A Dowry of Blood's sexy, messy, baby queer little sister.

This book was so intoxicating, literally. I devoured it in less than 3 hours.

The relationship between Carmilla and Laura is packed with venom and that specific toxic queer feeling of "do I want to be her friend or do I want to make out with her?" competitiveness. This aspect really shines in the dark academia setting. There's so much room for the toxic obsession to flourish and leak out in ways that feel realistic; Carmilla and Laura fighting for the approval of their professor, when really they just want the approval from each other. Truly a tale as old as time for young repressed lesbians.

While darker topics are explored, like grooming & abuse, they aren't the main focus of the story. Where Dowry zeroed in on the internal battle of living under an abuser's thumb and the struggle to gain independence, An Education in Malice instead chooses to center the story on how exploring one's identity and autonomy, and especially exploring repressed queerness, can naturally lead to healing and freedom.

That being said, Gibson's writing style won't work for everyone. She has a tendency toward flowers and poetics, sometimes sacrificing tangible depth for abstract emotional evocation. Her style works exceedingly well in the context of the dark academia setting & emotional displays that lean melodramatic and moody, but can come across as pretentious if you prefer more grounded writing.

Much of the characterization and storyline can feel half-baked if looked at too closely, and there are interesting themes that weren't explored to their full potential. Particularly the idea of possessive abuse being a cycle that can be broken, of power dynamics in all of their forms. However, there's a certain combination of atmosphere, provocative emotion and hot sapphic vampire sex that makes this book simply work.

While An Education in Malice isn't exactly a retelling, having the knowledge of Le Fanu's Carmilla elevates the story a lot. In a way, it felt like the story that Le Fanu's Carmilla and Laura always deserved; toxic, possessive, and unapologetically sapphic.

What To Expect - - 'Soul Eater' is a monster romance with spice. It is the first book in an ongoing series of 'standalones' following a different couple in each book.

My Feelings - - I had a great time reading this. The characters were loveable, the writing was decent, and the romance was great!

I like a character focused story, so I didn't mind, but I will admit that there is not much of a plot to this story.

Recommendation - - If you love monster romances and like your spicy books to be mostly focused on the relationship - this one is for you!

3.5 ⭐️ = great story, I’m so glad I read this