I knew as soon as I read the blurb and saw the front cover that I was going to love Lakesedge and I did. I love fantasy fiction, the darker the better. I loved the lush world building in this book, how vividly the estate and the surrounding areas are brought to life. I was hooked from the first few lines and got submerged every time I picked up the book. I loved all of the characters, fully developed and vivid and wonderfully flawed. The book is very dark at moments especially when Violeta starts to use her powers and learns the trust about the estate and curse. I hope there will be a follow up as I loved this.

When the book has dark magic and an enemies to lovers romance, it’s not going to disappoint me. The whole story felt like a folklore tale. The relationship developments and the likeable characters made it a truely strong book. Although, it was a little slow at times that is why I cannot give it a full five stars.

I read this in the height of spooky season in October. I loved the dark and witchy vibes this gave me. Such an interesting setting and character array. I am looking forward to the sequel. The mysterious and mystical characters were fantastic.

In a world where monsters are real, dark shadows consume and mysteries are waiting to be unravelled… Violeta is haunted by her past and her future, all she truly wants is to keep her brother Arien safe. But when Lord Sylvanan also known as the Monster, takes Arien to use his magic, she must go with him to the haunted Lakesedge Estate and keep him safe from this monster and the mysterious Lord Under.



Can I just immediately put it out there that this is the debut of the year so far? Oh, my good lord, this was such a lush, atmospheric novel that pulled at my very soul. I must admit that I was sold the minute I read the synopsis, if you are equally drawn in by the blurb, I can guarantee you will love this one. This YA gothic fantasy/horror is timeless, it has an old fairy tale feel about it that will make you feel reminiscent. It is lushly written in a lyrical style that will leave you wanting more. I am already anxiously awaiting Forestfall, the sequel, which isn’t releasing until late next year.



- Gothic Romance

- Enemies to lovers

- Dark and brooding

- Perfect for autumn/winter

I had expected Lakesedge to be a standalone from having read the synopsis, and feel it would have been good to know that this was the first in a series.

The atmosphere of the book spoke to me, and the dark, eerie elements were a great fit for the season, and I enjoyed the setting of the house at Lakesedge, which gave me all the gothic manor house vibes. Sadly, I felt I didn't connect particularly with any of the characters, and the romance fell somewhat flat.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

There wasn't much I could take away from this story. Leta's actions were repetitive, and it was up to no good. She seems to have the power to end the Corruption, which even the Lord Under couldn't do, without any explanations, so I don't buy it. The romance felt insta to me. We know she's attracted to him from their first meeting, and their relationship was bound to happen anyway. Moreover, there was hardly any room for character development, and I'd have loved to see the story through others' POVs. In short, this book wasn't for me, and I don't think if I'll be reading the next book in this series.

(Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC)

When the book has dark magic, cursed woods, monsters and romance, it’s unlikely to leave you disappointed.

What I loved about this book is it’s magic. The story obviously too, but the magic was so unusual and at the same time felt like a folklore tale.

Another thing that I loved is that the main pillar of the story, the very foundation of it all that everything else leans on, is the relationships between the characters. They’re strong throughout the book and it’s what swifts and alters things.

The romance I felt that spiced the story up a bit but it was so predictable that didn’t impress eventually.

I felt that some parts were slow and maybe unnecessary to the plot that’s why is not a five star read for me but I really enjoyed it and I definitely will recommend!

That was a good Reading, great, well written characters, you really Care about them. But...

I had the feeling that the book could be bigger, that some things were cut, maybe to justify a sequel.

I love a good slow burning And I thought this aspect was rushed up. The enemy to lovers was too fast Also.

I expected more but I'm curious enough to read the sequel.

I was hoping for a really lush, atmospheric read, and based on some reviews I saw, this book was that for other people. But for me, it unfortunately fell really flat and I didn't feel a pull into the story, so I didn't end up finishing it.

This is a dark, gothic, enthralling book with a wonderful monster-y romance.

Lakesedge is a book full of magic and secrets and mysteries. Both the setting and the characters were so well written. I love a good dark and ancient manor setting with a brooding and monster-y love interest.
I love how the atmosphere is creepy and ominous and very gothic but the whole book takes place in summer, instead of autumn or winter. The hot and heavy summer weather made the atmosphere even more eerie.
And after that ending I absolutely can't wait for the second book, I'm very excited to see more of Leta and Rowan, but also of the Lord Under.

Okay, but who could look at that cover without falling in love with it?

I must confess here that I'm not big on reading YA fantasy, but this book exceeded my expectations.

It opens with an eerie and atmospheric scene and maintains the ambience throughout. I love how it builds the world, the magic system is easy to follow and the language is gloriously suited to the intended effect of the book. The gothic vibes are spot on and the story itself has a consistent pace that keeps the pages turning.

The MC is not one of my favorites but she is motivated, driven and fierce albeit a little too self-sacrificing-- qualities I admire in my heroines. The love interest, however, feels bland and has nothing to show for character except for his standoffishness and guilt. The romance also wants more emotional depth and I wish it was less abrupt and had more build-up. I did like the Lord Under and would like to see more of him in the next book.

Overall, a great leisure read if you're looking to indulge yourself.

There are of course always going to be books with similar plots; characters or settings – the fun for me as a reviewer is a bit like a band playing covers of old songs its what you bring to the party. A twist here, some added complications there and of course the writing can make the most familiar story seem different. That for me is always what I am looking for some surprises and some skill. Sadly as I was reading Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone my main reaction was one of disappointment.

Violeta and her younger brother Arien are oprhaned and now staying with an increasingly cruel and violent stepmother. Arien has powers of some kind of dark magic which in this part of the world are viewed as ill omens. Arien attracts the attention of the new Lord of Lakesedge Rowan a young man with a reputation as a monster for being involved with the death of the rest of his family which he admits. Violetta though as she stays with Rowan and his trusted servants finds there is more to this broody stranger than meets the eye. He’s warmer than the villages think and also trying to deal with a dark force known as the Corruption and behind it all the Lord Under the dark power that rules the Underworld and is keen to make bargains. One of which Violetta thinks she may know more about than she realised.

I didn’t mind that within a few chapters I could see that Rowan would not turn out to be the monster that he was initially told to us he would be, nor that Violetta herself has hidden latent powers that may be important to the plot nor the fairly standard relationships that build between the two; but the entire execution of the story was poor. Clipstone had adopted a rattling pace but at no time are we actually exploring the characters or world in any detail. Instead, we get some very predictable and mechanical set-pieces; and the story was unsurprising. It is rare I read something and can’t click with it at all, but the personalities of the group are wafer thin and this meant very hard to be engaged with the book. The story really needed some time to breathe and allow is to get to know this world which does have a creative idea underneath it all. I am also a tad frustrated that a book labelled as gothic actually just has a character who wears black, and the story constantly mentions darkness and shadows. A gothic tale should really be full of atmosphere, but this story has no sense of place that is memorable.

This is a soulless read I unfortunately cannot recommend to you, and I don’t think I will be tempted into ever finding what happened next. A huge disappointment.

The writing in this book was beautiful and whimsical and had me painting pictures in my head from the beginning. I liked the mystery of this book in terms of finding out the characters histories, connections and how this has shaped them into the people they are now. I feel I wanted a little more from the book, there were parts that feel a little flat and the romance was very slow-burn, I would have loved for it to have just a little more to it before the end of the book. The ending was brilliant and an unexpected turn as well. I liked that this was a dark fantasy and reminded me a lot of House of Salt and Sorrow by Erin A Craig, with its earie and creepy vibes. Over all, I enjoyed it.

Characters – 4/10
The more I think about this book, the more I dislike it. The characters did absolutely nothing for me, especially Leta. I almost put this book down because she annoyed me so much. Something about her made me want to scream and I don’t know how to articulate it. It’s almost like the author infantilised her, which is apparently something female characters in gothic novels often face. But she was just so…naive? Dumb? Morally righteous with a hero complex and the intense urge to self-sacrifice. Count me out.

Rowan wasn’t much better, to be honest. I enjoy the dark, brooding villains, but he wasn’t any of those things. And I can’t even remember the secondary characters.

Atmosphere – 5/10
Lakesedge started off well, it was creepy and had spooky vibes. However, the more I read the more the descriptions became repetitive. There wasn’t much going on visually either. We don’t get enough of the world around the mansion, and the mansion cannot stand on its own.

Writing – 6/10
The writing isn’t bad. It was easy to follow and not overly flowery. I blew through the first part of the book, but the second part just dragged.

Plot – 5/10
The start of the book really intrigued me and creeped me out. It didn’t last long. The story became so repetitive. They’d fight the lake, lose, repeat over and over. Nothing new or exciting happened. Honestly, I can’t even remember most of this book.

Intrigue – 5/10
We essentially have three villains in this book, Rowan, the lake, and the Lord Under. Rowan fell flat immediately. He was all bark and no bite and I was disappointed. I would have liked more lore surrounding the lake, maybe some more mystery. I am a whore for lore. The Lord Under wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t fleshed out enough.

Logic – 4/10
My main issue with most fantasy romances is that there’s not enough fantasy. The two leads are supposed to hate each other, but by the second page, they’re already kissing. Most of them have serious consent issues and I am not here for it. With Lakesedge, there’s not enough worldbuilding or lore. The stakes aren’t high enough. The lake is supposedly trying to take over the world, but because there’s not much to the world I didn’t care.

This book should also have been New Adult. I want to do a whole discussion post on New Adult, so I’ll save the rest of my thoughts for that.

Enjoyment – 5/10
If you want a gothic mash-up of FBA and SJM, this book might be for you. Unfortunately, it was not for me.

Review: Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone

Firstly I want to say the writing style of this novel is absolutely gorgeous. I don’t think I have read something so beautifully penned in a long time. It is almost lyrical in parts and helps build the atmosphere perfectly. The story was everything I wanted it to be. The story is woven so well and perfects the gothic fantasy genre to a tee.

The story follows Violeta Graceling and her younger brother Arien who arrive at the haunted Lakesedge estate, they expect to find a monster. Rowan Sylvanan, the estate owner drowned his entire family when he was a boy and terrifying rumours have grown up around the event and estate. Only Leta and Arien soon find out that neither the monster or the estate are what they appear to be.

Leta begins to fall for Rowan and thus discovers he is bound to the Lord Under, a death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. Finding herself drawn to the creature Leta must confront the darkness in her past, including unraveling the mystery of her connection to the Lord Under to have a chance of saving Rowan or herself.

This novel is truly magical and not only in setting! The characters are amazing, the descriptions are perfect and the storyline is engaging. I have ordered a physical copy of this book and I am sure it will be one of my favourites and most reread.

I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good gothic fantasy. It has everything you could possibly want and more.

Thank you as always to netgalley and Titan Books for giving me the e-ARC in exchange for the review

DNF @ 21%
Not for me at all and couldn’t help but DNF. I didn’t like the writing, characters or plot. Because I didn’t finish it, I will not be reviewing it.

Lakesedge is an engrossing and dark fantasy novel, the first book in what promises to be a brilliant duology, about a young woman who would do anything to protect her younger brother, even allying with a monster.

Violeta “Leta” Graceling has always taken care of her brother Arien. They live in an isolated cottage with the cruel woman who adopted them after the death of their parents. Dark shadows live inside Arien’s body and Leta lives in fear that someone is going to find out and kill Arien.

One day, in their village, Lord Rowan Sylvanan – also known as the Monster of Lakesedge – comes to collect tithes. Everyone knows what he did to his family, and when he discovers Arien’s secret and wants to take him back with him to Lakesedge Estate, Leta has no choice but to go with them to his big and solemn house. Here, Leta discovers that Rowan is not the monster everyone believes and that there is a powerful curse that haunts them all.

Lakesedge is such an intriguing and thrilling story. There is magic and alchemy, family curses and gods of death, and, of course, fantastic chemistry and romance between the heroine and the villain(-who-is-not-a-monster-after-all). The characters are all captivating and engaging, especially Leta. She is a brave, strong, and determined protagonist, ready to sacrifice herself to the darkness and death to save the people she loves.

Lakesedge is a well-written, compelling, and dark gothic novel that ends with a cliffhanger that makes me impatient to read the sequel! Highly recommended!!!

This wonderful magical tale started off quite like a children's story, it was slow to develop and it doesn't have many gothic vibes more like a slow burn romance but then the under lord comes into play and we have a triangle developing and more substance to the storyline and character development. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I'm often less into books that fall heavily on the side of romance, and this one is no exception. The construct of the world was intriguing but I wanted more from the plot than just a love story.

Lakesedge by LYNDALL CLIPSTONE.
There are monsters in the world.
Violeta Graceling has spent her life in an isolated cottage, trying to protect herself and her beloved younger brother Arien from their adoptive mother’s twisted cruelty. A cruelty driven by the mysterious shadows that unwillingly spill from Arien’s hands, spelling dark magic and an even darker underworld.
To escape means taking a position at the haunted estate of Rowan Sylvanan—the so-called “Monster of Lakesedge”—who comes seeking Arien's dark magic. The monster who, it is whispered, stalks the halls of his manor and the shores of the blackened, cursed lake.
Yet as Violeta investigates Lakesedge's tragic history, she discovers that its prickly, standoffish lord is far from a monster, but an orphaned boy not much older than she is. As their friendship blossoms, Violeta learns the tragic truth of Rowan’s curse and his fateful bargain with the Lord Under. To save Lakesedge, she must make a bargain of her own with the fiendish being who rules over the world Below.
A good read with some good characters. Likeable story. 4*.