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.

Nocticadia is a standalone dark academia gothic romance.

Review

It has been decided. This is one of my favorite books that I’ve read all year. No questions asked. For the second, I finished that first chapter, I just knew that this would be an exciting and intriguing journey. As I was describing to my friend when I was trying to convince her to read, Nocticadia is haunting and sexy and gruesome and forbidden and gothic. All in the best ways.

It centers on Lilia, who lost her mother four years ago to a mystery disease. And since then, she’s been trying to understand what it is and wants to figure out how to cure it, while also juggling with trying to support her younger sister. Unfortunately, there are no records of the symptoms her mother showed anywhere. After writing a paper for one of her classes, she is invited to attend a prestigious university named Dracadia, where they are familiar with the disease that killed her mother. While there she meets a brilliant professor named Devryk Bramwell, who is studying worms. Devrvk has been named Dr. Death on compass and is definitely a morally grey character with more than a few skeletons in his closet.

Lilia believes that the worms that he is studying are connected to her mother’s illness and makes it her mission to become his lab assistant. And then obviously they have this amazing chemistry and things happen. Spectacular. Best chemistry that I’ve read all year. And I couldn’t get enough of them. Both of them are these two intense characters with a tragic backstory and felt so alone for so long. I thought their slow burn was done well, and every interaction between them was incredible.

I think one of my favorite things about this book is how the information was seamlessly presented. There are some things that aren’t what they seem, and I like how instead of it being exposed quickly—that there’s a bit of a slow burn with it. It makes the big reveals much juicier, and so many times when something was revealed I gasped out loud because I didn’t see that coming. This story had layers, and I could tell that the author took the time to create this atmospheric world. I also want to point out that I would have completely loved it if this book was a duet because there is so much rich story left. And I do have a few unanswered questions. I would love for more.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I have one complaint about one of the minor characters named Mel. I wish that her story had been different. For how the story progressed, I understand why the author did what she did. However, I didn’t like that part, and I wish that the author could have thought of something else to get to the ending.

Final Thoughts

Nocticadia is a rich, haunting, and atmospheric story about two people working together to understand this mystery disease. The plot points were weaved perfectly as well having interestingly crafted backstories for the characters, and an exciting, beautiful, and consuming romance. And not to mention, the world which just felt magical. It does have some faults including a plot point with a supporting character that tiptoed the line between being insensitive to me as a reader.

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