Book Review | Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone

Today’s post is my part of the blog tour for Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone, run by TBR and Beyond. My stop today features my review for this beautiful dark read (another great choice for Spooky Season)!

Check out my full post below and the rest of the stops here!

About the Book

Title: Lakesedge
Series: World at the Lake’s Edge #1
Author: Lyndall Clipstone
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (US) Titan Books (UK)
Pages: 384
Source: eARC from the publisher (this in no way affects my review which is honest and unbiased)
Release Date: September 28th 2021 (US) October 12th 2021 (UK)
Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | Indigo

Synopsis

‘A lush gothic fantasy about monsters and magic, set on the banks of a cursed lake. Perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Brigid Kemmerer.

There are monsters in the world.

When Violeta Graceling arrives at haunted Lakesedge estate, she expects to find a monster. She knows the terrifying rumors about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy. But neither the estate nor the monster are what they seem.

There are monsters in the woods.

As Leta falls for Rowan, she discovers he is bound to the Lord Under, the sinister death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. A creature to whom Leta is inexplicably drawn…

There’s a monster in the shadows, and now it knows my name.

Now, to save Rowan—and herself—Leta must confront the darkness in her past, including unraveling the mystery of her connection to the Lord Under.’

Content Warnings: Emotional and physical abuse by a parent, Body horror, Gore and blood (including description of wounds), Emesis, Discussions of death and grief (no on-page deaths), Descriptions of drowning and deep water, Drowning-related imagery Self-injury (in the context of a curse that requires regular physical sacrifices), suicidal ideation

Review

If you’re on the lookout for a gothic fantasy, complete with a brooding Lord and captivating magic, then Lakesedge is definitely one for you to check out. It’s a perfect lead for the run up to Halloween, or if you just prefer darker reads around Autumn and Winter in general!

The story starts out with our main character, Violeta (Leta) in a precarious position trying to keep her little brother, Arien, from harm caused by their adoptive mother. It’s a dark start to a dark book, but it keeps your attention from the very beginning thanks to that. Straight after, they need to deliver a tithe to the Lord who owns the land. And then in comes Rowan, our brooding, tormented Lord. He offers to take in Arien at his home (Lakesedge) once he realises he has magic, and Leta, fearing Rowan, refuses to let him take Arien without her.

Rowan has his own motives for wanting Arien around, there is something at Lakesedge that he thinks he can defeat with the help of Arien. There are so many secrets to be uncovered throughout the story though, including those of Leta’s, helping to make the story as mysterious possible.

Although Lakesedge is on the darker side, it still has some bright moments in it. Leta and Arien find their home at Lakesedge, and they find family too. This includes Clover, an alchemist at Lakesedge and probably my favourite character? She’s big on teasing the rest of the characters and genuinely a breath of fresh air for the story.

On the polar opposite of that… we have the Lord Under. I really liked his character but I can’t talk too much about him because that would be spoiler territory!

If you’re after a spooky read, this deliciously dark, gothic debut should definitely be on your to be read pile! I’m definitely excited to see where this goes also.

He is an eternal, terrible creature. And he is connected to me.

Tour Schedule

About the Author

Lyndall Clipstone writes about monsters and the girls who like to kiss them. A former youth librarian who grew up running wild in the Barossa Ranges of South Australia, she currently lives in Adelaide, where she tends her own indoor secret garden. She has a Bachelors in Creative Writing and a Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Management.

Her debut novel, LAKESEDGE, will be published by Henry Holt, Titan UK and Pan Macmillan Australia in Fall 2021 with a sequel, FORESTFALL, to publish in Fall 2022.

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