Laura Sheridan is a sheltered girl from small-town Mississippi starting her freshman year at St. Perpetua’s College. There she meets Carmilla, a gorgeous but snobby senior whom Laura is immediately taken by. And after discovering they are in the same elite poetry cohort Laura becomes wholly obsessed. Fueled only further by Carmilla’s blatant aversion to her. So when their enigmatic Professor De Lafontaine invites Laura to her and Carmilla’s private lessons she thinks she has found her chance. However, she quickly realizes she may be in over her head.

Carmilla Karnstein is De Lafontaine’s prize pupil, having moved from Austria solely to study under her. So when undeniably talented freshman Laura threatens to take her favor, Carmilla knows she must do whatever she can to stay on top. But it seems the more she tries to push Laura out of her life, the more she digs her heels in. Slowly Carmilla realizes she may have met her match…and she likes it. However, nothing could have prepared them for De Lafontaine's bloody world of secrets, poetry, and murder. Will Carmilla and Laura succumb to the darkness, or is their growing bond enough to keep them in the light? The timeless story of Carmilla gets a brooding sapphic makeover in An Education in Malice.

What a haunting and captivating book. I knew I would love the writing style because I enjoyed S.T. Gibson’s previous work. Plus I loved the original Carmilla, but I did not expect this story to go the way it did. Of course, though, it did not disappoint.

As always S.T. Gibson’s writing on a line level is the highlight. Her utilization of the senses is captivating. And the amount of annotations I have is insane. The way her writing lures you into a false sense of security only to rip it from under you in the same paragraph is perfection. And you feel you are the character as they are so unique and relatable, despite the completely insane contents of the book.

The dual POV is crucial to the story. Seeing the events unfold through Laura and Carmilla’s eyes gave depth and contrast to their characters. Laura’s internal conflict regarding her desire for Carmilla and sexual proclivities fueled her character’s actions. Seeing Carmilla through Laura’s eyes versus Carmilla’s reality gave realism to the story. Not to mention the tension between them was dark academia to a T. I could not tear my eyes away from the page whenever they interacted.

In my opinion, the point of dark academia is a unique style of tension. Where, despite the reader knowing the “climax” there is still much left to uncover. And since this is a retelling many readers are familiar with the general story. However, true to form, the suspense is in how the plot points come to fruition. I can’t reveal much without going into spoiler territory but several plots are running concurrently throughout the story and each one left me stunned.

The multiple storylines keep you on your toes. I loved the contrast of Carmilla and Laura’s relationship with that of their professor. Each of them had a unique experience and being able to see it from both POVs allowed for a buildup of palpable tension. Not to mention the secrets De Lafontaine was keeping from both of them that start to come up around the halfway mark. It completely changes the trajectory of the story from a polyamorous sapphic academia rivalry to a vampy murder mystery with enough spilled blood to last a lifetime.

All in all this Carmilla retelling in a 1950s all-women’s college is a dark must-read. From the body-tingling descriptions to the gasp-worthy plot this book is a great time. Plus you can never go wrong with a plus-size MC. Quick reminder though to please read the trigger warnings!! If you like sapphic vampires and gothic books then this is the book for you. Happy reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for sending this eARC for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

CW: Alcohol, Blood, Death, Drugs, Kink, Public Sex, Gore, Murder, Uneven Power Dynamics (disclaimer included in the book as well)