Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the audiobook copy!

I recently read this author's other work and I was excited when this novel got announced since it's set in the same world. An Education in Malice follows Laura and her enigmatic classmate Carmilla. Both girls develop an obsession for one another and after one fateful night become entangled in a relationship. This novel had the type of vibe i enjoy in dark academia and romance. I loved Laura and Carmilla's relationship and loyalty to one another it made it easy to root for them. The villain of this story could have been a bit better especially since the conflict felt like it dragged on for a bit too long. However, this was still an enjoyable read and I recommend the audiobook if you decide to pick it up!

An Education of Malice opened my world to the story of Camilla and i had no idea this was a retelling of a known character.
All i needed to see was dark academia and was just bonus of sapphic vampires.

I had checked out the page count before started and even though on the shorter side, the story is told so well and a wonderful arc for our two main girls Laura and Carmilla. The setting in Massachusetts is fin and adds to the spookiness vibes.

I will definitely be reading more by S.T. Gibson.

Thank you to Hachette Audio , Net Galley and S.T. Gibson for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I’ll save my full review of the book for the ebook but this narrator was AMAZING. One of, if not the best, narrators I’ve ever had for an audiobook. The emotion, accents, the DELIVERY. I could not get enough, I will be looking for this narrator in the future!

I loved a dowry of blood by St . Gibson but an education in malice was a miss for me . It is very trope heavy and their are far too many reminders of this being a retelling for my liking .
Thank you netgalley for the eARc.

dnf at 50%

this is my first s.t. gibson but i have heard amazing things about her writing. and it’s true the writing is amazing and beautiful but i just couldn’t push myself more than that. the characters are not exceptional and in fact i didn’t really like them, they were annoying more than anything else. then the story is boring, or at least i was bored and i just couldn’t care about what happen.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this ARC!

*I posted a full review of the book itself on here and on goodreads*

I requested and downloaded the audiobook of this to listen to when I couldn't read the kindle copy I requested. I can be really picky with narrators of audiobooks, but I thought the one for this did an amazing job, especially with the dual pov chapters. Even though it was only one narrator, they did so well with different voices for the two povs that I couldn't tell it wasn't 2 different people!

An Education in Malice by ST Gibson
ARC BOOK REVIEW
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am certain that this dark fantasy romance will deliver for it's target audience... I just don't think I'm it. Sapphic vampires felt like it COULD be my thing. As a retelling of Le Fanu's gothic vampire novel of the 1800s, it has some mystery and intrigue woven within the romance.
Laura arrives at a prestigious boarding school and finds herself under the tutalage of De LaFontaine, a poetry professor who only holds her classes at night. The professor's protégé, Carmilla, instantly feels threatened by the new girl.
Laura and Carmilla's academic rivals-turned-lovers storyline was a believable and tender romance. I would have loved more of that and less of the unrealistic "virgin who likes to dominate in bed" s3x scenes. Don't get me wrong, I like some spice, but this felt misplaced and gratuitous.
"Innocent" Laura is brought into the torrid world of vampires with little questioning or doubt. And the sudden killings on campus mystery comes to an abrupt and anticlimactic end.
Overall, I just didn't find it an engaging enough story to overlook the plot holes and obvious setups for s3x.

I received this audioARC from @netgalley and publisher Orbit in exchange for an honest review.

An Education in Malice will be released February 15, 2024.

Review of the audiobook:
5 stars
Narrator voice is clear at speeds 0.5-2.5x
The dual pov is easily distinguishable

Review of the book:
2 stars
Unfortunately such a boring book
Nothing happens, it isn't plot it isn't porn except for one scene
The description sold this story as one of obsession and yet, the characters felt so flat and their relationship was so very mild
It gives "Baby's First Vampire Story", which can be fine but disappointing

I expected like, either obsessive protective possessive vampire-human or a plot story given it's dark academia like some sort of story that'd criticize something
but no, everything it starts it just gives up on or de-escalates in a non-satisfying way

it isn't 1 star cause it wasn't overly offensively bad, but it did feel like the entire time I was waiting for things to start and they never did



Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Audio and RedHook for the opportunity to listen to this ARC.

Gothic, dark academia vampire story with a rivals to lovers sapphic romance. A wonderful historical college setting in Massachusetts. The vibes of Perpetua's College grabbed me at the beginning, but unfortunately I kept waiting for something more. This was one of my most anticipated books this year. Sadly, it really never got going for me. When we got the big reveal, it just kind of fell flat. I needed more action and more background. I really wanted to love this book. It had all the tropes I love, but it just wasn't for me. S.T. Gibson will remain on my TBR for sure.

Vampires and sapphic romance?

Count me in! While the audiobook's narrator had a soothing voice, only having two distinct profiles for three main characters occasionally led to confusion about whose perspective I was hearing. It felt odd that the two protagonists shared the same voice, though.

Despite that, the main characters' connection and love story were captivating. I truly felt their journey together, and their blossoming romance was a joy to witness. However, the teacher-student dynamic made me squirm, even though I was aware of the trigger warnings. It simply wasn't a trope I anticipated disliking so much.

The side plot held potential, but its limited presence left me wanting more. I believe it could have significantly enriched the overall narrative.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an audiobook ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I received an audio arc of this book. The narrator did such an amazing job with the different character voices and I’ll definitely be seeking out more book read by this narrator. The story itself is exactly what you’d expect from a vampire dark academia and if that’s up your alley this is perfect. Dark academia isn’t my favorite so I was more invested in the vampire and romance aspects but this was a pretty slow paced book and it was hard to keep my interest. S. T. Gibson has a beautiful writing style and the narrator was the perfect complement to it.

Thank you Netgalley, Redhook Books, and Hachette Audio for the ARC.
An education in Malice is a sultry and sapphic Dark academia that set in the late 1960s. The story follows 2 FMC’s that attend Saint Perpetua Women’s College in Massachusetts, who gets tangled up with one of their professor who is also a 200 year old vampire.

I had a fantastic time immersion reading. The audio was so fun to listen to. The narrator really brought the characters to life. Very much recommend the audio.

This is my first S.T. Gibson book and I very much enjoy her story telling and can see why everyone loves it. S.T. Gibson’s way of writing romance is beautifully done. She really knows how to transport you right into her world through her writing. Everything flows so smoothly and it makes you feel sexy when you’re listening to the audio. It doesn’t come off as cheesy or cringy which is big bonus points.

I love a romance book that is full of desperation and longing. What would you do for love? Also the dark and mysterious themes in this book had me on a chokehold. I could not stop reading because I was so immersed in the story. But also a little scared at the same time (I don’t like to read gory scenes).

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend to put this on your TBR during the spooky season if you’re someone like me that reads accordingly to the weather and the seasons.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for giving me the chance to listen to this in exchange for an honest review. This was such an intriguing listen for me. I was drawn in from the beginning and I found myself not wanting to get out of my car because I wanted to keep listening. The narrator I felt really carried the story and took it to new heights. The different voices used for the 3 main characters were so distinct and unique that it really brought the book to life. I would definitely recommend this book for those looking for a dark academia.

I was super pumped for this sapphic Carmilla retelling, but this was not my favorite. I loved the dark academia vibes and the supernatural element, but the relationship between Carmilla and Laura was not developed super well and didn't make a lot of sense beyond the physical.

I would recommend this to anyone who really likes dark academia, but with the caveat that the vibes are the best part.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐ (Audio) The narrator, Stephanie Cannon, is brilliant here. I listen to tons of audiobooks, and it was a delight to listen to the story in her voice.

⭐ (Story) 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 magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.

This book is sumptuous and brilliantly written. Intimate, dark and dangerous, this is a the story of Laura and Carmilla, rivaling for the attentions of their dark instructor. The desperate forbidden desires and delicious ferocity makes for a fascinating and heart-pounding read. Utterly brilliant! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Alright. Sapphic vampires. Quick plot. Quick love story. Definitely a palate cleanser book. Not too fantasy based so you can enjoy it if it’s your first time reading fantasy or not an avid fantasy reader. Audiobook narrator was 100000% on point for the subject matter and time period.

I did like the narrator of this story. The performance was well done. I also enjoyed the dark academia vibes. Other than that I did not really click with any of the characters, which made it hard to follow sometimes. I got confused which pov we currently are listening to. Overall not for me.

9. This was a bit of a disappointment after Gibson’s success with A Dowry of Blood. Gibson is a writer with a lot of talent, the prose in this book was lovely and the way she can inject lush atmosphere into her storytelling is great. Unfortunately, the actual meat of the story, the characters, romance, and plot, weren’t well developed in this book.

This is a retelling of Carmilla featuring an academic rivals to lovers romance, vampires, and an unhealthy relationship between a student and a teacher. My favorite part of this book was De Lafontaine’s manipulative obsession with Carmilla that straddled a creepy line between romantically motivated and maternal. Gibson is so good at writing these sorts of toxic relationships.

On the other hand, Carmilla and Laura were boring and never really felt like actual people. I really wish the book had dug a lot deeper into their psyches and motivations because they came across as very one-dimensional and their romance lacked passion and longing. The vampires in this book did things that demonstrated they were dangerous but there was so little narrative tension that they didn’t actually feel dangerous.

I enjoyed this book but I don’t think it has the same feel as A Dowry in Blood (which was pure perfection for me). The narrator did an excellent job. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for approving my request.

I really enjoyed this book the Vibes of this book were incredible I was having a great time I don't know how dark I would put it given that I don't read dark academia very often. But I have this very sensual vibe that I was just absolutely eating up. I listen to this on audio and I have to say some parts of the narration weren't my favorite but I do think that there was a distinct voice for each character which I enjoyed.

Thank you to the Publishers and netgalley A chance to listen to this audiobook.