I really enjoyed the academic setting and the atmospheric writing style. However towards the second half i got a bit bored as the plot was quite slow and i feel Laura needed to be developed a little more as it seemed quite a sudden character change.

I am so in love with S. T. Gibson’s writing. The way she tackles abuse is so poetic, beautiful, and empowering.


In An Education in Malice, we follow Laura Sheridan and Carmilla Karnstein’s point of views, as they going through their freshman and senior years at the all girl college St. Perpetua’s. Laura and Carmilla are introduced to each other in the prestigious poetry class led by Ms. De Lafontaine (Ms. D for short). Very quickly the two women become academic rivals and in competition for the affection and praise from Ms. D. I want to note before I go further into this review, on the first page there are trigger warnings, one being an inappropriate relationship between student and teacher, it is not that kind of relationship. It never gets to that. If anything it is more maternal.

Through the course of the book, you do see the break down of the relationship between Ms. D and Carmilla. And how a previous relationship with Ms. D and her “maker” as a way of putting it seeps into the relationship she shares with Carmilla. She is possessive. She is jealous. She is controlling. She tries to isolate Carmilla. However, you really see Ms. D have to fight her past and herself and come to grips with how suffocating that love was and how it’s destroying her. And she has to make sacrifices in the name of love.

Honestly, I fully recommend this book.



On a side note. I absolutely LOVE Laura and Carmilla. They are the cutest. And omg the spice scenes…THIS is a 🌶️🌶️kinda book. Mind you I rate my spice differently so it’ll probably be like a 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ to others. There is kinks involved and a little of an orgy scene.

Compelling dark academia with sapphic vampire vibes (influenced by Taylor Coleridge's Christobel and Le Fanu's Carmilla?). I had a lot of fun with this book but I think it would have benefitted from more space to tell the story and aiming at an adult audience. Overall a good read though.

3.5⭐️

An Education in Malice is an atmospheric and fast-paced gothic romance steeped in dark academia and sapphic vampire content.

First let me say that I absolutely loved the dark mood of this book. It is the perfect book to curl up with on a cold autumn evening. The story itself flows well and I was quickly swept up in Laura, Carmilla and Ms. De Lafontaine’s dark world. The writing was very “to the point” so it felt like no words were wasted on unnecessary things. In some ways it’s a slow story focusing on emotions, thoughts, and characters rather than exciting action. In spite of this, it’s still a relatively quick read.

My biggest critique is that I felt like Laura especially, deserved more focus on how she changed throughout the book. She had a very sudden move from “innocent sweet girl” to “yes, I can be in charge of this orgy.” Generally, in some instances, I wish the characters had a been given a bit more time to show their depth, and that I could have been more part of their development. Laura and Carmilla both went through massive changes and I didn’t feel like I got to see their reactions to this properly.

All in all though, An Education in Malice captured my attention. It is an atmospheric read that will make your heart pump with exhilaration for various different reasons.

Thanks Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group/ Orbit for letting me read an early copy of this book. An Education in Malice comes out 15th of February, 2024.

S.T Gibson never fails to deliver!! This was addictive. The prose is beautiful and more so I quite love how well crafted the tone is. Definitely one of the best reads!!

In theory I should adore this and I did like it. But it just fell kind of short for me. I didn’t enjoy the plot and I felt like big issues were ignored throughout the bulk of the book and then just tied up in the last few chapters. However I will say I adore ST Gibson’s writing style.

I was beyond excited to read this ARC. AEiM was a book I had been waiting for ever since S.T. Gibson announced it and after I devoured ADoB. I have read the original Carmilla story last year for a vampire themed conference and while it bored me a bit, the characters of Laura and Carmilla entertained me really well. I'm happy Gibson made her own story with these two charming women (although I couldn't help but think of the webseries, mostly seeing those two actors in my mind while reading).

The prose was delicious as always, weaving a world of darkness and blood. I am a lover of vampires, and definitely when they are written like this. The spice was unexpected but so so good. I know Gibson uses spice, but I did not expect the sort used in this book, and was wonderfully surprised that the human was the dominant in the relationship.

A full five star read and I am definitely buying the paperback to join the physical version I have of ADoB.

Excited for many more books of this writer ❤️

3/5
Malice is a black widow, and I'm her hypnotised and bewildered prey. Malice feasted upon me, and I still wanted more. That is the only woe I have with this book: I needed and expected more.

The writing continues to be excellent, as expect from Gibson from their previous masterpiece Dowry. You can almost taste how lush and vibrant the school, its neighbouring town and the ivy woven into de Lafontaine's quarters. The pacing of the standalone book was effective; created a bubble out of the school, and of the *mystery* like fog all over the reader.

However, Laura and Carmilla's fated relationship seemed rushed. The trope of academic-rivals-to-lovers needed more time. Since the book is a dual POV (which I didn't expect), there are mutual hunger and pining, but it just happened too quickly for the feed to be satisfying and earned.

I look forward to reading more of Gibson's upcoming books (of course), and thank you NetGalley and Orbit for my first ARC. 🥀

I enjoyed this. A fast paced, character driven sapphic romance in a strong dark academia setting that was the perfect arc for a gloomy autumn day. There isn't really much of a plot as this is very character driven and the actually stakes aren't revealed until very close to the end. The ending was very abrupt and overall I think there are some pacing issues. The side character deserve more page time, particularly Eleanore - I wanted to learn more about her!

For all the fans of A Dowry of Blood, An Education in Malice is a companion novel that is sure to become just as beloved. This is a sapphic dark academia rivals-to-lovers story inspired by Carmilla. Set at an isolated college in Massachusettes, Laura Sheridan enrols in an elite poetry cohort led by the charismatic professor De Lafontaine and soon finds herself engaged in a ruthless academic rivalry with the intriguing Carmilla. As their relationship progresses from rivals to something more, they become embroiled in a wider web of vampires, murder and obsession.

De Lafontaine is a demanding professor of poetry whose rigorous teaching style pits Laura against Carmilla. De Lafontaine's dark relationship with Carmilla is a story of a toxic relationship between a teacher and student that devolves into something unhealthy for both parties. I loved the author's exploration of the power imbalance and emotional consequences of their bond and the resolution offered.

The prose is as lyrical and sumptuous as is to be expected from the author. An evocatively atmospheric writing style sweeps the reader into the story and ensures they are engaged from beginning to end. As a huge fan of Dowry, it was wonderful to see Magdalena again and I'm sure other readers will be just as thrilled by her cameo.

If you love Dowry, you are going to love Education. It has the same dark atmosphere, exquisite prose and unforgettable characters.

4.5 stars

Sapphic gothic horror/romance with a bit of Dead Poets society vibes and a lot of Carmilla themes... it was wonderful!
The writing was impeccable.
The romance was wonderful.
The gothic horror was perfect.
I really enjoyed a dowry of blood, and this book made me want to reread it soon because it made me appreciate that book more.
ST Gibson is rapidly becoming one of my favorites, and this book is proof of that.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I enjoyed this, but more so the first half than the second. I will say the author has lovely writing and I was easily absorbed into the setting. I enjoyed the second half less, it felt a bit rushed both in character and plot development and I am not a huge fan of this type of ending. I would recommend this for those who enjoyed dark academia and vampires.

Summary:
In the secluded Saint Perpetua's College, Laura Sheridan and Carmilla are academic rivals, guided by their enigmatic poetry professor, De Lafontaine. Amidst secrets, ambition, and dark rituals, their competition transforms into something much sweeter, leading them into a web of obsession, politics, bloodthirsty educators, and dark forces, forcing them to question their thirst for knowledge.

My thoughts:
I really didn’t know where this book was going to go! I quite enjoyed the story but struggled with parts of it. Mostly the level of obsession from both parties and the insta love (which I don’t mind when done well). I did however like the air of mystery around the college and the fact that it was dual point of view.

A sumptuously written sapphic dark academia romance with rivals to lovers and vampires. Also girls who are utterly obsessed with each other.. I absolutely loved them! I desperately need more books like these😩😩

Beautiful prose and morally grey characters, I devoured this in 24 hours.

This is a companion novel to A Dowry of Blood and does feature a small cameo from one of the characters from that book, I was pleasantly surprised.

For context, A Dowry of Blood is one of my favorite books of all time. I consider it perfect in every sense of the word.
Of course, I soon as I heard S.T Gibson was working on a companion novel, it instantly became my most anticipated release of whatever year it was said to be released on, and you better be damn sure I ran to request An Education in Malice.

I will start by saying An Education in Malice, for me (why am I even writing this disclaimer? reviews are subjective. taste, and all that shit), doesn't top Dowry. Is that a bad thing? No. I think both are unique in their own ways, and that's a beautiful thing, but I will unabashedly say that one of the reasons I so dearly loved Dowry was the poetic, magic prose, and I felt that Education was lacking in that regard, at times. Mind you, it´s still gorgeous, leaping off the page and giving you a painfully vivid image of what it's like in the character's minds and worlds. Look, I read it in one sitting. Very few books capture me like that. It should tell you enough.

If Dowry was a confession, Education is a secret. It captures dark, destructive in nature obsessions in such haunting and visceral ways it will leave you raw and aching like our girls. Beautiful girls, dangerous girls, dripping with jealousy and repression and, who knows, maybe a little madness, living and loving and discovering. It reads like a fever dream; like you believe it's real despite knowing it isn't. That's what a great book is, ultimately.

And if my review is to tell you just one thing, let it be this: unravel Education's secrets for yourself, and enjoy.

Thank you to S.T Gibson, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC. My thoughts are my own.

(to be published on February 1st on Goodreads)

3.5 stars rounded up for the wonderful writing.
I was thrilled to recieve an ARC for this anticipated book, especially after reading A Dowry of Blood I knew I was going to enjoy this one.

Vampires, dark acedemia and poetry, I was intrigued by the description and how Gibson would bring the story to life. The writing draws you into the world and complexities between the characters, but the poetry itself was the best piece. So haunting and sad yet at times optimistic and honest, it was very jarring and fitted into the overall theme of the book.

**MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**
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The reservations I have with this one is the striking similarities between this and Dowry of Blood. Pieces of the plot were too similar for me to find this original. Another old vampire with secret research, a female companion that gets jealous when a new female comes along, being pitted against each other until they both cave into a lusting relationship. Thats not to say the whole thing is cookie cutter, there is a lot more to the story but I did feel certain plot devices and character behaviours were cut and paste. I would have liked to have seen more imagination and read something different. Dowry was fantastic but I dont want to read the same thing again just dressed differently.

Im also still a bit confused on the stark change in personalities of our two main chatacters. The end of one chapter they hate each other and are battling these new feelings for one another. The next they're going at it in front of an audience and our quiet virgin has turned into a group orgy dom. Not sure how she got there and what I missed but it didn't feel right to miss out on that growth.

Overall i did enjoy this book, perhaps if I had waited longer after reading A Dowry of Blood this book would have had a bigger impact however that isnt the case. The writing really saves this book because it is wonderful and you can truly get lost in the characters minds, thoughts and feelings.

Thank you so much to the publishers for providing this ACR in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:4/5
"It was always going to be this way. One of us was always going to bleed for the other"
Stunning. This was such a treat! I recieved the arc just in time for fall, which was perfect for this book! 'An Education in Malice' is a Carmilla retelling infused with themes of academia. I'm not much of a classic reader, but this book has persuaded me to read the original Carmilla this fall.

As always, Gibson's prose is masterful, luscious and dripping with lushness.....and blood. The atmosphere drew me in right from the first line and did not let me go. It was a very quick read and I found myself highlighting lines upin lines. It's VERY addictive. It's a relatively quick read, and I flew through it in two sittings.

I loved the gothic and dark academia vibes, and the toxic, hyper-competitive poetry cohort. Laura and Carmilla's blossoming relationship and their bond with the enigmatic Professor De Lafontaine was the highlight of the book. It's intoxicating, steamy, and a little feral. AEIM is a standalone, so you don't have to read its companion novel A Dowry of Blood, but if you have, there's a very fun Easter egg in store for you! I was dumb enough not to notice it a first, but I literally gasped while reading the last chapter. It has vampires, peak fall vibes, raising the dead, a heavy foucs on poetry, and a relationship stoked by obsession and desire. If you like any of these things, this book is for you!

I truly appreciate the author providing a list of content warnings at the beginning and I hope they make their way into the final copies. I'm so glad I got to read one of my most anticipated reads for 2024 a lot earlier, because I just couldn't wait! I'd definitely recommend this book!