An Education in Malice is a retelling of Carmilla, set in S.T. Gibsons world from A Dowry of Blood. It is not necessary at all to read ADOB first, in case anyone is worrying, but I do recommend it just because it is a really great book.

The story starts with Laura arriving at Saint Perpetua's Women's College at her fathers insistence to further her talents at writing. She's managed to talk her way into the exclusive poetry class taught by Ms. De Lafontaine, which is where she also meets the beautiful Carmilla. De Lafontaine and Carmilla seem to have a closer connection than the other students, and its clear that Carmilla isn't happy when Laura's poetry starts to draw the professors attention.

Carmilla specifically joined St. Perpetua's to get into De Lafontaine's class due to her admiration of the professors writing. She did what she could to get closer and closer to De Lafontaine, and was only more than thrilled to be let into the secret of her special diet.

This story is told from Laura and Carmilla's pov, and revolves around their relationship, and the relationship with their professor too. Theres rivalry, romance, and toxic co-dependency.

I really liked this story for the most part. I like how Laura and Carmilla's relationship developed, and seeing the way De Lafontaine influenced them both. I thought it was going to be more toxic, much like the relationship in ADOB, but it ended up being more like a bit of co-dependency than the emotionally abusive relationship that I thought would reveal itself. There was also a few plot issues that I feel were ignored for the sake of a smooth sailing story. Nothing I can reveal due to spoilers, but it was explained away too easily for my liking.

If you enjoyed A Dowry of Blood, I think you'll enjoy this too. The writing is very similar, just with a different sort of relationship.

I would advise anyone planning to read this to check out the content warnings. Minor spoiler: there is one scene of public sex, part of it including other characters which I wasn't a huge fan of due to lack of discussion ahead of time. But it was only a one time thing.

3,5⭐️

[Scroll down for the English review]

🇪🇦Tengo opiniones mixtas sobre este libro. Aún así, saficas academic rivals to lovers 🔛🔝. Necesitamos más libros así.

La escritura fue increíble, la autora tiene una pluma sublime que evoca muchas emociones. Me dan ganas de leer más libros suyos solo por eso.

Las protagonistas me parecieron decentes, a veces me costaba distinguir de quienera la prespectiva que estaba leyendo. Sin embargo, sus objetivos si eran distintos y únicos. La profesora me pareció un personaje muy complicado y aunque se explica bien el porqué es así me pareció que tuvo algunos cambios muy bruscos de personalidad y opiniones.

La trama me pareció entretenida e intrigante y el romance me gustó bastante, las protagonistas tenían química.

En conclusión, es un libro que hace lo que promete y con esa prosa es imposible no engancharte a la historia.

¡Gracias a Netgalley y la editorial por el ARC!

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

🇺🇸I have mixed opinions about this book. Nevertheless, sapphic academic rivals to lovers 🔛🔝. We need more books like this.

The writing was incredible, the author has a beautiful style that evokes a lot of emotions. It makes me want to read more books by her just for her writing.

The main characters were decent, I sometimes had a hard time distinguishing their POV's. However, their objectives were unique and different. The professor was a complicated character and even if her motives were well explained there were some scenes (especially in the end) where she changed her mind too unexpectedly.

The plot was entertaining and intriguing. The romance was great, the characters have a lot of chemistry.

In conclusion, the book delivers in what it promises and with that prose it's impossible to not want to keep reading.

Thanks you so much Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC!

3.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for the ARC - this review is voluntary.

I would like to start by saying, this isn't something that I would usually pick up. I find retellings intimidating especially when I know little of the original novel. But I am so glad I requested this and tried something new as this book completely took me by surprise.

An Education in Malice was a beautifully written tale of great love, passion, sacrifice and betrayal. Filled with all-consuming obsession and rivals to lovers, this Gothic Carmilla retelling sees Laura and Carmilla pitted against one another in a desperate attempt to win their poetry Professors attention. Finding themselves stuck between trying to figure out their growing feelings for one another within a toxic environment, while navigating the dark secrets of Evelyn De Lafontaines second life and her dark obsession with Carmilla.

I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed into this dark bloodthirsty world. I am and will always be a massive sucker for anything vampire related and am so grateful that I went into this blind. The first 20-30% I had no idea where this book was going to go and became a little sceptical whether this book was for me, but as the plot unfurled and gained pace, I found myself wrapped up in the characters and needing to know what would happen next.

"Love is sacrifice, Professor. Whether it's you on the butcher's table or not, someone always bleeds."

I was sent this book from Little Brown Book Group & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*Rating 2.75*

I thought the writing and descriptive process was portrayed beautifully and quite intriguing. The poetry incorporated was lyrically captivating. The dark academia atmosphere shone through so well.
However, I found myself struggling to connect with the main characters and hoped that their character development would ease and pull me into the story more. But alas, I feel that the characters still remained quite unlikeable and resulted in me not feeling as invested as I would have liked.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This book is mostly characters interactions, atmosphere and little plot. As much as I can see this won't be for everyone, this is something I don't mind and often enjoy, and I did enjoy here. Plus, I love the author's writing.
However, I can agree the ending was a bit underwhelming and this is not much of a retelling besides character names and a bit of their dynamic. Because I was expecting more of a retelling I wanted Carmilla to be more of a.. mysterious? or dangerous character and [SPOILER, i guess?] her not being a vampire in the beginning of the book annoyed me a bit.
And this is not really about me expecting more of a retelling but I also wanted their rivalry phase to take longer, especially because I felt the kind of obsession I enjoy so much in rivals to lovers stories was only beginning.
So after a certain point I just adjusted my expectations and accepted this was not the book I envisioned in my head and learned to appreciate it for what it really was. But still, I still think this story could have been MORE and I think S.T. Gibson could deliver more, but maybe it was just not the story she wanted to tell.

I was very excited to read this because I enjoyed A Dowry of Blood.

I went in a little blind and thought this was going to be dark academia when I started. I got to the end of chapter 3 and was like vampires?? Ok! However 40% of the way in and I’m like all we’ve discovered is vampires and lesbians. And that is pretty much what you get for the entirety of the book. Well with a sprinkling of giggling school girls and petty squabbling to be teacher’s pet.

I mean it is very lyrical - I enjoyed the poetry but it had no depth for me. 2.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

It’s safe to say that An Education in Malice blew my mind! I haven’t delved too deep into reading dark academia but couldn’t say no to requesting an ARC of this once I read the description.

The world building and scene setting in this book are beautiful and I quickly became entangled in the story. As a plus size woman, it was so empowering to read about a heroine described as curvy and incredibly desirable. I find that a curvy character being found attractive is followed by justifications of the fact so this was refreshing.

The plot as a whole kept me on the edge of my seat and tensions were high! Between the rivals to lovers, hot for teacher and a little spice, it’s definitely worth a read!

I felt certain that I could perish like this, suffocated by her thighs, and die perfectly happy.

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

⚠️Trigger Warning: Uneven Power Dynamics, Inappropriate Student-Professor Relationships, Toxic Academic Environments, Graphic Deaths, Exhibitionism, Kink

📍Release date: 15 February


Why have I not read S.T. Gibson before? This is amazing! It's one of the most well-written retellings I've read so far. I love Carmilla so much, it's one of my favorite classic novels of all time, and I think I might love this just as much. An Education in Malice has all the best elements of the original, especially its eerie, gothic atmosphere, but with a much-improved love story in a new and modernized setting. Besides, like most vampire stories, it has a fair amount of gore and explicit sexual content. Of course, I liked it. In fact, I was completely hooked on the story. I was dying to reach the ending, in particular, to find out how different it would be from the original.

Moreover, I love this version of Carmilla. She is just as charming, confident, and enchanting as she is in the original novel, although she lacks the manipulation skills of the classic book's character. She also has her own point of view in this book, something I would have loved to read in the classic. At the same time, she is so young and naive, she is desperate for love and validation to the point that she becomes easy to control and manipulate.

As for Laura, this version of her character is, admittedly, a little more interesting than in the classic.
She is the same sweet, well-mannered girl she was in Carmilla, just as easily manipulated and controlled due to her naivete and lack of social skills. Just like Carmilla, she is desperate for validation and approval which leads to several questionable choices, even when she knows better. What took me completely by surprise was her soft-core dom kink. I saw the trigger warnings but I honestly expected them to be for Carmilla. I guess it's always the quiet ones, right guys?

Lastly, the relationship between Carmilla and Laura is completely different from the classic. It isn't about power imbalance and manipulation like in the original, although they do experience that from a third party. Their relationship is about two young girls trying to figure out their growing feelings for each other. They live in a world where those feelings are immoral, and in an incredibly toxic environment where they are pitted against each other. On top of rivals-to-lovers, the romance is slow-burn, although their attraction is immediate, tension-filled, and explosive. No matter how hard they try, how many insults they throw at one another, or how many obstacles they have to overcome, they can't stay away from each other. It might sound like nothing new in romance books, but it's what makes me swoon every time.

Set in St Perpetua’s college in Massachusetts in 1968, USA we follow the two narrators.
Laura (around 19), from a small town is engrossed by writing and poetry, is pretty introverted and flourishes in miss De Lafontaine’s class.
Carmilla is around 24 and also a very talented writer who is obsessed with miss D as well. She is from Austria and came specifically to the US for the teacher. The character seems very American to me and not European or Austrian enough.
Miss De Lafontaine is a brilliant teacher and poet around 40 years old.
She absolutely misuses her power as a teacher. I found her very one dimensional in her subtle cruelty.
Laura and Carmilla have an obsessive devotion to her.
The ladies are both pretty self-involved and whiny, which for gifted college students isn’t that rare.
The book starts off very very slowly. We get a lot of details, like the outfits they are wearing. I’m not sure how all those adjectives and descriptions add to the story. Around 29% it starts to get more interesting.
I have been absolutely loving dark academia and adding a sapphic layer I was hoping it would be a 5 star read, but unfortunately it wasn’t.

In accordance with Little, Brown Group’s specifications, this review will be published on my Goodreads and Instagram profiles (linked in my bio) two weeks prior to the release date, on 1st February.


REVIEW —

I’d heard a lot of gossip about An Education in Malice prior to picking this up, aiming to read it in a critically minded way, as I try to distance myself from hype books too much. There’s something about hype which turns me away from books, not in the sort of “I don’t want I read it because it’s popular” attitude because that’s also intolerable; but in a way that creates a sense of expectation which I don’t always like having when approaching the work of an author who is new to me.

But, luckily, or perchance more likely down to the skill of S T Gibson for delivering atmospheric and emotive prose, any expectations I had were met.

This was a highly enjoyable, sensory, sensual journey into a dark academic world with brilliant but overbearing mentors, unavoidable sapphic crushes between two academic/poetic rivals who do all their flirting through arguing and saying they despise one another, oh, and vampires. Can’t forget those.

Gibson’s prose is sumptuous, which sets the tone and carries the narrative perfectly. You can’t have brooding rival sapphics and vampires without beautiful writing.

Laura and Carmilla’s relationship was honestly a DELIGHT to read. Gibson’s dedication at the front of the book mentions that this book is for anyone who didn’t escape their ivory tower unscathed, and the overall narrative of self-acceptance and flourishing in our own skin truly rings through. Their rivals to lovers arc was filled with the sort of resentful attraction that brings me most joy about this trope, and was written in a way that not only had me wanting more of their interactions but also giving major side eye whenever either of them would declare they were *not interested in that way. (Even side characters could see it.) Laura as a character was a love letter to anyone who’s had to repress their feelings and desires, who has been made to feel like to be small is the only way to survive, and the savage joy that comes with finally freeing yourself from those shackles. Carmilla was similarly a love letter to anyone who’s fallen for the wrong person, or been in a manipulative, unbalanced relationship. Both were equally powerful female main characters, and I loved their story.

It was also a JOY to see a character like Laura be described as curvy and unashamedly desirable. Too often I see main characters fall into the seemingly endless category of petiteness, and to see Laura be worshipped by Carmilla, to see her described in a way that was both voluptuous AND highly desirable was very impactful to me personally, especially when Laura’s insecurities come through regarding her appearance.

De Lafontaine, however, was a little hard to peg down for me. In the narrative she is the overbearing, controlling but alluring vampire mentor for Carmilla and Laura, and an object of intense fixation bordering on obsession for Carmilla. I found De Lafontaine was held too often at arms length for me to really believe her connection to Carmilla to be genuine, however, perhaps as a deliberate commentary on the toxicity of a situation wherein a student falls for their mentor - but it felt like De Lafontaine was supposed to be a fixed point of curiosity and interest for ME as a reader too, which didn’t happen. This resulted in me not really being too invested in De Lafontaine’s plot, and the arrival of Isis, who turns out to be a figment of obsession for De Lafontaine herself. I found her disingenuous rather than intriguing, which impacted by read of her. The aesthetics though? Top tier.

The vampiric aspect of the novel definitely gave Laura and Carmilla’s relationship a brand new edge, and added to sensual aspects of the story (this is where the exhibitionism comes into play oops and No One is complaining). I found that Laura made a very big decision at the end of the book incredibly fast, I would have liked it paced out a bit in order to really feel the weight of consequence, but overall I loved the headiness that Carmilla’s transition brought to the narrative.

Overall, yes please! Thank you! Messy vampiric sapphics discovering kinks and obsessions and falling in love. Truly a blessing.

S.T. Gibson is now officially a new favourite author. An ode to gothic books, vampires, sapphic romance, and forbidden love, An Education in Malice was shaped to be my new obsession. From the very first line, I was drawn into this dark tale told through Gibson’s enchanting writing.

I’ve never annotated a book as much as this one. It was jam-packed with beautiful prose and scenes that spoke to my very soul. I was as intoxicated by the romance between Carmilla and Laura as they were and was craving more with every turn of the page. The atmosphere was deliciously gothic and autumnal, with a setting that had nothing to envy of the best Dark Academia books.

Five stars seems too little for all the love and passion I have for this story. An Education in Malice is definitely a new favourite book (obsession) and I’m already looking forward to transferring all my highlights from my Kindle to my physical copy and rereading all these incredible scenes.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

In her enthralling follow-up to A DOWRY OF BLOOD (a queer retelling of the Brides of Dracula) S.T. Gibson tackles Sheridan le Fanu’s infamous vampire CARMILLA - pulling the titular Carmilla and her young victim Laura from 1870s Austria into 1960s Massachusetts, where they meet and compete for the affection of their mystifying professor at St. Perpetua’s Women’s College

I say this as a lover of dark academia (admittedly biased), but I truly think St. Perpetua's was the perfect setting to recontextualise this gothic classic, especially since Gibson makes CARMILLA’s sapphic subtext overt plot. The setting of a women's college - rife with young women exploring their new freedoms intellectually, emotionally and physically - is the perfect venue for the 19th century’s gayest vampiress. Even more so for Gibson's Carmilla (she's a real yearner).

As in DOWRY, Gibson showcases a unique talent in crafting compelling morally grey characters. I was completely invested in Laura and Carmilla's rivalry and, later, romance. However, the most interesting character, in my opinion, was neither the infamous vampire or her victim, but their teacher (and later, Carmilla's progenitor): Professor de Lafontaine. If I had one gripe with AN EDUCATION IN MALICE it would be a desire for de Lafontaine’s character to be explored further.

I really hope Gibson continues to reinvent / reincarnate works of Gothic literature because, in my books, she's definitely two for two. And can you imagine the levels of pining she would give us in a queer retelling of WUTHERING HEIGHTS… (Though I am, of course, also excited to read her completely original fiction - I wait with bated breath for EVOCATION!)

It’s no surprise I enjoyed this book – a dark academia retelling of the sapphic vampire classic Carmilla? Of course I jumped to read it! And I had such a great time too.

This book was such a page turner. I kept telling myself “just one more chapter” until I finally admitted to myself that I needed to set aside the next few hours to devour it. S. T. Gibson creates the world so vividly that I was instantly drawn into it; I felt like I was there.

The first half is classic dark academia. We have a vintage New England setting, an after-hours poetry group, and a rivalry between Carmilla and Laura for the attention of their professor, De Lafontaine. While it felt quite removed from the source material, it was very enjoyable in its own right.

The second half of the book takes a strong vampiric turn! Both the reader and the characters are thrown into the vampire underworld, as an ancient vampire is resurrected and begins attacking innocent citizens. While the school setting remains, it becomes pure paranormal adventure, as Laura, Carmilla, and De Lafontaine try to put things right. Gibson really embraces the dark and sensual side of vampire lore, which makes for some very compelling character relationships.

It did feel slightly like a book of two halves, and I would have liked the dark academia themes to be mixed with the vampire themes a little bit more. It ended with a fizzle rather than with a bang, but that aside, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read that I became obsessed with the whole time I was reading it!

I received a free copy for an honest review.

'This was my end. I was going to be sacrificed on the altar of someone else's love just as my own love story was beginning'

'my rival and the object of all my affection'

Content Warnings:
- dark academia
- academic rivals to lovers
- blood, gore, and murder
- uneven power dynamics
- inappropriate relationships between a professor and a student
- public sex
- alcohol and drug use
- brief references to racist political policies, homophobia, and religious discrimination against women.

I enjoyed this dark academia retelling of Carmilla.

The writing was classic S.T Gibson; poetic, beautiful, and vivid in its descriptions of both characters and the world. Again, St Gibson explores abusive relationships; power imbalances, obsession, and control.

Laura is a painfully honest, innocent, small-town girl with an unexpected dark side. She is the main character and through her eyes, we are introduced into this world S T Gibson has created. She was a fascinating character to read as she struggled with her sweet, religious side and her controlling and more deviant side. I loved that she blurted out her thoughts even if in a whisper.

Carmilla is everything Laura is not. She is a stronger character and she comes across as bold, confident, and a little of bitch. She is the catalyst for drawing Laura into the vampire world.

The romance that ST Gibson builds between these two characters is very powerful, sweet, and endearing. It will have you rooting for both characters despite their differences and smiling stupidly at your book!

There is a surprise cameo of a character from A Dowry of Blood; it's not the one I would have preferred but it was nice to catch up on where they were at.

I am obsessed with this book and the characters and hope St Gibson writes more stories in this world.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for providing this advanced copy.

A delicious queer novel that runs away with gorgeous prose, gothic desires and vampires.

This was my first S.T Gibson novel (I know!) but it will 100% not be my last. This was dark, horrifying and I loved every single minute of it. Having not read the original Carmilla, I wasn't too familiar with the entire plot line but it was so delightful to read.

Will be picking up A Dowry of Blood with immediate effect.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown for the absolute joy of reading this eARC!

Full review will be posted on Instagram on release day.

An Education in Malice is beautifully written with poetic themes of lust, coming of age and dark academia.

I enjoyed the character development of enemies to lovers, however, wished that there was more progression from one to the other. Similarly, I would have liked to have seen more of the relationship between De Lafontaine and Isis.

The writing style was easy to read and flowed well. I read this quickly and will be picking up a Dowry of Blood to read soon.

A huge thank you to @littlebrownbookgroup_uk and @netgalley for an e-arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

A sapphic, dark academia book with vampires and a gothic atmosphere? Yes. All the yes.

This book was beautifully written with prose that took my breath away almost every single page.

Being my first book by the author, I found the style of writing very easy to fall into and found the pacing to be neither too slow or too fast.

The characters are amazing and I found Laura’s development extremely relatable, my only criticism is I felt the dynamic between Laura and Carmilla slightly rushed from rivals into lovers but I believe that may just be a personal thing rather than a slight on the author.

Please do check trigger warnings at the beginning before entering!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

4.5 stars rounded up!

An Education in Malice is a sapphic dark academia booked filled with vampires and Gothic atmosphere. What I absolutely loved about the writing was that it had the beautiful prose that is a corner stone of dark academia books whilst also being fast paced. Being my first S. T. Gibson book I did not know what to expect and it made me want to pick up A Dowry of Blood right now.

Luara and Carmilla are both compelling characters, thrust into an academic rivalry fuelled by their poetry teacher, Professor De Lefontaine. I wish we got to see more of the chemistry between the two of them, because they had a lot of it. Seeing Laura especially bloom into her true self from the timid girl we first meet was absolutely enchanting.

The writing was absolutely amazing and I enjoyed every second of it, I only wish it had more pages because I felt rushed by the plot occasionally.

Overall this was the dark academia book I did not know I needed this winter and I absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a moody, Gothic story to cozy up!

An Education in Malice is a spicy sapphic dark academia book packed with desire, vampires, obsession and power dynamics, it is based on the book Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu.
It is 1968 and Laura is a first year at St Perpetua's college for girls in Massachusetts. She brings with her her Southern good manners and her hopes to enter the church. She has also landed herself a place in Ms. De Lafontaine's, a "tall and brutally lovely woman" who is only seen at night, poetry composition, a close knit class that has previously been closed to first years. Laura soon meets the beautiful and chic Carmilla and becomes bewitched by her. Unfortunately Carmilla is De Lafontaine's star pupil and she doesn't like the idea of sharing her beloved teacher's attention with the new girl.
I really enjoyed this book, the pace was neither too slow or fast, the characters were well developed and the spice was very good, it is extremely readable.It was like Mrs S by K Patrick with vampires and poetry. I read it without previously reading A Dowry of Blood or Carmilla and didn't feel like I was missing any necessary information, although I enjoyed this so much I have now purchased A Dowry of Blood.

An Education in Malice is a decadent and sumptuous novel which captivated me from the first page to the last. After reading ‘A Dowry of Blood’, I was incredibly excited to read this ‘Carmilla’ reimagining. All I can say is ‘Wow, this did not disappoint!’
S.T. Gibson’s prose is beautiful and compelling and it’s clear to see the influences of both Anne Rice and Donna Tartt in this novel. Even the most mundane subjects are treated with as much care and attention as the big plot points. An Evocative coming of age story about first loves, obsessions and manipulation. The characters are distinct and believable and the Gothic atmosphere is heady and addictive. It can be hard to find a story that places equal value on the ‘character study’ and the plot but I think that this is a fantastic mix of the two. Balance of power is a big theme in this story as well as toxic and domineering relationships, however I found that these were handled with nuance and sensitivity. The Sapphic relationship at the heart of this book is one of the best I have ever read. An authentic, realistic and thought provoking portrayal of the desire and obsession of youth this story is filled with yearning and lust and jealousy. This book struck exactly the right chord for me and I highly highly recommend picking it up.

Thanks to the author, Little,Brown Book Group UK, Orbit and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this amazing book in exchange for an honest review.