An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson is another emotional ride through the vampiric world. This book, unlike A Dowry of Blood, has more of a contemporary feel as it is set in a women's college in Massachusetts in the 1960s. Based on a character from the other book appearing in this one, this is set in the same world just further in time. The first half of the book is very slow paced as you get to know the characters but at the halfway mark things change at a rapid pace as we are thrown into a dangerous new life. Our story centers around De Lafontaine, a professor at the college, and two students, Carmilla and Laura, who are both enrolled in her poetry course. The relationship dynamics are interesting in that it's not exactly a poly relationship since the one student and teacher have a parasitic one. There is tension and several steamy scenes with flowery language.

Thank you Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange of an honest review.

Overall this hovers around a 3.5 star read.
Like most people I adored Dowry of Blood by S T Gibson and was so excited to see this author's future work. While a very fast and fun read, unfortunately An Education In Malice did not surpass Dowry of Blood. The positives of this book were the quickness and tense story. As well as the creation of a very moody and gloomy atmosphere in the all girls boarding school, I really enjoyed the depictions of the relationship dynamics between Carmilla, Laura, and the professor. Each felt fleshed out and interesting in it's own way.
Were the book fell a little flat for me was the speed the book turned from rivals to lovers. It felt very instant and less earned for me. I would've liked more of a slow burn into the romance side of Laura and Carmilla's relationship. While the book was fast paced, there was some spots were the plot felt rushed and others that felt a tad repetitive and lulled for me.
Overall it was a fun, sexy sapphic dark academia vampire story, and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys these things.

Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book by S T Gibson that I have read. I feel if it had been the first book I would've enjoyed it more, however I fear Education in Malice will live in Dowry of Blood's shadow for me. Dowry was a masterclass in prose and development and characters, and while all these aspects were enjoyable in Malice, they did not meet that same level of excellence, The pace was fine, if not a little uneven at times. I really enjoyed the obsessive relationships depicted between both girls and the professor, it was very fun and those were the moments that felt packed with the most tension. The romance between Carmilla and Laura did feel a bit rushed. They went from very hostile to very in love a bit too quick for my liking. I did really enjoy the open ending and would be excited to see these relationships explored further in other works.

This book is bloody, sexy, and dark in all the right ways! It's my first ST Gibson and I am sold. The way she writes is as poetic and the poems in the book. It's bloody, it's dark, it's academic rivals, not to mentions its sapphic. It's perfect.
The characters are so polarizing and well fleshed out (vampire pun!). I love when vampires are done in this way.
Subtle but still dangerous and sexy. This will be a book I reread often!

My Rating: 2.7 /5

I wanted to love it more than I did, unfortunately.

I will say if you love the writing of The Dowry of Blood, you will love the writing in this. The author very much kept the same writing style and it's one that I enjoy. Very gothic and eloquent. Also, if you love dark academia this is definitely in that wheelhouse.

--Spoilers--

However, the characters felt superficial and shallow. We never really got to explore them and their choices. Which made their relationships with each other make much less sense and less intriguing. The unethical and unbalanced relationship between professor and student felt surface level. They were devoted to her--why?--I don't know. The relationship between the girls went from enemies to lovers in the blink of an eye. You never got the chance to hope for them to be together because suddenly they were.

Surely, you would think that an ancient vampire-killing girls on a campus would be a huge plot point, right? No it was plot C and only really written about at the end. None of the main characters seemed to care about it at all until the end.

Overall, It was interesting enough to read all the way through but disappointed me in the end. Maybe if you are a fan of Carmilla this will hold more interest for you.

~ ARC received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I'll start by admitting that this is my first S.T. Gibson book! I've had A Dowery of Blood on my shelf for a while, but just haven't picked it up! But I enjoyed An Education in Malice enough that I will definitely be bumping A Dowert of Blood up my TBR!

This book has a lot going for it. The autumnal, New England academia vibes, the sapphic rivals-to-lovers romance, and of course — vampires. I love vampires and always enjoy seeing authors' different takes and interpretations of vampire lore.

The story is dual POV — alternating between Laura and Carmilla — and I enjoyed getting both perspectives on the story. The prose is beautiful and the vibes are immaculate. The story is tense in a good way. I read it in two sittings and the tensions kept me turning pages.

Ultimately, I think I was expecting a bit more of an exploration into the power dynamics that were set up. I wanted more of De Lafontaine's history and the subpl0ot that comes out of that, but enjoyed it nonetheless. What this story became is a coming-of-age story — the tale of two young people finding their way in the world and claiming what they want. The relationship is angsty and spicy. Very well written, but reader, know yourself if that's your sort of thing! Trigger warnings can be found at the beginning of the book, but obviously it's a vampire book, so be prepared for some blood!

Wow, this was so well written and super sexy! I really enjoyed A Dowry of Blood from this author and didn't see how she could top it, but somehow she did. This book was so lush, the backdrop of an all girls college and a cohort of poetry students obsessed with their entrancing professor was perfect for all the purple prose sprinkled throughout this book. (The descriptions of fall through winter as the school year progressed, set the gothic atmosphere to an 11/10). I'm not usually the biggest fan of "dark academia", but this did it right. The writing could have easily come off as cheesy or pretentious, but the main character Laura was so genuine- smart, warm, determined. Her internal monologue was probably my favorite part of the book, every few pages the reader gets gems like this:

"But this girl, this Carmilla . . . she undid all my domestication. One smile from her and I wanted to loose my hair and chase her barefoot through the woods, I wanted to knock her to the ground and pin her like a butterfly, I wanted to dig my teeth into her plush lower lip , I wanted, I wanted."

Her pining over Carmilla was some of the hottest writing I have ever read, and set on top of an east coast school with major gothic vibes was ::chefs kiss::

I will definitely be reading everything S.T. Gibson writes moving forward.

The literary equivalent of [intense ethereal whooshing].

Sapphic poetry vampires in New England dark academia SHOULD be a winning combo by all means, but the pacing was a bit quick for my taste. The enemies become lovers seemingly with the flip of a switch, and the "big bad" isn't nearly as terrifying as they have the potential to be - the entire conflict resolved itself before I really had a chance to grasp the motivations for the main players. The side characters introduced at the start, specifically Maisy and Elenore, are given plenty of room to be fully realized and to add to the plot, but outside a quick detour to California and a narratively convenient run-in at a bar that never brings consequences to the plot, they're just the 2D socialist Black character and the sporty lesbian.

Another, albeit small, issue I had was that both Carmilla and Laura's POVs were very tonally similar -- both have long and winding monologues about their "proclivities," both find themselves to be the most unique person they've ever encountered, etc. There's plenty of background to Laura's story, but Carmilla's origins are left mostly to the imagination despite her narrating half the story.

However, there's still plenty of good in this book. Gibson's writing is so vivid, so heady, that the atmosphere of St. Perpetua's is suffocating--especially in the first half when we're still getting acquainted with the world. The seminar room, De Lafontaine's midnight greenhouse, and the grounds of the college are described so intently that we may as well be there next to Laura and Carmilla. In our Saltburn, Secret History-fuelled climate, the worldbuilding is beautifully immersive and authentic. Despite having vampires running around Massachusetts, the setting feels perfectly real.

3 stars because these are fully personal critiques, and certain tropes that never work for me can still make a 5 star read for someone else. The issues I had with the book don't minimize the absolute beauty of the writing and the care Gibson put into this story, and I overall enjoyed the read more offen than not.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for my Advanced Reader's Copy of An Education in Malice.

Man, how can I describe this book? A delicious dark academia sapphic vampire rivals-to-lovers novel which I later learned is a retelling of Carmilla, though I have not read Carmilla and did not feel like I was missing out.

Laura and Carmilla are poetry savants at Saint Perpetua's College in Massachusetts in 1968. Laura, the doe-eyed and timid freshman, meets Carmilla, a wickedly talented and unpredictable international student from Europe, and becomes as infatuated as she does competitive. They're both striving for the approval of their professor, De Lafontaine, who is known for holding one of the most intense classes on campus. But when an excursion with De Lafontaine in the tunnels beneath the school goes south, the girls are thrust into a world they never could've imagined.

What I loved: first of all, this is a no-boys-allowed novel. There are very few male characters, and most hold little significance. There *is* a man involved in one of the spicy scenes, for my girlies who don't love that, but it's not a scene between him and the characters. Everything about this was so beautiful, so gothic, so poetically written. It's fast paced and the conflicts are quickly resolved, so if you're just here for the love, smut, and vibes, this one is for you.

What I didn't love: the smut. Now hear me out here, I'm usually not a smut girl but this did have some of the best smut I've read in a minute. There were several times when S. T. was onto something good. That being said, the dynamic between the two characters in their intimate scenes didn't make a lot of sense to me. I had a hard time believing Laura, a shy girl with no outstanding experience, was able to take command of the situations like that. It took me out of the story a few times to read how dominant she was, as I was having a hard time reconciling that with her character.

Overall, though, this was such a fun read and a brilliant combination of all the things I love, then some. I anxiously await the publishing date (February 13th, nerds, mark your calendars!) so I can tell all my friends to read this and discuss it with other people, finally.

An Education of Malice is told from both Laura and Carmilla’s perspectives as they attend the prestigious all women's college, Saint Perpetua’s College. Laura and Carmilla quickly become academic rivals, however their rivalry hides the truth: their attraction to each other.

An Education in Malice, like S.T. Gibson’s previous novel, A Dowry of Blood, is sensual through and through. Gibson uses An Education in Malice to explore unequal power dynamics in relationships. Like A Dowry of Blood, there are multiple trigger warnings so make sure to check those out before reading.

As mentioned previously, An Education in Malice explores power dynamics in relationships in a dark academia setting. Both Laura and Carmilla are in Professor De Lafontaine’s poetry class where they are often pitted against each other. Through their interactions, their attraction grows however De Lafontaine gets in the way.

Gibson’s writing is sensually poetic as Laura and Carmilla enter into a bloodthirsty and cutthroat world. Laura and Carmilla’s chemistry is fire hot as they fight their attraction while also learning who they are as individuals and what they want and need in a relationship.

Overall, An Education in Malice is a beautifully written novel about power dynamics in relationships in a dark academia setting that delivers atmosphere, malice, and sensuality.

An Education In Malice is a reimagined story of Carmilla set at a college in New England in the 1960s. The atmosphere of the gothic college gave peak dark academia vibes. I loved the beautiful, lyrical prose as well as all of the poetry references. My one downfall is I felt the Professor De Lafontaine character wasn't giving enough, especially more towards the end. It set her up as being a strong, mysterious woman, but then she seemed a bit more weak/immature at certain points and that threw me off a bit. I always enjoy an enemies to lovers plot, but I wish it had went a bit more in depth with the relationship between Laura and Camilla. I enjoyed the story, but not as much as I did with A Dowry Blood. Overall satisfying atmosphere and beautiful writing style, but a little lacking with the character depth.

Ah,” She said with a knowing smile. “I see you’ve met Carmilla.”

So rich and lush, full of darkness and lust. It met my great expectations coming off of a dowry of blood and I couldn’t be happier.

Carmilla and Laura were two deeply interesting characters. Carmilla has an air of confidence and performance about her that hides her deeper insecurities that make her so easy to manipulate. Laura has the same kind of mask but in a different way, hiding how she is the opposite of the malleable, innocent girl that she comes off as on the outside. You can feel the unspoken want and rivalry between the two girls, as if it’s radiating off the page. And I fucking loved every second of it.

The way De lafontaine manipulates Carmilla was so well written and so heart wrenching to read. It had all the obvious signs of a complete power imbalance in so many instances, and also in the subtle ways as well. You understand why Carmilla is so deeply tied to her, and keeps going back no matter how badly she gets hurt. How much she thinks De Lafontaine is owed, without seeing how much she’s already sacrificing.

Usually I give critiques in my reviews but this book was so enamoring, I can’t help but sing my praises. The only thing I would wish to see built upon was the ending. I just think it could have been stronger. However, I honestly can’t think of anything I disliked enough to drop my rating.

The way S.T. Gibson writes and tells a story is such a gem and she’s definitely high on my list of all time favorite authors. Dark academia is a hard genre to fully have my attention and keep me from getting bored, but this one did just that.

3.5/5 (reminder that I recommend any book rated 3 stars and above)

There’s a lot to like about this book if you go into it with the right expectations.

This novel takes place in a secluded college and follows the story of freshman Laura who navigates her ambitions for poetry and desire for her enigmatic classmate Carmilla, as they are both drawn deeper into the dark and mysterious world of their beguiling poetry professor.

Is this a sapphic Carmilla retelling? Yes.
Is this a dark academia tale of secrets, ambitions, and dark magic? Not really.

The first half of the book showed great promise, with compelling writing and an engaging storyline. I found myself flying through the pages eager to uncover the mysteries of Professor De Lafontaine, untangle the threads of her relationship with Carmilla, and watch the intense academic rivalry unfold. As the story progressed, the curtains fell to reveal a rather ordinary cast running an ordinary show.

The writing of the characters seemed to disintegrate in the later chapters. Although the story sports alternating POVs, I found myself confused between Laura and Carmilla’s POVs in the later chapters because the writing of their voices seemed to coalesce into one. Early in the book Carmilla is an egotistical brat with a voice to match, but that personality is nowhere to be found later on. Professor De Lafontaine is an exceptionally interesting character that could have driven the story to new heights if expanded upon. Unfortunately she too became an afterthought to the romance focus. I was left confused by her actions and choices (which play an important role in the plot) because I never got to understand her.

In terms of dark academia, the puzzle pieces don’t quite fit. Either this is a case of mis-marketing or the story missed the mark. While the setting is in a college with students and poetry rivalry, this falls away rather quickly and I do think that the story would be mostly unchanged if the setting was moved outside of academia altogether.

That being said, this book does rather well in the romance department. I found the romance between Laura and Carmilla to be authentic, and the obsession between these characters and their professor to be intense and tangible. Additionally, S.T. Gibson always delivers with her prose and the writing itself sets up a captivating gothic atmosphere.

This book really fits the bill for readers looking for a sapphic romance with a darker backdrop. I would emphasize that the exploration of relationships is rather well written. For readers looking for a true dark academia, this may not satiate.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

S.T. Gibson’s An Education in Malice continues her run of beautifully transforming classic vampire literature. This novel goes a step further than A Dowry of Blood—taking Sheridan le Fanu’s Carmilla into the 1960’s. Reading the original work is not required, but there are many easter eggs if you know what to look for. Reading A Dowry of Blood is also not required. If you have, you can look forward to seeing a familiar face. Otherwise, just be ready for a blood-soaked, poetry-filled, sapphic love story.

Laura and Carmilla are both students in an exclusive poetry workshop taught by De Lafontaine. Their professor is mercurial, strict, and treats the boundary between teacher and student as a dotted line. She also has a favorite: Carmilla. That is, until Laura starts stealing some of her attention. This begins a rivalry between the two students. A rivalry that, much like Carmilla’s relationship with De Lafontaine, is ripe with sexual tension.

This book goes far past tension. It is explicit. Spicy, if you want to be colloquial about it. If you like that sort of thing, you’ll enjoy where this book goes. If you’re hesitant, check the list here. S.T. Gibson is also active on instagram if you want to do more research on what to expect. Similar to her writing style in general, these scenes are not crass. They don’t feel out of place or shoehorned in. Like the poetry this book focuses on, they are explorations of love, sensation, and life. And yes, okay, they’re hot.

An Education in Malice also follows in the tradition of dark academia. It has an elite class, a charismatic teacher, academic rivalry. There’s the pursuit of hidden knowledge; under cover of night. There’s even a dedicated area of study. The Secret History has Greek, If We Were Villains has Shakespeare, and An Education in Malice has poetry. And like its predecessors, it made me want to suddenly dive in. To me, even more than the vibes, that is what I look for in dark academia. I want to feel that pull, that passion.

And of course, what greater pull and passion is there than the one between a vampire and the pulse of a blood-filled vein? Only, perhaps, the complicated relationship between the vampire and their sire. That knife cuts both ways. Much like professor and student, there is a responsibility on the sire to guide their creation into the world. Similarly, there is a trust and fealty from the new vampire to their maker. Dark academic vampires just make sense. An Education in Malice delights in exploring and exploiting these power dynamics.

There is also an element to vampirism that speaks to those on the fringes. During one particularly memorable scene, the reader and our budding couple are introduced to vampire society. Here they can do what they want, with who they want. It doesn’t matter that they are both women. They can be themselves. And it is a revelation. Not only do these characters get to explore, they are encouraged. They are seen and accepted. It’s a fantasy—even without the blood.

If you loved A Dowry of Blood, you'll love this too! An Education in Malice is a modern(ish),dark academia take on the beloved horror, Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Similarly to A Dowry of Blood, Gibson leans heavily into the queer concepts that exist in the original work and explores horrors and celebrations found in love, desire,
obsession, and possession.

Some of the plot beats surround academic rivals to lovers, student/teacher affair, poetry obsessions, and of course, gore, murder, and mystery. Also a fave from ADOB comes back for an encore.

Thank you to @NetGalley for the advanced copy for and honest review!

I could tell right away that I enjoy S.T. Gibson’s writing style and I will continue to read because of this but I think overall, the story line with sapphic vampire spice is just not for me.

When I started this, I was intrigued by the writing and it’s different than what I’m usually drawn to but I struggled to stay absorbed in the story. I think that is primarily due to my own personal reading preferences, rather than the story.

Title: An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

Publication Date- 02/13/24
Publisher- Redhook Books
Overall Rating- 6 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure how to write a review for this and do it justice so I’ll do my best but the moral of the story is you need to read the book. The end. That’s all we have time for today, guys, gals, non-binary pals.

Okay if I must, I will try to put something together for you all. Wow. What a book. I am sure most of you are wondering if you need to read A Dowry of Blood before you read this. You do not. It does take place in the same universe and we cross over a character from A Dowry of Blood however that character is very much in the background and feels like an easter egg. I did also read Carmilla to prepare for this release, you also don’t need to do that but it lived up to a reimagining and I loved that aspect. There are some nods to the original Carmilla but you by no means need to read that to read this.

An Education in Malice contains some of the most engrossing, thought provoking, grab you by the throat and not let go writing. This is signature to S.T. Gibson and we get it again here. I felt like I could not put this book down, I read it in one day and almost in one sitting borrowing a few adulting things I needed to do. Once you get started you will get sucked into the characters and their story and not be able to let go.

S.T. Gibson does such a delicate job of writing a coming of age story. Coming of age stories are some of my least favorite, I don’t really have a reason why, they just are. However, I will read anything she writes and in particular I feel like she handles this subject with authenticity, believability and courage. She includes in her works aspects of coming of age that I don’t feel like usually are included in other stories of the same vein. Let me be clear though, her works (thus far) are not for those coming of age but for those who are adults and are ready to look back on what is usually a trying time and feel seen. In particular, S.T. Gibson writes about sex and sexuality in a vulnerable and honest way that is the most relatable to my own life I have ever read. In most books these topics make me cringe but she, she had me at every word.

If I haven’t convinced you to read this yet, well do it anyway.

I hope An Education in Malice enters into the conversations of dark academia novels. It’s by far the best one I’ve read and I’ve read almost all of the popular dark academia. We arrive on secluded women’s college in the fall of 1968 and can feel every inch of it. This is a story about art, writing, poetry and the hope of living forever. I can’t wait until my physical copy comes in the mail, this is one I will reread and annotate the heck out of.

This was a beautifully written book! I was immediately drawn into the story and the rivalry of Laura and Carmilla. The dialogue was excellent and the slow burn was so fun to read. I found a few typos, but that's to be expected in an ARC. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a great vampire story or sapphic fantasy stories. A great LGBTQ+ fantasy story.

“An Education in Malice”, by S.T. Gibson is a captivating and darkly enchanting tale that delves into the sinister underbelly of academia. The story takes place in the ancient and isolated Saint Perpetua’s College, where a complex web of secrets and ambition unfolds. The story is rich with ancient traditions and academic rivalry.

Laura Sheridan and Carmilla are involved in intense academic rivalry, as well as their entanglement with the enigmatic poetry professor, De Lafontaine. Gibson’s writing is hauntingly beautiful, weaving a tapestry of mystery and occult forces that add depth to the story. Each character is intricately developed, harboring their own obsessions and desires, creating a world where sacrifice and ambition collide in the relentless pursuit of knowledge. I loved how this book combined dark academia with supernatural elements. It’s one of those stories that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading it because it leaves an indelible mark about what one must give up for enlightenment.

“An Education in Malice” was like a delicious treat to read. It was a beautifully written Sapphic book with strong female characters. S.T. Gibson’s masterful storytelling had me on the edge of my seat throughout, so I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys literary intrigue mixed with dark magic and the intricacies and complexities of human desire.

(Note: This review is based on an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of the book.)

3.25 stars

This is a dark academia Carmilla retelling, set in the same universe as A Dowry of Blood, but several centuries later in 1968-1969 (you don't need to have read ADoB to read this one). This is a dual-POV story set at a women's college in Massachusetts about Laura, a good girl from Mississippi, and her academic rival turned lover, Carmilla, a spoiled brat from Austria, and their competition for their poetry professor's favor. Also, the poetry professor is a vampire. Dun dun dun.

The beginning of this book was promising; I enjoyed the gothic setting and the vibes of the girls jockeying for position in their poetry class and hanging out in the old library, and the tension between them when they first meet was *chef's kiss*.

I paused my reading about 40% in to go read Carmilla (which is only like ~100 pages) and then dove back in, ready to get wrecked. Unfortunately, the last half of the book didn't quite hit the notes I wanted it to. Sidenote, you don't need to have read Carmilla to read this; they're both sapphic vampire stories but the character names are the strongest common thread.

I felt like the two FMCs entered the lover phase of their enemies-to-lovers a little quickly, and I was less interested in their dynamic once they did. I didn't feel a deep connection to either of them, although there were interesting elements to them both outside of their relationship that I wished had been explored more. For example, the political climate of the late 60s is touched on once, as is Laura's desire to be a priest, but then those are never brought back up in relation to the main conflict of the story (the girls' relationship and the existence of vampires), so I was left wondering why they were mentioned at all. 

All of the characters' relationships themselves are toxic, similar to A Dowry of Blood but I kept expecting more to come of this, for there to be a big blowup or tragic turn, and what we got felt a bit anticlimactic to me. I enjoyed the writing itself, but overall just wanted more oomph from the last half of this book. The vibes are absolutely there, though, and I've seen a lot of people give this 5 stars, so if you're just looking for a sapphic, BDSM, rivals-to-lovers book with hot vampires, this may be for you! Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.