Reviews tagging 'Violence'

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

45 reviews

madlysoph's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I fell deeply in love with the imagery and overall vibe established in the beginning of the book. Never have I yearned more for a traditional college experience on a campus with ancient buildings and a rich history. The first few chapters feel sunlit, not necessarily light, but the sun is shining and you, nor the characters, yet know the horrors possible. The characters are all beautifully developed and the three main characters feel whole. De Lafontaine never feels fully known by the reader, because she keeps so much of herself from Carmilla and Laura, as much as they know, we know. This entire book is poetry, I found myself constantly finding lines I wanted to write down. An important thing to know about this book is there is a very distinct first and second half of the book. It is not marked, but there is a specific plot point that very clearly marks the two halves of the book as different. The first half does an amazing job of establishing and creating this world that they live in. The St. Perpetuas campus felt real and I could vividly see it in my mind's eye as though I were there. I loved the creation of the routine, the focus on academia and the obsession with the poetry seminar. The beginning of Laura and Carmilla's obsession with one another, how it slowly but surely goes from embers to a burning fire. The second half is where we delve more into darkness and De Lafontaine, she becomes more known and yet held at arm's length. Academia becomes more of a background part of the story and vampires take the forefront. The evolution of Laura and Carmilla's relationship is so delicious to read, the rivalry to obsession to lovers was done so beautifully. Once their relationship blooms it's so much softer than one would think yet also just as depraved as one expects. I deeply love S.T. Gibson's writing and was thrilled to have a cameo of Magdelena my darling! The ending was bittersweet yet not painful and left the door open for future adventures with Laura and Carmilla in this vampiric world. Fair warning that is book is incredibly horny and there is an orgy scene, all characters are twenty or older and there is very clear consent for everything sexual that happens.

Content Warnings

charming_killerqueen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I enjoyed this SO MUCH. I’m not usually an enemies to lovers fan, but it was so well-executed here that I ate it up. Good book scramble brain so let me break my likes and (few) dislikes down in bullets:

Likes:

-the writing is so… crisp but sexy. it’s nearly as poetic as both characters, and I felt along with them. A treat for the eyes/brain

-laura is interesting and strange, but not in a Not Like Other Girls Protagonist way. she likes reading bdsm poetry and also wants to be a priest, she likes bad bitches but also wants to dominate them (!!!!), and she’s frank about what she wants and feels when she reaches the limits of her “southern manners”. She felt real. Not exaggeratedly shy or brash for plot, just a girl doing her best and feeling with her whole heart

-Elenore - books can often go in a tokeny black best friend direction, but this one managed to represent Elenore as a true, dedicated friend that supported Laura realistically without leaning into babysitting or mammying her. Elenore was my favorite char after laura tbh, she’s just that magnetic and kind.

-BIG one: Realistic depiction of how an older person can sway and stunt the growth of younger people in a relationship, regardless of them being “of age” or free to make their own decisions. Carmilla, and even Laura to an extent are frozen in time by De Lafontaine’s smothering; even Laura who is more able to see De Lafontaines manipulations for what they are is still swayed by her authority, her majesty, her power over them as someone with more life experience. The trajectory of her life is changed due to De Lafontaines need to collect girls; her grades slip, her friends miss her, and she feels disconnected from the world around her. Carmilla has few friends, and misses out on so many foundational college experiences because of how consumed she is by her professor. This book was a very true to life depiction of why “they’re both adults” means very little when dealing with power imbalances in a relationship. De Lafountaine was literally and figuratively sucking the youth out of these girls to sooth her own stolen years, by blood/vampirism and by time missed being 20-somethings discovering themselves in college. The only thing that put a stop to the toxic codependence was De Lafontaine herself; even with full understanding of how poorly she treated them, the girls could not fully extricate themselves from wanting to be loved by her. sad, complicated, twisted, but so well-rendered. Carmilla isn’t magically un-hooked, and even Laura isn’t immune to De Lafontaine by the end; they both will need time to heal and process the ways De Lafontaine warped how they see love and interacting with other people. I don’t think this is a permanent hurt, but it is one that Laura and Carmilla will probably have to reckon with in her wake both together and separately. the author treated this topic with all the seriousness yet hopefulness it deserves; these aren’t broken girls forever damaged, they are hurt girls that were taken advantage of by someone who experienced that same hurt and allowed herself to perpetuate it. The author is frank about how toxic it is, but optimistic about Carmilla and Laura on the other side of it, as well as De Lafontaines own reckoning with her toxic past.

- on that note, De Lafontaines breakthrough was really interesting. I’d been mildly afraid of some snape-esque redemption murder-suicide with her day one, but I was pleasantly surprised that DLF actually went the distance of realizing that she was continuing the cycle of abuse and manipulation, actively trying to change, doing away with her abuser, and freeing Carmilla as much as she was able. The damage is still done, and she’s permanently changed Carmilla’s life, but at least taking herself out of the equation was a huge step from where she began the book (jealous, domineering, secretive, etc.) I am really intrigued by the author showing us this, and think it’s a much gritter, realer way of doing away with a villain - there’s no magic “I want to be good now” moment or victorious defeat; she just wakes the fuck up and tries to not traumatize any more 20-somethings. She can’t undo her wrongs, but she can choose to stop making them, which requires self-awareness and will power I didn’t expect from her. I started the book wanting her staked along with her freak ex, and ended the book wishing her somewhat well on her journey of growth as long as it was far away from young women. Go figure!

-academic rivals done RIGHT. I hate when rivals/enemies to lovers is either half-assed snipes then they randomly kiss or just straight up bullying and hate crimes from one half of the relationship and we’re supposed to think it’s sexy & root for them. I don’t think emotional and physical abuse before you even start dating is cute AT ALL. So this book was a REVELATION compared to ETL like that. These girls are at each others throats academically, but look out for each other, at first bc of girl code/politeness, but increasingly out of fondness. They do a tasty two steps forward one step back with vulnerability and admitting their feelings, and their jockeying for DLF’s approval (toxic older woman aside) was incredible. When they finally touch it’s actually “sizzling” (I usually hate that word in book reviews, but it really fits!) because they really built up the dislike and indifference act, all to be fantasizing about the other on their knees in private. if more ETL is like this, I’ll read it! Their dynamic was lovely, and I love how even amidst the competition, they truly grew to love and protect the other, even from their shared object of admiration. all around great!

-dark academia done right! when I think dark academia, I think The Woods. a lot of this subgenre is just “people are morally grey in a school setting, there might be violence” but this. this is truly dark. immoral professors, bodies dropping, cutesy all girls school facade with a literal creature in the floors, blood sharing, secrets. Ugh. gimme more

Dislikes:

Honestly I don’t remember what I was gonna put here. maybe just that I wish I’d been able to see Carmilla inflict more rage on DLF for turning her. that rage/sadness felt a bit untapped; I would’ve liked a little more time spent on how Carmilla felt staring down eternity because her goofy ass older vampire obsession brought her too close to her crazy ex. She was killed, and it felt like she didn’t really process it. Having said that, I understand that Carmilla wasn’t one to follow her feelings to their logical conclusions, mostly due to DLFs hold on her. Multiple times in the book she comes to the brink of truly being angry, saddened, even done with DLF, just for DLF to love bomb or shame her into letting it go. She treats her like rightful frustration and pain are childish, and Carmilla internalizes that to her detriment. kinda talked myself out of my only dislike there, bc honestly it fits more than I thought. I think I just wanted to see De Lafontaine get mollywopped.

That was sooo long, but I actually loved the fuck out of this book and am skipping the long line of next books I have to read A Dowry of Blood.

Content Warnings

mercurysflame's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

i was really drawn in by the characters and the story. my main issue was heavy handed characterizions where the characters would voice their own traits in a really distracting way. the main climax was slightly predicable and i was most interested in what the characters were doing after the story ended.

Content Warnings

ginalucia's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

An Education in Malice offers a slow-burning story that keeps you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the moment when everything will ignite.

Initially, I wasn't sure what to expect from this retelling, but it quickly became apparent that this was more of an adaptation. One that I very much enjoyed.

Gibson's attention to detail is remarkable, with the senses playing a vital role in every scene, whether mundane or fantastical. Every sight, smell, and sound is painted so vividly, it's like you're right there in the story.

While the writing is undeniably beautiful, I found myself wishing for deeper character development. The main character's growth stumbled a little for me, with her background serving more as an anecdote than a driving force behind her actions.

Despite this, the book's ending left me wanting more, even if it felt a tad rushed. Oh, and if we’re talking spice, yeah, there are some steamy scenes in there. So, if you're into that, you won't be disappointed.

The writing is beautiful, and the mix of reality and the supernatural is done just right. So, if you're up for a dark, tense read with a big slice of sapphic spice, give An Education in Malice a shot.

Thank you Orbit books for the advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt

Content Warnings

wellgonomorearoving's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

An Education in Malice is a dark academia retelling/reimaging of the sapphic vampire classic Carmilla. Except this time, it’s not told through a male gaze, and the subtext has become text. The retelling is loose enough that it doesn’t follow the exact story, and while familiar characters crop up, they aren’t the same as we recall them from Le Fanu’s text, and new players emerge. A setting of the late 60s provides a stunning backdrop for the drama to unfold. Yet, the vibes of the original story remain, including the most alluring part of both stories: the relationship between Laura and Carmilla.

This time around, Laura is a reserved southern girl leaving home for the first time to attend an all-girls New England university and Carmilla is the enigmatic favorite of their beloved professor, Ms. De Lafontaine. The chemistry is palpable and immediate despite the two students initially clashing, leading for some heated enemies to lovers scenes, and flirting with the original text’s idea that Carmilla is dangerous to Laura. But in this version, Laura isn’t as sweetly innocent as she seems either.

The book follows their year at the university and leans into the proper way to do dark academia: it maintains the mysterious allure of the aesthetic while critiquing the institutions and their abuse of power. There is a seriously wrong power dynamic at play with Professor De Lafontaine and both Carmilla and Laura, and beware that this story doesn’t necessarily dole out penance the way we often seek with such villains. This, along with certain vampire lore, reminded me a lot of Anne Rice’s work, but the way the plot progresses is unlike her novels. A lot happens in this book, including many murders, as the two women grapple with coming face to face with life’s monsters and their feelings for one another. Four stars for me, regarding a vampire book especially, is an endorsement, and I could easily see this being an absolute favorite for many people. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and how beautifully it leaned into the strong cast of female characters (men? Never heard of them). It’s the gorgeous sapphic vampire story I’ve been craving after the taste Le Fanu’s text gave me.

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bookameme's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Dark, Gripping, & Stimulating

Quote:📖

In the end, I stayed. I had the awful, yawning feeling inside myself that for her, I would always stay.

Thoughts: 💡
The first chapter had a slightly slow and meandering feel to it, but as soon as the story dove into the rivals to lovers vibes I was hooked. There is this moment of intense attraction that quickly burns into rivals that grabbed all of my attention in a sharp flash and from that point on the story had a fast and dark vibe, and I adored every minute of it. The imagery and poetry that permeated everything was spectacular. It was very LGBT positive but still recognized the struggle of marginalized people in the time period. I can’t sing enough praises for this story.

Writing Mechanics: ✍️
The plot is inspired and the language used and structure of it all is brilliant. All the characters were beautifully developed with rich backstories and deep motivations. There were points of the story that were so eloquently written that I had to reread and ruminate on the context and beauty of it. And the poetry! Gah! I can’t sing the praises of it enough! Everything in this book was spectacular!

Fun Bits:
⚜️ Sapphic Vampires
⚜️ Academic Rivals
⚜️ Needing to Please The Teacher
⚜️ Beautiful Poetry
⚜️ Sizzling Romance
⚜️ Plus Size Heroine

Important Note:✨
Standalone companion novel to A Dowery of Blood.

Full Content Warning:⚠️
Uneven Power Dynamics, Inappropriate Relationships Between Professor & Students, Toxic Academic Environments, Blood, Gore, and Murder, Alcohol and Drug Use, Smoking, Racist Political Policies, Homophobia, Religious Discrimination Against Women

Stats:📊
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Characters: 💙💙💙💙💙
Dark Historical Fantasy: Dark Academia, Sapphic Romance, Academic Rivals to Lovers, Vampires, Mystery Vibes
First Person, Present Tense, Dual POV

Content Warnings

tofugal's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved this and didn’t want to put it down! The gothic tone, gorgeous prose, and dark supernatural world are all gloriously written. I related to Laura’s naivety and ambition (definitely reminded me of myself in college) and thought Carmilla was a lovable brat. The competitive energy between those two crackled with chemistry. Professor De Lafontaine was a fascinating combination of alluring and predatory, and the book kept me guessing about her loyalties right up until the very end. This was less of a strict Carmilla adaptation and more of an Undead Poets Society with a sapphic sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance loosely inspired by the classic. While you don’t need to read A Dowry of Blood to follow it, they’re definitely interconnected since Magdalena makes a very welcome cameo.

Keeping my fingers crossed for another book set in this world.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Content Warnings

forgottenangstycharacter's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

I would like to thank Netgalley for my ALC of An Education in Malice

An Education in Malice has been one of my most anticipated releases of the year. A dark academia version of Carmilla in the 60s? Sign me up. This is interestingly the second canonical vampire retelling/re-imagining I’ve read over the past two months, the first being Reluctant Immortals

An Education in Malice is told in dual PoV between Laura Sheridan and Carmilla Karnstein. Laura is a 20 year old freshman at Saint Perpetua’s school, enrolled in a senior poetry class run by the demanding and vampiric Professor De Lefontaine (Laura’s governess in Le Fanu’s Carmilla ). She yearns for the admiration of her professor over the clear class favourite, Carmilla, who has an inappropriate and all-consuming relationship with her professor. The two girls are pitted against the other, both vying for the attention of their professor, in blend of toxicity and artistic genius.

I wouldn’t call this a retelling, it’s a transplant or even an AU (and I meant that in the most affectionate way). The elements of girlhood and obsessive relationships between women shines here. One of my favourite parts of this book is the delicate balance of what could be contradictory desires within her characters. Carmilla is simultaneously hyperindependent, worldly, sharp, cutting and incredibly needy.

“In her righteous indignation, she seemed like a wrathful goddess but now she sounded very much her age, a child chasing after the approval of her mentor.”

Laura is sheltered, sweet, eager and also incredibly needy. Transforming her from her sheltered, upper-middle class existence schloss in Styria to the epitome of Southern politeness and grace was a smart move on Gibson’s part. Ultimately, Gibson taps into the essence of Le Fanu’s Carmilla, it’s a story about yearning, obsessive love and neediness. Both young women yearn for love, friendship and each other. Laura and Carmilla do not become the fast friends of the original novella, but that doesn’t stop the obsessive infatuation they have for each other. Yet, finally, we get the explicit sapphism that was denied in Carmilla.

It was toxic, messy and Gothic. I loved it!

This is the dark academia I have been looking for ever since reading The Secret History. Gibson’s strength in writing is the atmosphere and her prose. I wish I had recorded more of the beautiful prose but as I was often listening to it while driving I couldn’t. Her writing makes sure you feel New England's biting cold and the mist as the characters walk across the quad. You feel the same rage as Laura and Carmilla.

I have to shout out the audiobook narrator, Stephanie Cannon, who brought the book to life, effortlessly shifting between Laura's Southern Mississippi accent and Carmilla's refined Austrian accent, never confusing me with who was speaking or which PoV we were in.

This is a character-focused book that centres Laura and Carmilla’s relationship with vampirism being a metaphor for artistic brilliance that brings immortality, while giving everything a bloody tint. The first half was addictive. The second half ramped up the plot back it was relegated to the background as a murderer ripped through the school. I felt like the horror could have been amped up here as the reader knew who was behind the murder, but the focus was centred on Laura and Carmilla’s desire for each other. This of course led to a fair bit of spice, which didn’t always work for me (but that’s personal preference and not a fault of the writer). Also this is a S. T. Gibson book it’s to be expected. I wish there was a bit more of a sense of things closing in on our characters, and further challenging their dynamics. This occurred right towards the end but I wanted more of it. I also wanted the dynamic between Laura, Carmilla and De Lafontaine to be resolved a little more neatly.

I wanted either Carmilla or Laura to finally say no and extract themselves from their relationship. I suppose relationships like those depicted aren’t always neatly resolved, I just wished that it culminated in a breaking point.

Overall, this is an amazing take on Le Fanu’s Carmilla and even with the things I wasn’t sure of, this is a book I highly recommend to most people. It is beautifully written, I adore Laura and Carmilla and the atmosphere is top-notch!

Content Warnings

phoricho's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book was my introduction to dark academia and also S.T. Gibson, and it did not disappoint.

Gibson writes such individual and layered characters, and it really shines through. Although the main cast of characters is quite small, they are realistic and complex, each with their own struggles and journeys that, at times, align with each other and, at others, conflict. This creates extremely complex relationships between them.

Although told in dual POV, this book is narrated only by Stephanie Cannon, who did an incredible job. Cannon didn’t just read, she put on a performance. Distinguishing the characters with different accents not only helped to know whose POV I was in but also added to the depth of the characters and the overall immersion of the story. At first, I didn’t even realise that there was only one narrator.

Some of the themes in the book include the exploration of sexuality and desire, discovering who one is as a person, complex relationships and power dynamics, the dangers and consequences of getting what you want and losing yourself in obsession. These were such powerful themes that each character explored in their own way.

Overall, I loved this book. Even days later, I still find myself thinking about it. It’s the perfect book if you love dark academia, complex characters & themes, and a dark, twisted and thought-provoking story.

CW/TW: Uneven power dynamics, inappropriate relations between professor and students, toxic academic environments, blood, gore, murder, consensual sexual content, public sex, kink (negotiated and spontaneous), alcohol and drug use and smoking. Brief references to racist political policies, homophobia, and religious discrimination against women.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for sending me this audiobook for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are 100% honest and my own.

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