Book 14 of 100 𝘾𝘼𝙍𝙈𝙄𝙇𝙇𝘼 by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu 🎧 Audiobook narrated by Jodie Harris

A young woman named Laura lives a quiet, isolated life in a remote castle in Styria with her father. When a mysterious young woman named Carmilla arrives under strange circumstances and becomes a guest in their home, Laura is drawn to her new companion with an intensity she cannot explain. But as Carmilla’s affections grow more fervent and Laura’s health begins to decline, dark secrets emerge that suggest their bond may be far more dangerous than it appears.

This is one of those books I have been meaning to read for years, and I am so glad I finally did. Carmilla predates Bram Stoker’s Dracula by over two decades, and reading it, you can see the blueprint that would go on to shape vampire fiction as we know it. Le Fanu creates an atmosphere that is thick with dread and unease, the kind that seeps into you slowly rather than striking all at once. The gothic setting of the remote castle and the dense forests surrounding it is perfectly rendered, and I found myself completely absorbed in the creeping tension of it all.

What makes this story truly stand out, even nearly 150 years after it was written, is the relationship between Laura and Carmilla. There is nothing subtle about the longing and intensity between them. Carmilla is seductive, possessive, and utterly captivating, and Laura’s confusion between attraction and fear is written with a rawness that feels remarkably ahead of its time. Give me sapphic vampires. I am here for it.

Le Fanu has a way of building suspense that is elegant and deliberate. The mystery of who and what Carmilla truly is unfolds with a patience that rewards the reader beautifully. There are moments of genuine eeriness here that lingered with me long after I finished listening. It is a novella, so it is a relatively quick read, but it packs an incredible amount of atmosphere and storytelling into its pages.

I also wanted to read this before diving into my upcoming Book Club read of Hungerstone, and I am glad I did. Having this foundational work fresh in my mind feels like the perfect preparation, even if it is not strictly necessary.

The audiobook narration by Jodie Harris is beautifully done. Her voice captures the dreamlike, haunting quality of the story perfectly, and she brings both Laura’s vulnerability and Carmilla’s magnetic presence to life with wonderful nuance. It was the ideal way to experience this classic for the first time.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​