Dark North

North University #1

by Z.S. Storm

Dark Academia, Dystopian, All Boys Boarding School, Enemies-to-lovers queer fiction.

BLURB

*Xavier Kirnik*

Most people who are desperate sell their souls to the devil.

I ended up selling mine to my own father.

In my eyes, he was worse.

North country was a nightmare to live in. Cruel and corrupt dictators for leaders. Horrendous crimes which went unnoticed. Innocent people getting convicted and executed for daring to be themselves.

But I didn’t care about them. I had my own battles to fight, my own heavy weights to lift, literally and figuratively.

I was going to get what I needed from my father, take my girlfriend and leave this country as soon as I graduated from North University. It was everything I worked towards, the only goal which consumed me.

Until he came into my life. And not just quietly. He was like a fucking freight train, making me hate him for crashing down my walls and forcing me to feel things I did not want to feel.

At least that was how it started. I never planned on him becoming my very reason to breathe. Never thought I’d find myself falling in love with him to such an extent that I selfishly destroyed every single relationship the two of us had with any others. It was going to be me and him. Nobody else. I didn’t care if what we had was outlawed. I was prepared to fight for him.

My rebellion came with terrible consequences though.

I should have realized…that the devil never fails to collect his dues.


...

Please note that this is not a romance novel and ends on a major cliffhanger. 'Dark North' contains both MF and MM scenes with regards to the love interests. Majority of the MMMM content will be found in the last book of this series. For a list of triggers and content info, check out the author's note in the sample preview of the ebook on Amazon.
...
(Read the prequel novella called 'North' which is already out now)

Genres: Romance, Dark Romance, Spicy, LGBT, Dark Academia, M M Romance

Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2022

About the author

Z. S. STORM writes romances mostly of the dark and disturbed variety. His passions include singing, dancing, traveling, staying fit and healthy, making love and creating art.
Currently, Mr. Storm resides on a small island in the Pacific where he spends his days and nights enjoying life and whipping up intriguing plotlines. He prefers slow mornings, quiet evenings and dark fantasies for company.

He also likes hearing from fans and readers, so you can always contact him through email: z.s.storm.author@gmail.com
Or connect with him on Instagram: @mr_zsstorm (Zayn Storm)

All his books are published under the label, ‘Savage Fiction’.
Check out his website for more info.

Reviews

[Julia (bookish.jka) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I turned around and found my lips crushed by a pair of warm ones, my mouth opening in a gasp as the kiss caught me unawares. Then he was pushing his tongue inside and pressing me against the door, one of his hands slipping around the back of my throat while the other one grabbed my waist."

Okaaaaaaay....so.......fair warning, you need to read all of Z.S. Storm's notes and trigger warnings before diving into the first book in his North University series, Dark North. And you'd also be wise to read the prequel novella North to familiarise yourself with the dystopian world you're going to be falling into.

This will be confronting and triggering reading for some, compelling, enlightening and salaciously exciting reading for others. I fell into group 2 😈.

Download this if you dare, and if you love the idea of:

* MMM(M) dark romance
* MF relationship
* Enemies to lovers
* Dark dystopian world building
* Steamy scenes
* Strong male and female characters
* Trans male MC

There is no HEA in book 1, in fact it ends on a minor cliffy and we can only hope that Z.S. Storm eventually takes pity on his characters and gives them their happy ending (pun intended!) No doubt this will be a hard fought, angsty road to redemption for Xavier, Ryder, Kas and Nik, and not forgetting the gorgeous Natalie - and I am totally here for it ❣️.

4 dark and steamy stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Pingmg · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no fluff here, ZS Storm will not cuddle you and indulge in your quest for sweet sweet love. These are riveting characters who will make you think and lust and at times hate them. But man! Do they stick! They just leech onto you and sucks! Sucks your attention, steals your breath and leaves you all twisted up inside.
So many things, partial revelations happen in this book that as a reader I was caught up in each of them. I had so many feelings. I went with the flow and I came out, in the end, thirsty for more. All I can say is heed the trigger warnings, note the cliffhanger ending, and go read with an open mind.
No apologies here, dark romance at its finest! Love it! Can’t wait for more!
🔥
Thank you Zayn for this early copy, you made my year.

[LifeReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the early copy Zayn.

I highly recommend you read the novella book before this so you can understand the characters and how the relationship between Nik, Kas and Ryder developed. Loved that book.

This is the first of the Dark North University series and it’s unlike anything I’ve read as set in a dystopian world. I’m not normally a poly/ménage fan in MM but Zayn had written it in a different way in the first book that it intrigued me.

In this book I don’t think poly is the right word, I don’t actually know how to describe it! Especially as in the first book it felt more of an emotional need and comfort. This was is more uneasy and darker.

This story I would say is very angsty, and a definite intense read. While I have different emotions about each character as they all have something they are going through, I have always adored Nik 🥰 But, I did have issues with Ryder in this as his attitude irked me a little with the others. Reasons why are spoilers. They all had some attitude to be fair!

Xavier is the newbie and is a spanner in the works and after that cliffhanger I have no damn idea what the plan is for these characters going forward!! They are in a hell of a mess! You’re mean Zayn! 😂

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rate all my books that I read however I’ve never written a review before, until now! I received an advanced copy of Dark North and devoured it in 2 days time! Could not put this book down, played hooky from work, house is a mess and my kid had to fend for himself 🤣 I have no regrets! Book ends on a cliffhanger, which I was prepared for, because the author is amazing at full disclosure. I need the next book NOW, like now now! ha.

Before you read Dark North you must read the Prequel, North, or you’ll be lost. The story is so captivating and the character development for each character is done so well. We get perspectives from each character, good and bad. God, I just want to hug Xavier and tell him he is beautiful and enough! I can’t pick a favorite character (although Kas has some explaining to do)!! I know which character I hate though, no spoiler, just read this book and heed the Trigger warnings.

I do not know how this story is going to end but I’m here for it!! 5 Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, thank you so much to Zain for giving me access to their book and I'm providing an honest review in return.

Wow, when you read "dark romance" it's as dark as it can get. This dystopian work (which has a lot of scary things we can find in our society) is so mentally draining and challenging for everyone in this universe.

In general, the multiple POV really allows you to get to know in detail the people involved and to get different perspectives on their characters, main goals, and feelings. Some characters you just want to strangle once you see them on the page (right, Kas and Xavier Sr.?), and some you really get to read and empathize with (like Xavier Jr. and Ryder).

One of the things I have to underline is the trans representation depicted in this book, which is beautiful to read of how raw and painful it can be (but especially truthful).

Please look for the trigger warning list before reading this book, don't take that lightly.

[Tania ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted Kas POV. Not Xavier & Ryder 🤷🏻‍♀️ dnf 35%

[Linda MARIE Pankow · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

But here's why...

I loved the whole book. Every controversy. Every surprise. I loved learning about Xavier (even though I tend to call him Xander🤦) But most of all I loved getting to see unlikely relationships form, even in the face of adversity. I look forward to book 2

[Neri S]

Thank you to @pridebooktours and @stormpublications for providing me with a copy! ❤️
This was such a challenging read given the sheer amount of dark content! I did not know this book had MMMM and polyamorous relationships and because I do not steer towards books with poly relationships or menage scenes I thought of not going through with the book but seeing multiple raving reviews I could not help myself.

Firstly, there are so many things to appreciate in this book! The way each character arc develops is done immaculately as we get insight into why a certain character behaves the way they do. So much time is dedicated to the psychology of the characters and their emotions, and even the characters you see less of (i.e. Kas or Nik) have a few chapters from their own that manage to explain the type of person they are and their motives (and traumas) as reasoning their actions and reactions. Another thing is that I feel that the development of the characters' relationship WITH each other was done very well as well, and these dynamics and how they develop throughout the story continuously keeps you interested in the story. As a person who fortunately cannot relate to Xavier's struggles with his gender identity and his road to transitioning, and body dysmorphia, I feel that the book went very in-depth in describing and depicting how painful and draining it has been for him to feel both accepted and respected by those around him, as well as transphobia that he encounters from time to time. There is a lot of internalised homophobia within him that comes with it that was so incredibly hard to read and so heartbreaking. His dad is such a sick man, honestly, I had to skim-read a lot of his scenes because I just physically felt so ill. Overall, the trans representation here I believe from the perspective of someone who is not was incredibly eye-opening and educational as well. Generally, I felt back and forth with a lot of the characters in this book, but I think who I feel that I like the most is Xavier.

Overall, this book is very well written and I do recommend it to anyone who likes dark fiction.

Please check TWs before starting this book because I promise you, you will need it. As the author pointed it out before, this is DARK fiction, with a strong romance plot, but HEA is not guaranteed. Read at your own risk!

[Mr Pink Ink · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Pride Book Tours for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

Well now, this was kind of an eye-opener for me; a little darker than I'm used to, let's be honest, but this book surprised me.

Taking place in a dystopian environment, we follow four boys - three who have just been enrolled - as they first adjust to their new lives and then to each other...Ryder, Kas & Nik are just trying to find their balance as a throuple, in an all-boys school in a country with extremely harsh anti-gay laws no less, when Ryder discovers there is more to himself than even he believed. Enter Xavier, star of North University, both academically and on the sports field, with some deep secrets that he takes overly cautious means to ensure are kept safe, decides he needs Ryder on his team and takes him under his wing.

Please note: Even though I just found out about it and haven't read it, there is a prequel to this series, called North, which first introduces us to the Kas, Ryder, Nik trio, which is currently free on Kindle Unlimited.

The best part, for me, is that the character growth is simply phenomenal. The multiple POVs provided insight into that character's psyche as well as individual backstories ensuring an overall picture of the full dynamic.

So many amazing reasons to read this:
* All boy's boarding school
* Trans male MC
* Polyamorous relationship
* Dark Academia
* MMMM
* Light Dystopian fiction
* Gay-for-you
* Winter Sports
* Enemies-to-lovers
* Own voice

An absolutely solid opening to a deliciously dark dystopian fiction series and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told in multiple points of view, well developed characters, and very interesting dystopian world.
I love enemies to lovers and this one was in a all boys school and had so many other elements. I'm still processing, just be aware it has a few dark themes, many cws.
Xavier's journey was so difficult and it's only begun. He has to bargain and prove his worth to his father constantly.
Ryder and his throuple have just started at this school and being gay in this region is illegal. They came from an area that it was not plus so much more horribleness.
I just loved Xavier he was so strong and was trying to be himself in the worst of places. Ryder came along and messed everything up but also taught him more about himself than anyone else.
I really enjoyed the viewpoint from almost every main character. There were a lot of very sensitive topics discussed in conversations and to understand the character better and their motivation it always helps to get in their head.
Also very steamy lots of open door activity.
This book and the prequel North are available on KU!

Thank you pridebooktours for the gifted copy.

[Krys (spicy.spine.breaker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn. That was dark & deeply dysfunctional. My fav.
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

Without having read the prequel novella (not on KU & I have a strict book budget bc I like to have food & shelter 😅) I feel like got a pretty good hold on the overall dystopian fvckery of the world Storm created. Reading reviews esp with spoilers of said prequel helped too though🙃

This story starts out with the three MCs - Nik, Kas, & Ryder - from the novella after escaping hell (abusive, SA & more you need to check CW personally). Ryder is in a relationship with both Nik & Kas, but the two do not have a romance with each other. They’ve been afforded a 2nd chance at life outside of chaos they left behind at University, being sponsored by a rich guy named Xavier Kirnik. This guys son Xavier Jr (XJ for purposes of this review) is also enrolled at the U.

Nik is you’re average type A student. He’s ready for uni & knew he’d end up there. Hoping to bridge the gap with Kas & become a legit thruple, Nik is the one always stuck in the middle, the least combative, & sometimes odd one out. But none of that is the focus - this is about the other MCs mostly, Nik is only there to carry from the prequel IMO, & be an important part of book 2 (his character has a stiff cliffy ending here)

Kas is straight up rageful. 24/7 all the time. He hates the school, hates the rules, is paranoid of being watched & doesn’t hide the fact he’s only there bc of Ryder. He’s also having a hard time / is resentful of Ryder’s relationship with Nik. Kas is abusive, angry, & the actions of his character - on INSANE SCENE THAT ISN’T DISCUSSED IN THE BOOK BY THE CHARACTERS - leaves the reader confused with tons of unanswered questions. I wanted to punch him though. A lot.

Ryder never thought he’d have a chance at an education, after being denied the basic right throughout his childhood in favor of abuse at the hands of Niks father. He’s very excited & eager to learn, though a mentioned but unspecified learning disability is making it difficult to demonstrated what he’s learned on testing (as someone with a learning disability - relatable AF). Xavier ends up tutoring him in both academics & sports - winter sports are huge there & Ryder is a natural.

The first day there XJ flexes his dominant guy ‘bully muscles’ at Nik, who is saved by Kas’s intervention. So, right off the bat animosity is born between XJ, Kas, & Nik. Without giving anything away, this animosity grows as the plot develops, to dangerous, violent, bloody levels.



This could easily be a ⭐️4 read, but a few things just really held that back for me

I am not someone who nit-picks, even when a book has blatant grammatical errors - I don’t get stuck em & can easily still enjoy the story. That said, the editing… one word in particular bothered my with its overuse. WHICH. the word which was used several times on every single page. It was an unnecessary word or the wrong word, used instead of “that”. It made some sentences hard to follow / understand, causing me to reread several times. I hate to point it out because the rest was edited well, but it was THAT much that I did get hung up on it.

The plot was dark & intriguing, the POV from an antagonistic morally black character was unexpected & welcome. With a bit more editing & perhaps rearranging the story so it unfolds smoother - part two has a flash back introducing 3 new POVs (for a total of 7) - kind of broke the illusion. That said it wasn’t confusing having those POVs & it DID FLOW, still managing to keep my attention.

There are tons of triggering topics - you have to check the CW personally A few of this, but not all, include:

✅ Sexism / Misogyny
✅ *Pedophilia
✅ *Mentions of child SA/r^pe, & trafficking
✅ Domestic Violence
✅ Denial of necessary medical care by parent
✅ Homophobia, punishable by law
✅ Transphobia
✅ Conversion therapy

*OFF PAGE


Typed this out while cooking dinner right as I finished the book, wanting it all fresh in my mind as I started - but I’m distracted & have no clue if anything I’ve just said makes sense 😂😅 bare with me ppls.

FRTC

[Brenda Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark - very dark, tale filled with young men, complicated relationships, trauma recovery and a lot of passion.
You must read Storm's trigger warnings -an excellent comprehensive list.
Nik, Kas and Ryder find freedom - and placement at an elite school. They struggle to connect, especially with each other as their relationships experience less stress.
The school is filled with boys - Ryder can't fight his attraction to Xavier, a student struggling with his own secrets.
Enemies to lovers, graphic scenes - I am ready for the next installment!

[Cassidy Sheridan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was everything! Definitely something different but soo good! Just the way that everything is described and the emotions pouring out of these pages. Wow!
Ryder! He’s such a great character. I love how vulnerable he can be, he wants what he wants. But he can’t stop his feelings he has for Xavier. It’s okay to love them all😏.
Xavier! I loved him. I wanted to jump through the screen and hug him so many times, I want to tell him that he’s good enough. I’m glad there’s people that accept him and show him that he’s loved.
The spice!! Very good. I liked Ryders dirty mouth🥵. Can’t wait to see more!
Thank you so much Zayn for the ARC! Can’t wait to read more from you!

[Lil Bookish Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a rollercoaster and so fucked up … review coming soon I need to collect my thoughts 👀

[bookishfrag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5/5

Holy shit, this book was a mindf*k and a long one. I don't know what i just went through. I will try to keep it spoiler free but please read at your own risk. The topics that this book covers are so important for everyone to know about. I mean the romance/spice part is bang on but the controversies and conservativeness of the society that is depicted in the book is what carries more weight for me tbh.

Xavier's journey through everything he dealt with in his childhood really really made me understand the gravity of the hardships faced by transitioning people and I really want to thank Zayn for writing this and making people see what happens when body and mind and soul doesn't match. I cried and raged with Xavier. I may never understand what goes on in this situation but I really felt for Xavier and wanted to hug and console him during his lows.

Okay, now that I've said my piece about this, I wanna say, Xav made me so hot and bothered and OMG his sexual drive 🥵. Even though I knew it would be Ry and Xav's story, I was REALLY rooting for Natalie and Xavier because the way their relationship was written was so beautiful and truthful. They gave me honest-to-god soulmate vibes.

Ryder! God, he is a hot damn cinnamon roll. I love him so much and I just wanted to jump in and hug the shit out of him. He felt like a cozy and funny and flirty teddy bear to me 🫣

Kas and Nik! I seriously don't know what to say about them. I expected them to be more affectionate and loving than they were. I mean idk, after the prequel, I thought they would be more! Especially Nik. He became so cold and ignorant towards Ry. I mean I get it, Ry was going behind their backs, but Nik, even after promising Ry to help him, never did. So he had to find help from somewhere else, which converted into something else but still. Also, I wish there was more exploration towards what Ryder saw Kaa doing that night. Oh, did I mention I hate Kas a lot? How could he be abusive and other stuff he did after everything they faced in Northington.

Natalie is so sweet and supportive and understanding. I love her so much, but the ending with Xav's father was kinda weird for me. The way she gave in so easily, it didn't match her character for me. Idk, it's just my opinion.

I left this person for the last because if I wrote about him any sooner, I wouldn't have said anything else. Is it possible to hate someone with such a passion that even the mention of them enrages you to the point that you wanna skin them alive over and over AND make them go through what they put everyone through? This is how I feel about this person. Xavier Kirnik Sr. This man is so cruel and I just HATE HIM. He is the one who isn't "masculine" enough and didn't deserve anything in life. Every time I read about his, or his PoV, I wanted to kill him slowly and painfully (please do this Zayn 😭).

I kinda predicted the ending and stuff but it still pained me. I just thought that this book could've been made into two different books? Like North was Kas, Ryder and Nik's past, one could've been for Xavier's past. It just felt too stretched out and jumpy to me. But that's just me.

Okay, this one went longer than I expected. But I recommend this book to people who are oen-minded and ally and just plain good people who love everyone the way they are and the way they want to be. Also, check the trigger warnings before reading it.

- bookishfrag

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

I owe the author an apology. I received an early copy of this book but after reading it I needed a bit of time to process before I could consider writing a review. I then completely forgot to do a review so here we are 😬 Sorry!

I so badly wanted to give this 5 stars because I love the premise but it just didn’t quite get there.
We thought we’d seen the darkness of North country in the prequel ‘North’ but now we are learning things go a lot deeper and all is not what it seems.
We are following our three guys, Nik, Kas and Ryder from ‘North’ as they try to establish some normality back in their lives following previous events and we are introduced to Xavier.
This is very much Xavier’s and Ryder’s story and it is one heck of a story (heed the trigger warnings) however I needed more of our original guys. These are the guys I followed from the previous book, these are the guys I want to read more of.
That’s not to say Nik and Kas weren’t around but for me they just weren’t featured enough. I know this will change further into the series but for now, despite how good the story was, it just left me feeling like something was missing which is why I couldn’t give that last star.
The story is also a cliffhanger (which I don’t usually like) but the author is upfront about that from the start so I can deal with it.

Bring on the next book in the series.

[Genevieve]

RTC

[Rissa Corbyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fair warning: content is triggering so please don't read if you're in a tender mental state.

The author is very cute though ;)