Nocticadia

It's my highlight of the year! it's dark, spicy, mystical, academia atmosphere. It also gives you psychological thriller vibes. I was gasping while reading it. 10/10 for sure! You will love it

„Nocticadia“ von Keri Lake ist eine düstere Gothic-Mystery-Romance mit einer sehr eigenen, unheimlichen Atmosphäre. Die Geschichte wirkt stellenweise skurril und blutrünstig, baut aber genau daraus ihre besondere Spannung auf. Im Mittelpunkt steht Lilia Vespertine, die fest davon überzeugt ist, dass der Tod ihrer Mutter kein Selbstmord war. Es war spannend zu verfolgen, wie sie sich an der abgelegenen Dracadia University langsam in eine neue, fremde Welt einlebt und nach und nach erkennt, dass die Dinge, die sie für Einbildung hielt, tatsächlich real sind. Besonders ihre Suche nach der Wahrheit rund um den Tod ihrer Mutter gibt der Geschichte einen starken emotionalen Kern. Die Dracadia University ist ein faszinierender und düsterer Schauplatz, der perfekt zur Handlung passt. Auch Professor Devryck Bramwell, bekannt als „Doctor Death“, ist eine äußerst interessante Figur – brillant, unnahbar und gefährlich. Die Anziehung zwischen ihm und Lilia ist deutlich spürbar. Es war schön zu sehen, wie er sich ihr gegenüber langsam öffnet, auch wenn sein Verhalten ihr gegenüber stellenweise grenzwertig wirkt. Die Thematik rund um die Parasiten fand ich gleichzeitig faszinierend und abstoßend. Diese körperlichen und teils sehr blutrünstigen Elemente sind nichts für schwache Nerven, fügen sich aber stimmig in die düstere Atmosphäre ein. Zwar zog sich die Handlung für mich anfangs etwas, doch ab der Hälfte wurde sie immer spannender und ließ mich kaum noch los. Das Ende empfand ich als überraschend und fast wie einen Fiebertraum. Gleichzeitig wird gerade zum Ende hin etwas angedeutet, was mich hoffen lässt, dass es ein Wiedersehen mit den Charakteren oder zumindest mit ein Paar geben wird. Würde mich auf jeden Fall sehr freuen. Insgesamt ist „Nocticadia“ eine außergewöhnliche, dunkle Geschichte mit Gothic-Vibes, Mystery und einer intensiven Dynamik. Sicher nicht für jeden, aber für Jene, die düstere und ungewöhnliche Geschichten mögen, definitiv empfehlenswert.

Four years ago, Lilia’s mother succumbed to a mysterious illness that rapidly destroyed both her physical and mental health. She became paranoid, violent, and convinced that something was living inside her. In the end, she couldn’t bear it any longer and took her own life. Something Lilia and her younger sister had to witness. Now, Lilia works as a hospital cleaner while attending community college, barely scraping by in a cramped apartment she shares with her mother’s ex-boyfriend. She’s doing everything she can to support her sister and pay for her care and tuition, all while still suffocating under the weight of her grief and trauma. Officially, her mother died from blood loss, but Lilia is almost certain that she saw a parasite leaving her mother’s body that day. Something no doctor ever acknowledged. Something no one believes, telling her that whatever she thinks she saw was a trauma-induced hallucination. When Lilia is assigned to write a paper on a fictional disease for her microbiology class, she chooses to document her mother’s symptoms. But when her professor calls her in, she’s stunned to learn that the illness she described isn’t fictional at all. It’s part of privately owned research conducted at Dracadia University, an Ivy league institution for medical research and law. Even more shocking, she’s offered a scholarship for a semester. Despite her hesitation, the opportunity to study the disease that killed her mother is too tempting to ignore and when her unstable living situation becomes dangerous, she realizes she has no choice but to accept. At Dracadia she meets Professor Devryck Bramwell also knows as Doctor Death. A brilliant and enigmatic man who is also the son of the former leading scientists researching her mother’s disease. But he’s also surrounded by dark rumors and whispers about a missing female student. This was my first book by Keri Lake, and it absolutely delivered. I’m a sucker for the student x professor trope, and this one hit all the right notes. The atmosphere is incredibly dark, eerie, and immersive. There’s a constant sense of tension and unease that kept me hooked from start to finish. While parts of the plot were somewhat predictable, the story itself is so well-crafted and intricate that I didn’t mind at all. I was so very entertained the entire time. The story blends dark academia, forbidden romance, mystery, and unsettling fictional elements perfectly. The characters are deeply complex and morally grey, sometimes even crossing into morally black territory and yet I couldn’t help but feel for them, root for them, and hurt alongside them. The dual POV worked beautifully here. I’m usually more invested in one character than the other, but in this case, both perspectives were equally compelling. Watching the story unfold from both sides was simply perfection. Keri Lake created two characters who feel perfectly matched. Their shared trauma, the way science ties their stories together, and the emotional depth of their connection were so well done. By the end, they’ve easily become one of my favorite fictional couples and I finally understand why everyone’s swooning over Devryck Bramwell. That man is sex on a stick and that mouth on him! *gasp* The pacing really picks up toward the end, and the final 20% had me in a chokehold. I was genuinely anxious about how it would all play out. This is the perfect spooky season read. It’s dark, twisted, and atmospheric. If you haven’t picked it up yet, do yourself a favor and add it to your list. Honestly, it’s worth reading anytime, but I suspect it hits especially well around Halloween. Story: 4.5 ⭐️ Spice: 3.5

Fantastically haunting and so so well written. Dark(-er) Romance with a beautiful gothic backdrop and a stunning horror plot. The supernatural aspect of this book was not big per se but incredibly well done and so scary in my opinion. It kind of reminded me of The Last Of Us so if that is your cup of tea, then this might be a good Dark Romance pick for you. I enjoyed this book so much and practically devoured it. Keri Lake completely captured me with the forbidden lovestory and the gothic dark academia vibes. Added bonus were definitely the well written spicy scenes.

One of the book influencers I follow has talked so highly of this book for so long that I finally decided to read it and I'm so glad I did. It did take me a bit to get into it, just because I came off a duology of books that had a lot of magic in it and this had none. When you meet Professor Bramwell you will be angry. Angry that he's not real. This book was great, please give it a read!