Corvina Clemm arrives at Verenmore University, a mountain academy housed in a gothic castle steeped in centuries of folklore and disappearances. She soon encounters Vad Varkhan, a cryptic part-time professor who shares her preoccupation with the macabre. As a century-old mystery resurfaces through a series of local vanishings, the two form an illicit, intense connection. They navigate the labyrinthine corridors and cursed woods of the estate to uncover the truth behind the institution’s violent history and the occult secrets hidden within its stone walls.
Readers interested in the dark academia aesthetic and supernatural romance choose this book for its atmosphere of isolation and intellectual tension. It appeals to those seeking a mix of murder mystery and forbidden attraction set against an eerie, mist-covered backdrop. The audience walks away with a story about finding kinship in shared darkness and the resolution of a long-standing haunting. It serves as a study of how ancient settings shape the psychological states of those trapped within them.
Practical, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
Insights from Gothikana
Grief is a ghost that refuses to leave the room. Corvina carries her mother like a heavy cloak. It's the only thing keeping her warm in that cold school.
Academic rivalries are boring until you add ancient blood rituals. Forget grades. These students are just trying to survive the night without getting sacrificed.
“I will burn this world down to keep you warm.”
There is a specific kind of safety in a dangerous man. Vad is terrifying to everyone else. To Corvina, he is the only person who actually sees her.
The mystery of the disappearing students is just a backdrop for the tension. You stop caring about the plot because the chemistry between them is so loud. It feels like a physical weight.
- Published
- 2021
- ISBN
- 9781250334206
- Language
- EN
