My Carmilla

by Anita Zara

“Carmilla…” I broke for air, but her pomegranate-red lips latched onto mine again.

"No, let me steal your breath, darling," she murmured against my mouth. "I want to hold it captive between my teeth. Only another kiss could tempt me to set it free."

In the decaying grandeur of the schloss, Laura drowns in loneliness. But fate arrives with a carriage crash, delivering the enigmatic Carmilla to her doorstep. Their connection is instant, a wildfire scorching through the desolate halls. Stolen touches blossom into forbidden nights, and a hunger awakens within Laura – a hunger mirrored in Carmilla's gaze.

As desire consumes them, a dark truth seeps through the cracks in their stolen paradise. A string of unexplained illnesses plagues the village's young women. Laura is forced to confront a horrifying the woman she loves may be the very monster stealing the lifeblood of their world. Torn between love and fear, Laura must make a choice. Can she surrender to a love that burns brighter than eternity itself, even if it damns her soul?

Indulge in a decadent gothic tale where sapphic seduction meets insatiable desire. This novella, a lyrical reimagining of the classic Carmilla, unveils a love story as dark and thrilling as the blood that binds them.

Genres: Lesbian, Vampires, Fantasy, Romance, Retellings, Paranormal, Historical

166 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 26, 2024

About the author

Anita Zara is fond of morally grey paramours, strange creatures of the night, and various other monstrosities. Connect with her on her Instagram and Tiktok for writing updates, secret snippets, and other tomfoolery.

Reviews

[Tobin Elliott]

This wasn't bad, mostly well written, and it pretty much follows—from what I remember—Le Fanu's original reasonably closely, except, well...more of what was only hinted at in the original.

The only two complaints are, the epilogue was utterly unnecessary and, in my opinion, weakened the overall story, and while the Baudelaire poems were initially interesting, it got a bit grating at the beginning of each chapter.

But overall, while I would have like to have seen Zara really take the concept and make it her own a bit more, it's a decent retelling.

[Wicked Fox ✨️]

The ending could have been fleshed out more, but the story was still enjoyable

[saisha]

“She leaned closer, soft lips brushing my ear. Her breath, cool and scented with something faintly floral, prickled the hairs of my neck. “I’m saying that I’ll never be content with these stolen moments with you. Even a lifetime would be hard to bear.” Her voice dropped low, soft as the rustle of moth wings. “Only forever could be enough.”

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader)]

3 stars. I don't know what it is about the story of 'Carmilla' but it just does not click with me. I always pick up retellings just to be disappointed. I don't know. I love lesbian vampires but Carmilla and Laura just are not interesting characters to me and this novella didn't really add or do anything that different with them. The writing wasn't my favorite everything felt rushed and this needed to be edited. The ending is kind of left opened so I would be interested to see what this author does next.

[Beth O'Reilly]

Captivating story wee story, dark and gothic. Has you questioning Carmilla's intentions until almost the end. I was so excited for this story that I backed it on kick-starter(you can see my name in the acknowledgements). I highly recommend reading without reading the blurb. All you need to know is they are gay and it's not one of those I shall corrupt you books. Laura already has same-sex attraction and has little to no shame about it. Carmilla is morally grey but an attractive love interest anyway. Its a quick read 2 glasses of wine and a bath.

[Marrisa]

The only word that comes to mind to describe this is lovely

This was such a satisfying read. The author writes beautifully, I feel like I was transported back in time. The poems in between chapters was a nice touch and reflected Laura's conflicting feelings throughout the romance. The plot is steady and the slow build up between Laura and Carmilla was chef's kiss. The ending seemed a bit quick but the epilogue makes up for it. Its a great quick read and is written wonderfully. This book needs more attention, if you like this read her other book as well.

[Ladz]

MY CARMILLA is as juicy and crunchy as a pomegranate seed. It has so many trappings of vampire gothic - suppressed feminine desire, sapphic solidarity, a manor where the people within might just be as haunted as its decaying walls, decadent prose, and so much blood. I read this in one sitting, kicking my feet and swooning as beauty waltzes with terror from start to finish in this explicit retelling of a classic.

[Eliza]

“ if this was a sin, then let the heavens condemn me, because in the curves of her body, I have found my religion. My absolution.”

” ours was a promise, to face forever, together.”


Truly had the time of my life reading this. This is what I wanted Carmilla to be.

[Morgan Golias]

This was alright, nothing super groundbreaking. I liked it. There were some spelling errors, but it wasn't terrible, and was a cute vampire sapphic romance with a happy ending

[Holly Jaeger]

This needed a proofreader, and the steamy scenes were pretty mild, but the story was enjoyable.

[Ana]

DNF @ 23%

I just didn’t really click with the story or characters. I have read one of her other books and enjoyed it so I think that I wasn’t feeling the historical vibes.

[Lily]

Sapphic vampires? Yes, please!

I found My Carmilla absolutely enthralling. This was the sapphic vampire love story I never knew I needed. I'll be keeping this one close to re-read again in the future.