Gothikana

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Gothikana by RuNyx
Narrator: Aiden Snow, Scarlett Dorian
Published by Bramble, Podium Audio on January 23, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Gothic
Length: 10 hrs 37 mins
Pages: 416
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher, Purchased
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The eternal romance of Beauty and the Beast meets the gothic suspense of Dracula in this erotic dark academia story of epic love from bestselling author RuNyx.

"RuNyx immerses her readers in the dark worlds she builds and then injects life into them in the most hauntingly beautiful way. Her work is unique and addictive—she really is one of a kind.”--Hannah Grace, New York Times bestselling author of ICEBREAKER

“Original, innovative, and unlike anything I’ve read before.”―L. J. Shen, USA Today bestselling author

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 old, 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 path crosses 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 over the past century, Corvina is getting clues to unraveling it all, and Vad needs to keep an eye on her.

And so begins a tale of the mysterious, the morbid, the macabre, and a deep love that blossoms in the unlikeliest of places.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

I enjoyed this one! I am a sucker for dark academia so I was very excited to give this book a try. I loved the gothic feel of the story and liked Corvina right away. It took me a minute to warm up to Vad but I did end up liking his character as well. I loved that the story kept me guessing and there were a few twists and turns that completely surprised me. I had a hard time putting this entertaining book down once I started reading.

When Corvina is invited to attend the University of Verenmore, she doesn’t hesitate. Since her mother is no longer at home, nothing is holding her back. She is a little older than other incoming students but quickly starts to form a bond with her new roommate. Then she meets Vad, who just happens to be a professor, and they are immediately drawn to each other. Some strange things are happening at the university and Corvina and Vad hope to figure out what is going on before someone else disappears.

I wasn’t sure about Corvina and Vad at first but I was eventually convinced. He is a professor at the school but he is also a thesis student so the lines are a little more blurred. There isn’t much of an age gap between the pair but Corvina was a lot more innocent. I thought that the chemistry between the pair was palpable. The emotional connection between these characters felt authentic and I wanted to see them find their happily ever after.

I ended up grabbing a copy of the audiobook and thought that Aiden Snow and Scarlett Dorian did an amazing job with this story. I am not sure if I have listened to either of these narrators’ work in the past but I appreciated their performance with this story. I liked the fact that they were able to capture the characters’s personalities through their reading which added a lot to my enjoyment of the story. I would not hesitate to recommend this entertaining and atmospheric romance to others.

I received a review copy of this book from Bramble.

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