I loved Lakesedge so much so this book did not disappoint!

The atmosphere was again so mysterious, luring you in and trust me you will not want to let go! And I mean, Lord Under is there so why leave? His need to protect Leta is just everything.

Loved the characters, loved the atmosphere and I love her writing. Dark, luscious, and filled with wild magic.

Forest fall is such a beautiful finish to the perfect story.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

Forestfall is such a beautifully written fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. This sequel is well-written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out Forestfall today.

I wasn't a huge fan of Lakesedge, Forestfall was a bit better but also very slow. I loved the world building but it took me ages to read this book.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

When I first read Lakesedge I quite enjoyed it. Although I did think the pacing was quite slow now that I think about it. I hoped Forestfall would prove to be a satisfactory conclusion, but unfortunately, it really wasn't. I really enjoyed the setting of the world and I have to say Lyndall Clipstone's writing is stunningly atmospheric. But unfortunately, I felt the pacing of the book was a little off.

The whole romance arc of the book left me confused; I was not a fan of it honestly. If the pacing and the romance was improved, I think I might just have enjoyed this a lot more. But this is to say, I am kinda disappointed in how this trilogy ended because I had high expectations for it.

Lakesedge completely blew me away - so Forestfall has been a must read for me. I really enjoyed this second installment into the world below. Violeta is such a strong character to follow and she does not disappoint.

After reading the first book of the series, I was highly anticipating the second one. Bookfam… It was so disappointing…

First of all, there is no significant plot until the last 20% of the book. Everything between the start of the book and just before the ending, could have been one single chapter. There was a totally unnecessary back and forth that added absolutely no value to the story and didn’t provide any background information either. I convinced myself not to DNF it at least 10 times.

Furthermore, the main character was just unbelievable, in an irritating way, and was driving me crazy from the early start. The actions and internal dialogues were all trying to support the notion of the female-hero-sacrificing-everything, but only came across as juvenile, risking everything without reason and I-want-everything-although-it-was-my-decision-to-sacrifice-all. Nothing related to the strong character we see in the first book.

The Lord’s Under world and it’s magic system so poorly delivered to the reader that it felt as something the author come up with last minute to move on with the story.

And finally, a love triangle! Like really?!

So sad.

Last year when I read Lakesedge I was so sure being dragged to the World Below would be an unforgettable experience. Yet for whatever reason, I couldn’t connect to this follow up story.

The Highlights:
-The writing: the descriptions of the setting, the clothes. It was amazingly crafted and, for me, it created a dark fairytale movie in my head.
-The World Below: it was described like what I can only imagine as a dark enchanted forest. Just beautiful
-The Lord Under: he’s a morally gray character which makes rooting for him a bit complicated, but deep down I think he had more good in him than evil. I wish he’d had a happier ending.

The Downside:
-The protagonists: for some reason, I did not connect with Leta or Rowan. Some of their choices and actions didn’t sit well with me.
-The storyline: I feel like I’m probably the only one who thought there were too many comings and goings. Maybe it was just me, but I thought the events didn’t follow a line and certain world building elements were added on the go.
-The romance: funny, right? This one is absolutely personal though. I just wanted a fun love triangle but from what I understood, that wasn’t the type of romance in this book.

Does this experience mean I’m not expecting more bookish news from the author? Hell yes, I am! Forestfall and I may have not clicked, but Lyndall’s writing style and prose are so beautiful, the imagery she creates so vivid, that I am eagerly looking forward to read more stories from her.

I enjoyed the first book, Lakesedge so was looking forward to this sequel, Forestfall. I really enjoyed this book. You need to have read the first book to truly understand the characters and everything that happens in this book. Like the first book, I loved the word occupied by Rowan and Violeta, dark, twisted and mysterious. The book is quite sad as the characters learn the true cost of Violeta’s heroic actions.

Forestfall by Lyndall Clipstone is the second book in the World at the Lake's Edge duology.
 
After reading and loving Lakesedge and its end, Forestfall quickly became one of my most anticipated releases of this year and it was the best to dive back into this world.
 
Violeta is even more stunning in this book. She had to make some tough decisions and now deals with them. Her character truly gets tested, and she must be even stronger. I totally felt with her, and I adore her.
 
Rowan broke my heart a bit in the last book, and I just wanted him to finally be free and happy. But the way to that is very rocky, and he had to step up as a character and I liked to see that. He is just amazing.
 
I feel like this book is even a bit darker than Lakesedge and the author just writes so atmospheric and that’s one of my favorite things about this duology. The plot was intriguing, and captivating and I got lost completely in this book.
 
Overall, Forestfall is such a good sequel and I highly recommend checking out this series and it’s also perfect for the current fall season. 4 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

As always I want to start by saying that I was given a copy of this to review. My review is honest and left voluntarily and avoids spoilers. #TitanBooks #Forestfall #LyndallClipstone #Lakesedge #Netgalley

Forestfall is the hauntingly beautiful sequel to Lakesedge. Following the lives of Violeta and Rowan as they try to pick up the pieces after the climax of Lakesedge. The curse had been broken but it took Violeta to sacrifice everything to ensure the Corruption did not return.

To escape her fate of death Leta makes a bargain with the Lord Under, one that sees her living by his side and while he claims to give her everything he promised something pulls Leta away. Discovering herself still bound to Rowan, Leta stops at nothing to try and reforge their connection but it is not just the Lord Under Leta will have to overcome to make her way back home but things are never easy, less so when there is the pull of a new, dark power.

Forestfall takes all that made Lakesedge stand out making it one of my favourite reads and Forestfall arguably doubles it. An atmospheric and mesmerising sequel, Clipstone takes us deeper into the enchanting darkness. It is lush and beautiful, with a deeper glimpse into the land of the Dead. I have to say I may have adored this just a touch more than Lakesedge. I loved that old characters returned but the inclusion of the new ones as well namely Lord Under’s sisters.

I adored the darkness in this book, it was dangerous but beautiful. Clipstone is a master at crafting a macabre world and bringing it to life. You are easily transported to the locations in your mind and the writing style flows in such a way that you cannot help but be hooked.

Another factor I loved was the dual point of views in the book of Leta and Rowan. To get a deeper insight into Rowan and his love for Leta was just perfection. Continuing touches of the maiden and monster trope I adored seeing this evolve in the second book. In short this duology is arguably one of my favourites. It has elements of the classic gothic tales, beautiful and haunting locations, and a love that can even conquer death.

Forestfall is the sequel of Lakesedge and is a book filled with gothic elements, romance and haunting dark worlds. The writing is a really great fit for this kind of book, and I enjoyed it (and the story) so much more than in the first book. The plot just felt more focused, and the setting of the World Below is a nice addition. The world-building gets the front seat here, which I really enjoyed. Both of the worlds in the books sent shivers down my spine, but in the best way. It immersed me wholly into the story, something that the first book never managed to do.

The book has a great cast of characters, and when matched with the found family aspect it’s just a joy to read. The love Leta, Rowan and the rest of the gang share for each other is very tangible and adds a heart to the story. It also makes the choices that Leta and Rowan make make sense. They’re there for each other through thick and thin, and it results in a world crossing gothic romance. The book also introduces some new characters from the World Below, and although none of them is a new favourite - they add depth and a sense of high stakes to the story.

Forestfall is a dark book with a captivating plot that is a nice conclusion to this dark fantasy duology. Something I wasn't to keen on the love triangle, and the story did drag in places. Also (and this is a very personal thing) some parts of the book was creepy and made me uncomfortable. But I'm a big scaredy cat, and this is a Gothic horror-esque story - so yeah. If you enjoy darker books and likes love triangles then this might become a new favourite for you.

I am absolutely head over heels for Lyndall Clipstone’s gorgeous writing. It’s so lush and lyrical, without being overly flowery, and I’m just obsessed.

This was a really solid conclusion to this duology. Picking up right where Lakesedge left off, we’re immediately thrust back into the perfect, foresty atmosphere created in book one. I absolutely loved the setting. Although I love a haunted estate as much as the next person, I am, at my core, a forest girl, and Lyndall Clipstone wove such an incredibly vivid atmosphere into this book that I truly felt like I was in the World Below.

I loved the Lord Under as a character, and I do wish we’d learned a bit more about him and his backstory. I think this book would have benefitted from having him as a third narrator because it felt like he was intended to be a main character on the same level as Leta and Rowan, but without his POV, we were missing something. I think it would have been really interesting to see the World Below and his sisters through his eyes. As much as I enjoyed the addition of the sisters, they just didn’t have enough page time for me to care much about them as characters.

I liked Leta’s narration a lot. It always felt like she was keeping secrets from us, the readers, and I loved the air of mystery. I found Rowan’s chapters dragged a little because it didn’t feel like he had a super distinct voice. I enjoyed him a lot more toward the end of the book.

I can’t lie, I struggled a bit with the romance. I liked Rowan and Leta in the first book, and I liked her chemistry with the Lord Under a lot. I don’t think it was intended to feel like a love triangle, and it didn’t, but I feel like there was a missed opportunity to tie the three of them together because there was hardly any interaction between the Lord Under and Rowan. I think adding an element of the two of them having a strong bond too would have rounded everything out nicely.

Another thing I struggled with was the pacing. It wasn’t slow at all, but it felt a little repetitive at times. Like they were going somewhere, trying something, but it didn’t work, so they went back and tried again. Don’t get me wrong, it felt realistic but it wasn’t the most enjoyable pacing to read.

Overall, I think this is a really solid duology and one I will absolutely recommend to anyone who loves atmospheric fantasy, especially fans of For the Wolf, A Far Wilder Magic, and One Dark Window.

Content warnings, as noted on the author’s website: Body horror, gore and blood (including descriptions of wounds,) descriptions of drowning and deep water, drowning-related imagery, self-injury.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me this arc!

This macabre dance of death was stunning conclusion to the World at Lake's Edge duology by, now my favorite, author Lyndall Clipstone.

When Violeta goes to Below she doesn't understand that she had to die in order to save the ones she loves. But when she discovers she's bound to Rowan still, she have to make her way back to him.

It was a very dark and raw Orpheus and Eurudice retelling, but instead of of Eurudice's looking back, Orpheus followed her to the Underworld. That's what Rowan did, and my God! *swoon* This book, had two point of views, Violeta's and Rowan's, instead of just Violeta's as it was in Lakesedge. This was really good because we understood better how the two characters were perceiving same situations.

Sometimes the short sentences were a little tiring but other than that the execution of this book was really amazing. That ending was what I was looking for. And I loved it. How fast can I read it again?

Lakesedge firmly lodged itself in my heart as a firm favourite. It was special to me so I was both excited and nervous for Forestfall. The question swimming round and round in my head is will it live up to my eager expectations….

Well the answer to that is HELL YES. It was dark, atmospheric and intense. I found the switch to multi-pov interesting and it was nice to get a glimpse inside Rowan’s mind. I love this book, this series and these characters will live rent free in my mind until the end of my days.

I absolutely adored Lakesedge last year so I was so hyped when Forestfall was announced and I was not disappointed, I was sucked straight back into this world from the first page, going back to Violeta, Lord Under and Rowan! It was interesting t0 meet some other characters in the story and I was just whisked away by the plot, I was hung onto every word and I was flying through so fast trying to find out what would happen next! Highly recommend the duology!

Forestfall
Lakesedge #2
Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Lyndall Clipstone 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is beautifully gothic and atmospheric. I really enjoyed the characters, their personalities and how well their emotions were portrayed. The world building with the World Below and the World Above was really good and both were explored nicely. There were monsters introduced throughout the book and they were well developed.

I didn't realise that this was actually a second book but that was my fault and this book was still enjoyable. The ending was very fitting with the whole vibe of this book and concluded things quite nicely.

*Thank you to @netgalley and the publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review*