Nocticadia by Keri Lake
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5/5
Synopsis:
A dark, atmospheric tale of deadly secrets and forbidden love.
Mortui vivos docent.
The dead teach the living.
After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I’d find the cure for what ravaged her. And leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me.
Four years later, I receive an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest, most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it’s rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before. Those whose bones are said to make up the island’s white sandy shores.
And restless ghosts aren’t even its most daunting peculiarity.
Devryck Bramwell, known on campus as Doctor Death, is a brilliant pathologist in charge of the midnight lab. He’s also my devastatingly handsome professor, who seems to loathe tenacious first-years, like me. Except, his dark and enigmatic gaze tells me all the ways he’d devour me if given the chance, and his stolen kisses burn my lips with forbidden jealousy.
I crave his authority.
He aches for redemption.
Together, we’re toxic. Delicious fodder for the prying eyes hellbent on exhuming the rotted skeletons of our pasts.
For the dead have much to teach, and it’s only a matter of time before Dracadia’s most depraved secret is resurrected.
Review no spoilers:
The ambiance in this book is a 10/10, it made me fall more in love with gothic settings, it really shows the beauty of the darkness and eerie. I love that the characters are dark, with a complex moral compass and a disturbed past. Making characters that are traumatized adds a bit of reality to the story, seeing their day to days lives in a mundane world before joining a magical one was a great choice from the writer. She showed us their truth before they changed. |
I love the scientific aspect that the story has, it gives it something extra than just forbidden romance. The pursuit of an answer, a solution, a cure adds to the gothic vibes. Its giving crazy scientist bwuahaha |
I must say that I loved it all, I would take nothing away from this story, maybe a novel where everyone is happy, in love and with a beautiful family. |
I recommend this book, the spice was SO GOOD, the plot twists had me on my toes!! |
Keri lake is on auto buy for me now!!! |
SPOILERS STARTING HERE
What is there not to love about the gothic and dark. |
this has become one of my new favorite books. |
Blackwell |
oh my lord, I love how smart , older and mysterious he is. He is a broken man with a fucked up past. He finds refuge in his work but also he uses it for seeking revenge. |
The fact that he also suffers from an auto immune disease makes it all more complete, gives it reason , true reason instead of just a scientist who is looking for money and power. His troubled childhood and trauma from loosing his brother, made a dark, kinky, driven man that made all the discoveries needed to free himself and his family from the shadow that was casted upon them. |
His kinks, his love for sex play makes him a perfect character, and makes the forbidden romance even more addictive to the reader. It was fun and exhilarating reading how they were sneaking around, how he went above and beyond for Lilia and how he protected her in every scenario. She truly hit the jackpot with Dr. Death. |
He makes every reader want to be loved and protected like that, the predator and prey play, sheeesh. |
Lilia |
Poor girl, she had the roughest upbringing of all she suffered is so much and was constantly getting abused by Angelo. |
I was always rooting for her I am glad she got the chance to go to Darcadia. |
I love she got the chance to love and also answers about her mom and most of all i’m glad she is living her dream. Now she is a scientist and part of the rooks, she got her mothers home and will be able to care for her sister with no worries. |
I love how deep this character is, we can see a big progression in her as time goes by and as she learns new things and deals with awful people she always comes out the better end. Extra: |
WTF with Blackwell brother being an prick…. why tho, im glad that now they are going to work through it all and he will be able to be himself once again. It was disturbing (not in the good way) how he tried to trick her into thinking he was his brother, I feel like I wouldn’t be able to forgive him and let him into my life after that… What a weird family dynamic they will have.. haha Conclusion In conclusion, this book was not only a gothic masterpiece but an emotional rollercoaster in which we had to opportunity to meet weird characters and grow with them through their story. It was exciting, interesting and captivating and I would re read it when the spooky months begins! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! |
Favorite Quotes
“That is the tragedy of women, isn’t it? We deny ourselves beauty for the sake of misleading men.”
“Jealousy is a callow schoolboy’s emotion that ends in hard feelings and bloody noses. What I feel for you, Miss Vespertine, would destroy lives.”
“Says who? I happen to get very attached to my fictional boyfriends.”
“He was moody, like rainy days and bitter coffee. Sensual whispers in dark corners and the slow burn of fine whiskey.”
“Allow me to caution you, Miss Vespertine. You are a confused moth dancing about a wild flame. Blind to the incomprehensible danger of your curiosities.”
“I feel it, too,” he said, as if reading my mind. “It’s inside of me. Burning like a fever I can’t shake. It’s a spiteful, prideful anger that refuses to admit the truth.” “What truth?” I asked, my voice shaky. Nervous. “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. I’m weak for you, Lilia.”
