It's a classic. Yes, it has aged and parts that were terrifying in the past, are utterly predictable and obvious, but it still has a certain charm. Every fan of vampire stories should read it!

I learned something new today? I honestly did not know that this book pre dates Dracula by 26 years. But Why? this was better.

Ok so it was like watching a black and white movie and the horror wasn't at the modern day levels.

But considering when this was written female vampire and a lesbian must have been very shocking.

I enjoyed at face value. It is definitely worth a read especially if you love vampires.

Enjoy!

As always a big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an E-ARC in exchange for a review.

If you are like me and an avid reader of classic horror and classic vampire tales Carmilla is a must-read! This Deluxe edition is great and the cover alone makes me want to get a physical copy when I can because it's beautiful and would like nice to display. Plus it's a creepy little tale that helps inspire a large part of vampire stories and lore even up to stories coming out in the modern-day.

Like most stories that are over a hundred years old, some parts can be and should be looked through a critical lens. But it in a way make the story even more interesting to read if not to just see how view and ideas of changed over the passing of time.

If you were planning on picking up a copy of Carmilla for your collection why not go for a nice copy like this one!

I enjoyed this and thought it was beautifully written and, for whatever reason, sort of seductive. I was clueless as the story started, having not read anything regarding Carmilla before, so when I realized what was going on with the girl who was left with Laura's father and strange things began to happen, I was baffled. But when it came out with her name and who she actually was it finally made sense. I really liked this one about a female lesbian vampire and how she moves in and inserts herself into other people's lives. For whatever reason, I especially liked the story the General told to Laura and her father which was rather eerie.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Pushkin Press for an e-ARC of this book for my opinion.

#CarmillaDeluxeEdition #NetGalley

Loved this book! It's definitely an underrated classic with vampires. Very gripping story, that is perfect for the upcoming October days. The picture doesn't do justice to the cover, it's very beautiful in person. I highly recommend this book if you liked Dracula.

I received an eARC of this title through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I do not feel like there is a lot to say about this book content wise. This book has been around for many years. It is the inspiration for Dracula by Brom Stoker. I think what this book gives that Dracula does not is a more intriguing look into Vampirism lore. I greatly enjoyed the story, more so than Dracula. I feel this story has been overshadowed by Dracula for far too long. It discusses Vampirism and sexuality in an intriguing way. I find the story to be long enough to keep your attention but short enough to not drag the story on unnecessarily.

From what I can tell of this edition wise, seeing as I was sent this as an eARC, it looks like a nice edition to a shelf. The text is pretty and easy to read which I find is hard to do.

I was very excited to pick up this book and I was not disappointed by it! This is a Gothic classic that had such a strong influence on the gender and so many well known writers that I feel like it needs to be read if you are a fan of vampire stories. It is beautifully written and easy to read.

Before Dracula there was Carmilla, one of the earliest vampires stories, that helped set the standard for everything that came after and built the foundations for modern vampire stories as we know them today. It was originally serialised in The Dark Blue from 1871-1872, and then released as part of Sheridan Le Fanu’s short story collection In a Glass Darkly, later in 1872.

For the 150th anniversary Pushkin Press have released a gorgeous hardcover edition of the novella, with a tag-line that highlights the influence the novella had on Bram Stoker’s classic. There are a lot of similarities between the two and the influence is undeniable. Anne Rice has also claimed it as inspiration for Interview with the Vampire.

Carmilla is within its own right a classic of Gothic literature. I first read this when I was studying the Gothic in University as part of my Literature course and really loved it. I’ve always had a love of vampire stories and have long held Dracula as one of my favourite books. Carmilla is definitely up there as well and revisiting it now has been exciting. Not reading it for a course, meant I could take more time with it and not rush it with deadlines.

The story is told from Laura’s perspective, who is writing the story ten years after the events happened. Laura lives with her father in a picturesque castle and has an isolated life. A visit from another teenage girl is something she had been looking forward to for a long time, before hearing about the girl’s untimely death. A carriage accident outside the castle, means that another young girl, Carmilla, is invited to stay with Laura. Carmilla is not quite what she seems, and Laura’s health starts to deteriorate.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s dark and twisted and has some surprisingly detailed gory moments. It builds up an atmosphere filled with suspense and is a book I really escaped into.

The story is a must for any vampire fan. It’s a classic for a reason. We are still talking about it, with new editions coming out, a century and a half later. The cover for the new edition is beautiful and if you haven’t already read this tale, then it’s worth reading. It’s haunting and chilling and really has stood the test of time. Don’t be put of by its age the language at points does feel old-fashioned but it’s easy enough to read and once you get into it, you don’t even notice.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

I was entranced by this book. The notion of a female vampire whose tale was written before Dracula's!! Some may find the story hard to follow. If you can keep up it's worth it.

The highs and lows of love, mystery and suspense will keep you on your toes. I would love to see an on screen adaptation of this. Carmilla was ahead of time.

Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s classic vampire novella, Carmilla, was first published in 1872. It is thought to have influenced Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which came more than twenty years later, and is one of the earliest examples of vampire fiction (although John Polidori’s The Vampyre and Byron’s Fragment of a Novel were written earlier still).

My previous experience with Le Fanu has been limited to his Victorian Gothic novel, Uncle Silas, and one of his short stories, Laura Silver Bell, both of which I read ten years ago. I’ve always intended to read more of his work, so when I saw Carmilla available through NetGalley (a new Deluxe Edition is being published by Pushkin Press) it seemed the perfect opportunity.

The story is narrated by nineteen-year-old Laura, who lives in a lonely castle in Styria, Austria, with only her father and governesses for company. Laura longs for a friend her own age and it seems she may get her wish when a young woman is injured in a carriage accident near the castle. Her name is Carmilla and her mother, who is desperate to continue on her journey, asks Laura’s father to take care of her daughter until she returns. Laura is delighted to have Carmilla staying with them, but also feels uneasy, because she has seen Carmilla before – in a dream that has haunted her since her childhood.

As this is a very short book, if I say much more I will be giving away the entire plot – and anyway, as I’ve already said that this is a vampire novel, you can probably guess what Carmilla really is and how the rest of the story will unfold. For the modern day reader there are no big surprises here, although I’m sure that at the time when it was published, as one of the first of its kind, it would have felt much more original and shocking. However, there are still plenty of things that make this book an entertaining and worthwhile read.

First of all, it’s interesting to read Carmilla while keeping in mind its place in history and its influence on later vampire fiction – there are some very obvious similarities with Dracula and Anne Rice has cited it as an inspiration for her Vampire Chronicles. It can also be read as an early example of a lesbian romance; although the constraints of 19th century fiction prevent Le Fanu from being too explicit, the relationship between Laura and Carmilla is clearly based upon physical attraction and we learn that Carmilla always chooses young women as her prey. Finally, with its sinister atmosphere, remote castle setting and other elements of classic Gothic literature, it’s the perfect choice if you’re looking for something dark and spooky to read as we head towards Halloween!

This was such an interesting read. We get a beautiful but completely mysterious setting which for was the highlight of the book, a very dark gloomy tower with a lonely girl. And then we have carmilla another mystery that we slowly learn more about through out the book. I did very much enjoy the book even though I was a bit underwhelmed at the ending, I wish we had seen more of carmilla and her sinister powers. However overall it was really mesmerising and I think one of the most interesting classics I've read, this coming from someone who doesn't read classics much is a lot.

I personally love gothic stories and if it is queer that is cherry on top. It is a good retelling of classic Dracula story. I enjoyed it.

A young woman, Laura, lives in an isolated castle in Austria with her father and their staff. Laura longs for a friend, and one day a beautiful woman of the same age, the eponymous Carmilla finds herself living in the castle. Laura and Carmilla become friends, and this friendship becomes romantic. While this is happening, there are mysterious deaths around the area.


I love horror, and I am trying to read more classics in the genre. Carmilla is definitely in that bracket; it was an influence on its more famous sibling, Bram Stoker's Dracula. Carmilla is a good read. I don't think it is as good as Dracula; Dracula is a lot more vast and clever. However, Carmilla is a novella, and is tightly written. It is notable that this is a very early example of lesbian vampire fiction, written at a time where LGBTQ was not a thing, and homosexuality was frowned upon.

The novella is a nice, quick read. If you are not used to reading language from the nineteenth century, it may be a little tricky, but Carmilla is very accessible to modern readers.

Thanks to Sheridan Le Fanu, NetGalley, and Pushkin for this copy.

Lesbian Gothic vampires! ! I loved loved loved the tension between Carmilla and Laura. It gives off The Picture of Dorian Gray vibes, the Gothic element is fantastic, the writing style easy to follow and it's overall interesting and fun to read, but I have to admit that the last chapters are kinda boring, but it's definitely worth reading!!

Ps; Carmilla is the love of my life, where is MY hot vampire girlfriend?

Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla has taken the world by storm as a classic and this Deluxe Edition has proven again exactly why.

A lesbian vampire novel written 25 years before even Dracula? Yes, please! Actually, I had read Carmilla a number of years ago, but what an enjoyable little novella. You would think a book this far ahead of it's time would get more traction in vampire lore than even Dracula, but I guess people just weren't ready for it. Glad to see it back out there.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to revisit this novella."

Carmilla has been one of those books that I've meant to get around to reading for a long time, so I was very excited to read the ARC through NetGalley. It didn't disappoint. Knowing that it's a classic gothic story, which would be written in an older style of language, I was a little apprehensive about the ease of readability. However, it was surprisingly easy to pick up the style of writing and fall straight into the story. Personally, I found the story to be the absolute perfect level of spooky, sensual and darkly humorous. I was aware of the influence this story has had on the vampiric genre and also sapphic literature, and I'm glad to have finally read it and be able to appreciate first hand what an important text it is. A short read, but very enjoyable and definitely one I will go back to. This edition has a really striking cover and is one I would consider purchasing.

The publisher and netgalley kindly provided me with an e-arc.

This wasnt for me, I just have such trouble reading the language in a classic. It's a me thing, I just don't care for it and find it very difficult to get through.

As for the story I just wasn't interested in the way it was told also it was obvious from the beginning so it was very boring.

Isolated in a remote mansion in a central European forest, Laura longs for companionship - until a carriage accident brings another young woman into her life: the secretive and sometimes erratic Carmilla. As Carmilla's actions become more puzzling and volatile, Laura develops bizarre symptoms, and as her health goes into decline, Laura and her father discover something monstrous.

As a fan of gothic fiction I was surprised when I came across this and didn’t realise it existed, but now it will forever remain in my list of favourite books.

I enjoyed every page of this novella which is a vampire tale that predates and possibly influenced Stoker’s Dracula, one of my favourite novels.

Carmilla is the perfect villain and Laura our unsuspecting protagonist (who’s perspective the story is told from) reminds me Mina from Stoker’s later tale, a female protagonist I have always admired.

It was refreshing to see the story unfold from a female perspective and explore the relationships between women during this time. An enthralling read that I will definitely return to again and again.

#bookreviewsbymrsc #carmilla #sheridanlefanu

Lesbian vampire novels from the 1800s is a genre I didn’t know I needed until now.

Laura is devastated when her summer companion dies before making it to her household. When the bewitching and beautiful Carmilla shows up shortly after, it seems like a stroke of good fortune. But with a strange illness sweeping through the town and increasingly odd events surrounding Carmilla, everything may not be as it seems.

So full disclosure, I haven’t read Dracula, but I know this book is supposedly its inspiration. And when I found out it was the sapphic inspiration, I was even more intrigued (although slightly disappointed when I found out it was written by a man, but I guess we can’t have everything).

My biggest fear/issue with the classics is the cumbersome language, so I was surprised to find that this book moved pretty fast. It wasn’t too much work to wade through, and felt more entertaining than analytical. The fact that it was only 160 pages probably helped. I know some other people wished it were longer, but honestly I thought the story worked pretty well with the small page number.

Carmilla was an interesting character, and I really wish we got to see more of her. I almost think the story would have been more interesting from her point of view, but at the same time the mystery surrounding who she was and where she came from was a big draw of the story. The romance was more subtle than in modern books, but definitely more explicit than I would expect from a book of this time period.

The plot seemed pretty standard, but I wasn’t really disappointed about its predictability. It felt like a familiar kind of story that I didn’t mind slipping into again. Almost like revisiting a comfort read. However, I will say that the ending, combined with the fact that it was written by a man, makes me question the message. I won’t spoil anything, but as another reviewer alluded to, it seems to paint sapphic relationships in quite a sinister light.

Overall I’d say this was a solid book. It wasn’t earth shattering for me, so I don’t think there’s actually too much more for me to say. But I can also appreciate how revolutionary it probably was for when it was written, despite the questionable message. If you’re a fan of sapphics, vampires, atmospheric writing, or classic literature you’ll probably enjoy this book.

Happy reading!

Rating: 3.5/5
Intended audience: adult
Pacing: medium
Content warnings: death of a loved one, murder