Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I expected to love it but I just liked it. Gibson has an incredible and poetic way of writing but I felt like the plot was a little underwhelming. I also think that the characters needed better development. However, I enjoyed the writing, the atmosphere, and the romance.

I had to mull over my thoughts on this for a little while. S.T. Gibson has the magnificent ability to destroy me with their words. I have sat on the ending lines of this book and pondered the possibilities. I hurt so deeply. Laura and Carmilla are deeply embedded into my psyche. Their academic rivals is the exact brand of "I can't stand the idea that we are equals but you are the only person who has ever challenged me to become better" that I have unknowingly been searching for my whole life. I was swept up by their relationship with not only each other but with De LaFontaine as well. They both approached her in such similar yet different ways. Gibson's ability to balance both love and toxicity is enthralling.

An Education in Malice, to me, is a masterclass on the dark academia atmosphere. I walked through the hallowed halls of Saint Perpetua's College, sat in on De LaFontaine's poetry classes, and anxiously experienced the plague of dark magic. It was perfectly gothic and hauntingly romantic. My only complaint is that I wish it could've been longer. I so desperately want to continue turning the pages of this wonderful book.

This was my first S.T Gibson book and I really liked it. Idk much about Carmilla so I can't speak for the retelling but I loved the atmosphere. If the story had had a little more depth to it, I would have loved it more but I can't wait to read more

This book immediately griped my attention with the dark gothic sapphic vibes and academic rivals but I feel in love with the overall twist on Carmilla.
The setting and atmosphere, the complicated relationship, power dynamics and tensions built by dual POV made this book was easy to devour.

This will certainly be a book I recommend!

This was my first ST Gibson book, and I am thrilled it was. From what I heard, this author is penomenal and I HAVE TO AGREE! I loved it! So so grateful this was the first world I dove into and now I NEED MORE!

You have done it again for me S. T. Gibson you are on my autobuy list. I highly recommend this to everyone and I plan to do a reread once my physical copy gets into my hands. I highly recommend all of S. T. Gibson’s books. Thankfully I preordered the book month ago ♥️♥️♥️

“an education in malice” is a book i’ve been patiently waiting for ever since i heard of its existence, so i went into it with sky-high expectations and i can’t say i’ve been let down. granted, “a dowry of blood” is still my favourite and i was very pleased to see a character make an appearance in this book as well. the book had the same flair for the dramatics that i’ve loved in a dowry, but it’s still quite unique in its own way.

i absolutely adored the writing style – s.t. gibson is such a skilled writer and it’s quite evident that they’ve honed their craft since their previous book. the atmosphere of the story was absolutely delicious and i did like how the relationship between the characters was crafted. the trio is definitely toxic to each other, but that makes for such an interesting read. the romance between laura and carmilla was anything but healthy, but i do love myself some all-consuming type of relationship. i did like them as rivals as well as it was fun to read. i do wish we had gotten to see more of laura’s relationship with the other girls as well, but it’s not that big of a deal.

i do have to say the pace of the story was a bit off at times and i do think the ending was slightly rushed, as the conflict was resolved a bit too quickly, in my opinion. i also wish we would’ve gotten more backstory on iris and de lafontaine’s obsession with her. but these don’t make the story any less enjoyable and as a fan of unhinged women and vampires, i think this is definitely worth reading.

the story is told from both laura’s and carmilla’s point of view and they have very distinct voices. both their characters are well crafted and you can see their personalities shine throughout each chapter.

overall, i did really enjoy the book, but i think it should’ve been a bit longer, so we’d get more time with the characters and more action, because i do wish a certain plot point was explored more. the writing is outstanding and i love the characters, so i’m definitely going to read s.t. gibson’s future works.

Okay, I LOVED this book. The writing was absolutely beautiful and I devoured the story from beginning to end. Plus, did I mention sapphic vampires? Because if not - SAPPHIC VAMPIRES. And yearning. So so so much yearning. I highly recommend this beautifully written and wonderfully gay story of devotion, blood, and the things we are willing to do for love.

Thank you so much for this ARC & having the opportunity. I knew I was going to enjoy this book, I finished it in a day. A DAY!!
Dowry of Blood was one of my favorites I read in 2023. Now once again S. T. You’ve done it again.
What a slow burn with a great pay off. I’m following you on this Anne Rice esque journey. The inclusion of creatures of the night and secret plans under the school was fantastic. Can’t wait for publication day & to pick up a physical copy.

Review to be posted on January 15th

When I heard about a Carmilla retelling, I was so excited. I'll be honest, I still haven't read A Dowry of Blood, despite being on my TBR list for a bit. Thankfully, the two are not connect, so you do not need to have read it to enjoy this book. And enjoy it, I did.
An Education in Malice give us an interesting story, a mix of dark academia, sapphic love, vampire and illicit affairs. We follow Laura, an innocent young woman as she arrives to the boarding school, and get caught in the rivalry and attraction of her professor's favourite student. And we follow Carmilla, who in many ways is the opposite of Laura, but the two together challenged each other in such an intriguing and beautiful way.
This was my first book by S.T. Gibson, and it will definitely not be my last. I've fallen in love with her writing in this book, and I need to get my hands on A Dowry of Blood as soon as possible. I absolutely loved this book, and I devoured it in one sitting. It was addicting.

I went into this book blind, and I am glad that I did! I don’t typically go for fantasy, but the academia drew me into this title.

The story takes place at an all girls prep school. The story is told in alternating perspectives from two young girls, Carmilla and Laura. Both have become protégées of a professor at the school. This professor manipulates the young women into following her every command. These girls are begging for her attention in any way that they can get it. Along the way, the two girls also form a close bond with each other.

About half way through the book, the reader is introduce to the vampire aspect. As I went into this not knowing there would be vampires, I was presently surprised at this plot twist. This unleashes an entirely new problem that these ladies need to solve. I don’t want to spoil the book, so I’ll leave it there. However, I don’t feel that there was enough action concerning the character of Isla. This was a BIG problem and the storyline just made it seem like a relatively normal one.

I did grow to love the relationship between the two younger girls. I wasn’t too fond of the professor, as I thought she was kind of sleezy and manipulative for her own gain.

As for the writing, I really enjoyed the advanced academic vocabulary. However, I don’t feel that it was consistent. At times the girls seemed like exactly that. Other times, they seemed very distinguished. I would have appreciated a bit more cohesiveness in their language. Overall, a good read that I would not have typically picked!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. 😊

Dark Academia, Rivals, Power Imbalances, and Sapphic Vampires. This has something fo everyone and while it took a while to ground itself, I really enjoyed this. S.T. Gibson has a way with vampires that make them feel so REAL and when the book gets into toxicity in relationships, building more and more dread as the story progresses, that's where it shines.

Perfect for the girlies that grew up watching the 2014 web series Carmilla about the same novel. I know this book wasn't perfect but I still had so much fun with it. The spooky New England fancy university setting worked and the talks about inappropriate teacher/student relationships were done well. I would have liked a longer fleshed-out story but I do think the book worked in its short form because otherwise, I think the story would have dragged out.

An Education in Malice is a retelling of the 1872 novella "Carmilla" , marketed with a dark academia twist.
It follows Carmilla, Laura and their professor in a twisted love/vampire novel.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting with this book. I think a twinge more malice based on the title. I did find it to be a solid book that has just enough sexual undercurrent between the FMCs to keep it interesting.

I received an advance review copy for free from net galley and the publisher. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I requested this book on Netgalley because I went absolutely feral for Gibson's first book, A Dowry of Blood! Thank you so so much for the ARC!

Gibson's writing is so beautiful and strong in this dark academic, modern(ish) retelling of the original queer vampire, Carmilla. With an alluring rawness, An Education in Malice follows two young women seeking the approval of their evocative and mildly seductive poetry professor. With De Lafontaine's push and pull of approval, the young women struggle with finding themselves through their creative lens, and a rivalry for attention and a game of creative superiority turns into something sexier, something darker. An Education in Malice didn't have that mystical Dracula dark magic to it, but it does give the same concept of unstable women and an all-controlling lord (or lady) that Gibson's first book, a retelling of Dracula's Wives did in A Dowry of Blood, ju not in the way you would have expected. This book is a loose retelling of Carmilla, which initially made me think it would be more of a historical piece, however, this takes place in the 1960's.

Other than the time period leaving me a bit underwhelmed, the allure was still there. If you're into unhinged, manic women, unhealthy obsessive rivalries, and uncontrolled passion, this book is for you. I'm generally not someone who seeks out dark academia, but I found the darkness, and themes of this book incredibly enticing. The angst sitting in the back of your throat while reading this, and waiting, knowing things are going to happen gives this book its charm.

Gibson is an incredibly talented writer with her inexplicable way of retelling this dark tale and adding her own twist to Carmilla and Laura as individual characters. Each chapter's POV allows for both characters to have their own voice, each distinct and unique. This book is dark and Gibson is so kind to state all the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. An Education in Malice is unabashedly sapphic and although it takes place in the 60's the subject of their sexuality isn't subjected to the time period and how queer folk were treated back then. Thank you Gibson for this! I still think it's important you take a look at the trigger warnings because even I, who doesn't particularly have any triggers, found some aspects of this story a bit upsetting. The sexual undertones between Carmilla and the professor is heightened by her need for approval and her rivalry with Laura stems from this but the push-and-pull dynamic from the professor is what I found most upsetting.

This rivalry empassions the women in more ways than one. The obsessive behaviors and mentality of the women are full of complexity and hidden depth of character. Although vampires are already sexual creatures in nature, I found that this book has its own take on this concept, one that feels different from Gibson's first book, but also has some parallels with the dynamics of power and influence of the two students. Although the story is completely separate, I think aspects of the dark academia as well as the teacher-student dynamics also reminded me a bit of My Dark Vanessa, and even the classic Lolita is mentioned in the book.  

I don't particularly think this book was for me. I'm generally not a fan of dark academia, and although I definitely enjoyed the book, it probably would have gotten a higher score from someone who loves the genre. Overall, I'm here for the vampires and bloodthirsty, desperate women who just want other women. Loved the passion and angst and will continue to be an avid fan of S.T. Gibson for any future novels she produces!

A Dowry of Blood was a top-tier 5 star read for me and I was very excited to jump back into a Gibson book. While this didn’t pack the same punch for me, I did enjoy it. Especially loved seeing a familiar character! The highlight her is absolutely Gibson’s writing. I love, love, love her writing so much. Beautiful poetic prose that sinks its teeth into you and doesn’t let go. I highlighted so many stunning quotes while reading this. Unfortunately, I did feel slightly underwhelmed by the story, particularly the second half. I also didn’t really feel transported to the 60s while reading this. Regardless, solid sapphic vampire read with a dark academia setting.

Maybe a 3.5? I love love love Gibson’s writing. Beautiful poetic prose. But I felt a bit underwhelmed by the story, particularly the second half.

<i> I felt like the burning sun at the heart of the universe, the white-hot center of gravity, and Carmilla was every orbiting star. </i>

An Education in Malice is a retelling of the 1872 novella "Carmilla" with a dark academia twist. Similar to "A Dowry of Blood," this is a beautiful reimaging of a classic vampire story set in the late 1960s, and I wasn't disappointed.

Told from both Carmilla and Laura's POV, we explore themes of girlhood, love, friendship, and what it means to be eternal. Laura is the new student at a mysterious school, a writing prodigy joining the class of the renowned and demanding professor Ms. De LaFontaine. Carmilla, her star pupil and not so secret obsession immediately sees Laura as a threat--both to her status as star pupil and for De LaFontaine's attention. But as their rivalry blooms, so do other feelings of love, lust, and other dark desires. How much are the girls willing to sacrifice for their art? For each other?

This was so beautifully written, just as Dowry of Blood was. The prose, the story--I blew through this book because I was so enthralled with it. The way Gibson is able to capture the essence of girlhood and of growing out of it so well in a vampire story just blew me away. I can't say enough positive things about this one, other than that I just wanted MORE.

Read this one if you like:
~Vampires
~Lesbian Romance
~Dark Academia
~Books written in prose

I would suggest reading "A Dowry of Blood" first if you haven't, as there is a connection, but this can absolutely be read as a stand alone. This was such a great book to start the year off with! Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook books for an ARC of this wonderful book in exchange for a review.

If S.T. Gibson can do anything, it’s write a beautiful, seductive vampire retelling. An Education in Malice is beautifully written, fast paced, and completely pulls you in.

Unfortunately I found this to be underwhelming. I expected more malice as the title suggests and I found it difficult to connect to the characters. I would have liked a deeper look into their psyche.

An Education in Malice is a gothic, dark academia, sapphic, Carmilla retelling. Gorgeously written, enemies to lovers with lots of physical tension between the two FMC. The book switches POV between both of them so we get each of their perspective. They are both flawed in their own ways and they show it through their love for poetry. They have obsessive tendencies, while one is navigating a toxic relationship with their vampiric poetry professor. They both end up thrown in to a dark world with the professor in the middle. Great character growth and stunning atmosphere.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC.