Yes, this is the classic story of Carmilla. Do you NEED another copy? Not only is the story truly interesting, but have you seen the cover? Do yourself a favor and add this edition to your collection. It also happens to be a gorgeous vampiric red on black.

This was very interesting considering how long ago it was written. Had a whole exposition speech but that was very common for books back then so I can't really blame it. Also, lesbians from the 1800s, how cool is that.

An all time queer classic, with a lovely new cover. You can't really improve on the original, can you!

A gorgeous edition of Carmilla.

I love the cover design and the chosen fonts. It couldn’t be more gothic if it tried.

This was a pretty good gothic vampire story! I went into this knowing that there *might* be some queer characters and I was not disappointed. Lesbian vampires, hell yeah!

Spooky, haunting and for the time in which it was written -very progressive, I feel that I will read this book again and again.

A gothic novella of vampire fiction, which predates Bram Stoker's Dracula. Although I liked it and appreciated the shorter length, I found the build-up was too long and often repeated itself. There are long descriptions of the environment and the mother and daughter episode is revisited unnecessarily multiple times. It is a work of its time but its resolution felt rushed and not a surprise. Despite this it is an interesting work.

Carmilla is a short tale following Laura, a lonely, isolated girl in a castle who one day meets Carmilla, a girl her age who by an unexpected event leads her to staying with Laura. Strange happenings start to occur within her home and in the surrounding area - and over time Laura uncovers secrets that she can scarcely believe.

I really enjoyed this. I loved the writing style despite it being unfamiliar to me, and I was totally immersed in this haunting, gothic and atmospheric story from the first page. I was eager to find out what happened next and adored the way this story was told.

I can see where the inspiration for Dracula has been derived, fascinating as it is. I especially enjoyed the fact this original tale was of a woman, where Dracula is male. The characters were a little ignorant when events were unfolding, but it also makes sense for the story and how bizarre the revelation was. I’m so glad I read this. It was eerie and entrancing and I loved it.

Great gothic tales, which still hold up, even after all the vampire fiction publish afterwards. Much more interesting than Dracula.

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Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Carmilla
by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Read
TW: Suicide, murder, blood, grooming

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:In an isolated castle deep in the Austrian forest, teenaged Laura leads a solitary life with only her father, attendant and tutor for company. Until one moonlit night, a horse-drawn carriage crashes into view, carrying an unexpected guest -- the beautiful Carmilla.So begins a feverish friendship between Laura and her entrancing new companion, one defined by mysterious happenings and infused with an implicit but undeniable eroticism. As Carmilla becomes increasingly strange and volatile, prone to eerie nocturnal wanderings, Laura finds herself tormented by nightmares and growing weaker by the day...
Release Date: 1872
Genre: Horror
Pages: 156
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
• The story sucks you in (see what I did there..)
• The characters are interesting
• You actually get to know about the vampires

What I Didn't Like:
• Could be repetitive at times

Overall Thoughts: I liked this book a lot. Way better than Dracula. I think Dracula is over rated because he's barely even in it.

The characters just make you want to hear about what else is going to happen. I thought it was interesting how Laura and Carmilla somehow knew one another from before. Of course then you question whether she's tricking Laura into believing this or not.

I like that their love is talked about like it's a regular heterosexuál relationship. Some things don't need to be pointed out just let the story flow and take the readers with you. Pointing out how it wouldn't be socially acceptable would have weighed down the story with conversations that were not needed.

Final Thoughts: I adored this book and thought it was a fun, scary, short read.

This is a classic vampire story from 1872. The mysterious Carmella is left by her mother at an isolated castle with the narrator Laura and her father. Then young local peasant women start dying, and Laura herself sickens. A enjoyable quick read.

"But to die as lovers may - to die together, so that they may live together."

Carmilla is one of my favourite classic gothic novels, and this edition is beautiful. Thank you to Pushkin Press for sending me an ARC. This is a lesbian gothic novel classic. Camilla stalking her human prey predates Dracula, and is just as good. Like every good vampire novel, it is sexual while repressed, dramatic as well as ridiculous, horrifying and entertaining. This is the original gothic horror vampire story, and everyone should read it.

"'I have been in love with no one, and never shall,' she whispered, 'unless it should be with you.'
How beautiful she looked in the moonlight!
Shy and strange was the look with which she quickly hid her face in my neck and hair, with tumultuous sighs, that seemed almost to sob, and pressed in mine a hand that trembled.
Her soft cheek was glowing against mine. 'Darling, darling,' she murmured, 'I live in you; and you would die for me, I love you so.'"

Carmilla, an eery vampire gothic written a quarter of a century before Bram Stoker’s Dracula, takes place in the isolated forests of Styria in Austria and makes for a great little novella. The psychological horror our characters endure, paired with the chilling atmosphere Le Fanu creates, makes for quite the unnerving read.

Upon reading this, one can have an interesting view on how both vampires and lesbians were viewed in the past, and how those could be connected at times. While it isn't really a book to read with the perspective of how 'woke' and 'ahead of its time' it is, considering sapphicism is described as if a sin, with a creature of the shadows "turning" a young, innocent girl into a sinful creature as well, taking her from the light, it's still an interesting and noteworthy object of study.

The original classic vampire story! An amazing new edition of this timeless classic. This has everything you could want out of a vampire story; it’s sapphic, so creepy, with wonderful gothic imagery and an uncanny atmosphere surrounding the entire work. Dracula is often credited as the first vampire story but this book did it first and in some ways better as it is truly the perfect vampire tale.

I'm in love with the cover, is just amazing.

As for the book. Carmilla appeared for the first time between 1871 and 1872 as a series in the publication In a Glass Darkly. It wasn't the only work the author had there and this story is linked to other works by the supernatural detective doctor Martin Hesselius.

This is really important as Carmilla not only precedes Dracula in the vampires but also in the character of Van Helsing.

Is mezmerizing to read about Laura, the protagonists, and Carmilla's relationship. This is a dark tale, full of atractions of every type, solitude and company, fear and pleasure.

Highly recomended for every vampire lover outher.

I always liked Carmilla, but there is actually nothing new in this edition besides aesthethics. I was expecting something different, maybe some illustrations or a different layout, but the typography didn't work for me, and didn't catch my attention. I'm giving it 2 stars for the good story, and 1 for the nice cover.

Disclaimer: Not saying that the story is bad, I actually love it; just being critic on the edition.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

I didn't think I would enjoy this one that much. I knew that Carmilla is the original vampire story so I was really interested in reading it. The writing is so beautiful and the story super interesting, Definitely enjoyed it more than Dracula!

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.