A review by lenorayoder
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

mysterious
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Really liked this! I think the framing device works well here, and allows for closing lines that feel appropriately spooky. I will say that this is less a novella, and more like a small collection of very related ghost stories. Because of that this "book" doesn't have a traditional story structure, it's more like Laura's story, which contains the story Spielsdorf tells about himself and Bertha, the story of the Karnstein estate, the story of the Baron and his ancestor, and sort of the story of the doctor. I think because of the short length of the book and the framing device this works, but you should expect this to not really be a novella going into it.

The scenery descriptions do a lot to set the mood. I love how gothic this story feels. Spielsdorf's description of
Carmilla preying on Bertha is so genuinely creepy and well-written.
Some lines hit really well (
"We now laughed together over our momentary horrors."
)and make the whole book kind of feel like a campfire ghost story which I like. I like that the book kind of has the
Baron clarify the vampire lore
at the end, I think it makes sense given the framing device and clears up any confusion the reader might have had without cluttering up the main story. For vampire lore, I love the idea of a
vampire having an obsession over a victim that they nurture and draw out, while simultaneously gorging themselves on victims they don't care for to tide themselves over
. I also think the whole
'sleeping in a coffin floating in blood seven inches deep with your eyes wide open, heart beating, looking and being very alive and not pale or anything'
thing is a great image and absolutely needs to be in a vampire movie. So gross and fun. In general I like that Carmilla doesn't seem
dead at all - she's not pale, her heart beats, a doctor examining her doesn't find anything unusual - it's just that she has to drink blood and return to her coffin to rest everyday and has other specific traits that make it clear she's not really human.
 

I think the
Baron not seeking out Carmilla's grave and killing her before the events of the book
is a bit of a plot hole, but overall I think the story is good, an appropriate length, makes for good campfire story material, and has fun lore. Worth the read!
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