snackattackisback69's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Lesbophobia
Minor: Death of parent and Death
suneaters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death and Classism
Minor: Death of parent
calimie's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Quite short, I recommend it to anyone interested in classic horror.
Moderate: Violence and Abandonment
Minor: Death and Death of parent
melancholymegs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Death
Minor: Racism, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Suicide
torilara's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Death, Toxic friendship, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent
danajoy's review against another edition
4.5
It was fun and atmospheric. It felt very sapphic and characters weren't punished for it. Even though one was a vampiric monster that was the problem, not that she's a girl but that she's feeding.
There are some slurs and ablist statement that are uncomfortable, especially for a modern reader but overall this story was a fantastic piece of short literature filled with fantastic spooky atmosphere and heavy wlw tones.
Moderate: Blood, Death, Toxic friendship, Medical content, and Racial slurs
Minor: Death of parent
filipa_maia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I have this book for so long in my shelves and never looked at it twice... how? I know why... is this horrible cover, this cover is ugly. Anyway, I really loved this book. Who would thought that the predecessor of Dracula was a lady vampire...
This is a very short book with a great story in it. Very raw, very cruel, very tough. The way Carmilla manipulates people around her is very creepy and, at the same time, appealing. There is this constant sexual innuendo between the two (aparent) little girls that for todays standarts would be completly canceled. And there's also this thing with Carmilla choosing little girls... Maybe because they are virgins? Probably is from here that the myth around virgins and pure blood emerged... who knows? Maybe was just the author trying (and succeeding) to scandalize society back then.
The point it that this is a awesome book that every horror/vampire lovers should know about.
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Stalking, Child death, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual harassment
maeverose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
I loved the writing style of this book. It was atmospheric and gothic, I loved the setting of the castle and the grassy hills and the ruins of the old town. I just pictured fog over everything anytime they were outside. Now I just wanna have a picnic at old castle ruins in the fog with a pretty vampire. (Sadly that doesn’t happen in this book but it could’ve). This might be my favorite classic I’ve read so far… it’s at least tied with Dracula, but I think it tops it. It actually got pretty creepy at times.
Was also a little surprised how explicitly sapphic it was, given when it was written. I was expecting it to just be homoerotic in the way that classics sometimes are, or overtly homophobic. I think it’s safe to assume that the combination of sapphic elements and vampirism was very intentional.. automatically villainizing lesbianism by portraying it as a ‘virus’ that you can ‘catch’, something that’s evil and scary… But reading it it isn’t actually explicitly homophobic. It’s all subtext. It could easily be read through a more modern lens, removing that subtext.
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, Suicide, and Ableism
Religious themes, beheading, cremation, sleep paralysis (not really but the descriptions are similar)honeyvoiced's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Murder
Minor: Racism and Death of parent
thenerdybookwitch's review against another edition
4.0
Note: This is a book from 1872 so problematic themes are still going to be present. Especially outdated terms that are Ableist today. It also has such a negative view on Suicide at the end. Just keep that in mind when reading.
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Abandonment, and Ableism
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Racism