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cheesybird'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: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
viselik'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
Please DO NOT read this book if any of the following topics trigger or upset you as the book does not handle these topics with care.
SCHIZOPHRENIA, SUICIDE, SELF-HARM, ABUSE, IFFY SEXUAL SITUATIONS OR INCEST
I would have done lower stars if I could. This book honestly handles the topics inside of it really poorly. If I wasn't so stubborn about my rule about finishing a book, I would have put this down after chapter 10.
I won't really go in-depth here as I'm not even comfortable remembering the book fully, would highly recommend The Book Leo's video here on this book as she states a lot of what I feel about this book but I'll give a quick rundown of my final thoughts on it.
Spoiler
The main cast of characters all feel quite childlike at times, I'm not quite sure about it. Even the teacher character Vad Deverell feels like this a lot of the time. Even more so on how jealous he gets over Troy or Jax who are both around 19 years old. Corvina (whose name is literally a fish) I can't even get started at how childlike she seemed, or just how unaware of the danger she could be in.
Also, why did it take until around chapter 16 to find out Vad's age? Why is the author hiding it? Not to mention it's only said once, compared to the several times the student's ages are given out or even the amount of times we are told Corvina is in her early 20s.
The author does state that she made Vad's character vague but having that doesn't excuse how one-dimensional he felt most of the time. Even when we are finding out about his backstory it didn't feel like it was helping his character, at times I even preferred now knowing as I was constantly thinking by the end if he was going to kill someone like he did his grandfather.
The main mystery of the book, the Black Ball held every 5 years and each time it's on someone goes missing... well this is never answered. Instead, we get an incest scene about our love interest Vad's crazy family member who wants to have his kids so they would have good 'devil' genes and could run the school. This same family member has caused at least 2 people to jump off the roof and tried to get our MC to do it as well, she does this via a drug... Yeah. I would highly not recommend this book to anyone.
The several sex scenes in this feel rather poorly written, there are a few moments floating around the internet about some of the lines from this book but as I've read I've noticed a few more. Quite a
lot of them are all in the sex scenes and their incessant need to mention madness, but this madness is never really described.
Another thing I noticed about this book, we get a lot of being told but not having it described at all. Like the music from chapter 2 I believe, it's said to be "Haunting. Eerie. Ethereal." though nothing else is really described about it. We don't even know it's a piano till we see the guy who is playing it.
If you are looking for sex scenes, please just go look at the porn without plot tag on AO3 you could probably find even better sex scenes without having to pay for them.
SCHIZOPHRENIA, SUICIDE, SELF-HARM, ABUSE, IFFY SEXUAL SITUATIONS OR INCEST
I would have done lower stars if I could. This book honestly handles the topics inside of it really poorly. If I wasn't so stubborn about my rule about finishing a book, I would have put this down after chapter 10.
I won't really go in-depth here as I'm not even comfortable remembering the book fully, would highly recommend The Book Leo's video here on this book as she states a lot of what I feel about this book but I'll give a quick rundown of my final thoughts on it.
Spoiler
The main cast of characters all feel quite childlike at times, I'm not quite sure about it. Even the teacher character Vad Deverell feels like this a lot of the time. Even more so on how jealous he gets over Troy or Jax who are both around 19 years old. Corvina (whose name is literally a fish) I can't even get started at how childlike she seemed, or just how unaware of the danger she could be in.
Also, why did it take until around chapter 16 to find out Vad's age? Why is the author hiding it? Not to mention it's only said once, compared to the several times the student's ages are given out or even the amount of times we are told Corvina is in her early 20s.
The author does state that she made Vad's character vague but having that doesn't excuse how one-dimensional he felt most of the time. Even when we are finding out about his backstory it didn't feel like it was helping his character, at times I even preferred now knowing as I was constantly thinking by the end if he was going to kill someone like he did his grandfather.
The main mystery of the book, the Black Ball held every 5 years and each time it's on someone goes missing... well this is never answered. Instead, we get an incest scene about our love interest Vad's crazy family member who wants to have his kids so they would have good 'devil' genes and could run the school. This same family member has caused at least 2 people to jump off the roof and tried to get our MC to do it as well, she does this via a drug... Yeah. I would highly not recommend this book to anyone.
The several sex scenes in this feel rather poorly written, there are a few moments floating around the internet about some of the lines from this book but as I've read I've noticed a few more. Quite a
lot of them are all in the sex scenes and their incessant need to mention madness, but this madness is never really described.
Another thing I noticed about this book, we get a lot of being told but not having it described at all. Like the music from chapter 2 I believe, it's said to be "Haunting. Eerie. Ethereal." though nothing else is really described about it. We don't even know it's a piano till we see the guy who is playing it.
If you are looking for sex scenes, please just go look at the porn without plot tag on AO3 you could probably find even better sex scenes without having to pay for them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
- Consent is never given in one of the sex scenes. -rad_blackthorn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault
jackiespider's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
brielleborgia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
🌶🌶🌶🌶/5
I guess you could say I went straight into this unknowing what to expect. And if you’re interested in knowing what to expect:
🖤Dark Academia/ dark romance
🖤A huge mystery plot/twist you never see coming
🖤Student/teacher
🖤Morally grey frustrating but sexy MMC
🖤Messed up childhoods
🖤Deaths and suicides
🖤Spicy spicy 🎹 (you’ll understand WhY I put the piano)
🖤’I will kill everyone for you’ vibes
This was truly a dark read and it focused a lot on the plot of why are these people dying and why Corvina was invited to attend this school. The romance was more of a subplot, but damn was it THEREEEE. I love morally grey characters so when I met Vad I knew he had to be Corvina’s man. He was a bit toxic and he was very frustrating at times.
*when I was reading this at night, I was freaked out. This is really gothic and creepy at times and I LOVED IT*
Sometimes I felt like Vad and Corvina annoyed me because of all of the suspense. The reader is truly confused until the very end. And after reading it, I feel like I needed to know more. It was the kind of universe that probably could’ve used a duology or even a trilogy for. This is why it’s 4.5 and not 5.
I’m totally picking up Arkana ASAP. Was not disappointed ☺️
🌶🌶🌶🌶/5
I guess you could say I went straight into this unknowing what to expect. And if you’re interested in knowing what to expect:
🖤Dark Academia/ dark romance
🖤A huge mystery plot/twist you never see coming
🖤Student/teacher
🖤Morally grey frustrating but sexy MMC
🖤Messed up childhoods
🖤Deaths and suicides
🖤Spicy spicy 🎹 (you’ll understand WhY I put the piano)
🖤’I will kill everyone for you’ vibes
This was truly a dark read and it focused a lot on the plot of why are these people dying and why Corvina was invited to attend this school. The romance was more of a subplot, but damn was it THEREEEE. I love morally grey characters so when I met Vad I knew he had to be Corvina’s man. He was a bit toxic and he was very frustrating at times.
*when I was reading this at night, I was freaked out. This is really gothic and creepy at times and I LOVED IT*
Sometimes I felt like Vad and Corvina annoyed me because of all of the suspense. The reader is truly confused until the very end. And after reading it, I feel like I needed to know more. It was the kind of universe that probably could’ve used a duology or even a trilogy for. This is why it’s 4.5 and not 5.
I’m totally picking up Arkana ASAP. Was not disappointed ☺️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Dementia and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury
amelierawr'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? No
1.0
I seriously don't know why the rating is so good, it was worse than bad- it's straight up horrible.
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Bullying and Suicide
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
A deliciously dark romance that fans of broody, mysterious and domineering love interests will absolutely eat up. But do be aware it deals with some really dark themes so I do advise checking the TWs before reading.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Stalking
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
millercaroline_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
This read was such a crazy ride omg. I don’t usually read thrillers and originally started this book for the hot Professor lol. But I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone because this book had me sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time. As it progressed things just kept getting wilder and it was soooo good! There were times when I got whiplash from trying to decide if I trusted a character, there were great plot twists, and the SPICE WAS SO GOOD. Don’t get me started on the black ball omg. This book was very dark so definitely check content warnings before going ahead!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
whatjasread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
• professor x student is *not my thing* but vad deverell has me (and corvina) in a chokehold
• 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.
• 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.
Content Warnings
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