Indécente initiation

I loved the premise of Education in Malice—dark academia, obsession, power, and poetry woven together in a way that felt genuinely seductive. The literary references and mythological echoes were the strongest part of the book, and I enjoyed how language itself was treated as dangerous and transformative.

Unfortunately, the ending completely fumbled the landing. Laura should have stayed human. That choice would have been braver, messier, and far more thematically honest. Instead, the novel takes the safer route, flattening the moral complexity and draining the story of its emotional weight. What could have been a sharp exploration of desire and consequence ends up feeling rushed and oddly hollow.

I admired the ambition and atmosphere, but the execution—especially that ending—kept this from being anything more than a solid, frustrating three-star read.

i really really enjoyed this, a LOT more than i did a dowry of blood!!maybe bc i was already so familiar with carmilla but this was so so good