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A review by spicycronereads
Gothikana by RuNyx
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I have two print copies of this book, so it was a relief when I finally read it and actually enjoyed it. But buckle up, because I have OPINIONS.
Let’s start with the good - the author is very good at setting the scene and establishing atmosphere. She writes rich, lush descriptions that engage all the senses.
Her depictions of Corvina were compelling and it was fun to see her character arc.
Some of the spicy scenes were quite good (the one in the Black Ball? 🔥).
All of that said, I have a lot of gripes about this one. Most of these things could have been fixed with a firm developmental and line edit.
The minor: As much as I love his aesthetic and possessiveness, Deverell is actually fairly flat as a character. Some of the spicy scenes are clumsy or downright terrible. The first seggs scene was awful and had me cringing for Corvina. 😬
As I mentioned above, the author is good at establishing atmosphere. The settings and descriptions establish Verenmore as almost out of time. Corvina seems a bit naive and even old fashioned, but then there would be these moments of dialogue that would completely change the tone. For example, Corvina telling Vad “good luck getting your 🍆 wet.” it was so out of place with the overall tone and voice, it was jarring. And there are dialogue moments like that throughout.
The pacing is a bit uneven, with certain scenes feeling rushed. They needed to be given more time to breathe. Like after finding the weird shack, it never comes up again until the end.
Which brings me to the book’s relationship to Gothic literature. *pushes glasses up the bridge of my nose* Based on the chapter heading artwork and epigraphs, it seems reasonable to assume that RuNyx is a fan of Gothic literature (though that Beetlejuice epigraph felt like a bit of a stretch…). So it was disappointing that the plot left several potentially supernatural loose ends. If the Gothic typically deals with allegory for social anxieties and the female gothic particularly centers on the power of seggsuality, there was such an opportunity to tie the “preternatural” events as she termed them to Corvina’s seggsuality. It could have been so seggs positive and affirming. But byleaving the possibility of Corvina having schizophrenia and the weird loose ends with the disappearances and five new skulls, it instead leaves medical and supernatural forces in play. Could have been cool social allegory. Instead it was just a spooky, ghost tale. A definite missed opportunity.
The book does have some representation of schizophrenia though I am not informed enough to know if it was a beneficial representation. No other diverse representation. Which is…strange…in this day and age.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It kept me entertained. I wish it had had one more pass with a firm editorial hand. Disappointing that Bramble didn’t have her work with an editor once they picked it up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Let’s start with the good - the author is very good at setting the scene and establishing atmosphere. She writes rich, lush descriptions that engage all the senses.
Her depictions of Corvina were compelling and it was fun to see her character arc.
Some of the spicy scenes were quite good (the one in the Black Ball? 🔥).
All of that said, I have a lot of gripes about this one. Most of these things could have been fixed with a firm developmental and line edit.
The minor: As much as I love his aesthetic and possessiveness, Deverell is actually fairly flat as a character. Some of the spicy scenes are clumsy or downright terrible. The first seggs scene was awful and had me cringing for Corvina. 😬
As I mentioned above, the author is good at establishing atmosphere. The settings and descriptions establish Verenmore as almost out of time. Corvina seems a bit naive and even old fashioned, but then there would be these moments of dialogue that would completely change the tone. For example,
The pacing is a bit uneven, with certain scenes feeling rushed. They needed to be given more time to breathe. Like after
Which brings me to the book’s relationship to Gothic literature. *pushes glasses up the bridge of my nose* Based on the chapter heading artwork and epigraphs, it seems reasonable to assume that RuNyx is a fan of Gothic literature (though that Beetlejuice epigraph felt like a bit of a stretch…). So it was disappointing that the plot left several potentially supernatural loose ends. If the Gothic typically deals with allegory for social anxieties and the female gothic particularly centers on the power of seggsuality, there was such an opportunity to tie the “preternatural” events as she termed them to Corvina’s seggsuality. It could have been so seggs positive and affirming. But by
The book does have some representation of schizophrenia though I am not informed enough to know if it was a beneficial representation. No other diverse representation. Which is…strange…in this day and age.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It kept me entertained. I wish it had had one more pass with a firm editorial hand. Disappointing that Bramble didn’t have her work with an editor once they picked it up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Suicide
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Pregnancy