A modern retelling of Carmilla with tension and with dark academia vibes? Sign me up!

If you're familiar with the author's previous work, a dowry of blood, and enjoyed it. you will hopefully like this book aswell.

This book is a duo pov between the two main characters, Laura and Carmilla.

S.T. Gibson crafts a dark, delectable and lush tale, building up searing tension between our three characters. Gibson's writing flows off the page and drowns you in this sapphic tale of intense rivalry, toxic dynamics and dark creatures hunting in the night. The writing style is very hedonistic (at least I feel so). The story is just perfect and keeps you on your toes.

If there's one thing I've learnt from reading S.T. Gibson's books, it's that Gibson writes very character-driven tales. So, whether it be Laura or Carmilla or the enigmatic poetry professor, De Lafontaine, each of the characters shine in their own way.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a delectable way to experience a reimagining of the classic Carmilla! If you can see yourself loving an aesthetic mashup of Nosferatu and The Dead Poet's Society with a 60s flair, add this book to your reading list. S.T. Gibson is amazing at crafting a setting (their description of New England in the fall was <i>gorgeous</i>), so it was easy for me to lose myself in the world within the pages from the very beginning. Sprinkle in some earth-toned turtlenecks, spiced punch, and small-town college charm and you'll find yourself at Saint Perpetua's College, where the book takes place.

The main themes of this story are love, faith, infatuation, and the internal struggle against the draw of the darkness of temptation. Laura, Carmilla, and De Lafontaine are our main characters and they are always in the midst of a cunning game of tug of war, manipulating each other's emotions to feed their desires. S.T. Gibson's mastery of diction is the star of the show, drawing the reader into displays of innocence at its most delicate and the fine line between love and infatuation. The story is told from both Laura and Carmilla's point of view which adds to the sense of longing and despair but still keeps you guessing as to what anyone's true intentions are.

Power dynamics are social hierarchy were a large part of how the characters interacted with each other; I wish the relationships were explored a little more because decisions were often made hastily and they didn't make sense with what we knew about the character's personality.
There was also the issue of substance - it seemed like there was not much effort put into creating the atmosphere that the plot suffered for it. Midway through the book, I found that nothing was really happening and there didn't seem to be a destination that the plot was moving toward. When I did reach the end it was anti-climatic; I was expecting something tense and stressful with more ache and feeling and just...more. For all that the characters had put each other through, the risk was not worth the reward.

If you’re looking for a dark sapphic academia vampire book, look no further.

The atmosphere was eerie and I always had the urge to pile under my blankets and keep reading, even late into the night. I’m not looking for critical analysis or deep insight so I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed Carmella and Laura’s relationship, although I was a bit disappointed that they went from enemies (not really enemies but they definitely didn’t like one another) to lovers. I wish there was more of a bridge between the two.

The relationship between the girls and their professor was well done, particularly in the second half. However, the ending was disappointing as I wanted more action and turmoil.

I highly, highly recommend! An Education in Malice wasn’t as good as A Dowry of Blood, but it holds its own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my eArc in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 33%

Maybe it's the fact that I don't know the work that inspired this tale, maybe it's trying to read dark academia during a heat wave, or maybe it's the fact that this book is doing so much telling rather than showing. It's a shame because I thoroughly enjoyed A Dowry of Blood, but I think it was the second person perspective in that one that really threw me into that world. This one, with its dual POV third person narrative, is just a bit too distant for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Thank you so much to Redhook Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for an honest review.

An Education in Malice is a retelling of Carmilla, the first vampire story set in 1968. It follows Laura, a new student at Saint Perpetua’s College as she falls under the spell of her professor De Lafontaine as well as her classmate Carmilla.

I am a huge Carmilla fan, of the original novella, of the web series, I love it all. I'm even a huge sapphic dark academia fan so I was already intrigued by the title. I requested this not even realizing it was a retelling but the description and language of the book was so beautiful and interesting that I was so excited to continue it.

One of the best parts of the book was how both Laura and Carmilla got chapters as we were able to see this world both from Laura’s new and inexperienced perspective as well as Carmilla’s, which isn’t something I’ve seen yet.

It would have been nice to get a little more detail about the rules of the vampiric world as they seemed to fluctuate based on the plot. But it was so easy to fall into this world and get attached so that didn’t matter much to me.

This book truly flew by. This was my first S. T Gibson book and can't wait to read the rest of her books. I loved everything from the writing style to the relationships and dynamics of the characters. Even in the slower parts of the book, I still was very much entertained and entranced.
Also even though I don't know much about poets and poetry, it was still so interesting to see how the author incorporated it into the story. And for those who do love poetry, then this would be a wonderful treat.
It is a wonderful book for those who love a more dark, deep, and sensual sapphic romance.

I was thrilled to be gifted an arc of An Education in Malice by ST Gibson. When I heard it was a Carmilla retelling I was even more excited as I loved a dowry of blood.

As someone who absolutely adores vampire stories, this one was not bad. It did fall in the middle of average for me, as there was nothing that really stood out to me as separate from everything else that I've read. I definitely prefer a dowry of blood to an education in malice. That's just personal taste.

Unfortunately I feel like the main characters fell a little flat for me. I would've really liked some background story on them in more detail than we got. I really think the story could've benefited from some flashback chapters going back to D Lafountaine's turning and eventual separation from her sire. For I had a hard time with her motivations and depth as a character as well.

The sapphic romance was well done, although I did get tired of the constant "instalove" obsession a bit. The sex scenes were very well done, not all cringe, and I felt like they were very realistic. Although I did have a slight hard time with how easily Laura excepted the whole vampire situation.

The story was easy to read, easy to follow, and did pull you along throughout the storyline in a very relatable way. There was nothing inherently "wrong" with the story it just did not fully capture my mind and attention.

I still adore Gibson's writing, and will absolutely read anything else she puts out. I do recommend this book overall because of things that didn't necessarily work for me. Absolutely can work for a different person.

STORY LOVE
♥️♥️♥️♥️
3.5 rounded to 4

SPICE
🌶️ mild

RECOMMEND
💳 yes

I was introduced to S. T. Gibson through A Dowry of Blood, which quickly became a favorite because the storytelling evoked a connection with the three main characters. Additionally, the use of anachronism flowed effortlessly throughout the centuries the story takes place. This is especially event in the audiobook version of A Dowry of Blood.

As a fan of A Dowry of Blood, I was eager to read An Education in Malice. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to reach this story in advance.

An Education in Malice is a modern reimagining of Carmilla that takes place in S. T. Gibson’s world of A Dowry of Blood. An Education in Malice is also a sapphic romance between two students that attend an all-girls university in Massachusetts & become rivals as they're pit against one another by the professor of an exclusive poetry class.

In An Education in Malice, S. T. Gibson's storytelling immerses the reader into the setting of the prestigious all-girl’s university in the late 1960s. The story itself spans one academic year. The story is clever & depicts the dynamic of power, whether its through the abuse of power, the exploration of sexual power, the power of confidence in knowing & owning oneself, as well as the power of love or the lack of.

S. T. Gibson also uses anachronism in An Education in Malice; however, I’m not sure if this use is intentional or the preferred style of writing. For the 1960’s era, it’s out of place. Moreover, only the dialogue of the three main characters is written this way. The dialogue of other characters seems in line with that time. If it’s intentional, then only giving the three main characters old-fashioned dialogue is a clever nod to vampirism and foreshadowing. Honestly, I won’t know for sure until I listen to the audio version & my thoughts are entirely subjective.

This is a personal preference, but I wish our main character’s backstories are fleshed out more. I’m left with questions that can be easily answered with a bit more detail included in the story about their past, especially more details about the “big bad”. I think those details would have made the story more exciting leading up to the resolution. This is my main reason why the resolution to the “big bad” feels underwhelming and unfortunately, anticlimactic.

All in all, I did enjoy S. T. Gibson’s An Education in Malice and will listen to an audio version of the book. I believe another book or series will be released as well & looking forward to reading it.

If you decide to give this story a chance, please make sure you read the content warning first.

Enjoy!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read & review An Education in Malice in advance.

I’m usually not one for dark academia books but this one had me hooked from the very first line. I immediately fell in love with the writing and I was intrigued by the characters just as fast. In this book we don’t just get the relationship between Laura and Carmilla that shows you how thin the line between love and hate is but you also have their relationship with their professor as an example of obsession and power dynamics. I really enjoyed the plot though I do think that everything was resolved a little too quickly in the end.

★★★★★ - 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson
༘Spoiler free ༘
📖⭐️ 3.93/5 *book rating
🌶️ the perfect level of spice
Romantasy, Dark Fantasy
🎙️ **Stephanie Cannon 5⭐️**
➳ 🩸 vampires
➳ 🤺 rivals to lovers
➳ 🗝️ dark academia
➳ 🦇 gothic
➳ 🪄 dark magic
➳ 🤫 deadly secrets
➳ 🍂 new england autumn
➳ 🎓 all-girls university setting

✨✨

📚📚📚

❧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*❦*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧❧

Everything about this book was alluring, from the 1968 new england dark academia setting, to the seductive and mysterious secrets hidden within. The only thing better than enemies to lovers, is when it’s rivals to lovers and S.T. Gibson gives that to us in a sapphic vampy way. I loved so much about this book and devoured it in a single sitting. It’s the perfect balance of poetic and sultry.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

💖
LIKES:
⋆ S.T. Gibson’s prose is lush and evocative, it was impossible to put this book down.
⋆ I loved the relationship between the two female main characters, and seeing their individual journeys and how they complemented each other.
⋆ This setting was exquisitely dark and moody, and every page was steeped in that gothic ethereal feeling.

❤️‍🩹
DISLIKES:
⋆ I prefer a bit more hunting and foreshadowing along the way. This can be difficult to achieve with dual POV stories, but i do think before big reveals happened there could have been a bit more foreshadowing for us to solve.
⋆ The pacing in the second half could have been slowed down a touch, things felt slightly rushed and i would’ve enjoyed seeing the murder mystery aspect and resolution unfold a little slower.

**Fantasy Scoring**
Worldbuilding ➷ ✅ 4/5
Foreshadowing ➷ ✅ 3.75/5
Plot ➷ ✅ 4/5
Relationships ➷ ✅ 4/5

Thank you to the S. T. Gibson, Hachette Audio, Redhook, Orbit and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide my honest opinion on the ARC of this book.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

oh my goodness this was brilliant. Sapphic dark gothic academia!! say less! I loved (LOVED) Dowry in Blood and this was didn't disappoint! I couldn't put it down! Can't wait to get my special edition!! 12/10 would recommend!!

here’s the thing, i know this is a carmilla retelling but I haven’t read that one yet, so i won’t be giving opinions about that aspect of the book, but i’ll only focus on the individual story and their characters.

since i read a dowry of blood a few years ago i fell in love with this author’s writing and when i saw the description of this book, I knew i had to read it and i knew I’ll love it and now i can tell you i was so right.

we explore carmilla and laura’s relationship with their poetry professor and mentor and how she drags them (we can say consensually) to her world full of secrets and lust and pleasure, and then they discovered what she really is after, a love that was lost and then found and how now it puts in danger so many people. what i most like about this is the naïveté of these two girls following like love sick puppies the path this woman led only for her praises and cares, girls who had not felt this “love” before, girls who dream of seeing the world through their poetry and art, can you relate to that? i certainly cannot, i’ve always been wary of trusting people, i don’t let myself get carried away by my feelings but how free can that feel? it definitely is tempting.

overall i deeply enjoyed this one, it had everything that was promise, and the prose as always it so dreamy and beautiful, i cant wait to read more from her.

thank you to Redhook and Netgalley or the arc in exchange for and honest review, remember this book comes out in February 13th so make sure to check it out.

I don’t want to give too much away from the story so I’ll keep it simple.
I had so much fun reading this retelling of Carmilla. It was poise and dreary and I constantly thought about it throughout my day after putting the book down. The obsession these characters put upon themselves is heart wrenching as you read through them trying to navigate their newly adult lives around all the wrong adults. The need to be loved and to feel accepted as yourself feels like a big thing throughout the book with Carmilla wanting the affections of her teacher and Laura finally diving into what drives her sexually.
Though I do wish this had leaned more into the actual Carmilla story as this could have just been a S. T. Gibson original vampire story had the names had been changed and you would be none the wiser.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I want to start off by saying whoever decided this was a Carmilla retelling (I believe a BookToker), did the book a disservice by saying so. While the main characters are Carmilla and Laura, and there is very obviously inspiration taking in many ways, this truly isn't a retelling - and that's okay! I just would caution people saying this as my hopes were very high and it affected by reading experience negatively (I'm a HUGE Carmilla stan).

I would have loved more of a focus on Carmilla and Laura, because even though they were the POV voices, there was still a very large focus on De Lafontaine. I understand this for the power dynamic the author was going for, but I feel like we lost some of the potential that was there for these girls.

That being said, S.T. Gibson remains legendary in writing captivating stories on vampiric love and lust. The tension, the rivalry, the blood - it was all so sumptuous and delicious I felt gluttonous upon finishing. If you're looking for SPICE and SKINNY DIPPING and some TRUUUUUE WORSHIP then this is the book for you. Dark academia, sapphic vampires, and secrets at every turn, it is sure to keep you flipping pages all night - prepare yourself for a late night of reading, it's that addictive.

thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book!

This isn't a romance, so much as a story that uses romance to make its points. It's really a story about control, both taken and freely given and learning the difference between the two. So, while I would have loved to see more of Laura and Carmilla's relationship developing, I think Gibson did an excellent job balancing and contrasting different dynamics to define the line where it becomes abuse. I loved how it was juxtaposed with Laura's religion, in a way that never shamed her for one or the other but rather drew parallels between her relationship with Carmilla and with religion. I easily could have read another 50 pages of these characters and their story, but it sits as it is very well nonetheless.

I appreciated also that Laura, as a fat protagonist, never experienced any fatphobia, but after seeing it in the advertisements so much I was surprised it wasn't mentioned until the second half of the book!

My copy is already preordered, and I'm very excited for what Gibson has next.

Thank you very much to Redhook Books and NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. I greatly appreciate it.

Rating: 2 stars

I can summarize my entire thoughts in one small sentence: I wanted more.

Note: Now, my downfall here may be that I haven’t read Carmilla. In fact I didn’t really know it was a story until this book came out. That being said, there is a HIGH chance I just wasn't the right audience for this.

The story follows two girls, Laura and Carmilla, as they compete with each other for the attention of Professor De Lafontaine, a poetry professor at a secluded college in Massachusetts. This creates an academic rivalry that leads the reader into a story of uneven power dynamics, obsession, and creatures of the night. It was marketed to me as a dark academia Carmilla retelling full of lush atmosphere and elegant prose. Sprinkle in a dash of enemies to lovers, sapphic vampires, and an exploration into kink, and I was sold. And yet, the whole story fell completely flat to me, from the beginning.

Let me start with what I enjoyed first. I did not see the Sire plotline coming. When that happened I truly was like “oh things are going to get interesting now”. (it didn’t but I had hope). It was a very quick read. The writing is very digestible, and the chapters are very short. I flew through this in two days, with working full time, and after work commitments. There were some beautiful quotes that I did enjoy. The author had some great one liners about life, love, and obsession that I did think were beautiful. T his is a book I would absolutely recommend to friends, and I encourage others to pick it up and make their own opinion on it. I just don’t believe it was the book for me.

Now into my issues with it. For warning this is a negative ramble. If you loved this book, PLEASE proceed with caution.

First, WHERE WERE THE ADULTS?! That pulled me out of the story the most. This didn’t feel like a college at all. Parties, rituals, and public drinking in technically a “freshman” dorm and nothing? I honestly forgot this was a college most of the time reading this.

Okay, now that I got that out of the way, let us continue. It starts off way too weak and cheesy for me. The cliche imagery of a new girl to college who arrives by herself and stands in front of her dorm with both suitcases in hand, looking up towards the building before a frisbee hits her from behind, cmon. I have watched that scene at least ten times in my life. Then starts in even more cheese with dialogue like “Say, you aren’t Laura Sheridan, are you?”. Are we playing animal crossing? It pulled me in a completely different direction than “dark, moody, gothic”. Then you think you are getting to the meat and potatoes when a “ritual” starts with girls in white dresses but then NOTHING HAPPENS. The “ritual” is rushed, undescriptive, and empty. Instead of creating a dark start, it just succeeds in doing something kind of weird with no explanation, or atmosphere building, and then drops in the most random sexual thoughts from our main character. What a weird introduction into our main characters “dark desires”. It was clunky to be honest. In summary the book did not have me in the beginning, and it didn’t grab me at any point throughout.

The writing style was not what I was expecting at all. Many people said the prose would be lyrical, poetic, and atmospheric. And it was at times. But for most of the book it just lacked. There was no atmosphere at all for me. In fact I honestly forgot the setting and time period for this book multiple times because it's just never reflected on. See the mild rant above about the adults.

The characterization was almost enough. Almost. We get close to establishing this narcissistic, abusive, hypocritical character, only for their entire personality to change towards the end. I understand why or how they were supposed to change but it felt rushed, and out of place. Not to mention there was no difference between Laura and Carmilla. The book would switch POV’s and I would not remember whose mind I was in. There was no difference in thought, explanation, or feelings in these two girls. Both were the exact same, and somehow both still surface level. We never dug deep enough into either girls struggles, thoughts on religion, thoughts of their sexuality, or kink desires enough. The author gives us a nugget of Carmilla’s childhood trauma and then never lets us feel how it affects her now, or how it is playing into her obsession. That leads directly into their romance. The “enemies” part was completely rushed with no solid foundation, and in a drop of a page it completely changes to romance. Like “love of my life” and “my reason for living” romance. I couldn’t root for them. There was no connection, no longing, no tension. Once again, it fell flat. Then after this instant romance we get spun into the world of kink. Which again, she could have done more with. There was just nothing. Laura gets a little demanding. Carmilla gets a little submissive. That’s it. There was no exploration into those roles for them. No warm up into exploring that. No real show of what the kink world was. Once again, surface level. I mean I was expecting some inner monologues of confusion, nervousness, or excitement as she starts this, but nothing. There was no emotion that made me feel for any event in either of these girls' lives.

My last quip with the writing style is that there is no subtly. You think there is, and then the next instant a narrator tells you what you're supposed to be feeling/thinking about the situation. Everytime it just took me out of the story cause I wanted to go “duh.”. In summary, I just can’t take this book or these characters seriously. There is no emotion, no pull, no atmosphere. It gave me nothing.

The ending. What. It was so feel-good and predictable. De Lafontaine is a completely different person with no real understanding of how she did a complete 180. The “sacrifice” she made was an obvious, and cliche choice. Where was this book supposed to be dark? It ended with a nice pop song playing in the background, all the “bad” people turned “good”, and our couple riding off into the sunset. The only interesting part of the ending, the author completely leaves off page. The final decision Laura has to make.

All in all, this was an incredibly disappointing book for me. The writing was subpar to what I expected. The characterization was below average. The love story was weak. The plot was engaging but lacked atmosphere. It did not feel dark. It felt cheesy, predictable, and underwhelming.

An Education in Malice was a hauntingly gothic and dark academia tale of love, power and devotion. A companion novel to A Dowry of Blood, this book was filled with a sapphic love story, vampires, a 1960s setting, and uneven power dynamics.

I did enjoy many aspects of this book but unfortunately, I was left wanting more from the story and characters. The dark academia atmosphere was easily the strongest element of the book.

While, I appreciated the sapphic vampire and poetry themes as well, the pacing and character development was just quite slow.

The romance while not the strongest in my opinion was still written beautifully and detailed how love and obsession can cross.

There were quite a few layers to the story that felt a bit rushed but still kept me captivated.

Overall an intriguing read, I was just expecting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dark Academia, Coming of Age Tale, Love & Loss, and VAMPIRES!
I was so eager for this release after reading S.T. Gibson's previous work and it did not disappoint! Gibson absolutely shines in her delivery of prose, imagery, and intoxication of this beautiful world and these characters. He writing style keeps you immersed in the story and the journey she guides her characters on, captivates. Laura arrives to her freshman year at this all girl's private college with a mixture of longing for home and longing for new. She finds both in her year at Saint Perpetua's. Amongst the back drop of the late 60s, our dear Laura meets two women, a driven and yet dependent student, and a professor harboring more than just mystique behind her domineering smile. This odd collection of comrades become intertwined in a mess of existence as they each learn what it is to love and lose, and not always in the traditional sense. Gibson masters a sense of urgency in her plot development, while encouraging the reader to slow down and savor the composition, resting in the glow of Saint Perpetua. I would highly recommend this book to all who enjoyed A Dowry of Blood, vampiric tales, complex love and longing, coming of age stories, moody prose, academic settings, and strong yet vulnerable female leads. High marks to Gibson and I hope we are able to revisit our cast of characters again in future works. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the advanced copy!

What to even say about this book. You had me at sapphic vampires.

Set at a women’s college within a small town Massachusetts town in the late 1960s, this book follows young Laura and her rival, Carmella, as they grown beyond their rivalry into something more. Told in two voices, this book is an exploration of the Carmella story written in beautiful prose.

The plot of this book is a refreshing new exploration of vampires like I’ve never seen before. On the coat tales of my beloved A Dowry of Blood, this book somehow incorporates this establish world and deepens it without needing to read them both. The overlap both surprised and delighted me. The college setting was well considered and executed. The writing of this book is beautiful, gory, and delightful. This book is incredibly triggering for some (definitely check trigger warnings for this one), but I found the triggering elements enhanced the overall atmosphere of the world building and overall plot to me. I found even when I cringed away from it, I simultaneously was drawn back in.

The characters of this book are flawed, scarred, and raw. I loved diving into Laura’s sheltered religious upbringing, juxtaposed by Carmella’s carefree youth. These unique perspectives on life flesh out these individual characters and differentiate their voices in their narrations. The addition of Ms. De Lafontaine added to the story by incorporating another perspective on life through the eyes of the immortal being. I came to love and hate these characters in a way I never expected and loved all the same.

This is already a contender for favorite book of the year. S. T. Gibson did it again. Easy 5 stars for me.

Well, imagine diving into a book expecting a thrilling rollercoaster ride and ending up on a leisurely stroll through a mishmash of themes. Gibson usually serves up a plot as clean as a whistle and prose so beautiful it could make angels weep, but this time, it's like the story was wandering around lost in its own thoughts.

It's like trying to mix oil and water—this book was torn between toxic relationships and the dark academia scene with a sprinkle of murder on top. Instead of a perfect blend, it felt more like a seesaw where one aspect got attention while the others were left in the dust. So when the climax hit, it was like someone suddenly hit the brakes, leaving us hanging and feeling a bit deflated.

As much as it pains me to admit, especially after adoring 'A Dowry of Blood', this one felt like a lukewarm, dried-up version of the classic Carmilla. It lacked that zest you'd expect from this kind of story. And it's mind-boggling because Gibson's totally capable of nailing this concept, but here, it felt like they missed the mark.

The characters? Flat as pancakes. It's like they were moving through molasses compared to the captivating Mrs. D. Maybe Gibson was in a hurry to get to the juicy bits, but in the rush, they forgot to give these characters their own voices and personalities. It's like trying to run a marathon with lead shoes.

But hey, let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater! The writing, the atmosphere—top-notch. It's like being enveloped in this gothic, religious dreamland. So, if you're all about that aesthetic and atmosphere, dive right in! Just be ready for characters who need a bit more love and attention.

In a nutshell, it's a surprisingly ho-hum ride from Gibson. Not a disaster, but definitely not hitting the high notes due to rushed character development. Yet, if you're craving that atmospheric fix, give it a whirl!