Nocticadia: A Dark Academia Gothic Romance Paperback – 20 April 2023

I have loved every Keri Lake book I have read, and Nocticadia did not disappoint. This was the first time that I have read a teacher/student forbidden romance, but I trust Keri Lake wholeheartedly to both introduce me to a new subgenre and to deliver a great story - and that she did. I've always loved Keri's writing style, it is both enchanting and captivating.Nocticadia is an intoxicating & hauntingly beautiful dark academia romance full of plot twists that I've come to expect - and love, from Keri Lake. As a fan of her work, I went into it knowing there would definitely be some twists & turns. I was quite proud of myself for putting some of the clues together and having an inkling ahead of time of one of the surprises. It didn't take away from the effect of it though and there were plenty of moments I was caught off guard and completely stunned.The main storyline of Nocticadia is deeply intriguing, full of fascinating folklore and once again with Keri Lake, the thought and scientific knowledge going into all the small details just astounds me. Fact and fiction are seamlessly woven into the story, both the fictional parasite and medical condition had so much information given that you'd hardly believe they were created in someone's mind. On the note of medical/scientific studies, I'd probably not read/listen while eating, as the book does deal with scientific experiments, and death together with post-mortems, which can be quite graphic, even for someone who is not squeamish.Dracadia University & the island it's situated on are full of history and a whole dash of mystery. Where else would secret societies and moody professors reside than on an island clad in fog with its dark past full of legends, gothic architecture and arcane laboratories? We were given small snippets of the folklore that surrounds the island, which I'm sure if delved into, would give a whole novel. The University is steeped in secrets, some of which are deadly, and is seemingly haunted. Life on campus is certainly not for the faint-hearted.Not only is the world-building full of depth and mystery, but the characters are in themselves little puzzles too. Even the side characters bring something to add to the enigma that the main character Lilia is starting to make sense of. 20yr old Lilia is in search of both an answer to what ravaged her mother, and also to find a cure. She is an extremely resilient young woman, willing to do almost anything to reach her goal. And that lands her at Dracadia University, where Dr Devryck Bramwell, aka "Dr Death" is a Professor of Pathology, specializing in neuro-parasitology. Suffering from a life-limiting medical condition, he is also willing to do anything to find a cure - and I mean anything. He is morally grey & secretive, with a traumatic past. He's the kind of person who likes to work in silence, whereas Lillia asks all the questions, creating some top-notch banter.The romance is a slow burn, but it certainly burns brightly once the kindling is lit. It's a high-tension, dirty-talking, possessive kind of lust. Just the way he talks to her is well worth the wait. From forbidden love to age-gap to public risky 'situations', this relationship has the thrills of it all.I'd highly recommend Nocticadia, especially if you're looking for a standalone read. This dark & atmospheric read is sure to sink its claws into you and rip you up a bit before making sure you've survived the ride. It's an 18+ read and it does contain triggers & graphic content - so check those out on the author's website. (The triggers may be considered as spoilers)

Nocticadia⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I loved the dark aesthetic of this story and the fast pace writing which described the scenes/characters so thoroughly that it feels like you’re there.In this story we get to follow Lilia who receives an invitation to an elite university on the island of Dracadia which specifically offers research into a parasitic species which killed Lilia’s mother.She attends with a fierce determination to find out about her mother’s past and figure out how she was infected with the bug, but catches the twinkling eye of Professor Bramwell.Their relationship is full of a constant push and pull, obsession and unwavering tension as they both try to figure out how to make their relationship ship work under the watchful eye of the university superiors, further their research and enact revenge on Dr Bramwell’s enemies.Tropes:🤍- Dark academia🤍- Student/Professor🤍- Morally grey FMC🤍- Slow burn🤍- Forbidden romance🤍- Age gapFavourite quotes:✨- Without a doubt, Lilia Vespertine was going to be a massive headache. But she was my headache.✨- The wealthy possess an insatiable appetite for the rare and priceless. They stare because you’re the only thing worth staring at.✨- Deep waters terrify me.” “Or perhaps it’s the sea who fears the depths of you, Miss Vespertine.The reason this wasn’t a 5 star read for me was because;1- I noticed the overuse of certain phrases. ‘Winged up’ was included an insane amount of times.2- Dr Death never said I love you back to Lilia?! My heart will never recover.3- I feel like the ending was slightly anticlimactic. There was such a dark and intense theme throughout the entire book regarding The Rooks and the entire secret society, but within minutes it was all sorted and the main characters were off the hook without little to no action.This was a captivating read which I would dive into again and urge anyone else to read (check the TW’s first)Also, I loved the ending and would adore a book on Bee & Caed’s story 😍

Starts of the stuff of nightmares but quickly draws you in with excellent writing and unique plot, slowburn spice and a hint of science. You will be glad you finished it and think about it for days after.

I liked the idea because it’s different to anything I’ve read (so many of this genre are just repeated plots) but didn’t feel too connected to the characters. I could have done with a bit more character depth and description. It felt very plot heavy to me. The ending felt a bit laboured, I found myself wanting to skip pages. It wasn’t a bad book but I wouldn’t recommend it to a friend. I feel like a lot of books of this genre are overhyped in the community and under-delivering at the moment.

Loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. A little slow to start but once it got going it was brilliant! Loved the twists and the ending was perfect!

This book gave me the shivers most of the way through. It kind of reminds me of the movie alien vibe and that gave me nightmares for a while. The Romance is off the charts. I don't want to look at worms for while. Great rep for mental health. So much terminology of science and depth to that of research.

Absolutely fantastic, beautifully written. Amazing character and world building. The story was well paced and tied at the end. Definitely recommend it!

Loved reading this, I love a good bit of smut but I really enjoyed that it wasn’t the main plot of the book, would recommend! Keri lake has a great way of making these characters and places come alive, cannot wait to read more of her books