Reviews with content warning for Vomit - An Education in Malice

Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

7 reviews

edamamebean's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.0

So sad about this one but it just was not doing it for me. The entire time I was reading I just felt like the book was missing something important. All the elements were there for a good story, but it had no tension. An intriguing student who has a mysterious and inappropriate connection with a professor, monstrous murders taking place on campus, a university built to house a deadly secret, a twisted obsession between two academic rivals—these should make for a compelling story! But they all missed the mark because everything was revealed to us as it was happening, and without any fanfare. There’s no mystery or element of uncertainty for the reader, not even at the climax of the novel. I was never intrigued to find out more because nothing was being hidden from me. If everything had been shrouded in the thinnest layer of mystery, this book would have hit so much harder.

It’s also so weird to me that Laura has a completely uncomplicated relationship with religion? She’s a lesbian growing up in the 1960s

who is sucked into a strange world of murderous vampires,

and yet hardly experiences religious guilt over it. Weird. I think there was a missed opportunity here to say something about queerness and religion, but it was so skimmed over that I don’t think there was a point in making Laura religious at all.

The book also completely skims over the fact that De Lafontaine is an abuser. I thought that was going to be a huge part of the story, like obviously she’s the big bad guy here? But instead we get introduced to a bigger badder guy and all of Ms. D’s indiscretions are largely dismissed.

And I’m so sad to say this, but I found the romance to be really awkward at times. Mostly, I think, because of De Lafontaine’s constant involvement. She looms over their entire relationship in a way that the characters can never bring themselves to openly acknowledge. There are stories that do this well—Ava Reid’s Juniper and Thorn comes to mind—but this just wasn’t one of them. Instead of adding tension, it felt more like discomfort. Probably because her inappropriate relationships with her students is never explicitly condemned,

and the door is left open for a continued relationship after the story is over.

What is so disappointing is that I think this book could have been amazing with just a little bit of restructuring. Keep it only to Laura’s perspective for the first half of the book, have her slowly uncover the strange relationship between Carmilla and De Lafontaine, both of whom she is inexplicably drawn to. Culminate in a big reveal at the halfway point, then have the second half take place from Carmilla’s perspective. It could have been so good! I cry.

Content Warnings

tales_told_in_gold's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.5

Content Warnings

midnightrose_reads's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson is a standalone sapphic dark academia retelling of Carmilla.

It was mostly an enjoyable read for me even though some things bothered me about the plot. Specifically the lack of urgency on the part of DeLafontaine, Laura and Carmilla to dispatch an out of control vampire on the college campus sooner in the narrative. Instead DeLafontaine introduces them to vampire society (specifically Carmilla who she’s turned earlier in the story; with her human companion Laura in tow), Laura goes for Thanksgiving break to San Francisco to spend time with her friend’s family, and DeLafontaine holds these private poetry readings between Carmilla and Laura. There doesn’t seem to be a sense of urgency until towards the end of the book to prevent more murders of the student body which I found bizarre.

Content Warnings

wellgonomorearoving's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

summermorning's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-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

4.0

Content Warnings

phoricho's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

bibliofrog's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

Content Warnings

More...