Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Gothikana by RuNyx

14 reviews

ellarroz's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Suicide

alannashelfhelp's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This book doesn’t know what it is. Mystery? Hardly. Fantasy? There is nothing magical or mythical, but maybe I would call it tangentially paranormal. I guess it’s romance—if you consider iffy power dynamics between a student and teacher ~romantic~

Shallow mental illness themes that are more problematic as a plot device than doing anything helpful. There is no plot and lots of sex scenes with consent issues—lots of “seed” and “I own you” things. Not my thing, bro. Barf. I read the whole thing though so that’s on me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Suicide

lexcellent's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

0.25

This doesn't even deserve a quarter star. This is the worst book I've ever read. Wanted to find something to redeem it but no. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Murder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gaslighting

Minor: Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Stalking, and Sexual assault

raequigley's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Suicide, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Death, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Abortion, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Child death, Toxic friendship, and Panic attacks/disorders

lindsayhwrites's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Clearly never saw an editor, was wrapped in pretty packaging but full of plot holes while also not having much of a plot. Very disappointing. Particularly the negative implications and claims about mental illness.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Vomit, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Ableism, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Incest

hobbit_at_heart's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 

I really enjoyed this story! However, I will say I do not see any correlation between this story and comparing it to "dracula and beauty and the beast" aside from a girl falling for a "devil" in a castle.

The whole time I thought Vad Deverel was going to end up being a vampire or something and that never happened. So that was a touch disappointing. The smut could have been a touch better, but I won't complain.

I suck at reviews, but all-in-all, a good story. Definitely New Adult vibes. At first I was under the impression that this was set in an older timeline, however it was fairly modern with random things like the use of phones and internet was stuck in. Some of the writing was kind of cringy and I sped read through a LOT of fluffy bits that simply weren't all that necessary to have even been put into writing. Overall, good book. If Goodreads would do a 1/2 star system, this would be a solid 3.5 for me but I rounded up for the sake of having enjoyed the plot twist at the end bc I never would have seen it coming. Wild ride at the end!

HEA was corny as SHIT.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Drug use, Gore, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Suicide, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Vomit, Medical content, and Stalking

Minor: Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Incest

m_winnike's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

I got an ARC for this book. It was advertised as dark academia with some romance and a bit of a murder mystery plot throw in. This is a goddamn lie and I’m gonna fight whoever at Bramble is responsible for this absolute garbage fire of a book being published. There is almost no plot until over 75% of the way through, exactly zero of the characters have any semblance of a personality, the romantic couple had no chemistry but everyone around them constantly talked about how much fiery chemistry they had(bitch where?), the “plot twist” in the last chapters is quite literally one of the dumbest, and most convoluted things I’ve ever read in my life and somehow included surprise incest. I would not recommend this book to my bitterest of enemies let alone any of my book reading friends. To any fans of this book, which I cannot possibly believe actually exist, I need to know who hurt y’all that this is what you think is good. I didn’t think it could get worse after I read Zodiac Academy last year but this book sure proved me wrong. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Forced institutionalization, and Murder

Minor: Ableism, Torture, Dementia, and Rape

This book is somehow 456 pages of nothing, not plot, not vibes, not even tropes.

straker's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Sexual assault, Self harm, Misogyny, Mental illness, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

shorthannah's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? No

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Dementia, Toxic relationship, and Suicide

jshawreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

2.5

I really do not know where to start with this book. This has potentially been the most conflicted I have ever felt after reading a book. Elements were fantastic, the gothic setting, the unsettling quasi-magical phenomena, the bloody mystery of a cult. Sadly, elements were absolutely terrible, one of the worst cases of insta-love I have ever seen, paired with gratuitous, and sometimes quite repetitive sex scenes, and possibly the worst ending to a book in a good while.

Now, I dont mind a bit of spice in my fiction... But when the spice is just purely "This is my p***y now", "slam, slam, slam" and the main characters thighs being "soaked", along with the worst phrase I have ever read (and it came up twice) "Her nipples pebbled" it just comes off as tacky. Gratuitous sex and poorly written, supposedly romantic, moments really detracted from the actual plot. If the sub-plot of romance was gone, this book would have been infinitely better. 

This is a real shame, this book could have been excellent

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Murder, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Sexual content, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic relationship