Must Read Gothic Books
I’ve recently found a new love for books with gothic atmosphere in a whole range of genres and unfortunately it seems like there aren’t too many books in that area but I’ve been fortunate to find a few great gems in the ones that I have read.
Gothikana by RuNyx
A dark academia romance set in the University of Verenmore. Corvina Clemm receives an invitation letter to the university out of the blue, though mysterious, she takes this as a sign from the universe. However when she arrives she doesn’t expect is an olden, secluded castle on top of a mountain riddled with secrets, deceit, death and Vad Deverell, a man Corvina is warned against getting involved with, not only is it against the rules, Vad has dangerous secret but a chill-inducing century-old mystery forces them to collide.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
A slow paced but thrilling and atmospheric story. Our character is known as nothing but Mrs De Winter throughout the story and as she arrives as a Mr De Winter’s home in Manderley, she is unaware of the terrible tragedy that befell the previous Mrs De Winter, Rebecca, whose presence haunts every aspect of Mrs De Winters new home and life and the longer she is at Manderley the more mysterious her home becomes.
The Mad Women’s Ball by Victoria Mas
A literary historical novel detailing the horrors faced by institutionalized women in 19th century Paris following Genevieve who is a senior nurse. After the childhood death of her sister Blandine, she shunned religion and placed her faith in both the celebrated psychiatrist Dr. Charcot and science. But everything begins to change when she meets Eugenie—the 19-year-old daughter of a bourgeois family that has locked her away in the asylum because Eugenie has a secret: she sees spirits. A truly intriguing and emotional story of two women coming together to save each other from a fate decided by others.
Flowers in the Attic by Virgina Andrews
After a tragic loss Cathy, Chris and the twins alongside there mother, move to their estranged grandparents house where the superstitious grandmother locks the children out of sight in the attic so as not to disgrace their grandfather any further while their mother tries to regain good favour with her parents. While this book may be a controversial in this day and age it is truly an enrapturing story and shows us the consequences of parental pressure and other things we might prefer to avoid.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
A timeless classic. One I’m sure most people have read or heard about. Jane Eyre is orphaned at a young age, she is left feeling lost and alone for most of her life until she arrives at Thornfield Hall, where she has been hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester to care for his ward Adèle. Jane can’t help but feel drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. She falls in love. Hard. But there is a terrifying secret inside the gloomy, forbidding Thornfield Hall which could leave Jane heartbroken once again.