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briarsinthereads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
misslys's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Medical content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
cwkhalil's review
4.5
This was DIVINE. The execution of the Dark Academia and the Romance was a cathartic experience in more ways than one. Definitely check your trigger warnings! I couldn’t put this book down; I’m obsessed with the plot, world building, characters, and science elements. It was spooky, gory, the MMC was morally grey, and there’s a forbidden Professor/Student relationship (Slow Burn! - it’s a facet of the story, not the whole premise). I enjoyed that the spice didn’t take over the story, and even though the mystery was a little predictable, I still wanted to read through and find out how it’ll unravel. This is by no means a perfect book, there was weird pacing on occasion, some dropped subplot points, and illogical moments, but it was overall a fun and well researched book. I’m definitely reading more Keri Lake.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, and Medical content
crystaldianee's review
dark
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Medical content
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Kidnapping
koistyfishy's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5 Can I Ask You A Question Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5
I knew that from page one... No, actually I knew from the first sentence that I was going to like this.
By the end of chapter 2, I was in love and by the end of chapter 5... I WAS OBSESSED!
I finished this ages ago... and it's still the book I keep coming back to, thinking about, obsessing about and recommending to anyone who will listen to me for more than 5 seconds THAT THEY NEED TO READ THIS!!!
𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Four years ago Lilia Vespertine watched her mother commit suicide, or at least that is what everyone says to her is what happened. No one believes her when she says her mom was sick and infected with black worms Lilia saw crawling out of her when she died. Now haunted by the trauma, and determined to discover a cure for her mom's illness, Lilia is studying to be a scientist. When tasked to write a paper on a "make-believe illness" Lilia writes about the worms, which urns her a full scholarship to the mysterious and prestigious Dracadia University. The reason is the disease is very much real. It is called Noctisoma and is found nowhere else but on the island, the university is found on. Her knowledge of the disease sparks a few curious questions. Soon, she finds herself in very close proximity to Professor Devryck Bramwell, a brilliant and devastatingly hot pathologist in charge of the laboratory researching the disease. And something about Lilia Vespirtine keeps drawing Professor Bramwell in...
𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
Lillia is feisty, and she has a pretty hard exterior as she has grown up in a difficult environment, where life hasn't always been fortunate towards her, and even basic necessities have been difficult to come by. Her home life before leaving for Dracadia is just as difficult because while her mother's boyfriend is pretty ok, the company he keeps is very questionable, causing her to garner quite a bit of unwanted attention now that she is older.
I loved her tenacity, her curiosity and her metaphorical balls that she was able to question and challenge things and stand up for herself when she needed to. Her thirst for knowledge and her drive to try and understand it was really impressive. Having read a few books that contain a woman in STEM, I am often wary of the depiction as it often turns into a "sexist fest". I appreciated that this book didn't do that. She is given credit. She was never underestimated or had her ability diminished. Her sex wasn't held against her and I liked that it gave a very good representation of what a woman in STEM could look like. About the fact that she can be smart and brilliant and passionate and have a mind that makes her equal.
Professor Devryck Bradwell was definitely an interesting character and MMC. He was an absolute dick and arsehole which meant obviously I love him and he plays into the whole "I hate everyone, including her". He often likened Lilia to a virus, parasite and poison, that has crawled into his mind and infected him. He is not happy about her presence and he is really not happy about what her presence does to him. He is haunted by his own trauma. Scarred from being physically and emotionally abused by his parent, and dealing with his grief that he hasn't come to terms with in the years since he's lost his brother. He is a hard man, doesn't take shit and has this bad-boy persona that should not exist on a professor.
I'm not going to lie, when I first saw that a big part of this plot had to do with gross parasitic worms that remind me of leeches, especially since some of them have teeth, I was a little bit grossed out. BUT, the writing in this has such a compelling and alluring effect that I was absolutely addicted to its pages. The way that the science and the fantasy elements are blurred together, especially since the aspects of science were so rooted in fact, that it was almost impossible to discern what was real and what wasn't was brilliant!
You can see, no actually, YOU CAN FEEL that Keri Lake has done a lot of scientific research into this book because the terminology, methodology, examples and aspects she pulls from science is not just common knowledge. The tools, equipment and procedures used were spot on.
Do not be persuaded that this is long, because it will not feel this way. The book takes time to develop but its pacing felt right and gave the characters a chance to grow and develop feelings for each other. I do think the ending was a little fast though - especially for the reveals that came at the end.
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ Dark Academia
▶ Forbidden Romance
▶ Morally Grey MMC
▶ Tending to Injuries
▶ ProfessorXStudent
▶ Age Gap
▶ He is a Daddy Death
𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Hand Necklaces
▷ "Fuck It"
Overall I loved this! I am STILLL THINKING ABOUT IT! It sang to the scientist within me and made my happy place purr. ACTUALLY, lots of things in this book made my happy place purr. This is currently tied as one of the best books I have read this year.... so there is that...
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5
I knew that from page one... No, actually I knew from the first sentence that I was going to like this.
By the end of chapter 2, I was in love and by the end of chapter 5... I WAS OBSESSED!
I finished this ages ago... and it's still the book I keep coming back to, thinking about, obsessing about and recommending to anyone who will listen to me for more than 5 seconds THAT THEY NEED TO READ THIS!!!
𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Four years ago Lilia Vespertine watched her mother commit suicide, or at least that is what everyone says to her is what happened. No one believes her when she says her mom was sick and infected with black worms Lilia saw crawling out of her when she died. Now haunted by the trauma, and determined to discover a cure for her mom's illness, Lilia is studying to be a scientist. When tasked to write a paper on a "make-believe illness" Lilia writes about the worms, which urns her a full scholarship to the mysterious and prestigious Dracadia University. The reason is the disease is very much real. It is called Noctisoma and is found nowhere else but on the island, the university is found on. Her knowledge of the disease sparks a few curious questions. Soon, she finds herself in very close proximity to Professor Devryck Bramwell, a brilliant and devastatingly hot pathologist in charge of the laboratory researching the disease. And something about Lilia Vespirtine keeps drawing Professor Bramwell in...
𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
Lillia is feisty, and she has a pretty hard exterior as she has grown up in a difficult environment, where life hasn't always been fortunate towards her, and even basic necessities have been difficult to come by. Her home life before leaving for Dracadia is just as difficult because while her mother's boyfriend is pretty ok, the company he keeps is very questionable, causing her to garner quite a bit of unwanted attention now that she is older.
I loved her tenacity, her curiosity and her metaphorical balls that she was able to question and challenge things and stand up for herself when she needed to. Her thirst for knowledge and her drive to try and understand it was really impressive. Having read a few books that contain a woman in STEM, I am often wary of the depiction as it often turns into a "sexist fest". I appreciated that this book didn't do that. She is given credit. She was never underestimated or had her ability diminished. Her sex wasn't held against her and I liked that it gave a very good representation of what a woman in STEM could look like. About the fact that she can be smart and brilliant and passionate and have a mind that makes her equal.
Professor Devryck Bradwell was definitely an interesting character and MMC. He was an absolute dick and arsehole which meant obviously I love him and he plays into the whole "I hate everyone, including her". He often likened Lilia to a virus, parasite and poison, that has crawled into his mind and infected him. He is not happy about her presence and he is really not happy about what her presence does to him. He is haunted by his own trauma. Scarred from being physically and emotionally abused by his parent, and dealing with his grief that he hasn't come to terms with in the years since he's lost his brother. He is a hard man, doesn't take shit and has this bad-boy persona that should not exist on a professor.
I'm not going to lie, when I first saw that a big part of this plot had to do with gross parasitic worms that remind me of leeches, especially since some of them have teeth, I was a little bit grossed out. BUT, the writing in this has such a compelling and alluring effect that I was absolutely addicted to its pages. The way that the science and the fantasy elements are blurred together, especially since the aspects of science were so rooted in fact, that it was almost impossible to discern what was real and what wasn't was brilliant!
You can see, no actually, YOU CAN FEEL that Keri Lake has done a lot of scientific research into this book because the terminology, methodology, examples and aspects she pulls from science is not just common knowledge. The tools, equipment and procedures used were spot on.
Do not be persuaded that this is long, because it will not feel this way. The book takes time to develop but its pacing felt right and gave the characters a chance to grow and develop feelings for each other. I do think the ending was a little fast though - especially for the reveals that came at the end.
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ Dark Academia
▶ Forbidden Romance
▶ Morally Grey MMC
▶ Tending to Injuries
▶ ProfessorXStudent
▶ Age Gap
▶ He is a Daddy Death
𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Hand Necklaces
▷ "Fuck It"
Overall I loved this! I am STILLL THINKING ABOUT IT! It sang to the scientist within me and made my happy place purr. ACTUALLY, lots of things in this book made my happy place purr. This is currently tied as one of the best books I have read this year.... so there is that...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Gun violence and Rape
kenzie_grace22's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
Keri Lake has officially become one of my favorite authors from this book alone. The writing was immaculate. This book was rather long, but not once did it slow down, drag, or get boring. Her descriptive writing amazes me. An amazing plot PLUS well written spice? Can’t get better than that. And a morally grey MMC and an actual intelligent and independent FMC!! This book was so amazing and I highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
migraineee's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and Medical content
krista_timm's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
The plot really makes the slow burn not as bad in this book. Towards the end of the book, there were so many twists, it was hard to keep track of them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Stalking
milena99's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
lauraschuhmann's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
would be a 5⭐️ read if it wasn’t for the beginning which was really hard to get into as it was describing a lot of different things with an unreliable mc to deal with. additionally, sometimes some things were too descriptive which I understand adds to the charm and aesthetics of the book but sometimes you just wanted the plot because with these two you couldn’t get enough. totally loved this dark academia book, also if you liked this one, read gothikana!! 🖤 also i need an extended epilogue WTF please😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail