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A review by amy_reading_23
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
S.T.Gibson is an interesting author as she is not afraid to write works that will make you uncomfortable or to write characters that are clearly morally bad. I loved A Dowry of Blood for its brilliant portrayal of a narcissistic relationship and its beautiful language. If you're comparing this book to that one then I'm afraid this isn't as good.
The professor relationship is toxic and even in the pre-word trigger warnings it tells you it is an inappropriate relationship. However the students still idolise this professor right to the very end, which is kind of problematic. I wouldn't want a young person reading this book to think student/teacher relationships are okay. And although it is very clearly not okay and a toxic relationship, those in the relationship never seem to fully realise that. I had hoped it would be more like A Dowry of Blood where the characters realise they are in an abusive relationship and take revenge on the abuser. But instead the professor gets away with a lot, and the author even says in an interview at the end that she finds this character the most interesting.
This didn't totally sit right with me. This, or the fact that there were quite a few explicit sex scenes and even an orgy in the book. Carmilla is only 21 and we never find out how old Laura is but I'm guessing she is 18 since she has started uni, so to have these scenes performed by such young characters was a bit uncomfortable too. I got through this by hoping Laura was older than I assume.
I'm not sure if this book fits into the YA genre of if it is a 'New Adult' book.
It's still an interesting novel that explores dark themes in a mostly readable way. I think the ode to poetry was nice and made me want to read more poetry again. I did also like that the main character was plus size and this wasn't made into a big thing, it was natural that other characters found her and her curves beautiful and attractive. That was nice. But the ending felt very rushed to me and we hardly got to see the character "Isis".
Overall I'm just not sure what to make of this book.
The professor relationship is toxic and even in the pre-word trigger warnings it tells you it is an inappropriate relationship. However the students still idolise this professor right to the very end, which is kind of problematic. I wouldn't want a young person reading this book to think student/teacher relationships are okay. And although it is very clearly not okay and a toxic relationship, those in the relationship never seem to fully realise that. I had hoped it would be more like A Dowry of Blood where the characters realise they are in an abusive relationship and take revenge on the abuser. But instead the professor gets away with a lot, and the author even says in an interview at the end that she finds this character the most interesting.
This didn't totally sit right with me. This, or the fact that there were quite a few explicit sex scenes and even an orgy in the book. Carmilla is only 21 and we never find out how old Laura is but I'm guessing she is 18 since she has started uni, so to have these scenes performed by such young characters was a bit uncomfortable too. I got through this by hoping Laura was older than I assume.
I'm not sure if this book fits into the YA genre of if it is a 'New Adult' book.
It's still an interesting novel that explores dark themes in a mostly readable way. I think the ode to poetry was nice and made me want to read more poetry again. I did also like that the main character was plus size and this wasn't made into a big thing, it was natural that other characters found her and her curves beautiful and attractive. That was nice. But the ending felt very rushed to me and we hardly got to see the character "Isis".
Overall I'm just not sure what to make of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gaslighting, and Alcohol