Take a photo of a barcode or cover
This was spooky and sexy and a bit thrilling as well. I really had a good time while reading this.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Gothikana by RuNyx —
Atmospheric. Dark. Sexy. Taboo. Mysterious.
Gothikana was absolutely enthralling—I didn’t want to stop listening, even if it meant ignoring everything else I had to do.
The gothic vibes of Verenmore’s castle-turned-university pulled me in instantly. The murder mystery kept me guessing. And the taboo romance between Vad and Corvina? Deliciously forbidden yet full of passion.
✨ Tropes you’ll find here:
• Student x professor (taboo)
• Dark gothic castle turned dark academia/college
• Murder mystery
• Age gap romance
• Dual POV
🎧 Audiobook notes: Narrated in dual style by Scarlett Dorian and Aiden Snow. Scarlett Dorian carried the weight of the story beautifully, her Corvina was intense and magnetic. And Aiden Snow? His voice could read me a menu and I’d still be enthralled. I would have preferred duet narration, but the dual was still excellent.
💀 Favorite quotes:
“If this is madness… drown me in it.”
“This will last until the day roses on my grave stop sharing roots with the roses on yours,” he declared. “I will have you even in death, little witch. I am your beast. I am your madness. And you, you’re my afterlife.”
“She had sorcery in those eyes, and he was bewitched, besotted, begone.”
“You’re the mountain I build my castle on, brick by brick. You stand, I soar. You crack, I crumble.”
Dark, romantic, and unputdownable—this was a 5 star read that will stay with me. 🌑
5 stars, 4 chili peppers 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Atmospheric. Dark. Sexy. Taboo. Mysterious.
Gothikana was absolutely enthralling—I didn’t want to stop listening, even if it meant ignoring everything else I had to do.
The gothic vibes of Verenmore’s castle-turned-university pulled me in instantly. The murder mystery kept me guessing. And the taboo romance between Vad and Corvina? Deliciously forbidden yet full of passion.
✨ Tropes you’ll find here:
• Student x professor (taboo)
• Dark gothic castle turned dark academia/college
• Murder mystery
• Age gap romance
• Dual POV
🎧 Audiobook notes: Narrated in dual style by Scarlett Dorian and Aiden Snow. Scarlett Dorian carried the weight of the story beautifully, her Corvina was intense and magnetic. And Aiden Snow? His voice could read me a menu and I’d still be enthralled. I would have preferred duet narration, but the dual was still excellent.
💀 Favorite quotes:
“If this is madness… drown me in it.”
“This will last until the day roses on my grave stop sharing roots with the roses on yours,” he declared. “I will have you even in death, little witch. I am your beast. I am your madness. And you, you’re my afterlife.”
“She had sorcery in those eyes, and he was bewitched, besotted, begone.”
“You’re the mountain I build my castle on, brick by brick. You stand, I soar. You crack, I crumble.”
Dark, romantic, and unputdownable—this was a 5 star read that will stay with me. 🌑
5 stars, 4 chili peppers 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Are there two versions of this book out? Because I don’t understand the DNFs and one stars but okay. Just proof of the difference in book opinions.
Loved this. It was a vibe. If I could have sat and read it in one sitting I would have. Mystery, darkness, sexiness all the things in one.
Loved this. It was a vibe. If I could have sat and read it in one sitting I would have. Mystery, darkness, sexiness all the things in one.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story was entertaining, but I did find that it was very shallow and lacked depth. It was hard to bond with any of the characters because everything was just so glossed over.
The ending was SO rushed. This was disappointing because it was the main reason I chose to continue reading because I wanted to see the conclusion. There were so many plot holes that were vaguely addressed in the epilogue. Why set the story up to be complex for such a basic ending?
Also, the title of the book should have been "purple eyes". It was a constant main focus and mentioned so many times that it became annoying.
.
.
.
.
SPOILER - Personally, I loved how everything pointed to the FMC being a medium. The voices, shadows, and scenes she experienced all helped her solve key mysteries in the story. Ghosts were speaking to her and directing her to help discover them -- which she did! BUT, instead of the MMC helping her discover this aspect, he was quick to feed into her fears. They were both too quick to call her doctor and he was quick to send her back in-patient to the institution. It is like the author could not make up her mind which direction she wanted to go. I was so disappointed.
The ending was SO rushed. This was disappointing because it was the main reason I chose to continue reading because I wanted to see the conclusion. There were so many plot holes that were vaguely addressed in the epilogue. Why set the story up to be complex for such a basic ending?
Also, the title of the book should have been "purple eyes". It was a constant main focus and mentioned so many times that it became annoying.
.
.
.
.
SPOILER - Personally, I loved how everything pointed to the FMC being a medium. The voices, shadows, and scenes she experienced all helped her solve key mysteries in the story. Ghosts were speaking to her and directing her to help discover them -- which she did! BUT, instead of the MMC helping her discover this aspect, he was quick to feed into her fears. They were both too quick to call her doctor and he was quick to send her back in-patient to the institution. It is like the author could not make up her mind which direction she wanted to go. I was so disappointed.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Surprisingly good! Only critique is I think the writing could have been polished a bit more, other than that this was a great time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Violence, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Blood, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this book was amazing! Perfect amount of spice mixed with dark creepy tones. The romance was hotttt and mysterious. I can’t get enough of it!