An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson // Book Review

This is the second book by S.T. Gibson that I’ve tried and I’m so glad to give her another chance.

Here’s more about An Education in Malice

Sumptuous and addictive, An Education in Malice is a dark academia tale of blood, secrets and insatiable hungers from Sunday Times bestselling author S.T. Gibson, author of the cult hit A Dowry of Blood.

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.

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My thoughts

While I wasn’t a huge fan of S.T. Gibson’s usage of second POV epistolary style in A Dowry of Blood, I knew there was something about her writing that I couldn’t overlook. There was a quality to it that I knew if I was patient enough I would see in full view in the next one. And yes, S.T. Gibson did it for me in her newest installment. Her poetic writing style lends itself well to the story of young women in a poetry class. Writing and romance? What’s a better combo?

Similar to her first book, this is another vampire story that takes place right in the 1960s at a small Northeastern prep school where young Laura and Carmilla meet each other, fall in love, and battle against a really old vampire that was out killing some of the other students at the school. The dual perspectives were used brilliantly here sharing both Laura and Carmilla’s experiences throughout. Laura is more shy, hesitant to new experiences, and more interested in growing her faith and her poetry. Carmilla is more wildly having experienced the world and become the special pet of their poetry professor, Eleanor De Lafontaine.

At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the dual perspectives. Honestly, it was difficult for me to keep track of who’s perspective I was reading from, but once the story progressed, it became more clear who was who and why the choice to have dual perspectives was made. But up until that point, both girls seemed fairly similar and nothing stood out about them. As the story progresses, you see pretty drastic changes in the way these girls conduct themselves. First they were just school mates, then they were being invited to exclusive Friday events with De Lafontaine, which bordered on inappropriate for a teacher/student relationship, and until the halfway point you realize that there’s something bigger going on. Oh, did I also mention that De Lafontaine is a vampire who likes to feed on Carmilla? Yeah, that’s pretty much the big draw for me here.

I did like that S.T. Gibson didn’t completely abandon the human world when the vampire side of the story progressed even further. Laura and Carmilla are going to illicit events filled with hedonism and blood-drinking, but they were also still conversing with the same girls that went to their school. Scenes of sexual desire and blood are juxtaposed to girls trespassing on school property and getting drunk. The juxtaposition was jarring, but it also reminded you that these girls were still just girls; trying to pass their classes, getting into trouble, and they also just happened to be human blood bags for the vampire elite.

The female friendships and relationships in this story were the most intriguing part. De Lafontaine loved Carmilla like a daughter. Carmilla loved Laura like a lover (and vice versa), but there were also the friendships that the girls had with their classmates that just all showed incredible examples of the complexity of young women and the importance of their relationships to each other and to those around them.

The conflict itself was where the story lacked. There was so much about Carmilla, Laura, and De Lafontaine, that when the real threat to the students at school arrived, it felt a little thrown away. There was more emphasis on the trio’s dynamics that when the real conflict reared its ugly vampire head, it felt more like a nuisance that needed to be taken care of than a huge component of the overall story.

And yet, I found myself devouring this book regardless. If anything, you’ll keep reading for Laura and Carmilla to share their feelings for each other. You’ll be reading to figure out the weird relationship dynamic between these three women, and how the decisions each of them makes affects them all in the end. Definitely worth the read and I will definitely be reading the next one from S.T. Gibson.