An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson 🩸

Spoiler-free Honest ARC Review.

I have yet to read A Dowry in Blood, but I have to after reading this. The quality of the writing was fantastic, and you can tell the author put in the time and effort to make this book great. If you love dark academia and all things vampire, then you’ll love this. I love that it's not a complete tie-in to the stereotypical vampire either. There are some unique differences that I was happy to see.

Although I did find it bit predictable, it was engaging enough that the predictability doesn't bother me. Also, I’m always a fan of an enemies-to-lovers trope. I genuinely loved this book, and I’ll be buying it when it comes out—along with A Dowry in Blood.

100/10 Recommend!!

Release Date - February 13, 2024

5/5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2.75/5 Spice 🌶️🌶️.75
5/5 Comprehensible ✍️🏽✍️🏽✍️🏽✍️🏽✍️🏽
Predictability - Average

💋 Read on, my loves 💋

I had high hopes after enjoying A Dowry of Blood, but for me this was a little too similar yet without all of the lovely atmosphere and unsettling storyline of the first book (I personally see them as a duo). It was a super quick read, but not in a page-turner way - more because nothing really happened except at the rushed ending so it didn't require much attention. There was no intrigue and I felt no emotions toward the characters nor where they would end up. The relationships all seemed very juvenile to me, and even the multiple deaths couldn't stop me from feeling this was a YA novel. On paper it has all the ingredients of dark academia but it made me feel nothing. A very simple vampire story where nothing I read felt new or exciting.

Thank you for the ARC received through NetGalley.

Wow, S. T. Gibson has a GIFT for putting words on a page and turning it into beautiful art. This book was very well written, every word was picked so perfectly to paint every scene in this book.

Holy toxic, uneven power dynamic! I knew it was coming but I honestly struggled to get into this book because I was so put off by the professor. I didn't get sucked in until about 30% into the book. I loved watching Laura and Carmilla's rivalry and relationship grow. Their tension was perfect!

The last 20% of this book did feel rushed, it was all gas and no breaks. I would have happily read another 200 pages of this story to pull the ending out a little more. I did still enjoy this ending and thought that the girls ended up exactly where they were supposed to be.

The middle 60% of this book was the shining star for me and is why I rated this a 4 star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook books for providing me a copy of this book.

S. T. Gibson has turned into an auto-buy author for me. A Dowry of Blood was such a miraculous book, and An Education in Malice is a more-than-worthy follow-up.

An Education in Malice is a Carmilla reimagining set in a New England college campus in 1968. The story features academic rivals, Laura and Carmilla, whose rivalry drives them to new heights under the tutelage of the enigmatic Ms. De Lafontaine. Laura, a sheltered and naive young woman, is invited into private weekly meetings between De Lafontaine and Carmilla, and is pulled into their world built on poetry, art, and secrets.

I don't want to reveal more of the plot, because I think this is the type of story where it's best to go in blind. The twists and turns of the story were excellent. It's not a secret that this book belongs in the same universe as A Dowry of Blood, and seeing the mythology of the world expanded in this book was fascinating and satisfying. I also really love how S. T. Gibson examines different types of love. I think it would have been easy to emulate the same types of relationships found in A Dowry of Blood in this book, but the author deliberately chose to explore different elements of toxic relationships in this story. The relationship between Laura and Carmilla is intricate and intoxicating to read about, and I loved watching their bond evolve throughout the book. As always, the prose is gorgeous, the setting was lush, and I was enraptured in the mystery, love, and lust to be found in S. T. Gibson's work. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for sending me this ARC. Below is my honest review!

I loved this book!

An Education in Malice is a companion novel to A Dowry of Blood (can be read in any order), and I loved to see how this book delved deeper into some themes we saw in Dowry while also exploring other topics related to vampires. One theme I always find fascinating within the vampire genre is mortality and what that means for different people. I just really love the metaphorical aspect of all vampire stories. I found this story so nuanced, and there was so much to dissect. I felt like my opinions of the characters and relationships in Malice were constantly evolving as the story progressed.

One thing the author has done well in both novels is incorporating religion into the story and what that means for the main character as they grapple with vampirism. I found Laura’s inner thoughts about vampires in regard to her faith and how that influences the path she takes very interesting.

I also find Gibson’s writing so beautiful. It’s atmospheric and descriptive. Her characters are so nuanced and interesting as well. I just absolutely love her work, and I also can’t wait to check out Evocation.

If you loved A Dowry of Blood, I think you’d also love this (especially because you might see a familiar face 👀). I also think if you just love gothic, romantic vampire tales, you’d also love this, so give it a go!

So, I read through this quite fast and maybe in my haste something was missed, but that's a bit how I felt while reading... like something was missing. I can't say that I loved and was impressed by this book, but neither can I label it as meh or unimpressed. I am satisfyingly neutral, if that feeling translates!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, & Redhook Books for the eARC!

I think what distracted for me was the typical enemies-to-lovers trope that has run to overflowing in books coming out right now. I don't think its playing well with readers, like myself, who saturate themselves in the land of books and fantasy. Although, it was also a lack of relatability to these characters. I just couldn't put myself in their shoes, which really helps me to become engaged and entertained as a reader. The romance was cute although maybe a bit too quick for what could have been better as a slow burn.

That said, I can't say I didn't enjoy the story and the writing style! I thought the story flowed quite nicely and I am a glutton for gothic. With a bit of fine tuning, this could be a solid series.

No regrets!!!!

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Redhook Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you like your romances to be bloody, dark, intense and leaving you breathless for more - you need to read this book. If you’ve read A Dowry of Blood, you will love this novel as well (if you haven’t read ADoB, you should get on that ASAP.)

Intense and atmospheric, every sentence I read had me needing to continue reading to see where it went. Every chapter I finished felt like I was barely treading water in this world, and as the romance progressed I could feel myself drowning in it.

We follow Laura as she enters this all-women’s college and takes an advanced poetry class - that only happens after night. There, she meets Carmilla and the professor De Lafontaine,
who have some unknown connection between them. As Laura advances in the class, and gets closer to them both, she learns of the dark underbelly to this college and their relationship. She slowly learns to accept her darker desires, and leaves as a very different person than she entered.

There were multiple times in this novel I wasn’t sure how it would progress, and at no point was I entirely sure who could be trusted. The romance in this novel is both dark and intense, and kept me glued to my kindle as I read further.

Anyone who likes gothic romances with a little (or a lot) of blood thrown in, danger, secrets, lies, and sex would absolutely love this novel. I began reading unsure of how the relationship between Laura and Carmilla would ever graduate from hated academic rivals, and the way this book does it was beautiful.

Set in the same world as A Dowry of Blood, this is a contemporary retelling of Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla. S.T. Gibson writes such gorgeous and engaging prose. Every word has meaning and every turn of phrase has intention. I immensely enjoyed the dual POVs of Laura and Carmilla. I felt it gave the story a little more depth. The main themes here are about devotion and the mentor-mentee relationship, and how beautiful and terrible it can be. There are a lot of sensual moments in this that I wholly enjoyed, but I do wish there was more sapphic yearning. I think I was also expecting some more spice in this (which is strange because it does include some BDSM themes). I've also looked at the character of Carmilla as a force of nature, and while this incarnation of her is an assertive woman, I felt she lacked a little edge.

I loved the little Madgalena cameo!

Thank you NetGalley, S.T. Gibson and Redhook Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was good. Her writing is so well done and I was entertained but it fell short…and to be honest I have yet to pinpoint why. A couple thoughts while reading:
- I wanted to feel the allure of Carmilla but most of the time I only got the infuriating brattiness.
- I understand lust but Laura’s immediate reactions to Carmilla came off a little creepy.
- I needed to feel more drawn to De Lafontaine…I know she is beautiful according to her description but I didn’t feel the magnetism they describe. I immediately recognized her as toxic.

While unique and enjoyable it was missing connection.
3.5 stars

An Education in Malice tells the story of Carmilla and Laura, two girls with quite opposing temperaments pitted against each other in an academic rivalry at a women's college in 1960's Massachusetts. The two girls vie for the attention of their very mysterious poetry professor De Lafontaine and get wrapped up in a dark fantastical world as they pursue knowledge and each other.

~~~

S.T. Gibson weaves together a sapphic tale that hinges on the core themes of dark academia. The lyrical writing sweeps you into a different time period of the world that Gibson built in A Dowry of Blood (my queen Magdalena graciously makes an appearance). Laura is the small-town girl, struggling against her inner desires, whose academic brilliance and fascination with Carmilla break her out of her rigid self-discipline. Her descent into her desires is poetic. Carmilla is the seductive troublemaker, maddened just as much by De Lafontaine's growing attentions on Laura as her own growing attraction towards Laura. I wish that we learned more of De Lafontaine's inner thoughts. For a character who was responsible for much of the movement of the plot, her part in the story left me wanting more. If you want a story of ink-ridden papers, vampires, secret club shenanigans, ladies who yearn, cigarette kisses, and a dark beast looming in the dark, this is the book for you.

~~~

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC; all opinions are my own.

Another great read that I absolutely devoured. Amazing characters, the story absolutely couldn’t get enough of it.

A beautiful retelling of a classic. I often struggle to find prose in novels, but Gibson has truly found the sweet spot. I was worried when Gertrude Stein was brought up on page 1 (sorry Gertrude) but I inhaled the story, the imagery, and the passion. It is easy to see why S.T. Gibson had developed the following they have.

Laura meets mysterious Carmilla after enrolling as a freshman at a prestigious university. Meek Laura quickly becomes infatuated with Carmillas dark nature and the closeness she shared with her professor. The closer Laura gets to her professor the more Carmilla pushes Laura away. Is Carmilla and her professors relationship nothing more than admiration or is there a darkness hidden between them?

So there are a lot of elements of this book that just tick off the boxes for me. I love an academic setting. I love a sapphic relationship. I love a rivals to lovers. I love vampires. The first half of this book was a 5/5 for me right up until the orgy lmao. I feel like I’m very particular about spice and this just made me feel uncomfy. I also really loved the complexity of each character. I felt like each girl had a particular voice however I feel Carmilla lost hers after her and Laura were no longer rivals. She seem to lose that edge that made her character and voice stand out. I truly feel like Carmilla should have stayed a bit more morally grey instead of completely changing how she interacted with the world around her. The ending resolution with Isis was VERY anticlimactic. Like VERY VERY anticlimactic. However I do think the ending wraps up nicely and I love the ambiguous nature of Laura’s choice.

Overall I really did enjoy this book. A bit disappointed at the direction it took but I’d still give it a read.

I absolutely loved “A Dowry of Blood” and was incredibly excited to receive this ARC of “An Education In Malice” - thank you to NetGalley and Orbit!

Admittedly this leans harder into romance than I usually read but I loved the rich gothic atmosphere, academic setting and complex characters. I can truly say this is unlike anything I’ve read and I was surprised how much I liked it in light of that. The dynamic between characters was compelling and exciting.

I absolutely loved the vibes in this book: dark academia, hot vampires, wlw, opposites attract, gloomy New England fall weather.

And let me tell you, the vibes absolutely delivered.

But the actual plot itself?

It ended up just being okay. I mean, I liked it enough for what it was, but I wasn't blown away or anything. As a romance hater, I actually would've loved it if this book was 100% focused on the romance.

Instead, the author added in an evil vampire subplot that I think(?) was supposed to make the entire thing feel high stakes, but it ended up feeling like a useless storyline that created absolutely zero tension.

So, the romance between Carmilla and Laura ended up being very... sweet? Carmilla was a huge bitch to Laura in the beginning and none of that came into play at all. I love domineering bitches, so this was a huge letdown. (Instead, Laura became the domme? Which... Made no fucking sense.)

I know, I know, the author was going for a conclusion with healthy relationships, but before the two FMCs hooked up, the tone was very dark, mysterious, and antagonistic. Carmilla had an ongoing inappropriate relationship with De Lafontaine, their poetry professor, that was obsessive and definitely unhealthy (in a lot of ways [lol vampire/undead joke]). (Lord knows how much I love the student/professor trope.)

But then Carmilla and Laura fell in love and then they became normies, basically. So, that part was pretty boring.

The ending was extremely anti-climactic and felt like an afterthought.

And the writing style read very AO3, so I felt like I was reading fanfic that got turned into an original fic for publication. I mean, I love fanfic a lot, so ymmv, I guess.

I wanted so much more out of the darker themes, but it all felt very dark romance-lite, like this is dark sapphic vampire romance for Hallmark romance girlies to dip their toes in.

Thank you to Redhook and NetGalley for this arc.

Wowee!! Thanks so much netgalley for the opportunity to read this book early! This was my first book by this author and it will not be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, the characters and the whole story. This was unlike anything I’ve read and I really enjoyed that. I loved the fantasy portion of the book but that it seemed so REAL. Also loved the spice and wlw scenes.

<i><b>”She kissed me with a martyr’s agonized desperation, like I was the ony sword she ever wanted to fall on,
I kissed her right back like the cutting edge of a blade, trying to inflict as much damage as possible."</b></i>

“An Education of Malice” is a modern day retelling of Carmilla, perfect for fans who love dark academia and sapphic vampire vibes!

Tropes
• Dark academia
• Sapphic romance
• Academic Rivals to Lovers
• Blood, gore, mystery, & murder


This was a beautiful story between two rivals that then become lovers. The novel was well written and character driven right from the beginning! The only issue I had was the pace of the story

Thank you so much to NetGalley, S.T. Gibson, and Redhook for an E-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Okay
So fan girling so hard! This book was absolutely, undeniable incredible! I binged it and I have 0 regrets! If you are looking for a book where you want your jaw picked up off of the ground- look no further!! A must read!

This is a book that you read for the ambiance and not the plot itself. However, ST Gibson is typically able to do both really well, and this book felt a bit unsteady in comparison to her other novels that I have read. That doesn't make it a bad book by any means, but I did not like how the story was wrapped up, as it felt a bit rushed, and some aspects of the characters could have been written a bit better.

4 stars!

Disclaimer: I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for my full, honest review. Thank you to Orbit Books and S. T. Gibson for the opportunity!

This book is, in its entirety, what I believe the kids are calling girl dinner. This is my third of Gibson’s books and, like the first two, An Education In Malice was break-taking and so compulsively readable that I finished it in two sittings. Laura and Carmilla’s story unfolds not unlike a flower that blooms once a year, and it was all the yearning, obsession, and carnality I needed.

I don’t have any specific notes of criticism but I think for me this book was a bit predictable. That’s not really a bad thing usually but given the general mood of the story, I would’ve liked some more twists.

Gibson will continue to be an auto-read author for me because I just cannot resist the treat that her books are!