Genre: Gothic Romance/Horror/Mystery
Published Date April 25, 2023, 682 pages
Friendly reminder to always read trigger warnings, safety first. The author has them listed on her website.
I always want to write these reviews immediately after finishing the book but then sometimes I’m still processing so I feel all scattered, so let’s take a breath.
I loved this book; it was the first one I have read by this author and have already added other books of hers to my TBR. It was just such a well written, interesting book. It’s 682 pages but it did not feel long at all, it was exactly as long as it needed to be and kept me engaged the entire time.
Lilia’s mom succumbs to a mysterious illness and is put on the path to finding out what happened and why, but she ends up getting tangled up in a whole secret society s*** storm, really. She is at Dracadia University which is located on an island with a rich and somewhat horrific history. I absolutely loved how she built up the history of this island and all of the dark pieces that came with it and how they kind of bled into the university.
We get two points of view, Lilia and Devryck, both of whom I enjoyed. We get to see growth in both of the characters as they are dealing with their trauma, and they complement each other so well. There are definitely a lot of different pieces going on throughout the book, these little side plots, but they were necessary to the story, and I don’t feel like they made the story overcomplicated by any means.
I gave this book a 5/5 based on me absolutely devouring this book, read it in about a day and half. I didn’t want to put it down, stayed up way too late reading but I regret nothing. I would definitely recommend reading if you like gothic romance with a good bit of horror.
Favorite Quote: “That I would kill for you without a beat of hesitation, or remorse. And yet, at the same time, I could be reduced to nothing more than a pile of ash without you.”
-All the Books, All the Tea