I would give this 3.5 stars if half stars were allowed. I enjoyed the writing of the book and the story. Dark academia is a little hit or miss for me because it can come off as very pretentious. An Education in Malice was definitely more approachable. I was very invested in the first half of the book and did not want to put it down. The second half of the book to me was a little slow and drawn out. I wish there was a bit more plot to drive the story, and it was resolved rather quickly. I would read more by the author.

*4.5 / 5* Thank you so much to Redhook / Orbit for sending me an ARC for review!

After reading A Dowry of Blood, I instantly became an S.T. Gibson Fan; I knew I had to get my hands on An Education in Malice. This second installment in the Dowry universe is a sapphic Carmilla retelling, and it does NOT disappoint. Gibson is an expert at crafting a lush, gothic atmosphere and bringing the darkest secrets and desires of the soul to life - this time, with a splash of dark academia. Set in the late 1960's amidst a cultural revolution and mass sexual awakening, it allows us to exist with these familiar characters in a modern lens.
Gibson's stunning writing explores the themes of love, both pure and corrupted, and how far we will go for it. (Definitely read the warnings at the beginning to make sure this is for you!)

I highly recommend this book, and it has further cemented my adoration for S.T. Gibson's writing.

5 stars.

A modern retelling of Carmilla with sizzling hot tension and an addictive lure of dark academia.
I suppose this is what a personal handwritten love letter to the dark academia girls who love to drown in the ectasies of pain and the undying beauty of dangerous creatures would feel like. I went through six stages of grief and six more stages of bliss, yet it's not enough to tie up the loose ends of my scattered feelings. I wanted to drop to my knees and weep for how beautiful the story was, like the jewel-encrusted hilt of a sharpened knife. Only S.T. Gibson can write about blood, gore, dangerous love and the seduction of death and make me sick from craving all of them. Her words stir up all kinds of feelings within me that never wear off. A brilliantly crafted, lush and atmospheric, devastingly haunted and tragically romantic page turner that will make you fall in love with the pain and beauty of love.

This book has:
Dark academia
The beauty of poetry
Academic rivals to lovers
Sapphic romance
Illicit affairs between student and teacher
Possessive, obsessive love interest
Secrets of vampire society
Blood, gore, murder, mystery

The story starts with the arrival of a young girl, Laura Sheridan, at Saint Perpetua's, a boarding school for girls, deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts. Naive but remarkably brilliant Laura aims to perfect her writing skills in the esteemed professor De Lafontaine's class. As the only first year to impress De Lafontaine enough to be accepted in her class, she gets caught in an intense rivalry with the professor's favorite student Carmilla, who hates to share the spotlight of the professor's attention; but the maddening attraction she feels towards Carmilla is undeniable. Soon she gets pulled into their dark orbit and realizes there's something horribly wrong with the singular interest De Lafontaine has in Carmilla. The more secrets she uncovers, the more she finds herself entangled in the bigger game at play which is impossible to get out of.

Laura: Innocent, small-town sweetheart who keeps a dark and wild persona hidden inside. She is our main voice in the story. We stepped into the world of Saint Perpetua's and discovered its secrets through her eyes and it was absolute perfection. I loved being in her head. She was sweet and gentle most of the time, which made it more interesting to witness the flickers of her controlling side and ferocity peek through. You can literally see both sides in conflict till the darkness in her eventually wins out and makes her submit completely to her forbidden desires. She was introduced to a society that shattered all her beliefs and blurred the lines of reality—a big leap from her quiet life—but she took it in so well and managed to keep her humanity intact all throughout it.

Carmilla: Troubled but wickedly beautiful, a constellation of longing and heartbreaks. The whole school knows her as that stuck-up girl with attitude problems—the professor's pet at best. She's bold, daring and carries herself with the confidence of a goddess, but deep inside she is desperate to have her talents acknowledged and to have her affections for the only one she loves returned. She always appears to be in control of everything but she secretly longs to be desired, loved and protected. She was kindling the fire of her unrequited love for the professor when Laura showed up in the picture and wrecked her plans, her feelings, her mind and her heart. She hated her and she loved the way it felt so freeing, that it gave her a distraction to direct her mind somewhere else, even for a little bit.

They were so Lana Del Rey coded: lipstick stains on cigrettes, the suffocating tension when eyes lock, fighting and falling in love, kissing in pouring rain, dancing to classics in the living room, skinny dipping in the dark, whispering poetries against skin.

Okay, I never touched poetry in my life but Carmilla and Laura and their game of seduction got me feeling things. They were everything—dark, delicious, and forbidden. It was like the moment they met, the world and it's rules ceased to exist; they built a world of their own, dark and twisted. They were two lies holding onto a truth with the power of love. Carmilla and Laura both had their individual troubles to deal with but that didn't weaken their connection even a bit. When they say, 'I love you to death and beyond', I think they meant this.

Professor De Lafontaine: No one writes morally grey characters better than S.T. Gibson. I've never been warned that I'd fall for a 200-year-old or something vampire lady with malicious intentions and questionable motives. She is tender one second and the next I know, she's out there making me question my sanity. She loved obsessively, dangerously; she loved Carmilla in her own twisted ways but you'd never be sure if that's the love of a mentor, a friend, a guardian or a lover. Her niceity scared me more than her cruelty, she kept me on edge all throughout the book but nonetheless an interesting character to get to know.

I was familiar with the world this book took place in (mind you, I still lose sleep thinking about 'A Dowry of Blood') so I had no trouble falling in pace with the storyline and once I did, I could hardly put it down. Thanks to Netgalley and Redhook Books for the ARC, I can't wait to have it on my shelf.

★ ★ ★ • 3

“Right and wrong don’t exist, Laura. They’re fairy tales made up by priests and parents. There is only art and ugliness, and I’m willing to suffer any indignity for the sake of art.”

I wanted to like this book so bad. An Education in Malice was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023, the concept sounded really interesting and A Dowry of Blood by the same author was amazing… Instead, I found myself struggling to finish to the point that I considered DNF-ing several times.

While I did appreciate the dark academia and sapphic vampire themes, the pacing of the book is quite slow and I found myself disliking both Laura and Carmilla. As for De Fontaine, I absolutely loathed her and with all of the manipulation and jealously I kept waiting for a turning point that didn’t happen. By the end I was frustrated and overall just underwhelmed.

I still have hope for other new releases by the same author, because ST Gibson’s writing is equally beautiful and cutting all at the same time, but I can’t honestly say that I liked An Education in Malice.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an ARC for review.

This book, y'all. The writing is decadent, like the richest, most sinfully chocolate cake or a fine wine. You could gorge yourself on it. The way the books plays with love and obsession... I'm obsessed, with this book, these characters. I can hardly think for how beautiful and brilliant it is.

As expected ST Gibson's prose is gorgeous, rich, and atmospheric. It was already a highlight in A Dowry of Blood and I expected An Education in Malice to deliver on that front. An Education in Malice is a sapphic romance loosely inspired by Carmilla (as in the names are similar but most dynamics are changed to fit the wanted plot). It is a sequel to a Dowry of Blood that can be read as a standalone (Magdalena appears briefly).

I would say that the marketing of this book did not do it justice: I remember the words dark magic or something similar, let's be clear it's vampires. The main "story" plot is vampires. The real plot is the romance of course and the "story" plot sometimes felt superfluous and only necessary for one (1) plot-changing moment.

I was surprised by the "vintage" setting, it's not what you expect in a dark academia novel or a vampire story but it works with the characters and the prose.

The highlight of the book is of course the romance and main relationship. Both characters are well-rounded, interesting, and defy certain clichés. I cannot not mention the dom/sub aspect of the dynamic given how important it is to the characters and I love how it was implemented. Once again the prose is wonderful and is carrying everything, true mvp

De Lafontaine made for an interesting character both in her dynamics with the girls and her personal story. Still, I felt a bit let down by some resolutions or rather I felt like the story didn't go in the way I was anticipating from the first third.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and ST Gibson for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let me lead by saying A Dowry of Blood was one of the most memorable books I read this year. I was captivated by Gibson’s writing and the emotion in that book. I’m a big fan of Carmilla, so when I heard this was the inspiration for her next novel, I was THRILLED.

Unfortunately, this one just didn’t land the same for me. It’s a dark academia rivals-to-lovers story. I didnt feel a real connection to the source material— beyond names and vampirism, it’s really not a Carmilla retelling. Additionally, I just wasn’t invested in the characters or their affair. We didn’t get a deep look into who they are. It was insta-lust, which can be difficult to connect with. Also, their rivalry seemed a bit surface level.

Gibsons writing, especially during the intimate scenes, is sublime. I mean, I’m not a smut queen but she knows how to write gorgeous prose about sex and desire.

Overall, her prose is lovely and a delight to read, but the characters and plot just fell really flat for me. I’m also generally not a big fan of academia settings for books, so would be more likely to recommend to someone who does enjoy dark academia.

4.5/5 Stars

A Dowry of Blood is one of the best books I have read in life. The narration from Constanta will forever live rent free in my mind. So when I tell you I was absolutely feral to get my hands on An Education in Malice (thank you Netgalley) you must believe me.

To start: I loved that this is the same style of vampires and same world as a Dowry of Blood- obviously different timeline, but I liked the consistency.

The story follows Laura who moves to New England to attend school. There she meets Carmilla in an exclusive poetry class led by Ms. De Lafontaine. Immediately she is drawn to both her and the accredited professor and develops an academic rivalry with Carmilla as they both compete for Ms. D's praise.

I am a sucker for dual POVS so getting Laura and Carmilla chapters was amazing. I won't lie I am not overly interested in poetry so as far as Dark Academia novels go, it was more difficult for me to subscribe to that aspect of things as I am not overly familiar with poets.

An Education in Malice did have everything one could want in a novel: sapphic vampires, dark academia, and rivals to lovers.

To anyone who enjoys any of those things I implore you to read this, it really was wonderful (I finished it in one sitting).

First off thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book was incredible. I devoured it in 2 days the only thing that delayed my reading was recovring from having a tooth pulled. Carmilla and Laura are both incredibly intresting characters. It is a fantastic twist on the centuries old tale and breathes a new life into the tale.

Gibson's use of language in this book is lush and delicious. Every scene is wonderfully built. Character dynamics are both toxic and loving. There is obession in this book that is so toxic and yet made from a need for an all consuming love.

I don't think another version of Carmilla could top this. This is my new favorite version of this tale. I will be buying multiple copies of this when it released.

I am not a big e-reader fan but let me tell you I blew through this book. I loved a Dowry of Blood and this is just as amazing! I’m extremely thrilled that NetGalley allowed me the privilege of reading this early. I will without a doubt proceed with my pre-order. I have also pre-ordered her other book that’s coming out. I believe ST Gibson is an auto-buy author for me now.

I can’t believe the book ended the way it did! Laura is such the southern belle and Carmilla is the total opposite! There is no way I can give much more info without giving away spoilers!! Just go read it!!

Indulgent, dark, and deliciously sacrilege, another unforgettable installment from A Dowry of Blood.

Thumbs up: With dark academia being all the rage and Gibson's penchant for gorgeous prose, I was keenly awaiting "A Education in Malice." It delivered on being a great addition to this world with its harrowing and bleak portrayal of sapphic girlhood. The religious overtones and injection of kinky power dynamics really brought this book home.

Thumbs down: I do feel that this doesn't stand as strongly as the first novel did. The storyline felt a bit younger and the ending was a bit lukewarm for such a strong start.

Was it a nail biter? For it leading it's reader through the dark and gloomy Massachusetts, it will certainly leave you feeling a bit hot under the collar. 4/5

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

3.5 stars. I was really hoping to like this since I enjoyed A Dowry of Blood. While it was beautifully written, without being flowery, I didn't think it lives up to its predecessor. I enjoyed the aspects of dark academia and the rivalry between Laura and Carmilla. Mrs. De Lafontaine is an interesting character that lends to the mystery at the heart of the story.

Laura is new to Saint Perpetua's College, and she is eager to learn and master her writing. She is most fascinated by Professor De Lafontaine poetry seminar however she quickly is at odds with fellow student, Carmilla.

Carmilla is fascinating, beautiful and everyone loves her. Even Professor De Lafontaine shares a special bond with her. Carmilla is beyond upset when the professor invites Laura to their special meetings and their rivalry quickly escalates. The meetings give off a clandestine or cult vibe.

The cons: while every character was dynamic on their own, they still didn't see entirely fleshed out. They all seemed somewhat unreliable and untrustworthy as far as their persona. There was a sense throughout the book that they would all stab you in the back to further their own agenda. For this reason, it was hard to connect fully with any of them.

I also thought the story lacked enough momentum to fully carry it through. There was also little surprising about the plot. For this reason, I think the relationship between Laura and Camilla was somewhat buried beneath monotony and predictability.

Overall, An Education in Malice was a dark, twisty tale; I just wish I connected a little more to it.

4.5 stars rounded up

Full disclosure, I had only read about half of "Carmilla" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu before reading this (100% my fault, but I left my copy behind when I moved for school), so I'm unable to make decent comparisons to the source material.
I think the dark academia atmosphere Gibson establishes is well written, and the set up for events is well written also. However, the secondary plot, which was not directly following the relationships between Carmilla, Laura, and their Professor De Lafontaine, fell a bit flat at points, and felt like an after thought rather than a true b-plot. However, the primary plot was interesting enough to make up for this.

Thank you to Orbit/Redhook and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Toxic sapphics in an academic setting following two rivals vying for the attention and affection of their poetry professor, only to fall headfirst into lust, obsession, and the dark secrets of their school

Wow this was captivating and beautifully written.
I threw myself into the world of St Perpetua and was hooked for the majority of the book: dual POVs, the obsessiveness, cultish vibes, unyielding loyalties, semi-love triangle, lust & desire, all of it. I did feel that the ending was a sudden end and it all hastily came together, compared to the pace in the beginning. I would’ve wished for it to be longer for more spice but that’s just my preferences.


Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

🩸 ARC Review: An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson 🩸

“I domesticated my own wildness, starved the odd appetites inside me. I remade myself into Laura the saint, Laura who never causes any trouble, Laura who is reliable and dependable, if a little boring…

But this girl, this Carmilla . . . she undid all my domestication.”

“There is only art and ugliness, and I’m willing to suffer any indignity for the sake of art.”
-An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
•
When I heard S.T. Gibson had an upcoming dark academia novel coming out I scrambled to NetGalley to sign up for an ARC (and proceeded to screech with glee when I got it).

To be honest, I hadn’t realized it was technically in the same world as A Dowry of Blood, but since I read and enjoyed Dowry back in October I was even more excited.

Amusingly, I find that some collections of books I read tend to come in waves where there are little links between them and I was giddy to find that upon closer inspection Education is a Carmilla retelling (something I knew but had somehow stashed away in my mind). This coincided with several other recent Carmilla/vampire-related novels I’d read so I was even more ready to dive in. A sapphic, vampire, dark academia novel? Gimme!

Laura is a young woman with Southern sensibilities who comes to St. Perpetua womens’ college in 1960s Massachusetts for her freshman year. She’s excited for the new experience of college, even if she’s self-conscious and somewhat outwardly repressed in her desires.

Before classes start, Laura glimpses Carmilla, a beautiful upperclassman who consumes her imagination. But Laura soon realizes their relationship is headed more toward a rivalry than a romance when she finds herself in the same sought after poetry lecture as the haughty Carmilla, vying for the attentions and praise of the elegant and enigmatic Ms. De Lafontaine.

Emotions run high, and bubble over, as Carmilla and Laura spend more time together in private salon with Ms. D, and with one another. Together, they navigate unexpected discoveries and life altering changes throughout their school year.

I loved the vibes of this book, and wanted to step into the pages to lounge on Ms. D’s couch to listen to Laura and Carmilla read poetry (even if I would avoid the absinthe). I found myself wishing I could be Ms. D — minus the inappropriate relationship with her students and toxicity 🤣.

The cameo from a character from Dowry was a fun surprise and led to a 🥵 scene that had me cheering for Laura and Carmilla.

Overall, I enjoyed the way S.T. Gibson brought the academic world of St. Perpetua’s to life, including the dark side of academia, art, obsession, and love.

I’m excited to see what’s next from this author and would recommend An Education in Malice for anyone interested in a dark academia novel with a sapphic love story and paranormal happenings.

actual rating: 3.5
Anyone who knows me knows that I adored ST Gibson's previous novel, A Dowry of Blood, however where that one grabbed by the throat with its luscious writing and beautifully rendered characters, this one let me down a little. While I liked our two main characters, they didn't leap off the pages like Constanta did. Though this is more of a personal gripe, I wasn't a fan of the fact that both Laura and Camilla had first-person chapters. While their voices diverged enough, they weren't memorable enough to differentiate a few days after finishing. As much as it pains me to say it, there wasn't really any scenes that stood out to me in this one, as opposed to some of the scenes in Dowry of Blood.

Thank you to NetGalley Redhook for the ARC of this book!

Dark academia sapphic rivals to lovers vampires. Basically everything you could want from a S.T. Gibson book. An Education in Malice is technically the second book of A Dowry of Blood, but you definitely don't have to have read A Dowry of Blood to pick up this one. While 'Dowry' was a retelling of Dracula, this book is a retelling of Carmilla. We get POV chapters from both Carmilla and Laura as they navigate the college, academic rivalry, jealousy, lust, and death. I could read a whole series of S.T. Gibson vampire novels and never get bored.

Blood-soaked sapphic desire and written sensual poetry that haunt the halls of a gothic candle-lit academy, this book is the perfect pair for fellow vampire enthusiasts.

Laura Sheridan, newly enrolled to the Saint Perpetua's College, sparks a love-hate rivalry with the captivating Carmilla as they strive to impress their nocturnal poetry professor, De Lafontaine.

This book is all gothic vibes, lustful pining, and flowery writing. Plot is secondary to the atmosphere, and I’m all for it. I was drawn in, Gibson is a master at captivating your attention through her prose. I have yet to read A Dowry of Blood, and I’ve been missing out! I’m sure if you enjoyed that book, you’ll adore this Carmilla retelling.

Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook Books for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

It’s been a while since I’ve truly enjoyed a vampire novel but this one hits the spot. I really love combining vampires with dark academia setting. Definitely a dark book and not for the faint of heart but well worth the read.