The One Campus Novel You Need to Read This Fall if You're a Romance Reader
An in-depth book review on The Kiss of Death by Shanen Ricci
Ever since I have been back to posting regularly on Substack, every time I come across another bookish Substack, there is usually some post (or multiple posts) about the campus novel. Many I’ve seen on here talk about how fall is the perfect time to pick one up due to the timeliness and relevance of these novel. Maybe it could also be attributed to rise of light academia and dark academia aesthetic proliferating people’s online feeds.
Regardless, I think I may have found the one campus novel romance readers need to read this fall and you can check out my full thoughts on this book down below as well as everything you need to know content-wise before starting the book.
Summary
The book blurb doesn’t give a whole lot of information about the plot if that’s what you look for when deciding to read a book. I’ll link the GoodReads page for those of you who want to read the blurb, but down below is a summary I have written that contains a general idea about what the book is about without giving away any major spoilers.
For the first time in a decade, Dalia Mercier is free from the watch of her overprotective father when she begins classes at Pantheon University, an ultra-competitive and elite university for the wealthiest and most renown families in the world. Wishing to honor her mother’s dream to play at the Pantheon Winter Symphony, Dalia feels she is one step closer to fulfilling that dream and honor her mother’s legacy. To her dismay, she runs into the one man her father demanded her to avoid at all costs just moments after arriving on campus: Levi Delombre.
Levi Delombre equally hates and obsesses over Dalia since their very first meeting as children when his mother served as Dalia’s violin teacher. An outcast for most of his life, Levi is now feared by his peers for his genius hacking abilities and no one dares to cross him. When he discovers Dalia on campus, Levi realizes this is his moment to enact revenge on Dalia and her father.
Yet, when Levi and Dalia have to spend more time with each other decoding a mysterious music score left by Levi’s mother, they realize that they have more in common than they originally thought. With the threat of Dalia’s father looming over the two, Dalia has to decide whether or not taking a chance on Levi is worth the risk of her father’s wrath.
Content Warnings & Closed Door Modifications
Content Warnings
Bullying
Stalking
Violence
Terrorism (recounted)
Hazing
Death of parents
Grief
Mental illness
Panic attacks
Child abuse
Emotional abuse
Homophobia
Suicide (recounted)
Suicidal thoughts (recounted)
Domestic abuse (recounted)
Sexual assault (mentioned)
Ableism (mentioned)
Animal attack
Alcoholism (mentioned)
Closed Door Modifications
Chapter 26 (some parts)
Chapters 29-30 (some parts)
Chapters 35-36
Chapter 53 (some parts)
Chapter 57 (some parts)
My Review
From the very first page, I was sucked into this story. Not only is it so aesthetically pleasing (like, I could so envision the Pantheon campus and the gothic dark academia vibes its throwing off), but the unlikely love story of Dalia and Levi had me sticking around to the very last page.
When I say that this is a dark romance, it is dark, though not as dark as other titles in the genre (think something along the lines of a dark romance written by Ana Huang or Scarlett St. Clair). Not only there are some intense scenes and flashbacks (I encourage you to check out content warnings before deciding whether or not to read the book), both Dalia and Levi unpack varying degrees of trauma from their pasts. Yet at the same time, Ricci uses those past pains to help them both grow from them and illustrate how their relationship ultimately allows them to move forward.
I don’t know if this would be considered a enemies-to-lovers or a hate-to-love romance, but Ricci definitely puts her own spin on the trope with this book and I think that ultimately made this book stood out. Amidst a competitive and elite university setting, the tension and banter between Dalia and Levi really made the characters come to life as well as further character development. I also thought that the various side plots that often bring Dalia and Levi together were well-executed and didn’t overshadow the main plot of the book.
I could literally go on and on about this book, whether detailing more about the excellent character development or diving into the swoon-worthy moments of the book or even the well-rounded ensemble of side characters, I feel like it would be better for you to read this book for yourself and you’ll get what I mean from it. If you’re looking for a romance novel that’s equal parts dark academia and dark romance, this is a book you should definitely keep an eye on.
