“But to die as lovers may—to die together, so that they may live together.”

This was a dark, alluring jewel of a novel; Sheridan Le Fanu weaves a story of vampirism that encapsulates all the gothic, haunting romance that has come to so define the genre - and to think that he helped lay the foundations for all that came after is really special!

Although short, there is so much to appreciate about this story. Le Fanu’s lush, refined prose paints a stunning landscape of isolated castles and ghostly, abandoned villages. His decision to tell the tale through the voice of Laura, his protagonist, brilliantly lends a haunted, infatuated undercurrent to the events that unspool, and also instils a sense of impending doom. Carmilla herself is a formidable, dangerous, intoxicating character: her beauty and charm is offset only by the sense of mystery that surrounds her, creating a fierce tension as she draws ever closer to Laura. But I can’t forget my favourite part of this book, which was the sapphic romance that was bold, passionate, and highly erotic. Laura and Carmilla’s relationship is almost fevered, steeped in bold confessions and sexual tension, and adding so many layers to the final paragraph of the book.

This was such an enjoyable, interesting take on the vampire myth. I loved the unique ways in which Le Fanu’s vampires differed from those of other authors, and the darkly romantic atmosphere made it really engrossing. My only issue was that I felt the short length at times weakened the pacing, so that the end was strangely rushed, but in the grand scheme of things that was relatively minor. A must-read for anyone who loves vampires and sapphic romance 😍