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A review by kayhush
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
As someone who voraciously devours books, I have a tendency to speed through them and not take time to sit and really immerse myself in the book.
An Education in Malice didn't allow me to do that. It invites you in, slows you down, and asks you to savor it. The writing is immersive and descriptive, without being pretentious. I looked up the meaning of a handful of words and it made me feel curious, not frustrated.
This was a beautiful follow-up to A Dowry of Blood. The writing style is consistent, though I found the tone to be quite different. While A Dowry of Blood was a deeply moving and romantic story, it felt like that not-sweet deeply intense flavor of dark chocolate. An Education in Malice held a different tone - one of coming-of-age, dark academia, leaving girlhood and entering womanhood.
That being said, there were moments in the book where it felt like leaving girlhood and entering middle age. There were conversations and actions that felt much more aged up from the primary characters.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoyed A Dowry of Blood. The writing style is consistent and it has that same feeling of our current reality but slightly... different. The vampires are again written in a way that is not out of touch with our current world.
If you read A Dowry of Blood but didn't like its deep intensity, you might enjoy this one more as the characters are at a younger age and it is set in a more modern time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books. I received a free digital advanced reader copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.
An Education in Malice didn't allow me to do that. It invites you in, slows you down, and asks you to savor it. The writing is immersive and descriptive, without being pretentious. I looked up the meaning of a handful of words and it made me feel curious, not frustrated.
This was a beautiful follow-up to A Dowry of Blood. The writing style is consistent, though I found the tone to be quite different. While A Dowry of Blood was a deeply moving and romantic story, it felt like that not-sweet deeply intense flavor of dark chocolate. An Education in Malice held a different tone - one of coming-of-age, dark academia, leaving girlhood and entering womanhood.
That being said, there were moments in the book where it felt like leaving girlhood and entering middle age. There were conversations and actions that felt much more aged up from the primary characters.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoyed A Dowry of Blood. The writing style is consistent and it has that same feeling of our current reality but slightly... different. The vampires are again written in a way that is not out of touch with our current world.
If you read A Dowry of Blood but didn't like its deep intensity, you might enjoy this one more as the characters are at a younger age and it is set in a more modern time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books. I received a free digital advanced reader copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.