A queer vampire story that made me regret and wonder why I didn't read Carmilla!

A few months back I thought, this is the second of A Dowry of Blood, a vampire tale, dark, old and fatal.

But

An Education in Malice is not set in historical and dark times, has not have spooky air, gothic theme and dangerous men.

It is
Laura, Carmilla and Professor De Lafontaine's toxic relationship at Girls Saint Perpetua's College in Massachusetts.

It was short, worth reading and I do not regret reading it but too far away from S.T. Gibson I knew in plot and characters.

Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK via NetGalley for ARC. I have given my honest review.

Okay, so I read this with high hopes. But it didn't meet them. All the while that I was reading this book, I hoped it would get better, less cringy. But it only got worse! I liked some parts of the book, but I wouldn't read it again. So I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads, but it would have been more like 2.5

I can't even describe what the story is about, because after reading it I still had no clue what exactly I had read. It was just too weird. It was promising, but that promise was shattered quickly unfortunately.

This was my very first S.T Gibson novel and I was NOT disappointed.

The tension, pining and desire was palpable, I was immediately gripped and the relationship between Carmilla and Laura, electric.

This book had me a in a chokehold - and fulfilled every expectation!

I loved this so much, I jumped at the chance to buy a special edition on release! I highly, highly, highly recommend!

“An education in malice” by S.T. Gibson.
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Plot: ⭐️ ⭐️
Characters: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Adrenaline: ⭐️


Mmmm, I don’t know where to start with this. Normally I like vampires, college settings and romance but the mixture in this book is without suspense, no intrigue, no interest I suppose. Surrounding descriptions are close to zero, with no background to sparkle your fantasy and imagine these people leaving their story. I started reading and it looked really promising book but by the middle of the story, I was utterly bored. Both central characters sounded like interested people at first but they lost their sparkle really fast. Lots of spots that don’t give much to the plot.

Not my cup of tea, although it should be according to the plot description.

My special thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my early copy.

I absolutely adored this!
It is a seductively dark and addictive read. This book is pure perfection.
It’s jam packed with everything you need for a gripping read. Dark academia, romance, obsessive love interests, poetry, rivals to lovers, vampires, murder ahh it’s just brilliant.

I sometimes find multiple POV confusing but this was very easy to follow and very enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed reading from both Laura and Carmilla’s POV and their thoughts throughout with everything that happens. The obsessions and the jealousy, the academic rivalry which then blossoms into something much more incredible.
The writing is very addictive and I just couldn’t put it down. It has a really dark and gothic setting that you will just absolutely love.

I absolutely LOVED A Dory of Blood so I was so excited to read An Education in Malice. But unfortunately this just didn’t quite live up to my hopes. There was nothing wrong with it necessarily I was just never really captivated by it. The characters were so boring. Which is wild because with everything that happened in this book you’d think the characters would have some personality. Overall, this was just a book I will probably forget that I’ve read in approximately 2 months.

An education in malice is a gothic academia book, that had my attention immediately. This was well written, with intriguing characters. Sapphic +. Vampires. Need I say more?

I absolutely DEVOURED this. Sapphic vampires, an academia setting and a darkly delicious plot - urgh, I loved it! This modern reimagining is a gritty portrayal of girlhood and a lustful look at love, that is soaked in unflinching devotion. Blood, sex and beautiful writing, it's plot was all consuming. S.T Gibson is a lyrical genius. My go-to author for gothic novels, her tales of the undying are always flooded with hauntingly beautiful prose and characters that excite and demand attention. If you haven't read any of her work, you are seriously missing out! I can not wait to see what she will write next. 🖤

This is a bit different to A Dowry of Blood, however I loved it just as much. The rich, sensual writing drew me in, the subject matter was just captivating. Gibson has a way of writing about toxic relationships that I absolutely love. Cannot wait for my special edition to come through from Fairyloot!

From the publisher: “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.

But as their rivalry blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and dark magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.”

One of the most recent genre trends to have reappeared lately has been that now known as ‘dark academia’. I do like a story based around educational establishments – after all, I have spent over 30 years working in them! – and I really enjoyed the recent dark academia anthology In These Hallowed Halls, which was one of my favourites of last year.

Running through our tick list then, we have here an ancient college – Saint Perpetua’s College, Massachusetts (tick – Lovecraft fans, note the location!) – where a new student (tick) – Laura Sheridan – takes up a course in English. Places at the college are highly competitive, with lectures and debates seen as competitions rather than places of shared learning. It soon transpires that Laura’s nemesis is Carmilla, a student already established at the College and who seems to be much favoured by the Poetry lecturer Ms. De Lafontaine. Laura craves the attention and tuition of De Lafontaine, and so makes it her purpose to beat Carmilla in poetical matters.

It shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to find that she is also intrigued by the close relationship De Lafontaine and Carmilla seem to have. Over the course of the book we find that De Lafontaine is a vampire who has initiated Carmilla into being her thrall. Is Laura willing to go that extra distance to compete with Carmilla for De Lafontaine’s attention? Unsurprisingly, the story becomes a sapphic romance, with Carmilla and Laura become determined to uncover De Lafontaine’s dark secrets and the importance of Saint Perpetua’s College to her.

Cards on the table, I was not a fan of Gibson’s first novel, A Dowry in Blood, to the point where I didn’t finish it. I understand that there is a connection between this and A Dowry in Blood should you wish to find it, although I don’t think I was unduly missing out by not having finished the previous novel. Like Dowry of Blood was connected to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, there is of course also a connection between Gibson’s novel and the classic Carmilla by Justin le Fanu, published in 1872.

The sapphic elements here are well done, even if they move rather rapidly in places. I guess that the Tik Tok generation (of which I am not) may refer to the book as ‘spicy’, although I didn’t find the sex too explicit personally. However, I would suggest that this may not necessarily be a book for younger readers.

What may be of greater concern to some readers is that the whole toxic relationship between De Lafontaine and her students is something which in the 21st century could be seen as grooming, and therefore may be uncomfortable reading. The cruel irony may be that this is a long-term series of relationships. As we further uncover secrets in the book, we find that De Lafontaine herself may be a victim of such an activity.

The good news then is that with An Education in Malice Gibson may have found her voice. I enjoyed this one much more than A Dowry in Blood, so much so that I think that in the dark academia realm Gibson may be one to watch in the future. For anyone who wants a sapphic vampire story set in an academic environment, this may be for you.

Although I really loved S.T. Gibson's "A Dowry of Blood" I didn't feel the same with "An Education in Malice" and because I didn't finish it (I reached 46%) I don't feel like I can write a proper review

I admit that 'Carmilla' wasn't my favourite vampire tale, despite being a huge fan of the genre. I always felt that the writer didn't quite understand the protagonists, and was going more for the gothic glamour later represented in movies such as 'The Vampire Lovers' - it didn't quite resonate with me.

ST Gibson fixes that beautifully.

She's a must-read author for me, and has been since I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of her first vampire tale, which I reviewed and raved about gladly. Her authorial voice reminds me of when I first encountered Anne Rice - lush but very human, real heroines amidst supernatural darkness. My perfect read!

I admit to being a little uncertain at first, possibly because of my own hang-up with the original story, and not being overly fond of 'academic romances' as a whole. I really needn't have worried. The protagonists move through their dance together with not a step out of place. Undercurrents of selfishness, finding ones own truth apart from others, growing up and the vampiric dilemma of never being able to do that are all cunningly woven threads, as poetic as the passions expressed by Carmilla and her teacher. Also I loved how this concluded, with that dance coming to a perfect stop at the right point for both women and reader. This book doesn't outstay its welcome, yet I was somehow left still wanting more.

True gothic beauty that surpasses its creator.

An Education in Malice is the most delectable, gothic, and dark academia fantasy I am yet to read, S.T. Gibson has only built on their intoxicating prose we all experienced in A Dowry of Blood.

An addictive Carmilla retelling set at Saint Perpetua’s College for girls, we are introduced to the perspectives of academic rivals Laura Sheridan and Carmilla as they get drawn into the obsessive world of their vampire poetry professor, De Lafontaine.

As their infatuation with De Lafontaine continues, the more they start to loathe each other. At least that’s what they want to believe…

Gibson draws you in from page one to the end, becoming as infatuated with the story as Carmilla and Laura are with De Lafontaine. The world around you comes to a stop whilst you are consuming this novel, completely enthralled with the atmospheric setting developed whilst there's a growing intrigue with the love story to ensue.

This is set to be a favourite of mine for 2024, I cannot wait to see what Gibson delivers next!

I simply adored this book. I went in quite ignorant to what the book was going to be about and I can tell you I was NOT disappointed. The pace and style was easy to fly through and I cannot wait to read this again.

A beautifully thrilling book filled with teenage angst, love and obsession. There are a fair few controversial topics of control, inappropriate/power dynamic relationships but these were so well played out with brilliant conclusions at the end that let the book feeling wholesome where it could have left everything unsettling.

I really struggled to get into this book which I am absolutely gutted about as I adore a dowry of blood I just found this very slow and 21% in I’ve decided to DNF for now.

This is the second book I have read by S.T Gibson and it didn't disappoint. The writing was immersive and beautiful, the story equal parts dark, romantic and desperately sexual. S. T Gibson's writing is atmospheric and addictive and she will be an auto-buy author for me from now on.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thos was a bit too slow pace for me and I really struggled with it. Which makes me sad as a loved Dowry of Blood.

So on the topic of vampires I ended 2023 with a vampire dark academia book. The minute I saw the wards Dark Academia and Vampires together in the same sentence I knew I had to read it. Not only did I read it but I devoured it and it was delicious. The atmosphere of this is dark and sensual and a little bit provocative. The characters are very compelling, they really draw you into the story and like our main character I definitely found myself becoming a bit obsessed with our vampires as well. It’s a bit dark and gorey, steamy and very sapphic. I loved this, if you couldn’t already tell, and I gave it 5 out of 5 stars. Such a great book to end the year on.

Please be aware of trigger warnings for blood, gore, inappropriate teacher student relationship and toxic relationships.

This book hooked me in and didn’t let go until the end. It did everything that Dowry of Blood failed to do and honestly I have to wonder if it’s because I read it in print instead of audio.

The writing was sublime. It was poetic, it was enthralling, it was just deeply beautiful to read. I was captivated by the characters. Capricious nature of De Lafontaine, abusing her power and setting these girls against each other was just so interesting to see. None of the relationships in this book were in the slightest way healthy, but that was rather the point.

I loved the dark academic setting so much. I enjoyed the poetry and the academic rivalry so much that honestly I wouldn’t have missed it one bit if the vampires hadn’t shown up. However, the vampires did add something to this enthralling story and I was happy to see it take place in the same universe as Dowry of Blood.

I would recommend this book to anyone, especially if you like dark academia, but it’s certainly one for the Vampire fans.

This was very fun, and as always I love ST Gibson’s romance and characters, but it felt like there was something missing here for me in the plot. A little too predictable and felt slightly juvenile, for which the school setting didn’t help I suppose.

But I still very much enjoyed it, an excellent Carmilla retelling.