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amelierawr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
unhealthy dynamic, teacher-student relationship, terrible description of mental illness and let's not forget the rape downplayed as "it's always painful when you lose your virginity".
cannot wrap my head around how the ML stayed as a teacher even though rumors of him sleeping with students went around...like, what? how did he not get fired? no legal actions, nothing.
only good thing about the book is the actually not that bad of an idea the teacher-student relationship. both of them are adults, she is doing her graduation and he is doing his PhD while also teaching at the school. Still, there is an unhealthy power dynamic, which is problematic. Based on that premise itself, it could've been a really good *actual* "dark romance".
and ofc i have to consider the bad writing for my rating, bc eh
(didn't drop bc i was nearly finished anyway)
all in all,
1/10 - even Ben Shapiros trashy fascist novel was a better read
Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Bullying and Suicide
dosxhime's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Incest, Suicidal thoughts, and Stalking
Minor: Rape
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
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.
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Stalking
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
kaceereads's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Mental illness, Rape, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
whatjasread's review against another edition
- 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
• 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.
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Dementia
kateskookybookblog's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Confinement, Blood, and Vomit
Minor: Rape
marinasrecs's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
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.
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Dementia
Minor: Incest, Rape, and Fire/Fire injury
vicktorea's review against another edition
- 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
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!
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Rape