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natundertrees's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
“You are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one for ever.”
As a lover of vampires, I loved the premise of this, but after reaching the introduction from Machado that included recently discovered snippets from Veronika's letters, I can't help but feel disappointed by the way that Le Fanu distorted this story and excluded--and dare I say, ruined--so much of Laura and Carmilla's relationship. I will say, I do enjoy that this edition was edited in hopes of shaming Le Fanu (and it worked, considering I have absolutely zero respect for him after reading this lol) and because Machado wished to remain true to his original work out of a pettiness that I appreciate endlessly. I'm in the same realm as her though: I hope that one day, Veronika's uncensored letters to Marcia inspire a work of fiction that doesn't aim to twist them so.
I gave this particular edition of Carmilla four stars purely because of Carmen Maria Machado's introduction and the way it encouraged me to interact and read this novella. Also, because it felt like the perfect October read and is one of the more engaging and interesting classics that I've read in my life.
As a lover of vampires, I loved the premise of this, but after reaching the introduction from Machado that included recently discovered snippets from Veronika's letters, I can't help but feel disappointed by the way that Le Fanu distorted this story and excluded--and dare I say, ruined--so much of Laura and Carmilla's relationship. I will say, I do enjoy that this edition was edited in hopes of shaming Le Fanu (and it worked, considering I have absolutely zero respect for him after reading this lol) and because Machado wished to remain true to his original work out of a pettiness that I appreciate endlessly. I'm in the same realm as her though: I hope that one day, Veronika's uncensored letters to Marcia inspire a work of fiction that doesn't aim to twist them so.
I gave this particular edition of Carmilla four stars purely because of Carmen Maria Machado's introduction and the way it encouraged me to interact and read this novella. Also, because it felt like the perfect October read and is one of the more engaging and interesting classics that I've read in my life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Murder
atalea's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Child death
Minor: Suicide
bugcollector's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The book read like someone trying to imitate a classic today, and I kept having to remind myself that it was actually written in 1800s
Perhaps the illustrations are to blame-they were lazy and disconnected from the story.
I felt like I was reading those modern-day romance books, with horrible, faceless characters design cover, that keep popping into your head at unwanted times . (except you couldn't escape the illustrations in this edition of Carmilla, They kept coming back with different backgrounds throughout the book)
It's kind of a shame, because scrolling thorough Wikipedia afterwards, you find that Carmilla has inspired many paintings and drawings which would have done a much better job delevering the gothic, eerie feeling it tried to convey. (instand of the children-coloring-book drawing attempt we got here)
What I did enjoy was the editors introduction, which brought a nice touch and a fresh perspective on the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
lil13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Child death and Terminal illness
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia
jojo_'s review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Medical content, Lesbophobia, and Classism
nerdysread's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- 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
3.0
Ce fut un livre intéressant. Mais j’avoue que je m’attendais a plus… tout d’abord je me disais que les personnages seraient plus âgées mais aussi qu’il y aurait plus de… plus quoi. Plus de lesbianisme, plus de tension, plus de spice, plus de leaning… bref plus.
Je m’exprime très bien okay!
Je m’exprime très bien okay!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Terminal illness
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
amalyndb's review against another edition
dark
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Homophobia, and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Racism
sofiailrodrigues's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
one of my favourite gothic novels i've ever read.
absolutely loved the fact that it is gay. but not so much the casual racist comments here and there.
absolutely loved the fact that it is gay. but not so much the casual racist comments here and there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Blood
Moderate: Death and Racism
cultbyproxy's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Going into this I expected an action-packed Gothic novella with lesbian undertones. What I got was a long, drawn out tale told in hindsight that was so predictable it was almost painful.
Maybe it’s Le Fanu’s writing or the fact that it was written in the 1800s but it truly wasn’t at all captivating as I thought it would be based on other Gothic novels I had read from that time period. Sure, there were ancient schlosses secluded in the scenic countryside, a coffin filled with blood, and stark lesbianism however the novel didn’t provide much else.It is, however, the commentary on suicide and it’s connection to vampirism that truly swayed my perceptions and left me feeling uneasy at the conclusion of this story.
Despite my opinions, I am happy to have finally gotten around to reading this and would recommend Carmilla to anyone. It is still a marvel of its time and deserves its flowers in helping lay the foundation for tales such as Dracula and Twilight to exist.
Maybe it’s Le Fanu’s writing or the fact that it was written in the 1800s but it truly wasn’t at all captivating as I thought it would be based on other Gothic novels I had read from that time period. Sure, there were ancient schlosses secluded in the scenic countryside, a coffin filled with blood, and stark lesbianism however the novel didn’t provide much else.
Despite my opinions, I am happy to have finally gotten around to reading this and would recommend Carmilla to anyone. It is still a marvel of its time and deserves its flowers in helping lay the foundation for tales such as Dracula and Twilight to exist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Child death, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Blood
ashleycmms's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail