Review: Gothikana by RuNyx
“If this is madness then drown me in it.”
So, yeah. I’m obsessed with a new book. It’s Gothikana by RuNyx and I am in love with this story. So. Completely utterly knocked stupid in love. Like, bought the paperback obsessed. Highlighted all the passages obsessed. Want to re-read it immediately obsessed. Was sad it was over, obsessed. Now a RuNyx stalking junkie, obsessed.
“If this is madness I’ve already descended too far.”
Gothikana is all consuming with its dark tone, creepy mystery, and wholly gorgeous all encompassing romanticism. Please, go read this book. Blow this book up, blow this author up, tell your friends, tell your neighbors, shout it from your socials – this book will not disappoint.
I felt all the feels. I started and stopped reading, hugging my ipad to my chest and grinning like a madwoman, over and over again. I blew my entire day off to consume every last word of this story. I swooned, I cried, I was creeped out, I was surprised and awed and my-god, I am obsessed.
Alternating between our two main characters, Corvina Clemm and Vad Deverell. I was instantly transported to the mountain on which the University of Verenmore resides. Sinking beneath the lyrically dark and moody writing, I was immersed in the atmosphere of this dark and creepy castle. And I loved every single moment of this escape from reality.
“I’m in your head, in your blood, in your very veins. I’ve claimed you before anything else ever could. Your body, your heart, your mind, your fucking soul, it’s all mine. Your hunger is mine to feed, your madness mine to tame.”
Part love story with forbidden love elements, Vad is Corvina’s professor. . .part gothic creepy mystery, the story is impressively addictive.
“Darkness was comfortable, and even exciting, especially when it led to him.”
Corvina was a wonderful character, I loved seeing things through her eyes, her perspective, her secrets, her fears, her madness. She’s probably one of my favorite characters I’ve ever read. And Vad, oh sweet baby darkness, Vad. Corvina’s Devil. What can I say about him? He’s mysterious, mercurial, dark, dominant, sexy, dark – I love him. And I LOVE the relationship between these two.
The story itself has the feel of a gothic farityale with a mystery that is both rooted in reality and shares space with a macabre paranormality. I will say this, don’t expect to have every single answer given by the end of this beauty. The questions that matter – the realtionship – are answered, everything else is a little more loose. I think it works though, and I wasn’t disappointed by the ending, I was actually delightfuly surprised.
I’m hopeful the author will someday take us back to Verenmore, I’d love to know more and I’d espcially love to spend time with the book couple gold that is Corvina and Vad, the Devil and the Witch.
“You’re the mountain I build my castle on, brick by brick,” she whispered to him, her eyes shining. “You stand, I soar. You crack, I crumble.”
5 Gothic Stars
Synopsis:
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.
