There are some great ideas in this book, but I feel like it needs more pictures of the different steps (the written instructions are well done, but as a visual person I like lots of pictures for my diy books). I also would have like to see some templates that could have been traced and used for some of the paper items. I also didnt like that charcoal was used in some of the recipes but that is just a personal opinion. Otherwise I will say it is great for someone wanting to incorporate more goth ideas into their everyday decor.

Very interesting book. It’s different and helpful.

If you are interested in gothic life then I do recommend this one.

This book is beautiful! The photographs throughout are so nice and are the perfect addition to this book. I loved how practical the decorating tips and ideas are and how anyone (interested in Gothic décor and lifestyle) could pick this book up and learn something new. I loved reading this book; it is super inspirational!!

As a girl who loves her pastel Golden Girls-esque grandma vibes, this normally isn't how I do my own decor but I'm obsessed with those who do. It's just so damn cool!

This seems like a really great, simple primer for how to get started with dark decor that fits your budget, style, and space. I appreciate that Voltaire tries to make recommendations that everyone can take into consideration — such as spray painting items, suggestions specifically for renters, shopping at generally accessible stores (Ross, Marshall's, Target, etc.), adjusting items for vegan concerns, etc.

Overall, this is a gorgeously crafted book with lots of ideas to get started with curating spooky vibes to your heart's content!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.)

I'm absolutely obsessed when people are passionate about things that make them happy, and want to share it with the world! This book is so incredibly niche, but beautifully done and interesting that I think it might reach a larger scale of people. My favourite chapter, is near the beginning and it is a list, with pictures included, of iconic people who have taken on the gothic lifestyle and who are an inspiration to the author. My favourites include Barbarella and Blade! Throughout the book you are taught different crafts and hacks/decor tips to make your home feel more gothic. Examples include: Candle wax bottles and a beautiful old chest. The crafts look very fun and I think that there is a lot of fun to be diving into the gothic nature and lifestyle.

As Voltaire mentions about his music, monthly listeners increase during the more spooky/Halloween adjacent months; I expect that the sales of this book will also follow this trend. However, readers will be entranced by Voltaire's earnest and passion.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC for early review.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

Prior to picking Gothic Life up I had never heard of Aurelio Voltaire or his show Gothic Homemaking, and now I'm discovering that there's several albums I need to listen to and that wall decals are the unholy saviour of apartment-dwelling goths.

This is a *fun* book, filled with humour, heart, and happy horror. While a good portion of it is dedicated to DIY projects and shilling for the brand, I did really enjoy the moments where things slowed down and talked about colour palettes, feature walls, ethically sourced human skulls, and the history of the goth aesthetic. Do I think I will use any of the DIY projects included? Probably not. Do I dream of having an apartment that looks like the Lair of Voltaire? Absolutely. The tough balancing act between traditional vampire abode and JoAnn's Halloween clearance is clearly important to the author and I love the focus and love that he showed to each and every goth archetype and stereotype. Showing that anything can be achieved on a budget, an apartment isn't unchangeable, and that bats and skeletons are year-round decor makes Gothic Life a fun and fresh jaunt for the undead decor girlies and home renovation addicts.

I really loved reading Gothic Life by Aurelio Voltaire. This book is a fun introduction to gothic decor, making it great for people who want to design their first space with a spooky vibe. Voltaire encourages people to embrace the darker side of life, which really shows in this beautiful collection of his ideas.

The book begins with an interesting look at the history and mindset of goth culture, featuring famous figures like Vincent Price, Tim Burton, and Elvira. I especially enjoyed learning a little about the history and inspiration behind gothic style, it added a nice context. The colour combinations suggested in the book go beyond just black, offering great ideas for creating a sophisticated living space with the vibe you want.

The dark DIY projects are clearly written and easy to follow, using affordable and easy-to-find items. Voltaire has a variety of projects covering hosting, holidays, and decorating, so whether you’re a fan of his DIY guides on YouTube and music or just getting into the gothic scene, this book has something for everyone wanting to enhance their goth style.

Overall, Gothic Life is a charming decorating book filled with goth personality. It’s perfect for anyone wanting to express their inner goth all year round or looking for spooky ideas for their next Halloween party. I highly recommend it for those interested in DIY projects with a dark twist.

One word of caution: be careful with the recipes that include charcoal. Charcoal can affect medications, including birth control, so it’s important to check before cooking anything that uses it.

I’m Im very into the goth aesthetic so when I saw this for download on Netgalley I had to get a copy. This is all about how to transform your home into the perfect goth hideaway and how to entertain in those spaces.

I quite liked the home decor part of this book. It offers a lot of tips tricks and ideas on how to transform your home into the goth aesthetic that matches you perfectly. I particularly like all of the DIY moments so that you can have the ultimate level of personalization.

The reason that my rating is so low is because of the food section. I like most of the recipes in here and they sound tasty. I have SEVERE issues with the recipes that call for the addition of activated charcoal for the spooky aesthetic. I thought we all learned that it’s very bad for people to eat this stuff without a medical reason to do so. Activated charcoal will bind to ANY medication that you might be taking and pull it out of your system, rendering it inert. Blood pressure meds? Heart meds? Psychiatric meds? Birth control tablets? Say goodbye to all of it.

Overall I like most of this book but I 100% cannot recommend this to anyone as long as the charcoal recipes are included in this. It’s frankly dangerous and irresponsible to include them and I don’t know how it got approved for publication.

This is a fun book for anyone looking for some spooky or macabre design inspo. The author is very clear that goth decor looks very different from person to person and that is amazing. This book's suggestions follow the more expected, and sometimes campy, idea of goth decor, but that doesn't make them any less great. The book is well written, the DIYs are easy to follow and relatively accessible, and I love that this book dives into the media, history, and literature that inspired a lot of the goth vibe we know and love today.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

That was not what I was expecting, this book leaned too much into gothic lifestyle, going beyond and above and definitely missing the mark for me; it would be perfect reference book for Halloween decorations and horror movies sets as well as some haunted houses attractions. probably a good table book to terrify the unwanted and uninvited guests.

I am not sure who is the target audience but once can I say with certainty is that the imagery was truly haunting.

This is a cute introduction to gothic decor and some basic projects to get started, perfect for many teens or young adults seeking to design their first space of their own!

It's ok. For me, I was expecting more "gothic" and this turned out to be more "goth", which is fine but the title and cover art aren't really emblematic of the contents. I wish the book had included more holistic interior design tips but this was more focused on smaller touches. For a beginner DIY-er, there are lots of pictures for each project with step by step instructions, so if you like the items you see, you will be able to recreate them yourself. Notably, the author has a youtube channel so presumably you would often be able to find videos as well.

Aurelio Voltaire has a flair for living his entire life in a gothic manner, from his music to DYI channel on Youtube he has a passion for encouraging others to embrace the darker side of life that flows through everything he does. This book is no exception and is a beautiful showcase to both his passion and the gothy, dark, macabre, bits of life he loves.

Gothic Life starts with a wonderfully in-depth yet shorter dive into what Goth is and the subculture built around music, literature, and style. He showcases some of the most famous goths in history, but also some individuals that always seem to be forgotten yet Goth could not exist without. After this intro, both to himself and Goth subculture, he dives right into the DIY parts of the book.

Each DIY section includes an intro going over some of the concepts for that topic, with the topics ranging from Travel, to Hosting, to Holidays, to Decorating. Then once you have an overview of the topic he digs into the DIY projects with some being long time favorites from his Youtube and a few being new ones for the book. The projects themselves are a nice range from extremely entry level, to more moderate, with a couple on the more advanced side. Most were done with easy to find or buy items, with many being common in most households, and all being affordable. The instructions were easy to read and understand, in line with the writing in the entire book.

I would recommend this book for those:
- Who already like Aurelio Voltaire's DIY guides or music
- Those looking to up there Goth game
- Those interested in DIY but of a darker style
- Those who want to have the best Halloween Parties

Overall a lovely book, with a lot of heart and soul going into it.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own and unbiased.

This book is perfect for reference, research, and resource for gothic life style.
The author shares all kinds of aspects of gothic living, with pictures.
There are how to make gothic food, games, Christmas decorations, all year round home decor, and Halloween decorations. I love the diy pillows and devils eggs. They even provided different color pallets to help understand what kind of goth you are looking for.
This not only shares diys but also historic locations, film/film makers and even other gothic creators to checkout.

It’s an easy read and a perfect gateway book to get into Halloween spirit or to finally commit to the gothic lifestyle all year round.

This beautiful book was a delight to read, as it tickled my spooky soul. Both aesthetically pleasing and well-written, it is clear that a lot of work went into this thorough macabre masterpiece. I gave 4/5 because I found some of the lectures annoying (particularly the one on graveyard etiquette). Overall, this is really enjoyable to read.

This book is filled with stories, ideas, and amazing photographs for the Gothic at heart. The author takes you through his own personal space and ideas to help you imagine your own.

Thank you for letting me read and review #GothicLife

#NetGalley

My sons and I have been watching Voltaire's YouTube channel for ages, so I was eager to get my hands on his book. As other reviewers have mentioned, this one is a struggle to read on a screen. Many of the tutorials for decor felt like things I'd already seen in Martha Stewart Halloween Isssues of years past. There are some unique ideas in the recipes --that roasted skeleton hand (assembled from parsnips) is definitely something that we'll try. I enjoyed the ideas for a vampire pool party and plan to look up more information about some of the locations he described in his travel section.

This covers the gamut of the gothic life minus clothing. There are fun crafts and food recipes you can do yourself as well as guidance on decorating and how to throw creepy parties all through the year.
The only thing is that this is the extreme gothic life and focuses on the macabre as mot of the imagery. There seemed to be no room for the subtle gothic in this book.

So original and fun. How to examples on how to emphasize your gothicness in everyday life. Great pictures included.

It has a lot of great pictures and some fun ideas. It will appeal to the people who start Halloween on September 1st.