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Rot
HISTORY IS BOUND TO REPEAT ITSELF.
Lemana will stop at nothing to achieve her goals and take revenge on her brother, even if that means reawakening an ancient curse that threatens time itself. A curse designed to trap two lovers and keep them just a kiss away from ending life as they know it.
Bane and Avgust, a servant and his prince, even after long years of their illicit entanglement, still don’t know where they stand in their relationship. One night while out together, Bane follows a voice calling him deep into the woods where he meets a fate far worse than death. Now a fledgling vampire tormented by insatiable hunger, he distances himself from the one he loves. Blinded by heartbreak, Avgust’s only sanctuary is the sinister presence that reveals itself in his mirror.
Next in line for the throne, the prince feels suffocated by expectations as his desperation to ignore his responsibilities grows. While he rejects his duty, his sister, Princess Eden, yearns for a purpose of her own and is led to create one for herself by fighting in the nightly duels held at the nearby village. Under her armoured disguise, she meets a mysterious woman that seems to know she isn't who she pretends to be. Can this woman be trusted, or is she more trouble than she lets on?
BOOK 1 IN NECROTIC RUIN, A QUEER PARANORMAL GOTHIC SERIES.
Lemana will stop at nothing to achieve her goals and take revenge on her brother, even if that means reawakening an ancient curse that threatens time itself. A curse designed to trap two lovers and keep them just a kiss away from ending life as they know it.
Bane and Avgust, a servant and his prince, even after long years of their illicit entanglement, still don’t know where they stand in their relationship. One night while out together, Bane follows a voice calling him deep into the woods where he meets a fate far worse than death. Now a fledgling vampire tormented by insatiable hunger, he distances himself from the one he loves. Blinded by heartbreak, Avgust’s only sanctuary is the sinister presence that reveals itself in his mirror.
Next in line for the throne, the prince feels suffocated by expectations as his desperation to ignore his responsibilities grows. While he rejects his duty, his sister, Princess Eden, yearns for a purpose of her own and is led to create one for herself by fighting in the nightly duels held at the nearby village. Under her armoured disguise, she meets a mysterious woman that seems to know she isn't who she pretends to be. Can this woman be trusted, or is she more trouble than she lets on?
BOOK 1 IN NECROTIC RUIN, A QUEER PARANORMAL GOTHIC SERIES.
361 pages, Hardcover
Published November 4, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Review of advance copy
I loved this book! I loved it so much!
Before I get into the review, I want to state that I read the first edition. The second edition has some line edits and a few scenes that have been polished, but as I understand it, the core of the story is still the same.
Onto the review:
Rot immediately pulled me in with a stunning opening scene which immediately sets the tone for the story, promising it to be an emotional and bewitching read. From page one, the story has a haunting atmosphere, which it holds until the very last page.
On top of that, you’ll fall in love with these characters! The conflict between Avgust and Bane hurt in all the right ways. At times, I had to put my book down and take a deep breath before continuing. The sibling dynamic between Avgust and Eden – the vain crown prince and the princess who would have rather been a knight – hit so deep for me. And Eden! I don’t have words to describe how much I love her!
I have so much more to say about this book, but to not ramble on for too long, here is a bullet point list:
- The writing style is amazing! It is haunting, atmospheric, and deeply emotional. This is a book for those who love beautiful prose.
- The plot is magic in a way that it twists reality and leaves you disoriented but gives you enough to hold onto to guide you through the rest of the story.
- There is no mercy for the characters! We get to see them at their most vulnerable, their most broken, even when that’s not pretty. It’s raw and emotional and amazing to read!
- The ending! A final chapter which just shift our whole perspective on the story!
Copper and Cobalt, you have written a beautiful book, and I can’t wait for the sequel!
(Side note: so many exclamation marks in this review 😅)
Before I get into the review, I want to state that I read the first edition. The second edition has some line edits and a few scenes that have been polished, but as I understand it, the core of the story is still the same.
Onto the review:
Rot immediately pulled me in with a stunning opening scene which immediately sets the tone for the story, promising it to be an emotional and bewitching read. From page one, the story has a haunting atmosphere, which it holds until the very last page.
On top of that, you’ll fall in love with these characters! The conflict between Avgust and Bane hurt in all the right ways. At times, I had to put my book down and take a deep breath before continuing. The sibling dynamic between Avgust and Eden – the vain crown prince and the princess who would have rather been a knight – hit so deep for me. And Eden! I don’t have words to describe how much I love her!
I have so much more to say about this book, but to not ramble on for too long, here is a bullet point list:
- The writing style is amazing! It is haunting, atmospheric, and deeply emotional. This is a book for those who love beautiful prose.
- The plot is magic in a way that it twists reality and leaves you disoriented but gives you enough to hold onto to guide you through the rest of the story.
- There is no mercy for the characters! We get to see them at their most vulnerable, their most broken, even when that’s not pretty. It’s raw and emotional and amazing to read!
- The ending! A final chapter which just shift our whole perspective on the story!
Copper and Cobalt, you have written a beautiful book, and I can’t wait for the sequel!
(Side note: so many exclamation marks in this review 😅)
November 23, 2025
I received this book as a review copy
(very very minor spoiler warning)
I liked this book a lot, but it wasn't without its flaws
I enjoyed the characters and related the most to Bane -- his struggles were the most interesting to delve into. He is also absolutely insane when it comes to Avgust which I really did enjoy a lot... But on the other hand, their on and off thing got a bit frustrating at certain points and it felt like it dragged on for a bit too long.
I REALLY liked the gory descriptions. I wish there was more of them. One thing I'm very much looking forward to hopefully seeing more of in the next book. I also liked the portrayal of vampirism and I think the villain is very interesting. There were a few plotlines that felt a tad bit underexplored, but it wasn't so bad as to take me out of the story.
This is a series starter so the open ending has me hooked and I WILL be tuning in for book 2...
Overall, I enjoyed the read and considering this is the authors' debut novel it was really good!
(very very minor spoiler warning)
I liked this book a lot, but it wasn't without its flaws
I enjoyed the characters and related the most to Bane -- his struggles were the most interesting to delve into. He is also absolutely insane when it comes to Avgust which I really did enjoy a lot... But on the other hand, their on and off thing got a bit frustrating at certain points and it felt like it dragged on for a bit too long.
I REALLY liked the gory descriptions. I wish there was more of them. One thing I'm very much looking forward to hopefully seeing more of in the next book. I also liked the portrayal of vampirism and I think the villain is very interesting. There were a few plotlines that felt a tad bit underexplored, but it wasn't so bad as to take me out of the story.
This is a series starter so the open ending has me hooked and I WILL be tuning in for book 2...
Overall, I enjoyed the read and considering this is the authors' debut novel it was really good!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I really am in two minds about this book. I loved parts of it, but equally, other parts of it were really jumbled and hard to follow. Bane is well written and a character I genuinely wanted to know more about. I would have loved a bit more of his backstory, how he got to be in the castle. Avgust was mostly just a little shit. Total brat mentality and cannot help himself. I spent a lot of time yelling “Just talk to each other, for fuck’s sake” at them.
I really revelled in the Princess’s storyline for the first part of the book, but then it just fell apart for me. Her descent into madness was done in a slightly surreal manner, which is where it lost me. It was a bold artistic choice that was just not for me, I am afraid.
I genuinely felt for the characters and their love story, but I would have liked a little bit more for this. More of the history, more of the passion, so that the loss of it would have cut just a little deeper. It was bittersweet for me, as I love vampire books, and it ticked a lot of the boxes; it just had a little to go to get me all the way there.
I really revelled in the Princess’s storyline for the first part of the book, but then it just fell apart for me. Her descent into madness was done in a slightly surreal manner, which is where it lost me. It was a bold artistic choice that was just not for me, I am afraid.
I genuinely felt for the characters and their love story, but I would have liked a little bit more for this. More of the history, more of the passion, so that the loss of it would have cut just a little deeper. It was bittersweet for me, as I love vampire books, and it ticked a lot of the boxes; it just had a little to go to get me all the way there.
March 19, 2026
Rot grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go. (I wish I was joking).
Avgust and Bane are the kind of characters that live in your head rent-free. The tension between them is exquisite. And Eden?? The twist with her almost threatened to send me off a cliff!
The writing is gorgeous. The world is lush. The queerness is woven in like it was always supposed to be there, because it was.
My only hunger? I wanted to be destroyed. The depth was there, flickering under the surface, I just wanted the authors to trust it fully and drag us into the dark. The plot twists hit, but I wanted them to shatter something. If you did not notice, I truly am a bit of a masochist.
This is a stunning debut. I’ll be first in line for book two, and I’ll be bringing tissues just in case they finally decide to ruin me.
Avgust and Bane are the kind of characters that live in your head rent-free. The tension between them is exquisite. And Eden?? The twist with her almost threatened to send me off a cliff!
The writing is gorgeous. The world is lush. The queerness is woven in like it was always supposed to be there, because it was.
My only hunger? I wanted to be destroyed. The depth was there, flickering under the surface, I just wanted the authors to trust it fully and drag us into the dark. The plot twists hit, but I wanted them to shatter something. If you did not notice, I truly am a bit of a masochist.
This is a stunning debut. I’ll be first in line for book two, and I’ll be bringing tissues just in case they finally decide to ruin me.
November 11, 2025
I received this as an ARC.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Even though I don’t usually read this genre, I found it truly intriguing. I particularly enjoy books that make the reader experience a wide range of emotions and where everyone can find something for themselves. Vampires, a medieval setting, meticulous historical research, and an engaging love story — these are just a few of the things you’ll encounter in this wonderful read.
In conclusion, it’s rare to come across such delightful surprises when searching for a good book. You can really feel the effort and passion both authors have put into their work. I can’t wait for the next installment in the series — there’s clearly much more of the story yet to unfold.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Even though I don’t usually read this genre, I found it truly intriguing. I particularly enjoy books that make the reader experience a wide range of emotions and where everyone can find something for themselves. Vampires, a medieval setting, meticulous historical research, and an engaging love story — these are just a few of the things you’ll encounter in this wonderful read.
In conclusion, it’s rare to come across such delightful surprises when searching for a good book. You can really feel the effort and passion both authors have put into their work. I can’t wait for the next installment in the series — there’s clearly much more of the story yet to unfold.
May 14, 2026
First thing I wanna say is that this book got me back into reading, so thank you for the authors for writing it.
I loved this book so it's hard to pick only a few things to say about it, but what I really loved about it was the goriness of it and I'd love to see more of it in the next book!
I fell in love with the characters, especially Eden and her adventurous self. Every now and then I wanted to teleport myself in the world of Rot and be her. I also want to mention Avgust's dramaticism, Bane's calmness & Lemana's mysteriousness.
Overall it was rich in character lore & in setting with a well-written story & smooth scene-to-scene/chapter-to-chapter transitions. In no way did i feel i ever hit a brickwall.
I would highly recommend 🌹
I loved this book so it's hard to pick only a few things to say about it, but what I really loved about it was the goriness of it and I'd love to see more of it in the next book!
I fell in love with the characters, especially Eden and her adventurous self. Every now and then I wanted to teleport myself in the world of Rot and be her. I also want to mention Avgust's dramaticism, Bane's calmness & Lemana's mysteriousness.
Overall it was rich in character lore & in setting with a well-written story & smooth scene-to-scene/chapter-to-chapter transitions. In no way did i feel i ever hit a brickwall.
I would highly recommend 🌹
Review of advance copy received from Otros
3.8 ⭐
arc review + dnf at 38%
i really, really feel so bad for dnf this but we weren't getting along, i'm so sorry ☹️ i was really excited because the premise it's amazing and i am curious to know how this is gonna end, but i can't force myself to keep reading
i'm sure this is only a me thing and i still hope i can resume it sometime in the future, but until then i wish the authors all the good luck for this and their other works ⭐
arc review + dnf at 38%
i really, really feel so bad for dnf this but we weren't getting along, i'm so sorry ☹️ i was really excited because the premise it's amazing and i am curious to know how this is gonna end, but i can't force myself to keep reading
i'm sure this is only a me thing and i still hope i can resume it sometime in the future, but until then i wish the authors all the good luck for this and their other works ⭐
Review of advance copy received from Author
2.5⭐️
I have received this book as an ARC.
I did enjoy the romance and super natural aspect of it but sometimes it was harder to follow what the plot was.
It was very much gore-y in the beginning which didn't match well with what i normally like to read but i am happy to tell that that isn't throughout the whole book.
The religious aspect is nicely written, i am a catholic myself and i didn't feel like anything was really disrespectful! Which i was happy about.
I have received this book as an ARC.
I did enjoy the romance and super natural aspect of it but sometimes it was harder to follow what the plot was.
It was very much gore-y in the beginning which didn't match well with what i normally like to read but i am happy to tell that that isn't throughout the whole book.
The religious aspect is nicely written, i am a catholic myself and i didn't feel like anything was really disrespectful! Which i was happy about.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews