Gothikana spins a spooky tale of forbidden romance, a creepy castle, and student disappearances. The chemistry between the two main characters is electric. I really hope to see more form this world and find out more secrets about Verenmore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bramble for the ARC!

This is a great mixture of dark academia and erotic romance that makes the perfect book for dark romance readers. The forbidden romance was steamy and had me rooting for Corvina and Vad. It was deliciously filled with tension and even though it was kind of insta-love, you can’t resist the nickname he gave Corvina. A really fun and quick read that I’d recommend, especially since the new reprint has purple sprayed edges.

"Your body, your heart, your mind, your f*cking soul, it’s all mine. Your hunger is mine to feed, your madness is mine to tame."

This was such a fun read and something entirely different than my normal books! It's unlocked a new love of dark academia for me and I'm all for it! the romance was cheesy at times but was still cute in a gothic setting!

The large black rose, Gothic castle-like structure and wrought iron fences on the cover of “Gothikana” by RuNyx told me all I needed to know about this book before I decided to read it.

Sometimes it can be okay to judge a book by its cover; it helps draw people in when it’s especially good.

After a few chapters in, I realized the story and setting reminded me of the storyline of the “Wednesday” Netflix show about Wednesday Adams.

Corvina, the main character, finds out she’s accepted to Verenmore Academy, an old castle in the middle of a mountain with a dark past of deaths and disappearances.

Growing up being referred to as the local witch, Corvina and her mother had a quiet life with a deeply close relationship. When she’s 21, she receives a letter saying she was accepted into Verenmore, a college known for people who don’t exactly fit in with others.

She’s excited for her future and quickly makes new friends, including her roommate Jade who reminds me a lot of Wednesday’s roommate Edith in the show.

Shortly after arriving on campus, Corvina hears a haunting, hypnotic melody coming from a piano and when she follows the sound all the way to the top of a tower, she finds Vad Deverrel sitting at the bench.

Vad is a PhD student who is filling in as a teacher (they’re only about seven years apart so it’s not creepy) and the two quickly have an infatuation for one another. As their relationship progresses, you find out more about the characters and the lore behind Verenmore.

RuNyx blends fantasy and romance well without there being too much of one or the other. Admittedly, I was really close to giving up about halfway through the book. But I’m glad I stuck with it. All it took was me reading a little bit further before I was hooked.

I guess they call that a “slow build” and I usually hate it when people say “it takes a while to get into it but once you do it’s worth it.” But sometimes it’s true. It’s at least helpful knowing it’s worth your while to power through the slower parts.

What made it seem to drag in the beginning was how slowly the plot developed. It mainly focused on the teasing nature of Corvina and Vad’s forbidden romance and not enough on the plot. But eventually, everything balanced out. There’s also a twist you don’t see coming.

Another thing I liked is that it’s a standalone novel. I was hoping I didn’t have to go back on my word and review another book that’s part of a series.

RuNyx ended the story properly and left no stone unturned by the end.

I highly recommend “Gothikana” for fans of fantasy and romance with a little bit of the macabre thrown in.

From the pacing to the story itself, I was not a fan of this one. It just seemed so forced and ridiculous. There was no real chemistry between the two leads despite her constant claims that he made her feel so much and he just came across as mean. The fantasy story could have saved it had it made any sense at all. Pass on this one.

I'm not a romance reader. I'm much too cynical, much too jaded to really enjoy a love story that ends happily. Gothikana isn't going to change that. It hit all the stereotypical, cliche criticisms of romance- cheesy, cheesy, CHEESY. But. BUT. I'm a gothic horror fan, and this had some fun elements of that. I was also pretty sucked in. I read this really quickly, and I found myself wanting to come back to it to find out what the hell is going on in this little haunted place of Verenmore. I'm a Poe and Dracula fan, and I felt like this held a lot of promise. I wish that it had given me a bit more and had been more polished. I may not give it a high rating, but I won't forget it any time soon. 3 stars.

Gothikana was not a book that was written for me. I struggled with the writing and plot, and found the romance pretty cringy on top of that. I think part of the reason I was not a fan is because dark academia books are not for me, even though I love the aesthetic. It does win points for funniest book quotes I have encountered in quite some time with: "A part of her wanted to break the eye contact and blush furiously at the singular masculine attention from a very masculine male." and "Panties she wore every day except when she just didn't want to."

I will say that the mystery aspect of the missing people and suicides was genuinely engaging after making it through a third of the book, but I wouldn't say it was worth muddling through the rest of the book.

This story felt juvenile and not adult gothic. I grabbed this one because the cover was plain gorgeous!! I mean look at that thing!!! But sadly that is where my enjoyment left with this one. I have to say that the writing was not up to par. The characters were a mess and the insta lust and everything doing with the romance was just ugh.

There was certainly parts of this story that were enjoyable and others that weren't. I actually didn't love Corvina.... she was just meh to me. Also I tired of them constantly describing the colour of ones eyes or hair.... Trust me I know her eyes are purple and his hair is greying.... The end twists was an actual surprise and I wish there was more focus on the mystery of the school.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc!

Unfortunately this was not for me. Dark romance can be hit or miss for me, and sadly I did not love this one as much as I was hoping to.

Gothikana is one of those books where you're either going to love it or hate it. Personally, I am in the later.

I think for dark romance girls, who like intense interactions between the couples, and spicy moments this book will be for you., We follow Corvinna as she attends a mysterious, isolated, university located on a mountain. Soon, she makes friends, learns the local lore surrounding the premises, and meets "the silver eyed devil" who is also her professor. While I do like student teacher trope when done in college, this one didn't work for me. They felt weird and slightly gross.

The time period is also weird because at first I thought it was set in a fantasy world without electricity for some reason. The writing didn't work for me. It felt immature while telling a mature story.

Overall, the writing, the story itself with plotholes, and the lack of chemistry I felt with the couple is why this raked very low for me.

I'm so upset the publisher chose to use an AI cover for this book when they put so much effort into making this book special (illustrated endpages, sprayed edges, a first print of 100K). Like they were spending the money on this book and then INTENTIONALLY picked an AI cover. If you look at the physical book there is not a cover artist only the cover designer who did the typography and layout. I'm so incredibly disappointed in Bramble Romance and TOR.

Okay this is definitely what they say it is, dark academia. 21 year old get a new start at a new University but this Uni is something more with a mystery she is set on solving. While there she meets Vad and has a kinda of a insta-lust romance. Where the synopsis sounds great there was no real execution. I wish more time was spent on the mystery and not so much on the graphic exploits of the MC together.

Wow, the writing here is not at the level I'm used to with Tor books. I couldn't get through this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback

I definitely think that there are some dark fantasy lovers who will eat this up! I don't really see the Beauty and the Beast comparison (except for the castle...?) but I liked how fast the pace was.

Touted as Beauty and the Beast x Dracula, this dark academia romance was absolutely gorgeous and everything I could have wanted.

I'm only in the beginning of my fantasy reading era, and this one won't be able to be topped for a long time.

Must buy, must read.

Gothikana is a forbidden love story between a professor and a student that represents dark academia. I had assumed there would be a difference in age, but Vad, Corvina's lecturer, is 27 years old and enrolled in graduate school. Corvina starts college at age 21. These two have such crazy chemistry and are really hot together that it's like it was love at first sight. Corvina herself was raised in a distinctive setting. Her mother had schizophrenia and she was homeschooled for her whole childhood. She is going to this remote school for the first time, where she will actually get to interact with others, make new acquaintances, and experience her first love. I wish there had been more chapters written from Vad's point of view.

Although I thoroughly loved the romance in this book, the suspense and atmosphere ended up being my favorite parts. The environment was expertly crafted by the author to make the school eerie, creepy, and haunted. A pupil disappears and is never found again every few years. There have also been student deaths; the most recent was that of the girl who had shared Corvina's bed and dorm room. I was kept on edge since I had no idea who or what may be responsible for the killings and disappearances. Very enjoyable and I hope the next book shows us more Vad.

Like this book and would recommend. If you like academic settings and are ok with student to teacher relationship then it is a far and enjoyable easy read

I love a dark academia backdrop, but this was my first dark romance in this setting. This unconventional love story in a haunting setting is a great standalone novel if you are looking to dip your toes into a dark fantasy romance as a genre. I would say check the trigger warnings, but compared to other dark romance I have read (which is really only a handful) I didn’t find this one to be TOO dark, so that’s why I say it might be a good starting ground for someone new to the genre (like me!)...but obviously everyone has different triggers so just be sure to do what is best for you before taking on this or any dark romance.


Check this out if you like:


teacher/student (age gap)
Forbidden romance
whodunnit/mystery component
Gothic vibes
Atmospheric, creepy school