“If this is madness, drown me in it.” […]
“If this is madness, I’ve already descended too far.”
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Gothikana è il primo libro che ho letto dell’autrice, mi sono innamorata del suo stile di scrittura e nell’arco di due settimane ho recuperato tutti i suoi libri😂 (prima o poi vi porterò le recensioni dei vari libri della Dark Verse). Avevo questo libro da un po’ in tbr e a convincermi è stata @unspokenbooks 👀 best scelta ever🙌🏼.
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📖Emarginata per tutta la vita, la vita di Corvina Clemm cambia quando riceve una lettera di ammissione dalla misteriosa Università di Verenmore. Quindi, prendendo questa come la sua possibilità di una vita migliore con nuove opportunità, accetta di trasferirsi lì. Corvina ha sempre sentito delle voci, voci che l’hanno accompagnata per tutta la vita e che in questa situazione la convinceranno ad andare. Una volta arrivata a Verenmore, Corvina diventa amica e coinquilina di una ragazza di nome Jade che ha avuto un piccolo incidente l’anno precedente all'Università che l’ha obbligata ad allontanarsi, ma è tornata per completare gli studi. Corvina poi incontra l'enigmatico Vad Deverell, un professore temuto da tutti perché nessuno sa nulla di lui e bramato dalle studentesse e dal personale per il suo aspetto accattivante. La chimica tra Corvina e Vad è immediata, la si può respirare nell’aria sin dal primo momento. Tra sguardi intensi e terribili avvertimenti, cercano di resistere all'attrazione ma senza successo. Nel frattempo qualcosa di oscuro circonda Verenmore: diversi studenti iniziano a togliersi la vita e anche il tempo in cui diversi studenti ogni 5 anni scompaiono misteriosamente si avvicina sempre di più. Corvina e Vad risolveranno il mistero dietro tutto questo o la storia si ripeterà di nuovo?
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Il libro mi ha presa sin da subito e sicuramente questo ha a che vedere con l’ambientazione dark e gotica. Non tutto viene rivelato, alcune cose rimarranno segrete e non ne verremo mai a conoscenza. Il fatto che sembra esserci l’elemento del sovrannaturale ma non ne siamo completamente sicuri è fatto benissimo e attira il lettore nella trappola.
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Anche la caratterizzazione dei personaggi è fatta benissimo. Corvina è una ragazza impavida, quasi sociopathic borderline per via dell’assenza delle sue emozione che vengono portate a galla solo quando è in compagnia del caro professore😏. Vad è intenso e vi farà seriamente mettere in dubbio la vostra sanità mentale🙃. Le scene tra di loro non possono essere descritte se non così: 🤌🏼🔥🚨🥵😮‍💨😈👅. A parte gli scherzi, io sono una grandissima fan della teacher/student trope e qui è fatta divinamente. L’age gap non è troppo differente ma anche se lo fosse stato non avrebbe influenzato la mia valutazione, just saying.
“𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐈 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧, 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐈 𝐬𝐨𝐚𝐫. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝐈 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞.”
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La trama è avvincente e il mystery rende il tutto ancora più intrigante😍 non vedo l’ora che uscirà a Arkana per leggere di più delle vicende che riguardano Verenmore👀.
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Ho già citato alcuni dei trigger warning nella trama e nella recensione però vi lascio qui la lista della spesa: suicide, murder, death, mentions of mental illnesses, neglectful parenting, mentions of sexual assault, mentions of human sacrifice.
Il libro c’è anche in italiano, è stato tradotto dalla @virgibooks 🤍
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Thank you @netgalley for sending me the ARC of the new edition🤞🏼✨

There's potential and I was attracted by the blurb. I think that the world building is interesting but there's no chemistry between the two MCs and their relationship felt a bit force and not exciting.
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I am absolutely, completely, OBSESSED with this book. When you search the genre “gothic romance” in google this should be the first book that pops up.

From the moment you start you are transported to a spooky, eerie vibe that only increases each page. Corvina is slowly discovering the mystery that is Verenmore and as the reader you are learning more and more with her.

The romance is a slow-ish burn but with excellent tension and a LOT of flirty, forbidden banter. Was some of the lines a little cringy? Yes. But it went with the mood of the whole book.

Some things were left unsaid but I feel satisfied with how it ended.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Solaris Books for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review*

I dnf'ed this book at 45%. The smut was all over the place. The characters were really forgettable and I couldn't care for the story. I really hated though the trope student-professor relationship. This wasn't for me I guess.

Gothikana is brilliantly unlike things I have read recently. The Gothic influences of the novel work to keep the reader constantly guessing where the story will go next. Verenmore is perfectly spooky and intense to match the plot of the novel and I loved the detailed descriptions inside the castle and its rooms.

While I enjoyed both Corvina and Vad as characters, I did feel as though I couldn't connect to them as strongly as I would've liked, but perhaps that's part of the distrust each of these characters provides to the plot. Until the end, I was never really sure who I liked - and that's what makes the storyline so gripping. I would've liked more detail in the secondary characters though, as I really liked the kind of friendship that they provided to Corvina who has been alone most of her life.

I'm glad I picked up this book to see what the hype was about, otherwise I think I would have dismissed it as not really my type of genre but I really enjoyed reading it!

Thanks to Rebellion Publishing and NetGalley for an early release copy of this book! I will post a review of this book on my TikTok (@thebookishkat) when we are closer to the publication date.

I love this author’s work and this book was no exception. Her stories and the writing style really calls to me and her characters are so layered and fascinating. Absolutely loved it!!

I was super excited for this, I love dark academia and I've heard so many great things about it, however it kinda just fell flat for me...

I liked the quirky, different aspects of the FMC but I felt like that wasn't explored enough. Like it was such a big part of the book but it was just shrugged off as If I hadn't gotten invested in actually knowing the ins and outs, the same with the university really, there was too much left to interpretation for me.

I found so much interesting but instead of the author delving into any of it, it was just smut and I found myself losing interest which anyone who knows me knows I don't say often.

I did like twist towards the end, it definitely brought the book up a fraction, I wasn't really expecting it at all but again I do think it could have been expanded on more.

I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t love it and I wasn’t very impressed by it. It was just a nice book.

4.5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

"This is lust," she whispered, trying to validate it, excuse it.

"No, Corvina," the side of his lips twitched. "I've known lust. This is something worse, This is a barbaric need to possess, to eliminate, to own. This is madness."

Gothikana is standalone NA dark academia romance following 21 year old Corvina after she received a mysterious invitation to an exclusive school, the University of Verenmore. Upon her arrival she finds a school steeped in dark lore, haunting mysteries, and a string of unexplainable deaths hidden behind the facade of a beautiful and grand campus. Yet it is the silver eyes of one Vad Deverall, a student and part-time teacher who she is inexplicable drawn towards. As time progresses Corvina sets out to unpack the secrets dogging her footsteps and threatening her insanity but the dangers around this silver-eyed devil may prove to be her undoing.

Corvina comes across a a typical YA paranormal romance character but in all the best ways. She is really well rounded that I had a lot of fun with her. She is inquisitive and I appreciated how her backstory unravelled throughout the journey as it gave us time to really understand her. There were a couple times I felt she was a bit clueless but she was an easy character to follow.

Vad is the typical dark and forbidden male love interest. His relationship with Corvina is a very fine line with him not only being her teacher and more. At the same time, his passion and intrigue builds a mystery I just loved diving into each time they interacted, no matter how hard he tried to put distance. He always found a way to save some of the best times of the book.

This book contains a good amount of slice and I would say this is more of a medium to fast burn with instant attraction between the characters. I felt the spice was really well done and the forbidden aspect of their relationship heightened the tension. I would say 3.5 peppers out of 5 peppers on the spice scale.

"I'm in your head, in your blood, in your very veins. I've claimed you before anything else ever good. Your body, your heart, your mind, you ******* soul, it's all mine. Your hunger is mine to feed, you madness is mine to tame. Do you feel that?"

In terms of the the story, this a mystery with semi-paranormal underpinnings that the characters are trying to unravel. The book is a smooth read but can, at times, move quite quickly which was hard during some of the more dark plot points (trigger warning: suicide, murder). I felt some of the twists were expected but there was one towards the end I did not imagine at all which was a delight. I found how the entwining of the characters and their stories into the plot was well executed and I enjoyed it. At the same time, I would say this is a fairly traditional story. if you were reading YA in the later 2000s, early 2010s you will likely feel a lot of nostalgia diving into this and it actually endeared me to the story more. It was the YA comfort I loved with spice! The ending was satisfying and it's been awhile since I was able to find a good standalone story!

If you're looking for a dark and lush NA story with spice, a unique school setting, a dangerous mystery to solve, and characters to easy follow, this is definitely a book to check out!

Thank you to the author and Rebellion Publishing for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and Rebellion Publishing for the ebook copy of the book!
The first thing that interested me in this book is definitely the title + the dark academia mention, and it's safe to say that this year gothic stories and dark academia have been something I really seek out in books. I tried to avoid reading too much of the description but I think the novel encapsulated a lot of its genre, particularly in the setting, which is my favorite thing about it. The big castle, the woods, the towers etc all made me swoon (+ it's even better when listening to a dark academia classical music playlist, it really felt as if I were living in the world).
However, I my issues is mostly with the characters. Corvina, the protagonist, is a 21 y.o girl that gets enrolled into this mysterious university but falls in love with someone she's not supposed to- the "devil" of the uni, and also her professor. Leaving the appropriateness of the relationship aside (I am a student myself and felt uncomfortable most of the time unfortunately), I feel like the characters were very incoherent during their first stages of attraction (and I mean that they did something, he would say never again and the next day do the very same thing again) and I found their dialogues sort of unnatural and overly focused on "physical activities" (usually I'd have no problem with that, being it a new adult book, but as I was uncomfortable already it just got worse for me). The plot also got forgotten a bit in the middle of the novel and what was supposed to be the "main event" ultimately was resolved in a few chapters at the ending.
It's a story of possessiveness and danger, so if you don't have a problem with a slight age gap and a teacher-student relationship I think you'd love it. It's smutty, it's a quick read and it has a great setting, perfect for rainy days.

3.6 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGally for the arc, in exchange for an honest review. 💕📚

A haunted boarding school set around ethereal mountains? Sign me up. I am always here for a good dark academia novel.

Cool name. Interesting story.

Corvina is summoned to study at Gothikana. A complicated school, with a complicated history. With disappearances and death happening all around her, Corvina is determined to find out what happened all those years ago, and why it is still happening today.

I literally don't even know what they are studying in this book, but I was here for the drama.

"If this is madness... drown me in it." The main love interest gives off strong creepy but hot vibes. I didn't love the main relationship of this book, it felt forced to me. But the overall plot of this book was very interesting.

If you're looking for another Dark Academia, this one is worth a go ✨.

This book was exactly what I needed in my life.

Dark, twisty, gothic, mysterious, moody, magical and sexy - it really has it all!

This is a dark academia romance featuring forbidden love. I read this book in bed in the dark with just my clip on reading light while it was raining - I had the whole entire dark vibe going and it was such a great experience. I loved how eerie and paranormal the scenes were in this, so descriptive and well written, it makes you feel as if you are right there beside the characters. I could have probably binged this entire book in one night but I had to force myself to read it slowly because I truly did not want it to end. I absolutely loved the characters, the spice, the darkness, everything!

If you are wanting to read this I HIGHLY recommend getting the paperback version. It has these absolutely beautiful and dark aesthetic pages that make the book that much more incredible and moody.

4.5/5 star rating⭐
3/5 spice rating🌶️
4/5 tension rating🔥

This was the first dark academia book I've picked up in a while, and I devoured it! It is a book you can finish in one sitting and feel satisfied with how you spent your time.

The beginning was promising; I was sucked up by the book little by little. It was so enchanting. The perfect combination of spice and paranormal suspense. RuNyx made us witness a forbidden love on school grounds, all while a mystery was happening at the castle.

The unique world-building was different from what I usually see in darker books, and I loved every second of it. The plot twists and the whole gothic vibe were so intriguing!

While the book was dark, surprisingly, the best part was the romance. There were also many sub-genres like rom-com and many others where you usually need help finding the amount of romance and chemistry you want. Still, in this book, the attraction, the want and the love was AH-MAZING.

The tension between Val and Corvina was exceptionally well written. Val is telling Corvina to stay away from him but also being the one who gravitates towards her. While Corvina is so courageous and calls him out on his behaviour despite battling with her own attraction to him.

Val's possessive love for Corvina built this darker chemistry between them, but it works so well. The chemistry. The attraction. The tension. Everything worked so well.

What an unravelling and reveal of the mystery surrounding the mountain is just so electrifying to read. The witch and the devil will live in my head rent-free. They are my madness.

Also, the new paperback edition... it's insanely beautiful!! Love, love, love. I need to get my hands on it ASAP.

Sadly this book was not for me. I think that the cover is beautiful, it definitely caught my attention making me want to read this book. As well I thought that the synopsis was very intriguing. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

4.5/5 star rating

Yummy…delicious, absolutely yummy is what this book was.

I’m obsessed…I didn’t have the biggest expectations for this read when I went into it, all I knew was cool-looking dark castle vibes, a hot professor, and mystery’s to be uncovered.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! I need a paperback immediately to annotate!

I did have some trouble with the first couple of chapters but that was just because the third person's pov takes my mind a little bit to process, but after a few chapters went by I fully was into it!

I'm obsessed, it kept me on my toes with the little twists and turns, and my jaw was on the damn floor with that plot twist. I truly loved the relationship between vad and her, it was so intriguing! You couldn’t help but love the guy even knowing you shouldn’t, and he was always there, watching her and keeping her safe... entirely in love!

I flew through this book in a sitting, not able to eat much less move from my very spot until I devoured this book whole,

It's about this girl who gets an invitation to this school in basically this hidden type castle, there she uncovers some truths that weren't expected when she arrived, she found love, a new meaning to certain things, and answers. It was filled with intrigue, a little mystery, and a keep you on your toes almost forbidden type of love with a student and her teacher (to me the age gap wasn't a big deal at all, she’s 21, he’s 27)

I won't say much more because it's the kind of book the less you know going in the better! I had so much fun finding answers along the way, being confused, and then on the edge of my seat when a crumb of information with given that could answer our questions. There's a happy ending by the way!

Gah, I can keep talking but I’m sure you don’t want my babbling! I Loved it so much😫