This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
About The Book
An unusual girl. An enigmatic man. An ancient castle. What could go wrong?
An outcast her entire life, Corvina Clemm is left adrift after losing her mother. When she receives the admission letter from the mysterious University of Verenmore, she accepts it as a sign from the universe. The last thing she expects though is an olden, secluded castle on top of a mountain riddled with secrets, deceit, and death.
An enigma his entire life, Vad Deverell likes being a closed book but knowing exactly everything that happens in the university. A part-time professor working on his thesis, Vad has been around long enough to know the dangers the castle possesses.
And he knows the moment his paths cross with Corvina, she’s dangerous to everything that he is.
They shouldn’t have caught each other’s eye. They cannot be. But a chill-inducing century-old mystery forces them to collide. People have disappeared every five years for over a hundred years, and Corvina is getting clues to unraveling it all, and Vad needs to keep an eye on her.
And so begins a tale of the mystique, the morbid, the macabre, and a deep love that blossoms in the unlikeliest of places.
My Review
First Impressions
Gothikana is a standalone that was written by author: RuNyx. I have to say that this book is one of the most popular gothic romances that I have ever seen. In fact, if you search for gothic romance anywhere, this book will be at the TOP of every single list (trust me I have looked) This is an author that I have seen all over bookstagram but hadn’t yet picked up. I had this one put on my list to read for Halloween because I knew that it would have the perfect Gothic-like vibes, I mean all you have to do is look at the cover and you can already sense the vibe. I have to say that when I picked this up, I was instantly sucked in the atmosphere of the story and the world-building, very quickly you will see why it’s known as such a great gothic-feeling romance. It has so many spook vibes within the story and I was so impressed with how this was written. I also enjoyed the style in which the story was written here.
Summary
The story sets off with our heroine, who was raised by a mother who homeschooled her, worked with the magical arts and tarot cards, and kept her isolated. Her father passed away when she was young. Corvina is twenty-one years old, her mother is now in a mental hospital, and she surprisingly receives a letter from a mysterious university of Verenmore. The University of Verenmore is a secluded university up high in the mountains, with much mystery surrounding it. When she arrives, she quickly makes friends, but there is a lot of intrigue and murder surrounding the mysterious deaths of past students and a professor that seems to have an aura of mystery and darkness itself. Corvina doesn’t expect to feel so drawn to Vad Deverell, but she knows that there is something more to him than meets the eye. Their relationship is considered to be forbidden, but their bond is magnetic, but with the darkness closing in around them, who can they trust and who is the one seeking to cause these disappearances and cultivating the fear and the mytery in the history of the university?
What I Loved
Gothikana is a story that you won’t expect, and it was just the right kind of book to read on Halloween. I can’t tell you how much I adored this book. It was also everything that I could have hoped for and more. Its also definitely worth ALL the hype surrounding it. I absolutely adored this book in all of its glory. I couldn’t seem to put this one down, and read it in one sitting. I have to say that its PURE GOTHIC ROMANCE. There aren’t many books that have such an atmospheric vibe, but this book emulates it in such a perfect way. I can guarantee that you won’t regret picking this one up. From the mysterious deaths, to the spooky forest, the fog like atmospere around the mountain where the University resides, and the never ending mystery surrounding the hero, you will eat this up like the best catnip. Gothic romance is one of my favorite loves in the genre, and unfortunately there isn’t that much of it. But Gothikana is the perfect representation of this theme and I was hooked so much within this story. I also was intrigued to see where the author was taking this story.
The romance itself was so addictive and so forbidden. It does have the professor and student type of forbidden feel to the story. It also has such fascinating characters that are brought into the relationship. I found the heroine so relatable, her character is unique and packed with spice. She has a softer vibe to her personality. She is more reserved, but also isn’t afraid to stand on her own when its needed. She has this vulnerability that is contagious and you are seemingly so drawn to her so quickly. Then we have our hero who has so many depths to his soul and you just hold your breath every single time that he enters the scene. I was so hooked in his character and wanted to know all of his secrets. But even when much of his past is revealed, I felt like we just scratched the surface on the scope of depth that his character is capable of. Then we have the overall relationship that is focused on between these two. I was so in tune with these two and wanted them to find their HEA but I knew that they would have to go on this journey together in discovering what their bond was capable of and the friendships they cultivate along the way. This story was simply stunning and kept my attention all the way through. I just didn’t want to put this grativating read down and just wanted more. It was so easy to be caught up in the details as the author so vividly portrayed every moment so well and in such a way that you yearned for it to never end.
What I Struggled With
There wasn’t much that I truly struggled with, I don’t think it’s quite a five-star read, but it’s more than a 4 star for me.
Overall View
Gothikana ended up being a gold star read of a romance, it was addicting, so craftily penned and beautifully pictured in the atmosphere that will only addict the reader instantly to it! AN SPOOKY GEM TO SAVOR!
Title: Gothikana
Author: RuNyx
Genre: Gothic Romance
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Length: 456 Pages
Book Links
Amazon| Goodreads| StoryGraph| Literal Club
Book Evaluation
Storytelling Quality: 5
Story Itself: 4.5
Character Development: 5
Writing Style: 4.5
World Building: 5
Feels + The Romantic Heart: 4.5
Pacing: 4
Plot: 5
Cover Art: 5
Ending: 4
Book Ratings
Overall Rating of the Book
Steam Level
Simmering—soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warm- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin’ up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.
Trigger Warning
Check Author’s Website for detailed list
About The Author
An international bestselling author, RuNyx enjoys creating universes and setting them on fire. She loves to travel, wants to adopt a dog before 30, and learn different languages. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, traveling, meditating, daydreaming, and most of all, procrastinating.
Even though she’s intensely private, she shares a strong bond with her readers. Her favorite part about writing is knowing that it has somehow changed somebody’s day in some corner of the world for the better.
Join her newsletter tribe for all updates and stalk her on her social media (although she’s self-admittedly most active on Instagram).
I’m glad this ended up being so good for you.
This does sound like the perfect Halloween read! I have somehow missed this one but it does sound really good!
Well I tried the Dark Verse (book one and two) last month for the same reason: the hype! And Gothikana is on my list as well. I am glad it didn’t disappoint you Renee it gives me hope!