Gothikana (The Verenmore Volumes)
DELUXE EDITION--featuring beautiful purple sprayed edges, unique interior cover art and moody art throughout!
The eternal romance of Beauty & the Beast meets the gothic suspense of Dracula in this erotic dark academia story by RuNyx—the New York Times bestselling sensation, now in paperback!
An unusual girl. An enigmatic man. An ancient castle. What could go wrong?
An outcast her entire life, Corvina Clemm accepts it as a sign from the universe when she receives an admission letter from the mysterious University of Verenmore. The last thing she expects, though, is an old, secluded castle on top of a mountain, riddled with secrets, deceit, and death.
An enigma his entire life, Vad Deverell is one of Verenmore's greatest secrets. 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 path crosses 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 over the past century, Corvina is getting clues to unraveling it all, and Vad needs to keep an eye on her.
And so begins a tale of the mysterious, the morbid, the macabre, and a deep love that blossoms in the unlikeliest of places.
Praise for Gothikana:
"An erotic and dark love story." ―Entertainment Tonight
“RuNyx immerses her readers in the dark worlds she builds and then injects life into them in the most hauntingly beautiful way. Her work is unique and addictive—she really is one of a kind.”―Hannah Grace, New York Times bestselling author of Icebreaker
“Original, innovative, and unlike anything I’ve read before.”―L. J. Shen, USA Today bestselling author
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Community Reviews
I cannot believe I let Gothikana sit on my shelf for years. A used copy of the deluxe hardcover tempted me with its artwork and quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Learning that RuNyx drew inspiration from Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven sealed the deal. Dark academia already owns a significant piece of my heart thanks to Nocticadia by Keri Lake. Gothikana has officially joined my permanent recommendation list.
Corvina Clemm arrives at the secluded University of Verenmore as an outsider drawn to a castle filled with centuries of secrets. Students have disappeared from its grounds every five years for more than a century. Corvina notices clues that suggest the legends surrounding Verenmore may hold more truth than anyone wants to admit. Vad Deverell knows the castle better than almost anyone. He is also her professor, dangerously enigmatic, fiercely protective, and far too interested in the mysterious woman with purple eyes who has suddenly appeared in his class.
The gothic atmosphere was its own character in this dark academia. Verenmore feels alive beneath the fog, forests, towers, hidden histories, and sense of dread that something terrible may be waiting around the next corner.
Vad and Corvina’s relationship was enticing. His obsession with her begins long before she understands the significance of their connection. Vad initially is reluctant to trust Corvina. Their attraction builds alongside suspicion, vulnerability, and stolen moments. Crossing the professor and student boundary quickly feels inevitable. The spice is phenomenal. The piano scene deserves its own place in dark romance history.
Corvina was my only real hesitation. Virgin heroines and women who frequently need rescuing are rarely my preference. I want my gothic romance heroines to have a little more bite. Seeing the choices through the novel’s Dracula inspiration helped me appreciate what RuNyx was doing with Corvina's character. I may have supplied Corvina with a slightly tougher personality in my own head, but the homage made the familiar gothic conventions feel intentional.
The answer to part the mystery surprised me. I thought I had Verenmore figured out several times. RuNyx managed to prove me wrong. One betrayal completely escaped my radar.
Gothikana has obsession, dark academia, forbidden romance, eerie mysteries, beautiful atmosphere, and a hero whose fascination with his heroine borders on worship. I picked it up expecting a fun gothic romance and found a book I will be recommending for a long time.
