Carmilla is the original vampire story! I can't believe I hadn't read it until now, it just hadn't crossed my radar at all. I'm not sure you can call a book published in 1872 a 'hidden gem', but I keep telling all my friends about it! At only 92 pages, this quick read takes us takes us through the original Vampire story. Starting with a near miss with a horse drawn carriage Carmilla is thrust upon this family to look after, Victorian societal norms making it impossible for the hosts to decline. Almost everything we read, watch, or listen to in Vampire stories originates from this book - and it really shows! Dracula learnt from Carmilla, added a few more layers of story and cemented our fascination with Vampires ever since. The disparity between modern norms and behaviours and the 1870's makes for some funny moments; most the 'scary' can be boiled down to two women having a romantic connection - Terrifying by the standards of 1870! I really enjoyed reading this classic. 4.5/5. ----- You can find out more about the book on [StoryGraph](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/5ffbe3c9-dfe5-4e99-8010-9cd4c724074b). I’m trying to push myself as both a reader and a writer this year by writing a review for the books I've read. You can find all the books I've read this year on [[2025 reading]]. #books #bookreview