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adancewithbooks's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.75
Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
An Education in Malice has a promising setting and plot but lacks in the actual execution.
The idea of a dark academia set in an all girls school in the 1960's was a really interesting idea. There were a lot of great ways that could have gone. Unfortunately the author didn't take it that way.
I think where this book lacked were the characters and the overal vibe. The writing itself was decent enough but it never carried over any atmosphere. It stopped be from being drawn in to the story. The addition of the vampires was very underwhelming. The threat of a vampire felt like absolutely nothing throughout.
It didn't help that I didn't care about our characters which is not helpful in a character driven story. There was a little bit of our characters here and there but I didn't feel like I was getting to know anything about them before they came to the school. I felt like I was missing a whole chunk of them. Their before lives didn't go away the moment they entered the school. The worst was that this was even thrown into one of the characters faces when barely any of that pre-history was shared with us.
Their whole rivalry and romance was an obsession, and the author seemed to forget that maybe there was more at the school than just a writing class. I get that the obsession was the whole point but it could have been a more well rounded story.
It was a decent read but not memorable in anyway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol
inappropiate relatinship between student and teacherclrouse's review against another edition
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
kelseydaffodil's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this book was so beautifully written and i thoroughly enjoyed it.
the vampire lore was different to other vampire books and shows i have consumed which i really enjoyed. i love when people extend the vampire universe and think of different ways vampires can exist in media. obviously, sapphic enemies and rivals to lovers was perfect. the way s.t gibson writes is always so beautiful.
i did, though, at times, feel like i was crawling through it. i'm still unsure about ms de lafontaine being the only vampire presence for half of the book. i also thought that the rivals to lovers dissolved far too quickly after carmilla was changed. there was a good amount of laura lusting after carmilla before their relationship, but i felt there was a lack of arguments or just anything else that would make their relationship more rivals/enemies to lovers. it just kinda went, they hate each other, mostly carmilla hating laura, carmilla drinks laura's blood, carmilla suddenly doesnt hate her at all.
i feel there was too much going on in the book at times. enemies to lovers, religious trauma/guilt, carmilla's obsession with ms de lafontaine, ms de lafontaine's ex lover, dark academia, murder. it felt like a lot got lost. especially things like how isis would paint the toenails of the girls she murdered, what was the significance ? it was never developed and i found it to be an interesting tell of isis being the murderer.
i rate this book 4/5 stars because though i have quite a lot of qualms with it, i still absolutely loved this book. s.t gibson is certainly up there with my favourite authors, but i did enjoy a dowry of blood more.
the vampire lore was different to other vampire books and shows i have consumed which i really enjoyed. i love when people extend the vampire universe and think of different ways vampires can exist in media. obviously, sapphic enemies and rivals to lovers was perfect. the way s.t gibson writes is always so beautiful.
i did, though, at times, feel like i was crawling through it. i'm still unsure about ms de lafontaine being the only vampire presence for half of the book. i also thought that the rivals to lovers dissolved far too quickly after carmilla was changed. there was a good amount of laura lusting after carmilla before their relationship, but i felt there was a lack of arguments or just anything else that would make their relationship more rivals/enemies to lovers. it just kinda went, they hate each other, mostly carmilla hating laura, carmilla drinks laura's blood, carmilla suddenly doesnt hate her at all.
i feel there was too much going on in the book at times. enemies to lovers, religious trauma/guilt, carmilla's obsession with ms de lafontaine, ms de lafontaine's ex lover, dark academia, murder. it felt like a lot got lost. especially things like how isis would paint the toenails of the girls she murdered, what was the significance ? it was never developed and i found it to be an interesting tell of isis being the murderer.
i rate this book 4/5 stars because though i have quite a lot of qualms with it, i still absolutely loved this book. s.t gibson is certainly up there with my favourite authors, but i did enjoy a dowry of blood more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Bullying, Gore, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
torrentsofhayl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
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.
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
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
pagesofplatypus'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
4.5
Oh wow, this book is so sumptuous, nail-biting, yearning, sexy.
Laura and Carmilla have such a compelling relationship and arcs. I love their progression. It all felt very natural and well-paced. And their steamy scenes had me swooning!
Also the entirety of Magdalene's party was just so bloody hot and sexy. Felt a little like something that would be in AMC's Interview with the Vampire.
The De Lafontaine dynamic witb Laura and especially Carmilla was so frustrating and heartrending and complex. I feel she redeemed herself a bit towards the end, but the beginning is very uncomfy as she preys on her students.
The vampirism is developed well. Enough to intrigue readers but not so much lore that it feels overly explanatory or clunky.
And the atmosphere of the writing is very transportive and every emotion is felt so strongly. Both Carmilla and Laura have strong and distinct enough voices to easily differentiate between povs. And Laura's growth in particular was so beautiful and heart achingly done as she came to love Carmilla and come into her own.
Carmilla, my love, I wanted to protect her the entire book.
The entire Isis storyline?! Omg. Okay I have to admit this kind of felt unneccary and parts of it took me out of the story. Like this being has been sleeping for 43 years and now starts a murder spree after being awoken by De Lafontaine. And I get it shows that De Lafontaine herself was a victim of abuse, but I think just pacing and plot strength wise this just felt clumsier and weaker.
Laura and Carmilla have such a compelling relationship and arcs. I love their progression. It all felt very natural and well-paced. And their steamy scenes had me swooning!
The De Lafontaine dynamic witb Laura and especially Carmilla was so frustrating and heartrending and complex. I feel she redeemed herself a bit towards the end, but the beginning is very uncomfy as she preys on her students.
The vampirism is developed well. Enough to intrigue readers but not so much lore that it feels overly explanatory or clunky.
And the atmosphere of the writing is very transportive and every emotion is felt so strongly. Both Carmilla and Laura have strong and distinct enough voices to easily differentiate between povs. And Laura's growth in particular was so beautiful and heart achingly done as she came to love Carmilla and come into her own.
Carmilla, my love, I wanted to protect her the entire book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Blood
Moderate: Murder
ladyyaru's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Blood
theyellowbrickreader's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Murder
rookeatsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
For some godforsaken reason, I finished this book in one day. In the little praise I'll offer for this book, I guess it means I was intrigued enough by the plot to keep reading. BUT, and this is a big but, the writing is quite poor. I googled the author mid-read, thinking that this book must have been written by a teenager with a dark academia tumblr obsession. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
My biggest problem with this book is Gibson's tendency to tell and not show. The first 20-30% of the book is infodump exposition about "This is how Laura feels about this. This is how Carmilla feels about this. And they're both sooooooo mad at each other and have such a tense rivalry (You believe me, right?)" Also, a nitpick but Gibson's tendency to start multiple chapters with "Month verbed XYZ'" made me want to bash my head against a wall. Find a better way to make time transitions!
The telling instead of showing was especially notable when considering that a huge theme in the story is love and obsession and the ways that they cross over onto each other and can make people do crazy things. This is all fine and dandy, except for the fact that none of the writing makes you feel like any of these people are genuinely obsessed with one another. I didn't feel any chemistry or magnetism between the characters and considering that one of the main conceits of the plot is Laura and Carmilla's academic rivalry and competition for De Lafontaine's attention, you would think that DLF would actually be an interesting character. Wrong! In addition, I lost my mind over the sheer amount of times you read "Laura hates Carmilla. Carmilla hates Laura. But Laura's obsessed with Carmilla. And Carmilla's obsessed with Laura" in so many words. Again, show don't tell.
The prose was also bland. All of the reviews claiming that it's lush and beautiful and whatever........ have you read good prose? There was a lot of "devouring" and "feverishly" and things of the sort and it comes off both incredibly pretentious and also like Gibson didn't want to put the effort into describing things in an interesting way. There are many sections where she just spells out exactly what she wants you to deduce thematically from a situation and so many overwrought metaphors that I wanted to vomit.
For your viewing pleasure, here is a passage that made me audibly say "barf" out loud because of the cliche, overplayed, and just dumb and cringey figurative language:
(Not major spoilers since this is tagged as a romance, but spoilered just in case)
She kissed me with a martyr's agonized desperation, like I was the only 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.
Honorable mentions:
Bound by blood and secrecy, with no recourse to anyone but each other. It would almost be romantic, under more advantageous circumstances.
"I'll go first, Carmilla said, draping herself elegantly across the couch. Everything she did was elegant.
I've always had the strangest instinct to run towards whatever is hurting me, to bare my neck to any predator that caught my scent
Love is sacrifice, Professor. Whether it's you on the butcher's table or not, someone always bleeds.
Also, completely separate conversation that I do not have the brainspace to go over in this review, but you would think that someone who writes queer romance would possibly realize that framing lesbians (or sapphic women in general) as predatory monsters who prey on younger women *cough cough, De Lafontaine* is problematic??? Like did the author think about the implications of that for more than 10 microseconds.
In conclusion, I don't know what possessed me to read this trainwreck of a book but I would not reread. I was so hyped by the premise and was severely disappointed by the execution. Rather than a thoughtful reimagining of Carmilla in an invigorating setting, it came off as a wannabe The Secret History with half the wit or writing skill.
My biggest problem with this book is Gibson's tendency to tell and not show. The first 20-30% of the book is infodump exposition about "This is how Laura feels about this. This is how Carmilla feels about this. And they're both sooooooo mad at each other and have such a tense rivalry (You believe me, right?)" Also, a nitpick but Gibson's tendency to start multiple chapters with "Month verbed XYZ'" made me want to bash my head against a wall. Find a better way to make time transitions!
The telling instead of showing was especially notable when considering that a huge theme in the story is love and obsession and the ways that they cross over onto each other and can make people do crazy things. This is all fine and dandy, except for the fact that none of the writing makes you feel like any of these people are genuinely obsessed with one another. I didn't feel any chemistry or magnetism between the characters and considering that one of the main conceits of the plot is Laura and Carmilla's academic rivalry and competition for De Lafontaine's attention, you would think that DLF would actually be an interesting character. Wrong! In addition, I lost my mind over the sheer amount of times you read "Laura hates Carmilla. Carmilla hates Laura. But Laura's obsessed with Carmilla. And Carmilla's obsessed with Laura" in so many words. Again, show don't tell.
The prose was also bland. All of the reviews claiming that it's lush and beautiful and whatever........ have you read good prose? There was a lot of "devouring" and "feverishly" and things of the sort and it comes off both incredibly pretentious and also like Gibson didn't want to put the effort into describing things in an interesting way. There are many sections where she just spells out exactly what she wants you to deduce thematically from a situation and so many overwrought metaphors that I wanted to vomit.
For your viewing pleasure, here is a passage that made me audibly say "barf" out loud because of the cliche, overplayed, and just dumb and cringey figurative language:
(Not major spoilers since this is tagged as a romance, but spoilered just in case)
Honorable mentions:
Also, completely separate conversation that I do not have the brainspace to go over in this review, but you would think that someone who writes queer romance would possibly realize that framing lesbians (or sapphic women in general) as predatory monsters who prey on younger women *cough cough, De Lafontaine* is problematic??? Like did the author think about the implications of that for more than 10 microseconds.
In conclusion, I don't know what possessed me to read this trainwreck of a book but I would not reread. I was so hyped by the premise and was severely disappointed by the execution. Rather than a thoughtful reimagining of Carmilla in an invigorating setting, it came off as a wannabe The Secret History with half the wit or writing skill.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Confinement, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
cardanrry's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Sexual content, and Murder