MoodReads - Romance Book Discovery

Beta soft launchEvery book’s tags are being checked by hand ✨ some categories are fuller than others while I work through them all ✨

Cover of Where the Dark Stands Still

Where the Dark Stands Still

by A.B. Poranek

🌶️fade to black·spoiler

Why Read This?

A cathartic exploration of trauma, repression, and healing through unconditional acceptance, wrapped in a lush, atmospheric tale that devastates and uplifts in equal measure.

Synopsis

Raised in a small village near the spirit-wood, Liska Radost knows that Magic is monstrous, and its practitioners, monsters. After Liska unleashes her own powers with devastating consequences, she is caught by the demon warden of the wood – the Leszy – who offers her a bargain: one year of servitude in exchange for a wish. Whisked away to his crumbling manor, Liska soon discovers the sinister roots of their bargain. And if she wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her host’s spool of secrets and face the ghosts of his past. Those who enter the wood do not always return…

At a Glance

4.04 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🌶️fade to black
Endingspoiler
PairingM/F
Romance Pacingslow burn

Top Tropes

captive romancecursed love interestforced proximity

Mood

gothicdarkmysteriouseerieromantic

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

4.04 ★

Page Count

336 pages

Published

2024

Primary Genre

Romantasy

Pairing

M/F

POV

First Person

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Standard

Narrator

Ola Forman

Narrator Count

Single

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

sign in to see all 6 tropes

Mood & Vibe

Mood

sign in to see writing style, pacing & more

Characters

FMC: survivor sign in to unlock

Spice Details 🌶️

N/A sign in to unlock

child abuse (referenced)animal deathdeathemotional abuseparental deathtraumaviolencecaptivitydemonsgriefwar

World & Setting

gothic sign in to unlock

Reading Context

the angst delivered sign in to unlock

Similar Books

Cover of Kingdom of the Wicked

Kingdom of the Wicked

Kerri Maniscalco

🌶️·first person
captive romancedark romanceforced proximity
Cover of Wisteria

Wisteria

Adalyn Grace

🌶️🌶️🌶️·first person·
dark romanceforced proximityblood feud romance
Cover of The Year of the Witching

The Year of the Witching

Alexis Henderson

🌶️·third person
blood feud romancecursed love interesthidden past revealed
Cover of Rose in Chains

Rose in Chains

Julie Soto

🌶️🌶️🌶️·first person
captive romanceforced proximityauction / sold themes
Cover of We Hunt the FlameKU

We Hunt the Flame

Hafsah Faizal

🌶️·dual POV
forced proximityhidden identitysurvival romance
Cover of The Book of AzraelKU

The Book of Azrael

Amber Nicole

🌶️🌶️🌶️·dual POV
captive romanceforced proximityfated mates
Cover of Cruel Beauty

Cruel Beauty

Rosamund Hodge

🌶️🌶️·first person
arranged marriagebeauty and the beastcaptive romance
Cover of The Hacienda

The Hacienda

Isabel Cañas

🌶️·dual POV
forced proximityhidden past revealedrescue romance

Short Takes

quick 280-character reactions for this book. drop a thought, rate the vibe, keep scrolling.

Sign in to share your take.

Loading...

Book Chat

Talk about Where the Dark Stands Still with other readers