tessalexandra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, Body horror, and Blood
Moderate: Antisemitism, Gore, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Racism, and Misogyny
Minor: Slavery and Suicide
rabidteddybear's review against another edition
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Misogyny
aparker89's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
We all know Dracula, his real life niece Bathory ,and their reigns of terror. But what if there was someone else waiting in the dark? Camilla is charming, beautiful and witty but something dark is lingering behind her sparkling eyes. Meet Laura, a lonely young woman who wants nothing more than companionship and follow her tale of terror!
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gaslighting, Blood, and Death
Minor: Bullying, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Misogyny
abmochapman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Having read The Gilda Stories and Fledgling, I was immediately excited to find a queer vampire story pre-dating Dracula. This gothic novel reads much more like a condemnation of deviant desires than an exploration of sexuality and the supernatural as in the case of its more modern counterparts. Yet, I think Carmilla is nonetheless an important piece of vampire and lesbian literary history.
It was slow and tortuous, ridiculously campy, and almost erotic. Though it was not as scary or suspenseful as I had hoped, I had fun!
Spoiler
And did you know Marcia Maren, like Mircalla, is an anagram? Once I realized — after some research, of course — I found an even greater appreciation for Carmen Maria Machado’s introduction and how she twisted LeFanu’s self-serving fiction into her own.Now I can’t wait to dive deeper into author interviews and fan re-tellings (such as the web series). I love a queer reclamation of a cult classic!
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Grief
Minor: Racism and Misogyny
jojo_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Moderate: Blood, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death, Ableism, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Lesbophobia, Medical content, Racism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Classism, Incest, and Sexual content
celestriakle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Chronic illness, Misogyny, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Death, Alcohol, and Grief
deadeye's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Death, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, and Violence
Moderate: Racism
nightfell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Carmilla was so flirtatious and intense with Laura idk how people in the 1800s could have perceived this as anything but a sapphic book. They were acting so cute and it was wholesome even after Carmilla started acting weird weird and I enjoyed it a lot.
Would recommend to anyone who likes vampires.
Minor: Blood and Misogyny