“She kissed me with a martyr’s agonized desperation, like I was the only sword she ever wanted to fall on. I kissed her right back like the cutting edge of a blade, trying to inflict as much damage as possible.“
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson is described as a sumptuous and addictive sapphic dark academia story, and I couldn’t agree more. The novel is a Carmilla retelling, and it’s packed with an enemies-to-lovers, vampire romance set against the moody backdrop of Saint Perpetua’s College.
I was immediately bitten and enthralled by this book… pun totally intended, and I’m so excited to say that this novel has became an instant favorite.
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.
While the heart of this story may revolve around Carmilla and Laura’s intense connection, De Lafontaine is the anchor, and her character became an immediate favorite. If you’re already knowledgable about Carmilla, you can easily guess what kind of bond the mysterious teacher holds with Carmilla, but she’s so deliciously morally grey that I found myself wondering what her true intentions really were.
Ultimately, it’s all about love and passion, and how sometimes, the line between adoration and obsession becomes violently blurred.
If you’re looking for an intense, spicy sapphic romance, An Education in Malice is the perfect book to sink your teeth into (heh, puns). Content warnings include: graphic violence and death, inappropriate teacher-student relationships, kink, exhibitionism, and uneven power dynamics.