Reviews with content warning for Blood - Gothikana

This book had me SPIRALING. I honestly did not know where this was going to go or how this was going to end, and didn’t until I got to the very end.

The way Corvina feels throughout the book is so incredibly relatable, and the style in which the author transcribes perfectly just how Corvina feels.. The words are utterly breathtaking at times. I have so many quotes saved that just hit close to home and were so dark & beautifully said.

‘Gothikana’ reminded me why “books-that-make-you-think” are my absolute freaking favorite.

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mae_dexter_author's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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chasie_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

7/10 <3
this was a very entertaining read. it took me a while to get into it because the beginning was a little rough- but around 25% in i decided i enjoyed it enough to continue. i'm glad i did, too. this def wasn't Ru's strongest writing and seemed a little rushed at times with some editing flaws, and a good bit of repetition, but the plot was great and so was their story. the vibes and spice was great too :)

to be honest, there were only like a handful or less of moments/ dialogue that were either very fanfic-y or cringe (that one fucking line that Vad said about being a pirate plundering her shores made me have to close the book at take a lap around the house, it was so embarrassing to read 😭 like i get what he said is poetic but that's not a bar that anyone says out loud😭) and even then it was still entertaining. like, was it a masterpiece? absolutely not? did it struggle sometimes? yeah, a bit. but was it fun? YES.

the plottwists and the mystery were done really well and by the end it was a rollercoaster of emotions. but then again, Ru is exceptionally talented at blindsiding you with the most delicious plottwists. their epilogues were sooo sweet and heartwarming and i just really love their relationship. atp i will read anything Ru writes.

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klpage's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Unfortunately the spice in this book took over from the plot. Which I didn’t like to read about constantly.

I loved the aesthetic of the book, and the last 50 pages of interesting plot, but that was it unfortunately.

Not for me I’m afraid!

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pastelbread's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The mystery in this book kept me interested, but the twist wasn't for me. One part surprised me, but the other part seemed reductive and trite.

As a whole, didn't love the romance, but that's because it's very lusty and not much "get to know you" happened. The demi in me just couldn't get on board with it all. The sexy parts seemed unrealistic at times too, but that's a whole other conversation. Also, I felt like there were just a lot of questions I never got answers to, and while the characters might've been fine with it, I wanted to know as it felt like a huge part of the mystery of it all.

In the end, I was interested throughout, but a lot of it was just a miss for me as things came to light. Great for gothic girlies who love when the LI calls the MC a "good girl" and enjoys a little bit of a psychological/paranormal thriller. I am not that type of girly.

Rep: Parent with schizophrenia and dementia

TW: blood, suicide, murder, death, torture, fire, sexual content, kidnapping; mentions abandonment, death of a parent, bullying

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bonez_x's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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