heartbrekker's Reviews (797)

I have a lot of convoluted thoughts about An Education in Malice. I am a HUGE fan of Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (waaaay better than Dracula), so reading this book was an obvious no-brainer.

Now I knew going into this that S. T. Gibson changed a lot of the story, and it was only loosely based on the original. Carmilla and Laura are still the names of the leads, and Carmilla does ultimately become a vampire... she just isn't one at the start of An Education in Malice. Once I got that realization out of the way, I was able to immediately enjoy the story more because names and sapphic vampires were the only similarities.

My biggest writing issue lied in the first third. The writing was HEAVILY telling rather than showing. It felt like Gibson wanted to depict the girls in such specific ways that she forget to let the reader run wild with our own interpretations. It started to aggravate me because the telling was constant, never-ending. Maybe I just got used to it by the other thirds of the book, but I was not happy about that portion of the writing style.

Also, I don't think this book knew what it wanted to be. The first third felt wholly different to the middle third and finally the last third was something else too. The groundwork for the end did not even become apparent to readers until well over 50%. Now I'd argue that's because De La Fontaine was the main antagonist for the first half, besides the academic rivalry between Carmilla and Laura, but then that changed when Isis—De La Fontaine's sire and lover—appeared. The story just didn't feel like it knew what to do next, so it threw newer and newer plots that felt out of left field. And I haven't even brought up the vampire party/orgy that happened mid-way through the story. Like... what?! Honestly, I really liked that scene and Magdalena's (the hostess vampire) whole vibe and court, but it lasted such a short amount of time! She only appears at the end to essentially replace De La Fontaine and sire Laura. I wanted more build up!!!

Lastly, I understand why De La Fontaine was placed within this story, but I don't think this novel fully expresses the toxic power dynamic between De La Fontaine and Carmilla specifically. Laura is only partially applied to this because she doesn't feel as connected to De La Fontaine. De La Fontaine readily abuses Carmilla, particularly mentally. Carmilla is a senior in college throughout this book, so I'd assume 21-22 years old, but she has been manipulated since she arrived at De La Fontaine's door (probably 18 years old) to become her pet for blood because Carmilla was obsessed with her poetry. Even without the vampire element, De La Fontaine is Carmilla's teacher. Carmilla is a vampire because of De La Fontaine's mistakes in letting Isis near the girls. While Laura gets a choice from Magdalena to become a vampire, Carmilla does not because she was sliced at the throat by Isis. She was dying, and De La Fontaine made the decision for her to save her life. De La Fontaine is also overtly possessive, obsessive. I can’t help but think that Carmilla’s vampirism was what De La Fontaine wanted in the first place, a way to separate Laura and Carmilla... and then the redemption arc for De La Fontaine. I honestly thought De La Fontaine was going to slice her own throat after killing Isis. I REALLY thought she would, and when that didn’t happen, when Carmilla and Laura make PLANS with her to meet up later in life, I was aghast.

All around this book should have been about Carmilla and Laura. I wish the girls met in school and then Carmilla was turned by someone that wasn't in the book much. We could have seen their growth together as a pairing without the interruption of characters like De La Fontaine. Lean into the original text and have Carmilla on a spree for blood. It was as simple as that! I just felt icky whenever De La Fontaine was around, and for the abuse to be forgiven so easily upset me. I loved the bond between the girls, and that's the reason I finished this, but the story made me certainly work in finishing it.

Novellas like these two will always be my saving grace during slump reading periods.

If you’re looking for expansive world building but in a brutal, satisfying novella, then check out the Forever Desert books. I love the interconnected elements and myths between these two books, especially due to the political and social commentary done in Aleke. Five hundred years can change a society quite a lot, which was fascinating to see unfold in this sequel.

Much like The Lies of the Ajungo, the narrator in The Truth of the Aleke is faced with pains and horrors—even betrayals—he could never foresee. Both narrators are passionate and optimistic, looking at their leaders and idols with a love only the young can have. They haven’t been influenced by the harsher realities of life, and it’s not fun watching them come to terms with this. But again, even as I see the surprise coming, I wouldn’t want either narrator to face it alone.

I recommend these two books because within 100 or less pages, these two leads steal our hearts and the show. Moses Ose Utomi is able to create such a complicated, confounding world that I can’t get enough of it too. I WISH I could have an entire novel dedicated to these two stories, but Moses also writes enough to *mostly* satiate my curiosity/desire for more.. cause I’ll always want more of my favorite stories.

I can’t really go into more detail because of the novella’s length. Overall, The Lies of the Ajungo gave readers a more black and white ending to the story. Aleke, on the other hand, shows how the lead is easily manipulated in his search for truth that ultimately leads him to have a far more human and realistic ending.

Thank you to Tordotcom for the review copy. I devoured it in less than 24 hours, and I cannot WAIT for the third and final book!