lafontaine who pushes her students to achieve greatness in their poetry writing.

Told from the perspectives of both Laura and Carmilla, the tense relationship between the rivals begins to shift as both women strive to earn and keep De Lafontaine’s favor, while the professor’s controlling nature and unique hunger blur boundaries and wrap them all in a web of secrecy, deception and blood.

I greatly appreciated the content guidance that S. T. Gibson provided in the beginning of the novel, as the power inbalance and the inappropriate relationship between a professor and her students may be triggering for some readers. The is also a sexual scene that would have been slightly surprising without prior mention, so do read the guidance for personal comfort.

Having read and greatly enjoyed A Dowry of Blood, I devoured An Education in Malice in one sitting. With beautiful prose and engaging characters, the relationship between Laura and Carmilla is intriguing as they initially dance around one another with loathing intermingled with desire. Their devotion to their poetry and to De Lafontaine is fascinating, as the woman’s possessive influence over Carmilla unexpectedly leads her to a life-changing fate.

The portrayal of the cycle of abuse, of how De Lafontaine’s need for control and isolation is wrapped in words of praise and attention, while Carmilla’s yearning for acceptance and affection leads her to unhealthy adoration and fear of abandonment is excellently written and painful to behold.

In regards to the plot overall, I wish the mystery that Carmilla sought to unravel was drawn out for a bit longer, as the identity of the culprit is revealed so early-on that it felt anticlimactic. The academic setting provides an interesting backdrop for the story, particualrly the discussions of poetry and Laura’s enjoyment of the religious aspects of the college, but I was personally more interested in the characters than the academia itself.

The conclusion also felt as though it was resolved a tad too neatly. While I’m glad it didn’t echo the common themes of depressing sapphic endings, I felt as though De Lafontaine’s resolution was somewhat generous given all that she had put Laura and Carmilla though. Perhaps some might say that she suffered as well, but I was expecting slightly more in terms of comeuppance.

Nevertheless, An Education in Malice is an engaging novel that captures your attention and doesn’t relinquish it until the very end. Thank you to NetGalley, Redhook and S. T. Gibson for providing this eARC. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

The nitty-gritty: Angsty, immature characters, overly-dramatic dialog and secrets revealed too soon add up to a disappointing story.

It seems February is the month of disappointments, as yet another one of my highly anticipated 2024 releases failed to impress me. I had high hopes for An Education in Malice, especially after loving the author’s last book, A Dowry of Blood, and the promise of a queer dark academia story with vampires (and a loose retelling of Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu) had me anxious to see if Gibson could score another win. Unfortunately, this book is full of over-the-top drama and stilted, cringey dialog that felt more like Anne Rice fan fiction than a carefully crafted story of its own. I’ve read some excellent vampire fiction recently and can’t help but compare An Education in Malice to those books.

Laura Sheridan has just been admitted to Saint Perpetua’s Women’s College, where she plans to sharpen her writing skills. She’s also secured a highly sought after spot in a poetry composition class, taught by the imposing Evelyn De Lafontaine. On her first day of class, Laura meets another student named Carmilla, who appears to be De Lafontaine’s pet pupil. Laura feels immediate attraction to Carmilla, but she also senses a dangerous relationship between Carmilla and their teacher which keeps her at arm’s length—at first.

When Laura stumbles upon the two by accident and catches them in an illicit act, she’s drawn into De Lafontaine’s dark and dangerous world, and her life will never be the same again.

I’ll start off with what I liked about this book. Gibson’s prose is wonderfully gothic and lush, the perfect style for a dark academia setting. I loved the mood of the story, and her descriptions of the college, the students and the fiercely competitive environment worked really well for me. Laura is the first character we meet, and I immediately liked her. She seems to be a fish out of water, uncertain that she’ll fit in with the other, more worldly girls at the school. Her clothes are conservative and she’s sensitive about her body and appearance, which made her a very likable character. But she’s determined to make friends and succeed, and she does, although it isn’t easy at first.

When Carmilla enters the picture, it’s pretty obvious the two will eventually fall into a relationship. And I did like them together. Carmilla is the mysterious, beautiful classmate who seems completely out of Laura’s reach. It’s only in alternating chapters from Carmilla’s point of view that we see she is attracted to Laura as well.

The tension between Laura and Carmilla is provided by De Lafontaine, who pits the girls against each other academically, but also seems jealous of Carmilla’s interest in Laura. This isn’t your standard love triangle by any means, but the dynamics among the three characters make it feel that way at times.

And while I didn’t mind Carmilla, I really despised De Lafontaine, who comes across as a two dimensional villain. Her reactions are ridiculously over-the-top, and her dialog, unfortunately, seems immature and overly-dramatic. There is one scene in particular, a big turning point for one of the characters, that is supposed to be shocking, but it came across as funny and ridiculous to me.

Which brings me to the vampire element in the story. I like my vampires with layers and interesting backstories, but here they seem way too cliche and uninteresting. De Lafontaine eventually relates her vampire origin story, but it’s told by info dumping and wasn’t the least bit unique or inspiring. There’s also a moment when Laura discovers the truth about De Lafontaine’s and Carmilla’s relationship that could have added some drama to the story. But Laura just takes everything in stride. In fact, all the characters have a weird nonchalant attitude about everything that happens, it was so strange.

Gibson includes an Eyes Wide Shut-inspired scene that also had the potential to be shocking. But I didn’t believe for a second that Laura would feel comfortable enough at this point in the story to act out her fantasies in public. In fact, all the important events seemed rushed, with very little page time devoted to developing the relationships, or even Laura and Carmilla coming to terms with some of De Lafontaine’s secrets.

I can’t help but wonder if the story would have worked better if it had been told entirely from Laura’s point of view. The shocking revelations, Laura’s sexual awakening, and her initiation into the dark world of vampires might have had a bigger impact without Carmilla’s chapters, where secrets are revealed way too early.

Nothing about the ending surprised me at all. In fact, the story hit all the beats I was expecting, sadly enough. 2024 may be the Year of the Vampire, but as I’m learning, not all vampire fiction lives up to my admittedly high standards.

With thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.