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oldladysadie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
Carmen Maria Machado’s editorial work makes this edition what it is for me. This was so camp and silly at times, and just the right amount of spooky/mysterious to ease into Halloween time 🩸
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Racism, and Suicide
jashanac's review against another edition
3.5
That introduction absolutely had me fooled haha! I love it.
I enjoyed this -- it's a classic, of course, so the writing style is very different from what I typically read because I read very few classics. So nothing about the writing was particularly incredible for me, personally.
I also thought that the ending was pretty rushed and the lore and plot overall was a bit flimsy.
However, the vaguely eerie gothic vibes are there, for sure!
I enjoyed this -- it's a classic, of course, so the writing style is very different from what I typically read because I read very few classics. So nothing about the writing was particularly incredible for me, personally.
I also thought that the ending was pretty rushed and the lore and plot overall was a bit flimsy.
However, the vaguely eerie gothic vibes are there, for sure!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Violence
green_amaryllis's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Death and Racism
silviriver's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Racism
tetedump's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racism, and Murder
valreadsallnight's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Racism
abmochapman's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
“Certainly LeFanu needed a monster; he could not imagine lesbian desire otherwise,” says Carmen Maria Machado in a perfectly normal interview.
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!
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!
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Misogyny and Racism
randomspirits's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Racism
ninjatrombonist's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Homophobia
judassilver's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Blood, and Murder