Sumptuous and addictive, An Education in Malice is a dark academia tale of blood, secrets and insatiable hungers from S.T. Gibson, author of the cult hit A Dowry of Blood.
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.
ARC Review: An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
I had to mull over my thoughts on this for a little while. S.T. Gibson has the magnificent ability to destroy me with their words. I have sat on the ending lines of this book and pondered the possibilities. I hurt so deeply. Laura and Carmilla are deeply embedded into my psyche. Their academic rivals is the exact brand of “I can’t stand the idea that we are equals but you are the only person who has ever challenged me to become better” that I have unknowingly been searching for my whole life. I was swept up by their relationship with not only each other but with De LaFontaine as well. They both approached her in such similar yet different ways. Gibson’s ability to balance both love and toxicity is enthralling.
An Education in Malice, to me, is a masterclass on the dark academia atmosphere. I walked through the hallowed halls of Saint Perpetua’s College, sat in on De LaFontaine’s poetry classes, and anxiously experienced the plague of dark magic. It was perfectly gothic and hauntingly romantic. My only complaint is that I wish it could’ve been longer. I so desperately want to continue turning the pages of this wonderful book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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