I would like to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with this arc. The premise and overall aesthetic of the book very much appealed to me as a reader upon first glancing on this upcoming publication. However, as I did not enjoy the book, I made the decision to DNF at around 40% due to the plotline and overall feel of the book not appealing to me.

3.25/5 stars! The cover of this book is stunning and a well-done gothic horror can be great, so I picked up An Education of Malice to read. There was nothing implicitly wrong with the story. It just felt like not enough. The book has dark academia vibes but didn't commit to this fully. It didn't lean into the horror elements either. It left the book feeling quite bland.

Absolutely loved Carmilla and Laura, the prose and writing.
It had some slower moments, mostly because it focused more on the characters, but it didn't bother me.

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson is a gothic, dark academia novel set in Saint Perpetua's College, where rivalry, obsession, and supernatural intrigue collide. In a tense battle for power, Laura Sheridan finds herself entangled with the alluring Carmilla and their cryptic poetry professor, De Lafontaine.

With lush prose and an eerie atmosphere, Gibson crafts a sapphic vampire romance that will appeal to fans of gothic literature. While some readers note pacing issues and wish for deeper character development, the book’s haunting aesthetic and morally complex relationships make it an intriguing read.

Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua's College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ceremonies welcome students into the fold.

On her first day of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her own dark obsession with Carmilla.

This just didn't really hit for me. After the brooding, atmospheric A Dowry Of Blood, I was expecting a lot. Perhaps too much.

The writing was gorgeous, but the story felt muddled and too slow. A swing and a miss for me

I absolutely loved the idea for this book, but I couldn’t, even when I really wanted to connect with it and its character. I'm giving up on the author though. I'll be reading her work in future for sure.

excellent! This is my third book by this author and love Gibson’s writing as always. The characters were alluringly complex, and the relationships were fully fleshed out. I love the gothic, dark academia elements to the story, and the plot was excellent. Highly recommend

An Education in Malice" by S.T. Gibson fails to deliver on its promising premise. The narrative is underdeveloped, with characters lacking depth and authenticity. The story leans heavily on exposition, telling rather than showing, which diminishes its impact. The dark academia setting feels superficial, serving more as a backdrop than an integral part of the plot. Furthermore, the exploration of complex themes such as power dynamics and obsession remains shallow and unconvincing.

you know i love me a dark academia book. this book is a retelling of carmilla but sapphic and i have to say that i loved the writing style in here. my main flaw with the book was that o found it hard to connect to the characters. i just found myself not really caring for them.

but the writing is absolutely beautiful, and i will be picking up more books by s.t. gibson in the future. i haven’t read carmilla so i cannot say how accurate it is to the classic, but i still enjoyed it. the gothic atmosphere was done really well and i could feel the eerieness of the novel with every word. this book is PERFECT for the autumn, so if this is on your tbr definitely read it then!

overall, this is a quick read that is perfect for those looking for something to get them out of a reading slump or for anyone who is looking for something gothic atmosphere.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advanced reader copy. The vibes in this one were immaculate, and I cannot wait to read more by the author.

this was very cool in terms of vibes, but it didn't have a lot going on when you dug deeper. there was no commentary on any of its themes, like obsession and codependent relationships and power imbalance; the characterisation fell flat; it was all tell and no show, basically. i expected a lot more from this, but i was let down.

Love love love.

Laura begins her first year of study at Saint Perpetua’s College where she meets Carmilla…

Dark academia - think rivalry, gothic, initiation ceremonies and spice!

LGBTQ+ representation with some great quotes!

I’ve loved ST Gibson since a dowry of blood and was so excited for an education in malice to come out.

This is certainly something for a dark academia lover to enjoy and we follow the story of Carmilla. This was definitely a different take but still brilliant to follow along.

As with Gibson, this book was extremely atmospheric and lush in setting and the prose was incredible. I felt that the book fell a little flat on the character development and pacing, but the writing made up for the flaws and I enjoyed reading this.

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson is an intoxicating blend of dark academia and gothic horror, set in a university where forbidden magic and power games rule. The story follows Antonia Lucien, a brilliant but vulnerable student who gets drawn into the orbit of the enigmatic Professor Castor. What starts as a mentorship spirals into something darker—an exploration of obsession, ambition, and the steep cost of knowledge.

The world-building is utterly immersive. The university comes alive with its eerie, ancient halls and the ominous weight of long-buried secrets. Gibson’s magic system feels raw and dangerous, rooted in sacrifice and ritual, which adds to the book’s unsettling tone. Every detail pulls you deeper into this shadowy world where power is seductive and comes with a heavy price.

The characters are the heart of the story. Antonia is deeply human, struggling with ambition and vulnerability in a way that feels painfully real. Professor Castor is the perfect dark academia antihero—charming yet deeply manipulative, always keeping you on edge. Even the supporting cast shines, each bringing their own complexities and moral ambiguities to the table.

If you love The Secret History by Donna Tartt, A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, or Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, this book will be right up your alley. It’s dark, tense, and beautifully written, with characters that stick with you long after the final page. An Education in Malice is a story that lingers, challenging you to grapple with its haunting questions long after you’ve finished reading.

Welcome to Netgalley Backlog Friday, where I will be reading my Netgalley backlog and reviewing books until I no longer have a backlog.

Today's book is *An Education in Malice* by S.T. Gibson. This is a retelling of *Carmilla*, told through the dual perspectives of Carmilla and Laura, two rivals who ultimately become lovers in this sapphic story. The book has a very atmospheric quality, but I felt that there was little plot development. It is an extremely slow burn, and at times I forgot whose perspective I was reading as they became quite similar to each other. Although the prose flowed easily, the writing lacked the lyrical yet obsessive and frenetic energy that I loved in the author's earlier work.

You could arguably get the same experience from this book even if the vampirism were removed altogether. Even the romance felt too easy; they became lovers relatively quickly and suddenly. It didn’t evoke the yearning desire in me to see the characters together.

The subplot seemed like an afterthought and remained in the background for most of the book. The antagonist only appeared to provide a conclusion to the plot.

The character De Lafontaine could have been explored further. She came off as a jealous teenager posing as a mature adult, despite being over 200 years old.

#BookReview #Netgalley #AnEducationInMalice #SapphicStory #VampireTales #ReadingChallenge #LiteraryCritique #BookLovers #GothicFiction #NetgalleyBacklogFriday

I love a good academia book. And the twist in this book was interesting. However I didn't connect with the characters, it fell flat at points and I lost interest.

I wanted to love this book so much, it fit everything I love! Dark academia, sapphic, enemies to lovers, and a dash of vampires but unfortunately I couldn’t get behind it. I felt like I couldn’t get interested in the characters enough and the author didn’t share enough about them or their story which made them seem too flat to me. The romance also seemed rushed and didn’t have enough of a slow burn or yearning quality that I love.

"An Education in Malice" by S.T. Gibson is a dark, sapphic retelling of "Carmilla" by Sheridan Le Fanu.

It is an exquisite example of a gothic retelling full of bloodshed, desire, violence, and desperation. Our main characters, Laura and Carmilla, are great examples of how infatuation and complex desires in an academic setting can nearly destroy a person.
Coming from an intensely religious background, Laura is a once-in-a-generation poet accepted into Professor De Lafontaine's exclusive poetry seminar despite being a freshman at St. Perpetua's College for Girls. A quiet, timid girl initially we see her flourish under the dark, intense attention of Prof. De Lafontaine. Brought into her inner circle as Carmilla's rival sets the girls at each other's throats. Carmilla, Ms. D's pet, sees Laura as a direct threat to her beloved professor's devotion to her. Her dark infatuation with her professor harbours more than just the secret of their affection for one another. As the two girls spend more time with one another, their intense rivalry slowly transforms into something deeper, and more intimate. Growing together as rivals, and more, they each grow in their passion for Prof. De Lafontaine. Becoming interwoven into the bed of secrets and lies, their passions and love may end in bloodshed.
Darkness lurks underneath St. Perpetua's, a darkness so consuming neither can resist its pull.

"An Education in Malice" is a brilliant book. A dark tale of love so consuming that it's deadly. The one complaint I have is about the ending. It wrapped up so quickly that it nearly gave me whiplash. I wish it were a little longer so the ending had more time to come into its own and match the rest of the novel. It is still a good ending to a brilliant book just personally would've preferred a more finished, drawn-out conclusion.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish this book because I realized it wasn’t for me. The instant attraction between the characters felt unconvincing and rushed, which made it hard for me to connect with their relationship. The characters themselves lacked the depth and complexity I look for, leaving me disengaged. Despite my efforts to push through, the plot didn’t capture my interest, and the pacing felt dull. On top of that, the writing style didn’t resonate with me enough to motivate me to continue. It might work for others, but it simply wasn’t a good fit for me.