Where do I begin!? This book is beautifully written and the story is so great. S.T. Gibson has quickly become an auto-read and auto-buy author for me. This is the third book I have read from this author and it did not let me down. I can’t wait to read the next piece of work!

3⭐️

<b>“Shall we descend into the flames together?”</b>

Laura and Carmilla are poetry students competing for their professors approval. Carmilla becomes jealous of the attention that Ms. De Lafontaine gives to Laura, and the two become rivals. De Lafontaine has a secret world that she invites Laura and Carmilla into, changing their lives and what they thought they knew about the world forever.

I liked this book a lot at first, mostly because I love the nod to Sheridan Le Fanu’s <i>Carmilla</i>, but that only kept me interested for so long. The relationship between Carmilla and De Lafontaine was weird and possessive, and there relationship between Laura and De Lafontaine was confusing. I did like Carmilla and Laura and the complexity of their characters, but the story itself didn’t make much sense to me.

<b>“You and I are two sides of the same coin, Sheridan. I’m not sure how we were ever going to end up anywhere but here.</b>

This book is sapphic, it has dark academia vibes, vampires, enemies to lovers and is gothic… yes please!

This was a fun quick read. A little insta-lovey? Sure. I didn’t think that the whole lover, ex-monster thing was necessary. It was kind of a weak villain for the story and could have been left out.

But overall, I really enjoyed this.

I loved A Dowry of Blood so I was really excited to read An Education in Malice. At first, it didn’t disappoint. I love the boarding school setting, albeit a bit surprised that it sets in a modern-ish time rather than a historical time. The tension and competitiveness between girls in such a closed off setting, coupled with the weird dynamic between Carmilla and De Lafontaine really adds to the atmosphere. While we know one of them was the vampire, we didn’t know which one and it’s obvious their relationship is so much more than mentorship.

I really like how the relationship between Laura and Carmilla evolves, from academic rivals to friends and eventually lovers. The chapters where the three of them just sat at De Lafontaine’s place and recite poetry or do other domestic things were my favorite. When De Lafontaine gave in to her past desires that wreak havoc in the campus, the story took a darker turn and this is where the story was kind of fizzling off for me. Maybe because there’s no unresolved tension anymore, but it just didn’t really grip me as the earlier parts of the book.

S.T. Gibson still retains her signature dark, alluring, sensual vibe even without the flowery writing present in her other books. It was still a gripping story with emotional depth and tension between the characters, but the plot just unraveled the second half for me.

This was a beautiful dark Sapphic book. I finished this book in one sitting. Laura comes to an exclusive school, but camilia does not like how she takes the attention of their teacher. That's because camilia has a special relationship amd the teacher is hiding a secret that terrifies the community.
It was so well rounded and I was sad when it was over. I wanted more for these character and this world.

I was not invested in this story. I felt like the characters where bland and had no depth to them. I didn't understand the plot I thought we were leading up to something and we took a left turn. There's this unwarranted possessiveness over who can have Carmilla. I felt like this story doesn't really know what it wanted to be. I loved the idea of a Sapphic retelling of Carmella, but I don't think this novel executed this idea well.

I'm so glad I got to read this.

An Education in Malice was phenomenal; it was an intoxicating gothic academia intimately entangled with fraught relationships, desire, and obsession. This is a Carmilla retelling, following two academic rivals, Laura and Carmilla. Both girls have an infatuation with their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine. I love that it's set in the same world as A Dowry of Blood!!

I love S. T. Gibson!! Ever since I read A Dowry of Blood, I just need to read more of this author's work!!

The writing style was easy to follow and I liked that we got both Laura and Carmilla’s pov. Unfortunately, I just didn’t end up liking the story that was told. There were pockets of interesting topics and ideas that just get the briefest conversation never to be bothered with again. Where was the dark academia? At one point Carmilla is determined to research and find out information herself, finds a book with scribbles from her mentor, writes them down, and then does nothing with it? Laura from jump is just horndog central like girl cannot think straight for one minute, literally. Girl chill. I thought maybe once things started to actually happen around the 50% mark that the story would become more interesting and we’d get more information about the professor’s (after)life and how she got there or even some kind of urgency to solve the issue that crops up around that section of the book, but alas. The actually interesting parts get sidelined so we can have sex scene after sex scene. A couple of them DO actually help character development, but I would have rather learned more about the underground society or, again, done something to help the major issue that arose. Like did we forget about classmates being murdered?? I also feel like the ending would have been more poignant for me if I actually cared about the characters. Honestly, as a lover of the original Carmilla, I think we should have dropped the loose retelling and renamed the characters. It would have lessened a bit of my discontent with the beginning of the story more. The second half WAS more interesting but just barely because, for me, the focus was not where it should have been: dealing with the issue more which would have added more intense creepy scenes like what happens around 50% and less of the weird tortured love triangle that isn’t one but is one but isn’t one (the prof refers to Carmilla as being like a daughter to her but previous actions definitely have NOT family like vibes). I think overall I just wanted more creepy gothic feels and I just didn’t get those. I will say I do think Laura and Carmilla’s dynamic once they are together is very interesting. I just don’t think it was the time to constantly explore that when more serious and life threatening matters were at stake (no pun intended). I felt bored through a lot of this book sadly which is why I feel like 2 stars instead of 3.

"She was in love, and that was dangerous. After all, what horror wouldn't I tolerate, if it was meted out by the hand of my beloved?"

An Education in Malice wouldn't be what I consider my cup of tea, but I was pleasantly surprised by Gibson's writing, the complex and dark relationships, and the gothic setting.

Sapphic romance usually isn't for me. It doesn't shiver my timbers or get me excited. Despite this, I found myself intrigued by the relationships between Carmila, Laura, and De Lafontaine. Romantic or otherwise, I found their interactions so deeply disturbing and toxic that I couldn't look away. I am impressed with An Education in Malice, primarily because it made me excited about a genre that I do not typically read. An Education in Malice is a portrait of obsessive, dark attachments set in a gothic-style women's college. Mixed with Gibson's poetic writing, it's hard not to be enthralled. Oh, and there are vampires, which is always fun.

The Negatives: The poetry felt almost too much at times. That being said, I am not a poet and don't often read poetry. If you are a poet or enjoy reading poetry, you might resonate more with those aspects of the novel.

If you are into sapphic romances mixed with vampires and dark academia, I highly suggest this read. Even if you aren't, why not give it a try? You might be surprised. 4/5 stars.

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

Additional quotes that I enjoyed:

"I was, I knew full well, a creature composed of strange desires."

"And what do you know,' she said softly, 'of the atrocities I've committed for love? Love is sacrifice, Professor. Whether it's you on the butcher's table or not, someone always bleeds."

"Despite the rend in the fabric of our relationship, I still clung to her closeness, the affection she offered. Sweetness from her could be fleeting, but I had been weaned on it like mother's milk, and I still craved it every day."

This was haunting and beautifully written. I felt like the first half was significantly stronger than the second, but as always, S. T. Gibson's prose are just gorgeous.

I loved this book! I love ST Gibson, and wanted to pick this one up after reading A Dowry of Blood. The setting of this book was so fun - I love a great gothic story with horror/fantasy vibes. I didn't like the dual POV, and Carmilla was my favorite character.

S.T. Gibson's writing in this was just as captivating and propulsive as in a Dowry of Blood. I've never read the original Carmilla, but even without that baseline of knowledge, the plot and characters in Malice were intriguing, complete, and I had a tough time not reading this in one sitting. Lush writing, chilling atmosphere, and delicious hunger in this one! Perfect book to read in the fall.

An outstanding homage to the primal vampire, Carmilla, this book is sensual, sinister, and unputdownable. ST Gibson is able to encapsulate something about being a woman of agency within a dark sexy queer story in a way that makes you want more. More story, more characters, more of her writing in general. In this story we see Laura ensnared by Carmilla who in turn is in Thrall to their professor Ms. D. After the revelation of what is really happening Laura and Carmilla grow closer, jealousy ensues, and the dark side of love through the lens of vampirism is explored.

This was such a captivating story in a dark academia setting which can be very hit or miss for me. However, the pacing for this was fantastic and once I started I literally could not put it down. I was unfamiliar with the original Carmilla story and you don’t really need to know anything about it going into it in my opinion. I read this in less than a day. ST Gibson does sexy sapphic vampires SO WELL. Also loved seeing a familiar face from one of their previous books 🤩 I still think I like Dowry of Blood more but I still enjoyed this one a lot!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was so interesting and I loved everything about it. From the setting to the characters this book drew me in and I didn't want to put it down.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Redhook Books for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

what’s it about? ⬇️

A slightly modernized retelling of the classic vampire tale Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, An Education in Malice is told through the lens of both Laura and Carmilla as they attend Saint Perpetua's Women's College. When Laura first meets Carmilla the night that she arrives at Saint Perpetua's, she is instantly drawn to her for reasons she can't fully explain, though Carmilla's status as an upperclassman means that it is unlikely that Laura will see much of the alluring older girl. And yet, fate would have their paths cross again far sooner than expected. Despite having been accepted earlier than expected into a rigorous poetry seminar for upperclassmen, Laura manages to further impress Professor De Lafontaine from that first day, much to the chagrin of Carmilla, who had previously worn the crown of the most prized writer in the cohort and as De Lafontaine's favorite. When the point of view switches between the girls, her jealousy leads Carmilla to seek further validation from their fickle professor, and a darker side of their relationship soon reveals itself.

Between keeping up with their classes, navigating the swiftly evolving tension between them as it turns into something more, and unearthing the dark secrets their mentor and friend has been keeping hidden for years, what will become of Laura and Carmilla and of their classmates at Saint Perpetua's?

my thoughts? ⬇️

With the same stunning turn of phrase as S.T. Gibson's previous work A Dowry of Blood (and a cheeky reference back, if you read Dowry first, though it's not at all required), this book delivered on all of my expectations and then some. I was already on board because I had so much love for Dowry and because I have a deep love for any Carmilla retelling I can get my hands on, but Malice was such a stunning portrayal of love and hope and how jealousy and obsession can poison those once-pure wells. Alternating chapters between each girl's point of view gave this incredibly well-rounded view of everything that was going on, both between them and in the school as a whole around them, and the relationships between the girls and between them and De Lafontaine were fascinating to read. Every day when the time came for me to put this one down and either go back to work or to sleep for the night, I found myself desperately wishing for just a little more time to see what would happen next. And the twists and turns delivered, hands down. I loved everything about this book, from the haunting, creeping gothic atmosphere to the struggles each girl faced--Carmilla with her jealousy and insecurities and Laura with the darker yearnings she had to learn to let out without letting them take control--to the wonderful, decadent exploration of both academia and the dark, sensual underbelly of vampire society that were so seamlessly woven together throughout the story. Five stars, hands down, and I *cannot* wait to get my hands on my next S.T. Gibson read.

based on your other likes? ⬇️

If you like any of these listed below, I think you might enjoy this and vice versa!

🩸 A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson.
🩸A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee (sapphic, dark academic, rivals-to-toxic-lovers plotline, secrets haunting you)
🩸 The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven (sapphic, dark academia, technically a jekyll and hyde retelling but ✨vibes✨)
🩸 All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters (queer, dark academia, terrible secrets come to light)
🩸 The Moth Diaries (film. I haven't read the book, but sapphic vampire dark academia thriller. always makes me think of Carmilla)

trigger warnings ⬇️

directly from the author's note ➡️ uneven power dynamics, inappropriate relationships between professor and students, toxic academic environments, blood, gore, murder, consensual sexual content (including public sex), kink (negotiated and spontaneous), alcohol and drug use, smoking, racist political policies, homophobia, religious discrimination against women.

others important to mention/expand on ➡️ violence, death, injury/injury detail, body horror, vomit, addiction, toxic relationship, toxic friendship, manipulation, gaslighting, emotional abuse, abandonment, exhibitionism, homophobia, lesbophobia, and outing.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As a fan of the original Carmilla and just vampires in general, this was such a welcome addition to the genre! This book distinctly felt like a love letter to the original, while adding a fun dark academia background and a more explicit sapphic relationship (definitely more explicit, like is anyone else feeling the HEAT in here or is it just me?).

The development of Carmilla and Laura's relationship was also wonderful. The enemies to lovers (or academic rivals to lovers) trope is one that is fairly uncharted territory for me because I do feel like in some circumstances it can lead to glorifying abuse from one party to another. However, this relationship did not give me any of those vibes, and I absolutely loved their chemistry!

I also really enjoyed the ending! [ Sometimes more open-ended books absolutely kill me, but leaving Laura with the choice to turn at the very end felt very hopeful and not like an annoying cliffhanger like these endings often do to me. (hide spoiler)]

Publication Date: Feb 13, 2024

S.T. Gibson just got added to my list of auto buy authors.
So goodddd!!!
I really enjoyed the characters and the overall plot line. I appreciated that the romance aspect wasn’t the main point of the story. The author did an amazing job showing how dangerous obsession really can be and how it can drive you to do crazy things. I devoured this book and the last 20% went so fast that I was shocked when I came to the ending<spoiler>(I really couldn’t tell what De Lafontaine was gonna ultimately decide to do but I am happy that end the end she decided to let both of her obsessions go)</spoiler>. The ending omg I wish there was more. Is there gonna be more?<spoiler>I would love to see what Laura chooses to do (I hope she chose to change because I would love to see a future Carmilla and Laura</spoiler> I need to know. 10/10 would recommend

The premise and the cover of An Education in Malice caught my attention from the beginning and the story kept me invested from the first page. I adore dark academia novels and this one lived up to its theme. Laura is a sheltered artist with a voracious appetite for poetry, art, and a drive to succeed. Carmilla is a driven and worldly poet constantly searching for validation, passion, and perfection. These brilliant young ladies are set against each other ingratiating a tense rivalry by their enigmatic and secretive professor De Lafonatine. An Education in Malice is a story of lust and temptation. It's atmospheric gothic vampiric fantasy.

I could spend more time waxing poetic about how much I enjoyed this book but I don't want to give away spoilers! If you enjoy vampires, love affairs, scandals, poetry, beauty, and sapphic romance set within a gothic fantasy world, I highly recommend this book.

S. T. Gibson is brilliant and I can't wait to see what she does next.

This is my first ST Gibson book and definitely won’t be my last. I loved the setting I am a sucker for dark academia. And really enjoyed the characters and their development throughout the book. I was also pleasantly surprised by the LGBTQ romance.

The book goes back and forth in dual POV between Carmilla and Laura. Laura believes she is destined for the church, having grown up being taught to live as it preached. A shy girl who comes into her confidence. Carmilla on the other hand thinks she knows where she belongs and she isn’t afraid to take chances.

ST Gibson has a very poetic way of writing that really pulls you into the story.