An Education in Malice was good and very well written, no complaints at all there, but it just didn't pack the dark academia punch that I was hoping for.

Whoa. This was right up my alley! Sapphic academic rivals turned bloody lovers in this atmospheric brutal love story, An Education in Malice gripped my hand and sunk its teeth into me and I am not complaining!

In this fresh retelling of Carmilla, An Education in Malice follows rival students Laura Sheridan and Carmilla Karnstein as they fight for the affections of their alluring Professor, De Lafontaine. In their budding rivalry grows something dark and bloodthirsty and soon both girls are pulled into a dangerous world of intoxicating infatuation and paranoia.

The character dynamics are definitely the strongest point of this book. The relationship between Carmilla and De Lafontaine was both alluring and held an element of danger from the moment they were introduced. I found myself immersed in their collective obsession with each other, and it was fascinating to watch the ripples begin to form with the introduction of Laura. I was riding the waves at every turn as De Lafontaine’s obsession turned cruel, and Carmilla’s rose tinted glasses for her beloved Professor began to crack with her newfound adoration of Laura.

Laura did not disappoint either. She was a pleasant main character and I thoroughly enjoyed reading from her perspective! She comes across as the classic good, polite girl, but her darker desires are quickly revealed. The more time she spends with Carmilla (and away from her) allowed these elements of her character to shine deliciously. As Laura falls deeper into Carmilla and De Lafontaine’s world, with her love and perhaps a bit of her tendency to be manipulated, I enjoyed her submission into their bloody world, and especially how she is quick to make space for herself within it.

The focal point of this story definitely resides in these characters, it’s obvious they are the heart of the book. The main plot is used mostly to bring up conflicts in the relationships and for the most part remains a looming presence in the backdrop. It was an anxiety-inducing problem that I found myself waiting to pop back up and make a louder appearance as the story progressed, but unfortunately this element fell a bit flat for me. Similarly, the ending that rises from this felt rushed, and a bit too easily won.

I devoured this in just two sittings, a feat accomplished easily with the immersive flow of S.T Gibson’s lovely writing to thrust you into this bloody world of vampirism and academia that is both vibrant and horrifying.

Check out my full review @
https://lorareads.medium.com/the-dark-obsession-of-an-education-in-malice-8456bbc3d9e9

This book might haunt my dreams. Amazing for fans of dark (like... DAAAARK) academia, and relationship dynamics that range from toxic power imbalances to all-consuming obsession (and crazy amounts of lusting).
To simply chalk this book up to a normal gothic, sapphic, academic rivals-to-lovers story (with vampires) would be doing it a huge disservice.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Redhook for this eARC!

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Redhook for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this, but unfortunately it fell short of my expectations. Perhaps it was because I was expecting the sensuality of Dowry of Blood, but An Education in Malice fell flat for me. I would have preferred a longer novel that indulged in the rich velvet prose that it promised, especially when the reader naturally compares the novel to the poetry referenced within it.

All of that said, I did still have a good time and I look forward to reading ST Gibson’s next novel.
I would realistically rate this a 3.75, but I’ve rounded up to a 4.

3/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
An Education in Malice comes out February 13

Just like I wait for my favorite newly discovered musician to drop a new album, I have been waiting for S.T Gibson to announce a new book ever since I read A Dowry of Blood last year. So when I got the email that I got approved for the ARC I was obviously ecstatic.

This happens to be a retelling of the famous classic Carmilla, which I personally have never read so I intrigued to into this. An Education in Malice revolves around three characters, two young women, named Carmilla and Laura and De Lafontaine. Carmilla and Laura are students at a University studying Poetry and De Lafontaine is their professor who takes them under her wing. Carmilla and Laura start out not liking each other much but obviously what is a good dark academia setting without a little enemies to lovers trope. As Laura gets closer to Carmilla, she finds herself getting closer and also suspicious of what exactly is going on between De LaFontaine and Carmilla as well. Laura starts discovering things that were definitely not in any poetry she has read or wrote.

As far as writing goes S.T Gidson can do no wrong. The gothic prose sets the atmosphere and setting up so well. The characters were also well flushed out and developed. But other than that I found myself getting bored half way through because there was just something missing. Maybe it is because I did not feel that the stakes were that high so maybe they were and build up fell flat. And the ending was very convenient and sorry to say very anticlimactic.

Please look up trigger warnings for this book.

You will like this if you like:
- Gothic setting
- Sapphic Romances
- Academic Rivals to Lovers
- Vampires

An Education in Malice was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, and I'm very happy to say that it did not disappoint! This is a must-read if you are a fan of the dark academia sub-genre, academic rivalry, sapphic vampires, or gothic settings. S.T. Gibson's writing is captivating, and the dual POV adds so much to this story! An Education in Malice is full of obsession, desire, and sapphic yearning. If you enjoyed A Dowry of Blood, I highly recommend picking this one up!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

*gifted ARC* I liked the writing a lot, but this story moved a little too slow for me. I found myself skimming by the middle. I didn’t feel the highs and lows that I wanted to feel - more just one note. It was a beautiful note! But I just wanted more oomph. I imagined our androgynous vampire mommy as Gwendoline Christie which made me so happy. Throw me down the stairs, tbh. I did love the sapphic romance and the complexity of their wants and needs as things changed throughout the book. I am excited to read more S. T. Gibson books!

"Lo Mephistoheles, for love of thee, I cut mine arm, and with my proper blood assure my soul to be great Lucifers chief Lord and regent of perpetual night."

Starting off with Marlow's dark writings is a great way to set the tone. Laura Sheridan. Carmilla. Deceitful and scheming girls.

I cannot express how excited I was to receive the arc for this dark academia novel! College, secrets, blood, sacrifices, academic rivalry, professors, & dark magic!

I was thrilled to find out that S.T. Gibson was releasing another novel following A Dowry of Blood, one of my favorite reads by far.

Autumnal beginnings. Sonnets. New England. De Lafontaine. A nemesis, a dark romance come to bloom. Stone coffins.

Vampires. Lifeblood. I will admit, I do automatically get disheartened when the line between professor and student is overstepped.

That being said, this book was written well. I always appreciate a good dark academia university book, full of drama and murders and monsters and eternal darkness.

Exelscior. Onwards and upwards. 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!

I was SO looking forward to this novel, and when I was approved for access to it I was so excited, but it turned out to be a bit of a let-down. I had thought this was more or less a direct sequel to A Dowry of Blood (which I read previously and just adored), and while it does connect to Dowry it's more of a companion novel, so do be aware of that going in (I should also note it's not necessary at all to have read Dowry to read and fully understand this one). My biggest issue with this book is that there is almost no plot. It has vibes out the ears, but if you asked me what the main plot was here I would just say "two girls fall in love and there are also vampires". I feel like there COULD have been a handful of plots - there was a murder mystery element, a coming of age story, even a story of overcoming toxic mentorships, but in the end it was just too many things and not enough focus on any one in particular to anchor things. I honestly thought about putting this novel down several times because it just felt aimless, but because of my love of Dowry I decided to push on. I'm honestly not sure if that was the correct decision or not. There were small pockets of this story that I enjoyed very much, and the writing had some truly gorgeous moments, but for me I'm not sure that was enough to save it. The being said if this is a book you're looking forward to don't let my thoughts on it stop you from reading it, because there are already people who have read it who love it. I personally can't say that I will be recommending this, and I don't think I will be hand-selling it either, but I'll still eagerly suggest people check out Dowry, and I still have high hopes for the start of Gibson's new series, set to come out later this year.

This is by first book by S.T. Gibson and I really enjoyed her writing style. She was able to take the feeling of a classic novel’s writing style while still being easy to read for people who may not enjoy reading the classics. I have not read A Dowry of Blood yet but am going to try to get to it this year!

a dowry of blood is one of my top reads of all time so when I heard S.T. Gibson wrote a Carmilla reimagining I SQUEALED.

firstly, let me share the vibes with you. picture this, a dark academia university in the late 1960s. a story full of beautifully tragic religious metaphors, a delicious academic rivals to lovers trope, and most importantly, sapphic vampires.😌🫶🏻

something I adore about S.T Gibson’s writing is that her characters feel so real. none are angelic nor evil. they are a combination of darkness and light which makes them feel painfully human. they have so much depth and they continue to grow and transform as the story progresses.

Carmilla is such an interesting character. she feels everything so deeply and passionately. I loved learning about Laura and seeing her character development throughout the story. It was so intriguing to see how their relationship with Professor De Lafontaine for all its toxicity, in some moments embodied the warmth and security that both Carmilla and Laura yearned for.

the ending had my imagination going wild at all the possibilities and lives these characters might live.

my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

overall, I loved this book and how immersive it was. the story kept my interest and had me on the edge of my seat and the moody university setting gave me life. and THE CHARACTERS!!🤌🏻✨ it’s been a bit since I’ve read a book with vampires in it so it feels good to be home🥰

so excited to read my evocation ARC soon! I’m convinced S.T. Gibson writes some of the most beautifully written books ever so I’m thrilled to dive in to another one of her stories!

thank you to @netgalley and @orbitbooks_us for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dark academia with vampires & LGBTQ romance. Readers who enjoyed A Dowry of Blood with definitely enjoy this book as well. Laura is a closeted lesbian in the 1960's attending a literary college where she meets and becomes obsessed with Carmilla a vibrant and bold senior who is her rival. Their prestigious teacher De Fontaine stokes their rivalry to encourage them to grow. But, that rivalry begins to grow into more.

There are a lot of dark topics discussed in this book just like in A Dowry of Blood including death, domestic violence, etc. which is all listed at the beginning of this book. I thought these topics were handled well and not as heavily present as they were in A Dowry of Blood. Also the tie in to A Dowry of Blood I enjoyed. Anyone who read and loved A Dowry of Blood will love this!

Ah I was so excited for this book!

Dark academia and sapphic vampires.

I loved the women’s college dark academia gothic vibes of the story. Because this was a short story I found myself wanting more … suspense …?

I did like the academic rivals to lovers part and the setting for the story. And I love ST Gibsons poetic writing

“ She looked, I realized a little breathlessly, like a holy icon cast in gold.
I wanted to fall at her feet and worship her. I wanted to desecrate her in every filthy manner I could imagine. I wanted all of her, in every way, all at once.”

“ Sometimes my poems venerated her like a saint, other times they cast her as the Devil herself, but Carmilla always played a starring role.”

DNF @ 52% - Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an early ecopy in exchange for an honest review. Please note I have not read Carmilla and will therefore not be comparing the two books. I might come back and change this review after reading the source material.

This was my most anticipated read after finishing A Dowry of Blood, but sadly, An Education in Malice did not live up to my expectation.

The beginning was promising when the “academic rivalry” between Laura and Carmilla was set up, but it quickly became repetitive. Even when the perspective (POV) change, I found their opinion of each other to be the same as the previous. A lot of their banter was more “tell” rather than “show”. I only know they strongly dislike each other through their own internal monologue rather than their actions. They exchange a few words to each other, but nothing really happens.

There was so much repetition that the book’s pacing started to fall (I found the same issue in Dowry of Blood that caused me to put the book down for months).

I held out hope that it would get better as I continue to read but unfortunately, the book failed to keep my interest.

3.75 out of 5
This book was not what I expected it to be but once you get the first plot twist it does get a little predictable.
However, I did enjoy the story

This worked for me so much better than A Dowry of Blood, and I just had a great time reading it. Truly the sapphic dark academia vibes vampire novel I've been waiting for.

One of my most anticipated book reads for the year, I was so excited to receive an e-arc for this book. To start off, I will say that it delivered on the atmospheric and romance elements. It gave dark, romantic, broody academia vibes - and that’s what kept me going.

The underlying plot, however, wasn’t hitting for me. I would’ve been perfectly content just reading about the love triangle and learning more about the vampiric society (perhaps if it had been a little more entwined with the Magdalena thread?), which is why I’m rating this 3.5/5.

<i>Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review</i>

Thank you to Redhook and Netgalley for the arc!

5 stars! I absolutely adored An Education in Malice. I think I even liked this more than A Dowry of Blood! I went in completely blind and was thrilled to realize this is a retelling of Carmilla. It's dark and academic and had me hooked from the very start to the point where I read the entire book in two days. None of the characters were flat, they were all very well developed and grew substantially as the book went on, especially Laura. She really came into her own and I loved reading about her growing and becoming her own person. I have such a soft spot for harsh characters like Carmilla that she was my favorite from the start. The pacing was also very well done, I didn't find myself getting bored at all and I will definitely pick up anything else S. T. Gibson writes in the future.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua's College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ceremonies welcome students into the fold.

On her first day of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her own dark obsession with Carmilla.

But as their rivalry blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and dark magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.”

I absolutely adored the prose and the atmosphere of this book, but there were a few aspects of this story that fell flat for me.

The book is written from two perspectives - those of the main character, Laura, and the femme fatale, Carmilla. However, the explicit explanations in the story take away from the mystery and allure that are so essential to the original classic. As a result, the dual point of view seems to hold the story back a little.

Also, it was disappointing that the vampire element was just a subplot, as it was the main reason I was excited for the story.

Overall, S.T. Gibson displays immense talent in the art of poetry. The intense passion in their writing is palpable throughout the story. I appreciate the way the author writes about both the beautiful and the challenging aspects of relationships. Although I have a few minor complaints, I still recommend this book to anyone searching for a poetic and atmospheric read to enjoy on a cold evening.

3⭐

Finally, some good fucking food.

Of course when I like something I have less to say about it. If you love Sapphic dark academia vampires, this is the book for you. It delivered on all three of those fronts. It also included a list of content warnings at the beginning which I really appreciated. I find it annoying when authors say "Check the content warnings!" and then...don't provide their own so you have to go searching. The writing was lush, the characters were lovable even as they were deplorable. I only wish it could have been a little slower paced to really drag out the rivals part.

Thanks to NetGalley and Redhook Books for the advanced copy in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.