A dark, spicy read I happily devoured. If you love vampires, sapphic romance and rivals-to-lovers dynamics, topped with inappropriate students/professor relationships, this is it.

I loved the chemistry of the main trio, the manipulation, the obsession, the devotion... It was really fun to read about, and I couldn't wait to get to the next chapters to see what they would get up to next. The atmosphere was great, I didn't read a lot of dark academia stories before and An Education in Malice felt very cozy in its twisted ways. I found the ending very satisfying (although perhaps a little rushed).

The overall plot didn't captivate me all that much, as it sometimes felt more like padding around the centerpiece that was the protagonists and their feelings. I was a bit disappointed that the author didn't elaborate much on vampiric lore, or some side characters I found intriguing. The pacing felt a bit off at time, but nothing too terrible. For a book partially about poetry, I was expecting more, well, actual poetry. I would have loved to read more of Laura and Carmilla's poems, or even see one of De Lafontaine's. In the end, the poetry element felt to me more like an accessory than the key element it should have been.

It was a lovely read that I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for a sapphic dark academia/dark romance ! (+ the dominant character is not the one you might expect... 🤭💕). Of course, do pay close attention to the trigger warnings and take care of yourself !

I decided to pick up this one because my friends and I kept seeing it advertised everywhere and when my mom told me she owned a copy I told myself "sure, let's see what the hype is all about !".

It was a fun and easy read for me, I got through it pretty fast and there was always something happening in each chapter, I never felt bored. I had been in a reading slump for a long while and the Housemaid got me out of it.

The writing felt a bit clunky at times, which could also be attributed to the french localization. The characters didn't have a lot of depth, I didn't feel particularly attached to any of them. Allegedly, the author used generative AI to write her books (I say allegedly because I haven't seen the interview where she's supposed to say this).

A quick, fun read that helped me pick up other books again, but I didn't love it enough to get my hands on the next volumes.