An Education in Malice

Thank you Redhook Books & NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

This story is full of dark desires and secrets buried within a college town. Girls end up dead and all of a sudden there's an ancient evil vampire on the prowl. What would Camilla and Laura sacrifice to bring it to an end?

I enjoyed the dark twists and definitely the poetry aspect of the story. Given the romantic aura surrounding poetry and the history of it, it's no surprise in this setting it shines throughout. The author has a tremendous talent with words and the story as a whole was very well written.

The story unfortunately fell flat for me in the world building aspect, most of what you know about the school the MC goes to you only catch a glimpse of in the first chapter or two so you don't really get much a connection to the area. One other shortcoming and this is just based off my preference was the romance and relationships just felt rushed to me, the ‘enemies to lovers' plot didn't have enough time to truly burden me with the angst of waiting for the characters to connect. Whatever it lacks in small areas it makes up for in spice, there's plenty of it and I'd think something for everyone.

Overall it was a good read and I appreciate the opportunity to read it. It's a spicey sapphic vampire story, I don't really need to say more. I'd recommend this to those who are primarily searching for the spice or just a quicker read.

I wasn't sure what to make of this book at first. I loved Carmilla and the web series loosely based on it, so I was eager to give this a try. The poetry angle and dual POV threw me off however, but the latter wasn't too much of an issue. Nor the poetry, as that thankfully didn't take away from the story overall.

I did feel like the book dragged on in the first half, and was tempted to drop it after the sixth chapter. The whole "rivals to lovers" thing just isn't my thing, but I pushed on and I'm rather glad I did.

For me, the book greatly improved once Carmilla was turned, and the events around that really kicked things up a notch. It's just a shame it took so long.

Oh and uh...the sex scenes were very nice. 👍🏾

I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I ever would. I have never really been a romance reader, I prefer there to be a bigger plot with a touch of romance (if there even is any) but this book was so out of the norm for me. I loved the pining between the two girls and it just filled me with so much love. S.T. Gibson's writing just works so well for me and I'm sure I would love anything they write. This book has an extra soft spot for me beccause it takes place in Massachusetts, where I grew up and currently live. It does take place on the other side of the state that I'm from but having a Mass./Boston setting always raises my enjoyment of a novel. Plus the character cameo from A Dowry of Blood?!?!?! Absolutely loved this!!!






Thank you to Redhook for providing me with an eBook copy to review on NetGalley.

actual rating: 4.5⭐️

I knew just from the sheer fact that it's an S.T. Gibson novel that it was going to be spectacular and this book did not disappoint in the slightest.

If you've read A Dowry of Blood you know exactly what you're in for: enchantingly beautiful prose, complex characters, tension and drama that builds steadily throughout the book, and the crescendo at the end that just leaves you in awe. An Education in Malice is a sapphic dark academia novel that draws you in from the first chapter as Gibson builds the setting of the story, a women's college tucked in a corner of Massachusetts. Laura, a Southern girl with every ounce of that Southern charm, snags a coveted spot in Ms. De Lafontaine's class to find herself in a rivalry with Carmilla, a senior who isn't keen on sharing her beloved professor's praises with Laura. This book did academic rivals to lovers so exceptionally well that I need to give it a standing ovation. The romance between Laura and Carmilla builds steadily as they grow out of that rivals portion of their relationship and move into the love that is slow and sweet.

De Lafontaine's role in this book is interesting because yes, there's a student-teacher relationship that is neither entirely romantic but neither platonic, it falls somewhere in the middle. The progression of De Lafontaine's character of seeing as she falls out of a cycle of abuse that she knowingly inflicted onto Carmilla and once suffered at the hands of her own sire. I could go on and on about De Lafontaine as a character because she truly stood in the foreground alongside Laura and Carmilla for me.

The subtle hints of vampirism in the beginning of the book made me giddy because I knew exactly what path this book would take but I didn't expect it to be as nuanced as it was. The themes connected to this added element stemming from obsession, control, power, lust, and love. Let's be very clear here: lust and love are displayed in this book and are two distinct things. The love at display at times can be utterly carnal which is definitely surprised me a bit but when it's written so beautifully, I can't help but love it oddly enough.

Also those of us that did read A Dowry of Blood get a very lovely surprise in this book which as a reader is always so rewarding and I would highly recommend reading A Dowry of Blood before reading this book!

Please read the trigger warnings that S.T Gibson outlines in the beginning before picking this up but if you're in the mood for a gothic, dark academia novel that is filled with romance, tension, and hauntingly beautiful prose; you should definitely pick this book up!

Thank you to Redhook Books & NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!