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asims723's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
3.0
I liked this, but I also didn't. I told a friend at one point I hoped that the morally gray MMC fed the idiot protagonist to the lake ghosts, and I think that ending would have been much more interesting than what actually happened (what actually happened?)...I also wish Mo had been given more lines in this book. Or that it had been written from his perspective.
So what did I like? This book pairs nicely with a Pinot Noir. The atmosphere was dark and vibing. Ruins, woods, dungeons, towers, creepy shacks...those were all highlights.
So what did I like? This book pairs nicely with a Pinot Noir. The atmosphere was dark and vibing. Ruins, woods, dungeons, towers, creepy shacks...those were all highlights.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Death
Minor: Death of parent
kristanjenkins's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Murder, Death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death of parent, Torture, Body horror, and Dementia
wii3rdo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
the way my body and mind reacted to the paranoid, suspenseful, and tense moments in this book needs to be STUDIED! it doesn’t help that i finished reading the last 40% after midnight when my house was dead silent and dark...but we’ll gloss over that detail for now 😅
this book exceeded my expectations for how much i’d love it. if the exterior didn’t do it for me, the descriptions and the way the author made me feel exactly what the characters felt, THAT DID IT! 🙂↕️ everything was so vivid i felt like i could see exactly what they wanted me to see down to the specks of dust in the library. Y’ALL AS CREEPY AS VERENMORE IS, I FUCKING LOVE IT!
i will say that i have a few unanswered questions and i explained the entire book to my friend on the phone the night after i finished, and not only does he want to read it, but he has the same questions i do.
i was suspicious of everyone EXCEPT who i needed to be suspicious of. even anticipating a twist, i NEVER would’ve guessed the story’s outcome. when i tell you i flipped this book closed and looked around so many times, i felt like i was being watched 😭 as good as it was, i will say, the first half of the book felt like a drag. with how detailed everything was, in some places, it felt like there was too much emphasis on the scenery and otherwise minor details. the book was hard to put down, but in some places it made me question “is this relevant?” but i still loved it!
and i’ll say this and be done: PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF SANITY, LET THERE BE A CONTINUATION OF THIS STORY BECAUSE I HAVE SOME MAJOR QUESTIONS THAT I FEEL LIKE ONLY ANOTHER STORY COULD ANSWER 😭
this book exceeded my expectations for how much i’d love it. if the exterior didn’t do it for me, the descriptions and the way the author made me feel exactly what the characters felt, THAT DID IT! 🙂↕️ everything was so vivid i felt like i could see exactly what they wanted me to see down to the specks of dust in the library. Y’ALL AS CREEPY AS VERENMORE IS, I FUCKING LOVE IT!
i will say that i have a few unanswered questions and i explained the entire book to my friend on the phone the night after i finished, and not only does he want to read it, but he has the same questions i do.
i was suspicious of everyone EXCEPT who i needed to be suspicious of. even anticipating a twist, i NEVER would’ve guessed the story’s outcome. when i tell you i flipped this book closed and looked around so many times, i felt like i was being watched 😭 as good as it was, i will say, the first half of the book felt like a drag. with how detailed everything was, in some places, it felt like there was too much emphasis on the scenery and otherwise minor details. the book was hard to put down, but in some places it made me question “is this relevant?” but i still loved it!
and i’ll say this and be done: PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF SANITY, LET THERE BE A CONTINUATION OF THIS STORY BECAUSE I HAVE SOME MAJOR QUESTIONS THAT I FEEL LIKE ONLY ANOTHER STORY COULD ANSWER 😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Suicide, and Torture
brianna_soto'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Characters lacked depth, simple writing, plot was good enough to keep reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual content
Moderate: Dementia and Grief
Minor: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
kaylak58's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Blood and Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Child death, Death, Cursing, and Forced institutionalization
marinajonesreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I got through it. Solid 2. The writing was at time pedantic and the plot lacked a lot of substance. I think we I saw “gothic romance” I was thinking along the lines of Adalyn Grace’s “Foxglove” — a slow burn, out of time, dark romance. This was dark. I will give it that. I would strongly advise one check the content warnings before reading. But the ending just lacked so much. It kind of was just there. I felt like we’d been building to something supernatural or even just unexpected. But we instead get a Scooby Do-esq storyline. And I was still left with so many questions. And not in a fun way. This felt, at times, like one big spicy book with words around it in the vague wispy form of a plot. Ironic, I know. Would I recommend? Probably not.
But I will say, the cover, binding and sprayed purple edges are beautiful. The purple and black is such a solid choice. Love the Verenmore gold foil.
But I will say, the cover, binding and sprayed purple edges are beautiful. The purple and black is such a solid choice. Love the Verenmore gold foil.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide, Grief, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent, Incest, Blood, and Bullying
readbyash's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
This book was so intense! The plot, the mystery, the tension, the twists, i was seriously gripped! The suspense, my gosh!!
I didn't want to turn the page as i wasn't sure what id be hit with, the more i read the more i wanted to solve the mystery of the castle, the mystery of Corvina while she discovered herself and the many secrets of Vad. I think i forgot how to breathe at some point! I was spooked.
A very strong plot, strong FMC / MMC and the most intense and gripping build up I've ever read with heaps of twists, especially towards the end. Just when i was figuring it out. I was thrown off. This was the first book i have read by this author and honestly what a solid start. This book is going to live in my head for a long time! Please, please, please tell me there's a second book!
“Build your castle, Corvina,” he told her quietly as they both watched the view outside. “I’m not moving anywhere. Build your castle as fucking high as you want.” ✨5/5 ✨
I didn't want to turn the page as i wasn't sure what id be hit with, the more i read the more i wanted to solve the mystery of the castle, the mystery of Corvina while she discovered herself and the many secrets of Vad. I think i forgot how to breathe at some point! I was spooked.
A very strong plot, strong FMC / MMC and the most intense and gripping build up I've ever read with heaps of twists, especially towards the end. Just when i was figuring it out. I was thrown off. This was the first book i have read by this author and honestly what a solid start. This book is going to live in my head for a long time! Please, please, please tell me there's a second book!
“Build your castle, Corvina,” he told her quietly as they both watched the view outside. “I’m not moving anywhere. Build your castle as fucking high as you want.” ✨5/5 ✨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
paula_pattinson's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I want him so bad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Violence, Death of parent, Death, and Sexual harassment
honeybeewitched87's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Don’t waste your breath on this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Cursing, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Blood, Violence, Murder, and Mental illness
dragonwriter's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Corvina Clem’s father died when she was a baby, leaving her schizophrenic mother to raise her on her own. At the age of 21, Corvina is offered a scholarship to Verenmore, a college based in a castle on top of the mountain--a castle with a dark history. Unperturbed by the stories, Corvina enrolls in the academy, curious to experience a life outside of the homeschooling and isolation her mother kept her. She’s almost instantly enthralled by Vad Deverall, a teacher working on his thesis. Though she’s warned by multiple people that student/teacher relations are against the rules, Corvina and Vad are drawn to each other, his inescapable tormenter, and her madness. But life isn’t all secret trysts in woods, in the classroom, or in the car. Every five years, someone goes missing, and there’s a dark secret lurking in the woods. If Corvina and Vad don’t discover the truth before the Ink Moon, someone could get hurt.
Verenmore gave me “Nevermore Academy” vibes from Netflix’s Wednesday--which makes sense, since it’s an anagram of the name. It amused me how genre-savvy of a character Corvina was, how she was so attuned to romance novels that she was able to translate what was happening to her to them. It was always clear that she was into the dominant vibe Vad was giving, so it was hence clear that everything was consensual. Considering the student/teacher trope (21F/28M), it surprised me how long it took for them to do it in the classroom--and then it bugged me a little that the author decided to skip over THAT particular scene after being graphic in all the other places. The writing style was basic, but the characters filled their roles and the story did its job. I thought the ambiguous solution for Corvina’s mental state was fun, and I enjoyed the final confrontation on the tower. I did NOT guess the murderer, which was a fun surprise. Overall, I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness and Death of parent