A review by estelleidekreads
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

i just need a retelling that isn’t written by a homophobic sexist man pls because like i get why it’s a sapphic cult classic but also we deserve better like that story had so much potential

v quick read and glad i ticked it off my tbr but to paraphrase many other reviews - needs more vampirism & lesbianism

but also lowkey really want to learn more about that kind of vampire lore like if being killed by a vampire feeding on you turns you into a vampire why aren’t all the other victims vampires too?? also what’s the weird animal shape thing? 

also the whole “we mustn’t tell  laura what’s wrong with her even tho it’s literally about her health bc women are just so frail & naive so we [dr & dad] will just talk about it amongst ourselves and tell her what to do with 0 explanation” & the whole suicide is what creates vampires is really showing the misogyny like damn boy. not to mention laura having absolutely 0 critical thoughts like what do you mean 
“But my satisfaction was changed to dismay, on discovering that there were no tidings of Carmilla. Of the scene that had occurred in the ruined chapel, no explanation was offered to me, and it was clear that it was a secret which my father for the present determined to keep from me.”?!

i’ve decided that although it’s obvious the author really wants us to believe she’s that stupid and naive, she’s actually just under carmilla’s spell & in denial because she loves her so she’s just ignoring the red flags & frankly yeah that checks out

idk how to rate it bc my rating of the actually book is very different to my rating of my enjoyment of the book when reclaiming it as a sapphic tragic romance