I’ve got to be honest, I picked up Nocticadia by Keri Lake based on vibes alone. The cover looked really cool and the summary made this sound very goth/emo romance. I was not prepared for how this would alter my brain chemistry and instill in me an urge to find more goth new adult millionaire/billionaire romance.
The setting was honestly so edge lord that it honestly did make me roll my eyes a time or two. But, at the same time, I did love it because I guess it just spoke to the inner emo/goth in me. There was some great world building and it makes me wish this was the start of a series or universe. I really enjoyed the gritty feeling of the world. The city where Lilia lives gives strong Gotham/NYC in the 80s vibes. Lake did a great job describing the looks and feels of everything, creating the perfect environment for our protagonists. Pacing was give and take. Parts were slow to build and the ending was wildly fast. It made for inconsistent reading.
Speaking of, I didn’t realize this was going to be slow burn. I legit just kept reading wondering when they were going to get together, but still engrossed in the story itself. In wanting to see how Lilia resolved things. There was a specific plot point that I guess was necessary to ignite that romance, but I absolutely hated it. Mainly because it made no sense. Like, Lilia is supposed to be used to being poor and having to hustle but she had no hustle. She wasn’t able to think of any single way to make money other than spoiler I won’t reveal. As someone that lived the majority of their life poor with poor friends as well, it was obvious the character and author didn’t know about hustle culture. There was no talk about selling blood, selling plasma, joining experimental studies, holding down multiple jobs, eating dollar store meals, doing rideshares, doing delivery work, taking temp jobs, becoming an egg donor, dog walking, pet sitting, etc. Like, those are just things off the top of my head. She immediately said oh no I only have 2 weeks to a month to make $2000, guess I’ll [redacted.]
That tiny roadblock aside, I liked Devryk and Lilia’s romance. It was steamy, impulsive, and obsessive. Perfect for a dark romance. I get why this doesn’t turn into a series and why we likely won’t revisit this world. If we did, we’d have to revisit Devryk and Lilia and honestly, it might not be such a happily ever after years down the line – not because of anything specific, simply because of how sudden and intense the relationship started out as. I didn’t feel there was really much learning about one another, what’s makes the other tick, etc. Things you’d learn as you court, as you date.
Like I said at the start, I really loved Nocticadia by Keri Lake. If you like dark romance with an actual plot, you might like this. If you like goth/emo aesthetic, you might like this. I’d especially recommend the audiobook as Aaron Shedlock was perfect as Devryk.