““I still hate you,” I said, nipping at her plush lower lip.”

OMG!!!

First, An Education in Malice is a dual POV about two young ladies, Laura and Carmilla, who attend a prestigious school in Massachusetts. The reason both of them want to attend the school is to be taught by the beautiful and challenging poetry professor, Mrs. De Lafontaine. With Laura being the incoming freshman and Carmilla being the upperclassman, Laura is unaware of the close relationship between the professor and senior student. Laura and Carmilla are the biggest rivals, but when Mrs. De Lafontaine begins to invite Laura to her home for private instruction, Laura learns just how close they truly are. These girls are thrown into the professor past that secures their futures to be entwined forever.

Brief synopsis: dark academia, rivals to lovers, vampires, and lesbians.

This book was AMAZING!! I wasn’t aware this was a retelling as I have never read Carmilla. I loved the prose and the emotion put into this story. The book was captivating and so hard to tear myself away from because there was never a dull moment! I fell in love with the characters and felt their every heartache. The language Gibson uses makes the book sound poetic, ironically. There’s so many good things I could say but I don’t want to spoil the story! The only thing I did not enjoy, personally, was the ending. There’s those who love endings the way this was ended, and those who hate it. I’m in the latter. Overall, 4.75/5 stars because the book was a true delight!!

I was really looking forward to this book, but it was so... disappointing.

My biggest issue with the book is that the subject matter is mature, but the voice is very young (like, middle grade young). It's such a bizarre divide that I just couldn't enjoy this.

Thanks for the eARC!

Rating: 2.5/5, rounded up to 3

I thought that the writing in ST Gibson's An Education in Malice was the star of the show. The descriptions of the scenery, especially any descriptions of architecture and nature, were really excellent and incredibly vivid. In general, I was impressed with the prose.

I was not as impressed with the story itself, which was a fairly straightforward vampire / dark academia story. I liked that it was inspired by Carmilla, the very first vampire story, but I didn't think this story added that much substance to it. Additionally **spoiler** I took issue with the abusive teacher character not getting fully called out by the narrative for her behavior. I can tell, based on the warning at the beginning, that there is an awareness of this character's problematic behavior, but it didn't feel like there was enough resolution for the victims of this character even though the character herself came to realize how much pain she had caused. For me, that made the ending feel much less satisfying.

Set in a women's college in Massachusetts during the 1960s, Laura finds herself entwined in the secrets of Professor De Lafontaine, classy and stylish but strange habits, and Carmilla, a beautiful senior who has had Laura's heart from the first day. Originally from Mississippi and with a driving passion for religion, Laura is an unlikely character who at first seems rigid, unsure of herself, and, while accepting of her sexuality, doesn't want to act.

The trio meets in Professor De Lafontaine's poetry seminar that she teaches in the evening, holding all her students to high standards. Still, all the students know who her favorite is: Carmilla. Carmilla transferred from her school in Austria to the women's college the previous spring semester with the sole intention of studying under De Lafontaine and becoming her protege. Instead, De Lafontaine brought Carmilla into her confidence, bordering on an inappropriate relationship between teacher and student. Never seen during the day or teaching other classes, De Lafontaine earned a strange reputation around the school for seeming to have just been dropped there.

Once Laura joins the duo, the Friday night recitations and drinks, something she learns to enjoy, the group learns that each has their secrets. Laura wants to build a good life for herself but is unsure of what that looks like. Carmilla wants to be the successful protege who assists her Professor with everything, even when she knows it will only bring her trouble. De Lafontaine's history is darker than anyone could imagine. Laura learns the secret Carmilla and the Professor had been hiding, and Carmilla learns of the Professor's secret that should have remained buried beneath the school forever.

An Education in Malice is perfect for fans of dark academia and beautiful settings. The writing was addicting to read, with the "just one more chapter" happening until it was way too late at night. The book also handles a few topics that will make the reader think, like the relationship between protege and mentor, control and power in any relationship, and even a historical look at what it meant to be LGBTQ+ during that period.

Laura had a complex relationship with religion and her sexuality, saying that it wasn't a sin or something she would ever punish herself for. Yet, she felt as if her proclivities toward sex wouldn't be accepted. It was interesting to watch her move through the school year and mature. In the beginning, she only went to college to appease her father before becoming an Episcopal priest, where, in the end, she expanded her worldview to see that there were other opportunities for her.

Along with well-developed characters, the pacing and setting of the story were very well done. All the college buildings or secondary characters (friends) were easily grasped in the mind's eye. The setting and atmosphere surrounding it were not strictly stuck to "dark academia" like other novels have done. Instead of the weather being continuously dreary and rainy, there were days when Laura and her friends were sunbathing or enjoying the weather another way. The weather was well balanced to reflect life rather than the author manipulating the weather to achieve the "dark" atmosphere typical of academic stories.

De Lafontaine is very manipulative, an aspect of her character that is warned about at the novel's start. Her character was one that you could despise and be disgusted by. Still, you could also understand her motivations and history, especially by the end, so that while she is a monster, she is a monster that doesn't always appear to be. The beginning interactions with De Lafontaine's character were initially complicated because of the implied sexual relationship between her (a vampire who is centuries old) and 21-year-old Carmilla.

An Education in Malice was an enjoyable book because it is in dark academia, LGBTQ+, and gothic, with the addition of vampires and the complex relationships between them and their partners.

An Education in Malice was dark and brooding in some of the best ways. With blood and poetry, secrets and romance, it hit me just right for the dark wintery days of January. Laura and Camilla are academic rivals and yet are strangely drawn to each other. Jealous of each other’s talent in poetry and vying for the attention of their professor DeLafontaine, they must find a way to be in each other’s presence while something darker seems to grow.

In some ways, I do feel as though this book was intended to hit all of the hallmarks of what a lesbian vampire academic would embody, so it was a bit on the nose. The characters were fairly complex and we were able to watch their dynamic shift and sway through the narrative. I wanted Laura to find her voice a bit more as she seems to want to take a more dominant role in certain aspects but is unable to assert any level of dominance in her day to day life. Camilla is incredibly dominant in her day to day life but is completely submissive behind closed doors.

I do think the narrative was beautifully written and the imagery bloomed in my mind as the author described scenes and situations. It was a very good audiobook and ebook and one I plan to share with my audience on multiple platforms. I want to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy in return for my honest review and feedback. I look forward to more from this author and the gothic worlds she may create.

There was a lot to love about this story. The setting is 1960s New England at a private college for girls. An academic rival, an alluring professor, murders, secret crypts, and private poetry lessons all drew me in. I love S.T. Gibson's writing style and prose, so I was predisposed to like this.

What didn't work well for me was the plot development. I struggled with the pacing. There were two points in particular where the professor made choices that moved the plot forward, but it was unclear why she was randomly taking action at that moment instead of earlier. Because we don't have her point of view, it pulled me out of the story. I didn't understand her motivations most of the time and didn't see what finally catalyzed her to action.

I also struggled with the relationships in the story. While I love how Gibson explores complicated and toxic attachments, Carmilla and Laura felt underdeveloped, and as a result, so did their relationship. It was presented as lustful initially, which would have worked if the story had progressed more towards obsession and smut. But it didn't. Which left me wanting more romance or emotional attachment development. Ultimately, I was left with a fairly shallow impression of their attachment, chucking it up to a first love/crush dynamic. Not a particularly compelling love story for the ages between two immortals.

Overall, I felt the concept was extremely strong and compelling, but it needed more to land. It lacked the depth and thoroughness I associate with S.T. Gibson. This one didn't quite meet expectations.

At St. Perpetua’s College for women, the imposing gothic campus has become home to more than just young vibrant minds: Vampires have quietly embedded themselves into the very heart of the school. As you settle into An Education in Malice by S.T Gibson, you are swiftly reminded that not all monsters hide in the dark…they can have the insidious ability to blend into the classroom with you.

An Education in Malice is clearly a retelling of the classic horror story of Carmilla by J. Sheridan.
Gibson even reuses names from the classic novella for her own characters throughout the book, which cements this literary connection into stone. It is a dark academia novel centered around our two main characters: Laura Sheridan and Carmilla. Both girls are students who rapidly become intellectual rivals with sapphic sexual tension laced into every interaction. Unlike the classic Carmilla’s unhealthy predator/prey relationship dynamic, the relationship that develops between Laura and Carmilla arises from something sweeter, resemblant of two kindred souls finding restful peace with one another. The unhealthy power dynamic aforementioned is instead seen played out in one Professor De Lafontaine, the teacher of Laura and Carmilla’s elitest and demanding poetry seminar. De Lafontaine is beautiful, wickedly smart, and horribly obsessed with Carmilla. This inappropriate fascination with Carmilla snares the girls into a sinister, unholy world where the harm of navigating De Lafontaine’s twisted love may ultimately cost them their own lives—or worse yet, their love for each other. The tangled romantic enmeshments of these characters have the potential to repeat a toxic, tragic history, or alter fated events entirely by trailblazing a new future with love sharply cutting away the decaying rot of the past.

S.T. Gibson’s capacity to build a nostalgically familiar, moody atmosphere within her books has impressed me. Even though her books seem to be highly character-driven stories, her ability to weave an immersive, verdant environment around them is remarkable. I have read A Dowry in Blood in addition to this novel by this author and I find that the feel of these books are distinctive in their reading consumption: Dracula’s story in A Dowry of Blood transformed from such painful psychological neglect and entrapment to being an emotionally rich and romantically righteous tale. Markedly, in An Education in Malice, the internal focus is much different. It has a dark, interlocking character predicament rooted in danger, which deteriorates alarmingly fast due to toxic relationship dynamics. And yet, it should also be noted that Laura and Carmilla’s (as well as De Lafontaine’s) love stories are also indulgently unapologetic about choosing your own path regardless of the happiness or misfortune it may bring you. In a way, Gibson is making these horror classics of Dracula and Carmilla more relatable and accessible to modern-day readers by redefining each story with characters and thematic elements woven together in a contemporary way.

Open the story of Carmilla and Laura if you wish to see if poisonous, malicious love flourishes…or gets buried deep in the soil at the ever-watchful St. Perpetua’s College.

Thank you so much Net Galley and Redhook Books for the ARC and the opportunity to share what I think! All opinions are my own. I have posted my review to both my Goodreads account and my Facebook group page (The Book Banquet). I will be posting the review to retail sites on February 13th, the day of publication.

A huge shout-out to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with the eARC of An Education in Malice! I am declaring myself a devotee of ST Gibson. A Carmilla retelling that is set in a 1960s all-girls college, the story revolves around Laura, Carmilla, and their professor. It is sapphic, dark, moody, and irresistibly seductive. Imagine The Secret History (a favorite of mine) with vampires and a lot of *spicy* tension. Bonus excitement: a delightful cameo from a character in A Dowry of Blood. Having already LOVED my first Gibson read A Dowry of Blood, I was thrilled to find this on NetGalley and I'm eagerly anticipating my preordered physical copy. With the release date for February 13th, it could be the perfect dark Valentine's Day read. I simply can't get enough of ST Gibson's writing! I've also preordered Evocation (coming in May) and am crossing my fingers for the chance to snag an ARC because the craving for more is real! Hint, hint....

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange of my honest review.

This was my first time reading a book by this author and I can say this is now an auto buy.
Loved reading this story and the setting and aesthetic is exactly what I want for a dark academia book. I did finish this book wanting more. I wanted more tension, more rivalry and more suspense. I wish the book would have been a bit longer, or perhaps a duology to let the storytelling breathe and give more time for the characters to develop instead of ‘falling’ into place. For me, it would have been enjoyable to delve into the past of some of these main characters.
Overall, a beautifully poetic story that I could really sink my teeth into.

ST Gibson is always so good at setting the vibe. The prose totally encapsulates the feel of being a lonely little small town lesbian with a propensity for poetry and BDSM (that rhymes !! kinda sort of ! ) and moving to a whole new place to start college, only to crush on the senior in your favorite writing class. But unfortunately for you, she hates your guts because the teacher she’s infatuated with (and regularly donating blood to - in the 👹👹👹👹👺👺😩😩😩 sense, of course, not the severe iron deficiency sense) has also taken a liking to you. Don’t you just hate when this happens?? It’s such a bother.

Laura’s upset about all this but also intrigued, because what’s more sexy than an academic rivalry? Spoiler: a lot of things

Okay so I was .. honestly not a fan for like the first half of it. The writing was delicious as per usual, and I can never dislike a lesbian vampire book TOO much, but it wasn’t living up to my expectations.

I wasn’t a fan of the rivalry between them. It might just be my personal taste, but I always enjoy the fast friendship that Carmilla and Laura develop before the romance starts, and I really wish we got to see that.

Once they get over the enemies part of enemies-to-lovers, the story really picked up and I was having fun with it.

I loved the Magdalena cameos (and her, obviously), and I was also very appreciative of the fact that Carmilla was within Laura’s age range and not remotely related to her in this retelling. The bar is in hell, I guess, but I enjoyed the versions that can’t squeeze over it and I applaud this one for its dexterity.

I was debating between 3 or 3.5 for the majority of it, but I really liked the ending, so I’m going with the latter. Rounded up, of course.

(thanks to Netgalley for the arc! my opinions are my own and not a result of vampire trickery or whatever. wait, can vampires do that??)

Well, that definitely was a book….

I was very excited to receive this ARC because I was anticipating the release of this. A gothic academia, sapphic romance with an intriguing premise.

The book read more like a short story to me. It was very shallow all around. The characters, the plot, the environment, the vampires. Just not a lot of substance there. I also feel like I just read that entire thing and nothing really happened?

I will say the writing is beautiful. I’m not smart enough to appreciate poetry but the beauty there is evident in the writing.

ARC received from NetGalley and RedHook Books.

I'm so thankful to have received an ARC for this book since I do not think I would have picked this up otherwise. I was initially disappointed to see that this was not a continuation of the story in A Dowry of Blood just because I really liked those characters! However, I should not have been worried at all since the main characters in An Education in Malice are just as engaging. I'd say the vampire elements are reasonably subtle for most of the story although it goes hard with the dark academia vibes. I'm impressed that the romance in this still managed to feel like a slowburn considering that this novel is only around 230-240 pages. I also like that the darker themes are perfectly balanced with more positive "feel good" elements. I've come to the conclusion that I'll likely be reading whatever S.T. Gibson writes regardless of what the finer points of the story are. Her writing is very good and I would highly recommend this book. It falls into my favourite category of being dark yet cozy:).

I'd give this a 4.25/5!

This was an absolute delight. The prose was moody and atmospheric, with a constant thread of unease snaking through the story. The professor/student power dynamics were somehow more unnerving than the actual vampiric elements, all with a surprisingly sweet love story happening. The ending was perfect.

I now feel absolutely desperate for Evocation. I am going to be turning this book over and over in my mind for a while.

First off… immediately off the bat loved the dedication in the book… “To those who didn’t make it out of the ivory tower unscathed: you have always been worthy.” Ummmmm hello??? That’s amazing. And within the first few pages it informs the reader of all the TWs. We love to see it!

A sapphic retelling of Camilla? Immediately yes. It had been so long since I read Camilla that I had to go back and read (essentially) SparkNotes to get a refresher (obviously not necessary but still).

Laura is a self-described studious, “boring” individual, but it quickly becomes apparent that she has a talent. A talent for writing poetry. Insert Camilla and Professor De LaFontaine. Camilla, like Laura, also has an affinity with poetry. Both are taking a prestigious class of De LaFontaine. The story approaches topics of power imbalances, the feeling of wanting to belong, and of course love.

The book at times felt very fast paced, almost to a fault. Like other readers I would’ve liked the relationships to develop more slowly than an immediate flip of the switch. The majority of the book takes place in the classroom or in a residence… otherwise there aren’t many other places. Though it is a more narrow world, Gibson’s descriptions (and poetry) were striking. Overall a very quick and enjoyable read! 3.5/5

An Education In Malice by S.T. Gibson is a YA dark academia romance story set in Massachusetts at Saint Perpetua’s College and follows freshman Laura Sheridan and her academic rival, senior Carmilla. They are set against each in the spirit of competition by their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who has a dark obsession with Carmilla. Their rivalry takes a turn, and Laura and Carmilla become caught up in a world of secrets and sacrifice.

The storyline flowed very well together and kept me intrigued. The character development for Laura and Carmilla transitioned through the story in a subtle way. I enjoyed the ending and feel the author gave closure but left it open enough to possibly have the story continued. It was a lovely story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Set in the world of A Dowry of Blood, this is a sapphic Carmilla retelling. A dark academia story filled with blood and hot tension.
I loved A dowry of blood so much, that I jumped at the chance to read this book ASAP. This did not disappoint me, and I bet it won’t disappoint others as well.
If you love vampires, sapphic and a good time. Pick this up!

So i was sent an arc of this book and i really wanted to love it but it just kinda dragged on for me ,i freaking loved a dowry of blood and i was so excited for this book but it was a let down ,the writing was beautiful but the story just felt lacking ! i love vampire stories but this one wasn't giving me the feels i wanted to feel

I didn't end up caring for any of the characters ,i mean Laura is boring , Carmilla is a kiss ass and De Lafontaine is petty ,i just could not for the life of me connect with anything in this book ! i am so sad because i was so looking forward to reading it and when i tell you took me so long to get through this book and its only 239 pages but felt like a lifetime .

I still love S.T. Gibson and i am dying to read her next book ,this one just wasn't it for me ! and maybe i just read it at the wrong time .

Thank you net galley for providing an arc of An Education in Malice.
TW: Death, Murder, Sex, Drugs
S.T Gibsons crafts a sapphic tale of vampires, betrayal, religion, and sexuality. The main love story between the protagonists was created beautifully and had the reader aching for more. The mystery and mythical side of the story could have been more fleshed out. My main gripe with the love/manipulation story between the antagonist and the other main character I am not going to spoil it but the relationship felt flat and the tension left forced in a way. Honestly, the Professor's storyline and her motives fell flat. My main grip about this story is the fact that the author created an amazing story with this same premise a few years ago. While that story was gut-wrenching this one just fell flat.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Redhook Books for providing me with an ARC of An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson in exchange for an honest review.

S. T. Gibson is an author whose work I always look forward to. Her writing is refreshingly poetic and modern, making the story feel both believable and powerful.

If you’re a fan of vampires and romance, I highly recommend picking up this book. It’s a beautiful story with themes of love and obsession, set in a dark academic setting. I particularly enjoyed the references to songs throughout the book, which added to the mood. I’m hoping that S. T. Gibson will write more vampire (or other Gothic) retellings in the future. The atmospheric vocabulary helped me feel like I was walking alongside the women in this story.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it to others. While I gave it a 4/5 rating, it’s only because I recently read A Dowry of Blood first, which I consider to be a 5-star book. Nonetheless, this book is still one of my all-time favorites, and I would definitely reread it during spooky season.

This book is definitely more about the ~vibes~ than anything else. Normally I'm all about the plot, but this was so atmospheric and transporting that I enjoyed watching the characters go about their lives and witnessing their relationships develop. The combination of the 1960s, dark academia, and vampires worked very, very well.

However, if you're looking for a well drawn up plot, this might be a little disappointing. Without going into spoilers, there was a very important event that happened halfway through the book that you'd expect would generate some urgency amongst the characters. There was no urgency to be found. There was something comical about said important plot point happening and then the characters proceeding to party and go on vacation until the end of the book when everyone remembered the original problem.

Still, it was fun!