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maeverose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
I guess I’m eating my words about not liking the writing style of classics, huh?
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 pictured fog over everything anytime they were outside. Now I 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.
“Thus fortified I might take my rest in peace. But dreams come through stone walls, light up dark rooms, or darken light ones, and their persons make their exits and their entrances as they please, and laugh at locksmiths.”
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Ableism, Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent
Religious themes, beheading, cremation, sleep paralysis (not really but the descriptions are similar)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
3.5
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
celestriakle's review
- 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, Racism, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Chronic illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Violence, Blood, and Abandonment
Minor: Death, Grief, and Alcohol
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: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Racism
nightfell's review
- 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: Misogyny and Blood