Summary:
Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua's College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ceremonies welcome students into the fold.
On her first day of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her own dark obsession with Carmilla.
But as their rivalry blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and dark magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.
My Thoughts:
In contrast to the previous book I read from this author, I absolutely enjoyed this one. Laura is starting her freshman year in college, and she's even talked a professor into being able to take her senior-level course on poetry. Carmilla is enraged when Laura not only got into the class - but seemingly upstaged her on the poetry she wrote. This starts a rivalry between them. Laura notices that Carmilla seems a little too close to the professor, which ends up with her finding out that their teacher is a vampire who is using Carmilla to feed. When the professor brings back her deadly vampire ex-lover back to the land of the living, things take a dangerous turn, as the lover starts drinking students dry. Their teacher has to choose between her students or the person she's loved for over a century.
As stated above, I loved this book. I'm starting to realize that I really like dark academia. It's so interesting that the author chose dual narratives by Laura and Carmilla. The rivals-to-lovers trope is done really well, as they don't fall in love right away - it takes a while for them to get over their issues with each other. The professor is an equally intriguing character that is just as developed as our main characters. Her story is heartbreaking and really well done. I enjoyed the small glimpse into the world of other vampires, and I do wish that we got more of that in the novel.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes vampire stories.
My Rating: 4 stars
