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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
A deliciously dark romance that fans of broody, mysterious and domineering love interests will absolutely eat up. But do be aware it deals with some really dark themes so I do advise checking the TWs before reading.
It follows Corvina, who gains acceptance (and a scholarship) to the University of Verenmore, a mysteriously secluded Castle-turned College—a fresh start Corvina hopes will lead to bigger and brighter things. But what she doesn’t expect is a school tangled in secrets, lies, unexplained deaths—where students are forbidden from entering the woods. And whose strange goings on may be even be linked to nearly a century’s worth of missing persons cases.
Nor does she expect Vad, the part-time professor who captures her attention and her heart, but they both know their infatuation (and deep attraction) for one another cannot be—even if fate has other plans for them.
But when Corvina comes close to unraveling the mystery of what happened to the people who’ve disappeared every five years for the past century , things begin to take a dangerously escalating and sinister turn…
I’m not usually one for Dark romances (even if I am a bit of a sucker for Dark Academia) but I did (surprisingly) kind of enjoy this. There was some really beautiful and lyrical descriptions that enjoyed and definitely felt they harkened back to that hauntingly dark aesthetic we’ve all come to associate with Gothic literature.
I loved the mystery aspects which were utterly intoxicating —It definitely brought to mind novels like Dracula (which does get several mentions throughout the book) and the compelling undercurrent of danger and uncertainty that lurks on every page kept me on the edge of my seat. I just wish we got more answers instead of questions! Though given a prequel has just been announced, maybe that was intentional.
I also have to applaud RuNyx for continuing with the boundary pushing themes that made Gothic fiction soo shocking for the age, having Gothikana touch upon contemporary taboos that will similarly make a lot of people rather uncomfortable (the ethical and moral implications of a student/teacher relationship being one of the biggest.)
The romance, likewise, is incredibly well done-the spice is definitely off the charts and not for the faint of heart, particularly thoses who don’t enjoy relationship dynamics involving quite domineering or controlling men. As somewhat of a novice to the genre I also think that maybe I was a little out of my depth my for this one, as one scene (Corvina’s first time with Vad) did feel a little too uncomfortable for me to truly enjoy and (for me, at least) did feel like it was blurring the boundaries of consent. That being said it is reiterated that Corvina (who is twenty one) was consenting both before and after the fact.
The other romance scenes later on in the book were far more enjoyable for me and I can honestly see why soo many people are raving about it. But, I do think I may just be a little too vanilla to truly appreciate this one.
Also a massive thank you to Casey Ann over at Solaris books for the absolutely stunning proof.
It follows Corvina, who gains acceptance (and a scholarship) to the University of Verenmore, a mysteriously secluded Castle-turned College—a fresh start Corvina hopes will lead to bigger and brighter things. But what she doesn’t expect is a school tangled in secrets, lies, unexplained deaths—where students are forbidden from entering the woods. And whose strange goings on may be even be linked to nearly a century’s worth of missing persons cases.
Nor does she expect Vad, the part-time professor who captures her attention and her heart, but they both know their infatuation (and deep attraction) for one another cannot be—even if fate has other plans for them.
But when Corvina comes close to unraveling the mystery of what happened to the people who’ve disappeared every five years for the past century , things begin to take a dangerously escalating and sinister turn…
I’m not usually one for Dark romances (even if I am a bit of a sucker for Dark Academia) but I did (surprisingly) kind of enjoy this. There was some really beautiful and lyrical descriptions that enjoyed and definitely felt they harkened back to that hauntingly dark aesthetic we’ve all come to associate with Gothic literature.
I loved the mystery aspects which were utterly intoxicating —It definitely brought to mind novels like Dracula (which does get several mentions throughout the book) and the compelling undercurrent of danger and uncertainty that lurks on every page kept me on the edge of my seat. I just wish we got more answers instead of questions! Though given a prequel has just been announced, maybe that was intentional.
I also have to applaud RuNyx for continuing with the boundary pushing themes that made Gothic fiction soo shocking for the age, having Gothikana touch upon contemporary taboos that will similarly make a lot of people rather uncomfortable (the ethical and moral implications of a student/teacher relationship being one of the biggest.)
The romance, likewise, is incredibly well done-the spice is definitely off the charts and not for the faint of heart, particularly thoses who don’t enjoy relationship dynamics involving quite domineering or controlling men. As somewhat of a novice to the genre I also think that maybe I was a little out of my depth my for this one, as one scene (Corvina’s first time with Vad) did feel a little too uncomfortable for me to truly enjoy and (for me, at least) did feel like it was blurring the boundaries of consent. That being said it is reiterated that Corvina (who is twenty one) was consenting both before and after the fact.
The other romance scenes later on in the book were far more enjoyable for me and I can honestly see why soo many people are raving about it. But, I do think I may just be a little too vanilla to truly appreciate this one.
Also a massive thank you to Casey Ann over at Solaris books for the absolutely stunning proof.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness
Moderate: Stalking and Toxic relationship
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
kaceereads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
did i decide to read this book bc i saw a fanart of vad and his gray streak reminded me of jason todd? like okay yeah.
i’ve never really read anything like this before with gothic, dark academia vibes but i really enjoyed it! i love the common theme of suspense and mystery that runyx intertwines with the romance in her novels because i eat it up every. single. time.
i loved corvina and vad. they are MY mountains. i am not going to deny that i was giggling like a school girl and twirling my hair. i adore them. but i did not anticipate that little twist at the end At All. this book left me with so many questions i’m honestly glad that we are getting a continuation of the story because i NEED some answers !!!
overall, gothikana was eerie and beautiful and i couldn’t get enough of it
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, and Murder
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Rape, and Death of parent
whatjasread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
• professor x student is *not my thing* but vad deverell has me (and corvina) in a chokehold
• gothic elements were so well done, i was very creeped out good job runyx
• such a different vibe from the dark verse series but the writing style is exactly the same, you can tell it's a *runyx* book, yanno?
• some grammatical errors and general confusion in places (riiiiight at the end, they're somehow having sex with his back pressed against her and i truly don't know how that works)
• overall very good, i loved the descriptions and the characters and the plot twist, literally only knocked a star off because i felt icky sometimes with the teacher x student vibe but it's fine i'm fine
TWs: suicide, explicit sexual content (unprotected), schizophrenia, institutionalisation, blood, murder, death, drowning, vomiting, mention of sexual assault, drugging, paranormal scenes, power imbalance, professor x student forbidden relationship.
• gothic elements were so well done, i was very creeped out good job runyx
• such a different vibe from the dark verse series but the writing style is exactly the same, you can tell it's a *runyx* book, yanno?
• some grammatical errors and general confusion in places (riiiiight at the end, they're somehow having sex with his back pressed against her and i truly don't know how that works)
• overall very good, i loved the descriptions and the characters and the plot twist, literally only knocked a star off because i felt icky sometimes with the teacher x student vibe but it's fine i'm fine
TWs: suicide, explicit sexual content (unprotected), schizophrenia, institutionalisation, blood, murder, death, drowning, vomiting, mention of sexual assault, drugging, paranormal scenes, power imbalance, professor x student forbidden relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Forced institutionalization, and Drug abuse
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Incest, Vomit, and Dementia
kateskookybookblog's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cursing, Death, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, and Vomit
Minor: Rape
marinasrecs's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Ok so this book was really cool. It got me hooked pretty quickly with the mystery and romance. It was also written in a really nice way. I also like the themes and how it all played out in the end.
The reason why it's not 5 stars for my is that the hero was kind a dick sometimes. I don't know. It got better though and be the second half I liked him again.
A really cool, spooky and sexy book! Just be mindful of trigger warnings.
The reason why it's not 5 stars for my is that the hero
A really cool, spooky and sexy book! Just be mindful of trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Dementia, Death, and Sexual content
Minor: Incest, Rape, and Fire/Fire injury
vicktorea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
creepy, steamy, spooky!
ok I really enjoyed this! It was super atmospheric, chilling, creepy, spooky & sexy!
If you want some spooky dick this spooky szn, this is it! Not leaving much of a review bc I think this one’s best going in blind!
ok I really enjoyed this! It was super atmospheric, chilling, creepy, spooky & sexy!
If you want some spooky dick this spooky szn, this is it! Not leaving much of a review bc I think this one’s best going in blind!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, Sexual content, and Gore
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Rape
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