Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Gothikana by RuNyx

60 reviews

mirandahems's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent

fabledandfantasy's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

RuNyx's *Gothikana* is an absolute gem! The moody, gothic, and witchy vibes had me hooked from the get-go. It’s like stepping into a dark, magical world that you just can't get enough of.

The male lead is everything I love in a character—mysterious and intense, just like the Phantom of the Opera. He brings so much depth and intrigue to the story, making it impossible to put down.

The plot is super well-paced, keeping the suspense alive throughout. Every twist and turn kept me on my toes, and the added spice was just perfect—not too much, but enough to add that extra zing.

Overall, *Gothikana* is a fantastic read that combines suspense, romance, and gothic charm effortlessly. If you're into dark, moody tales with a supernatural twist, you’re going to love this book. Highly recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

asims723's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I liked this, but I also didn't. I told a friend at one point I hoped that the morally gray MMC fed the idiot protagonist to the lake ghosts, and I think that ending would have been much more interesting than what actually happened (what actually happened?)...I also wish Mo had been given more lines in this book. Or that it had been written from his perspective.
So what did I like? This book pairs nicely with a Pinot Noir. The atmosphere was dark and vibing. Ruins, woods, dungeons, towers, creepy shacks...those were all highlights.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Suicide, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Death of parent

kristanjenkins's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical content, Dementia, Stalking, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

austinisweird's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Review:
tbh I didn't care for the main character or the smut 
(there was no plot 😭)
___________________
Reread:

I mentally pronounce Corvina name "Corona"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Incest, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Cursing and Death of parent

wii3rdo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

the way my body and mind reacted to the paranoid, suspenseful, and tense moments in this book needs to be STUDIED! it doesn’t help that i finished reading the last 40% after midnight when my house was dead silent and dark...but we’ll gloss over that detail for now 😅

this book exceeded my expectations for how much i’d love it. if the exterior didn’t do it for me, the descriptions and the way the author made me feel exactly what the characters felt, THAT DID IT! 🙂‍↕️ everything was so vivid i felt like i could see exactly what they wanted me to see down to the specks of dust in the library. Y’ALL AS CREEPY AS VERENMORE IS, I FUCKING LOVE IT!

i will say that i have a few unanswered questions and i explained the entire book to my friend on the phone the night after i finished, and not only does he want to read it, but he has the same questions i do.

i was suspicious of everyone EXCEPT who i needed to be suspicious of. even anticipating a twist, i NEVER would’ve guessed the story’s outcome. when i tell you i flipped this book closed and looked around so many times, i felt like i was being watched 😭 as good as it was, i will say, the first half of the book felt like a drag. with how detailed everything was, in some places, it felt like there was too much emphasis on the scenery and otherwise minor details. the book was hard to put down, but in some places it made me question “is this relevant?” but i still loved it!

and i’ll say this and be done: PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF SANITY, LET THERE BE A CONTINUATION OF THIS STORY BECAUSE I HAVE SOME MAJOR QUESTIONS THAT I FEEL LIKE ONLY ANOTHER STORY COULD ANSWER 😭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

brianna_soto's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

The characters lacked depth- I wasn't invested in them and didn’t feel any connection to them. Also didn’t care for the romance. The mystery is what kept me reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Suicide, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Dementia and Grief

Minor: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury

kaylak58's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Blood and Murder

Minor: Child death, Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent

marinajonesreads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I got through it. Solid 2. The writing was at time pedantic and the plot lacked a lot of substance. I think we I saw “gothic romance” I was thinking along the lines of Adalyn Grace’s “Foxglove” — a slow burn, out of time, dark romance. This was dark. I will give it that. I would strongly advise one check the content warnings before reading. But the ending just lacked so much. It kind of was just there. I felt like we’d been building to something supernatural or even just unexpected. But we instead get a Scooby Do-esq storyline. And I was still left with so many questions. And not in a fun way. This felt, at times, like one big spicy book with words around it in the vague wispy form of a plot. Ironic, I know. Would I recommend? Probably not.

But I will say, the cover, binding and sprayed purple edges are beautiful. The purple and black is such a solid choice. Love the Verenmore gold foil. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Incest, Blood, and Death of parent

readbyash's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

This book was so intense! The plot, the mystery, the tension, the twists, i was seriously gripped! The suspense, my gosh!! 

I didn't want to turn the page as i wasn't sure what id be hit with, the more i read the more i wanted to solve the mystery of the castle, the mystery of Corvina while she discovered herself and the many secrets of Vad. I think i forgot how to breathe at some point! I was spooked. 

A very strong plot, strong FMC / MMC and the most intense and gripping build up I've ever read with heaps of twists, especially towards the end. Just when i was figuring it out. I was thrown off. This was the first book i have read by this author and honestly what a solid start. This book is going to live in my head for a long time! Please, please, please tell me there's a second book!

“Build your castle, Corvina,” he told her quietly as they both watched the view outside. “I’m not moving anywhere. Build your castle as fucking high as you want.” ✨5/5 ✨
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis