Reviews

This is a good book. Sapphic Dracula with a plug-and-play "mystery" as to who the vampire is. I think a brain-damaged pastor's child who had never heard of a vampire, let alone a lesbian, could figure everything out in terms of the romance and "twist". The leadup to the twist is amazing- I love dark romanticism and gothic fiction and Sheridan Le Fanu writes the genre perfectly. Every word is perfectly chosen and each character described in a way that'd make Edgar Allan Poe cream his jeans. However, the two chapters of the General monologuing was so boring, I just skimmed some paragraphs. There's a lot of boring admin that goes into dark romanticism, so I get that. I still reserve the right to hate it, lol.

I'd like to dedicate a few words to this edition, and the asides and clarifications by lesbian author and essayist, Carmen Maria Machado. Her comments and history add another layer to the novel that I don't know if I would get without them. Her 21st-century adaptation of homoerotic 19th-century vampires (who am I kidding, they're legit gay) makes Carmilla a fully-rounded, time-transcending work of queer art.

It's still boring as all shit, though, sorry gals.

Content Warnings

el_be_readin's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Content Warnings

mind_of_doaa's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

carmilla: « i love you, you’re mine, you’re so beautiful, you and me are one »
laura : « are we related? 👁️👄👁️ »

this book was funnier than expected the lgbtq subtext was everything too bad about the end that just felt rushed, i would have preferred more action more action, more energy more energy

syl_val15's review against another edition

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4.0

4 Stars!

Camilla walked so Dracula could run.

I can’t believe this book is probably the blueprint when it comes to literatures about vampires, yet it’s not talked about very much.

Anyway, I’m so curious about this one myself, looking forward to pick it up soon.

gab_l23's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

lizzielulu3's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

In these mysterious moods I did not like her. I experienced a strange tumultuous excitement that was pleasurable, ever and anon mingled with a vague sense or fear and disgust. I had no distinct thoughts about her while such scenes lasted, but I was conscious of a love growing into adoration, and also of abhorrence. This I know is a paradox, but I can make no other attempt to explain the feeling.

***

Girls are caterpillars while they live in the world, to be finally butterflies when the summer comes; but in the meantime there are grubs and larvae, don't you see - each eith their peculiar propensities, necessities, and structure.

Content Warnings

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