I read this this morning in one sitting. I enjoyed it, but also didn't... Like I'm intrigued by the idea of it but the execution just hasn't fully hit it off with me yet....

I got to a certain part of this book and became worried it was going to be a Hades X Persephone rewrite and whilst there was some vibes of that, I was pleasantly surprised when it quickly came away from that.
I enjoyed the bi-panic that Lark went through throughout this book, and I quite liked it became a why choose whilst maintaining being a closed door romance. I quite liked the LGBTQ representation in this. I felt the romance could have been padded out more - whilst it's explained why the male love interest is crappy towards Lark, I don't feel he does enough to make up for it - she just forgives him because of the trauma he's been through, which is a pet peeve for me - being abused/traumatised doesn't give someone a reason to be crappy towards another person.

I feel like there was a lot of story for how short it was, and I do feel maybe it would have benefitted being 100 pages longer just to explore some of the themes and ideas a bit more, as it felt rushed in parts. There are some parts that are quite descriptive, but they are beautifully written and add plenty to the story. Overall it was a very unique storyline and there were times I definitely didn't know where it was going however you can tell the author had planned it out to the finest detail.

I think it lost some points for me as it's advertised as being comparable to Saltburn and I just didn't see it....

This is a story of self-discovery and sacrifice, whilst being featherlight and ethereal.
It was interesting but I'm not sure if I'm obsessed. I'll likely reread it when it comes out officially and consider my feelings again towards this book

MY THOUGHTS:
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5STARS
5 HUNDRED MILLION STARS

NOW SOME ACTUAL COHERENT THOUGHTS:
Tenderly, I Am Devoured is perfection from start to finish: it's written like a work of art!

The pacing was great! It flowed so smoothly and didn't feel long or grueling to read at all.

It felt so refreshing to read, like the rays of sun after a harsh winter or those first autumn showers after an unforgiving summer, it was pure poetry that made me feel so many things!

The characters had actual depth with relatable and, more importantly, realistic emotions.

The injustice and grief of Damson's betrayal, the heartbreak accompanied with Alistair's harsh words, the joy at Camille's return, the anger at Marcus (Marcus when I catch you Marcus), the excitement of the first kiss - the intensity of the second.

The stakes were high, but my blood pressure was higher!

The writing was so poetic and conveyed the scene magnificently, instilling wonder and awe and beauty into the reader's minds.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is just a lovely flower-threaded tale about falling in love and fighting against tides of cruel forces trying to keep them apart.

DNF @40%

Sorry!!! I'm struggling to continue with this... I'm so bored. The characters are so flat and dull that I just don't care what happens to them honestly!

Plus, the two storylines still very disjointed and choppy that it's kind of frustrating to read?

Ughh I don't know what else to say - this clearly isn't for me, but I'm glad there are others enjoying it of course!!

Dreamy. Atmospheric. Lyrical. Moody. Gothic.
The beautiful writing in this book enchanted me from the very first chapter.

There were moments where I felt like I slipped from this reality right into this wistful and haunting world, swimming in the sea with salt in my hair and longing for the chthonic world.
I don’t think I’ve ever looked at the sea in such a romantic and melancholic way before, but this book is so beautiful and the scenery so wonderfully captured that I couldn’t help it.

Lacrimosa
Our main character was so dear to me and I could feel her struggles and longings. I adore soft heroines, because not all of us can be fighters all the time, at least not fighters in the same way.

Alastair
Sweet Alistair, my heart goes out to him. What he had to go through was incredibly difficult and painful, many parts had me on the verge of tears.

Camille
I think I have a crush on her and her tender moments with Lark were everything.

Therion
The mysterious God of the Sea from the chthonic world. He intrigued me and terrified me in equal measure.

Plot
It is perfectly paced, each chapter leaves you wanting more while feeling satisfied with what you have found out, at times shocked, other times intrigued, and other times your world is turned upside down.

Thank you publisher and author for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Hot Key Books for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

Release date: 1st July 2025 (UK and US)

TW: body horror, death, grief, blood, injury, references to suicidal ideation, abuse, horror

‘Tenderly I Am Devoured’ is the newest standalone from the brilliant Lyndall Clipstone, pulling the reader into the salt sprayed and isolated world of Lacrimosa Arriscane after she is expelled from school and sent home in disgrace to her family. Born and raised beside the beach and cliffs, Lark returns to her house to discover her brothers on the verge of financial ruin, crippled by debts made by their dead parents to the Felimath family, who live in the enormous mansion named Saltswan. Once upon a time Lark and the Felimath siblings were best friends, but not anymore: Alistair broke Lark’s heart and Camille vanished to finishing school. Desperate to save her family’s livelihood, Lark makes a deal to become the bride of Therion, the swan god worshipped by Lark’s hometown, to be taken away to his realm for six months a year. However, her betrothal goes wrong and Lark soon finds herself caught between the furious Therion and reality, fading away from the real world. There’s only one option to help her: the Felimath siblings, and as they dive into the stories of ancient folklore full of gods and monsters while fleeing a religious sect called the Sea Pirates, Lark falls in love with both siblings at the same time. Attempting a ritual to repair the connection between Therion and Lark before she can be lost forever, the Felimaths and Lark accidentally bring something through that is much more deadly.

I was a huge fan of this author’s ‘Lakesedge’ and ‘Forestfall’ so I was delighted to get an ARC for this book, especially because I loved the idea of a complicated polyamorous relationship dynamic, a Gothic setting and world and a woman engaged out of desperation to a god. Lyndall Clipstone has such a dreamy way of writing, it’s like being caught up in a fairytale and there’s always a sense of unreality lurking on the edges. I loved Lark from page one, she’s really struggling since being expelled from her elite school and returning to her home brings back memories best left in the past. She’s got so much to deal with and in a moment of pure desperation, turns to Therion to save her family’s salt mine. Her connection with Alastair and Camille is fraught with old hurts and childhood love turned into something more, I liked how things weren’t simple or easily defined between Lark and the siblings. Camille is softer while Alistair is harsher but they both understand Lark perfectly. The worldbuilding is beautiful, I found that you could feel the sea and the flickering candles down in the cave where they worship Therion. Some of the moments in this book are horror and Gothic at their finest while merging seamlessly with the YA genre. This is a really original take on love and romance, on religion and worship and on identity and self belief- Lyndall Clipstone has written something truly beautiful, terrifying, raw and aching, I loved it and raced through it in a few days.

4.5 stars (rounded up)

To gather the words in order to portray this book with all the justice is deserves is something I don’t think I can truly achieve but here is my review nonetheless.

It’s not very often I read the acknowledgements at the end of a book but after having the pleasure of chatting to Lyndall with her street team group, I knew it was important to recognise and I’m so glad I did. This book truly captures this raw emotion that was poured into it.

Lyndall has written this tender, gothic folklorish and otherworldly fantasy with refreshing romances with LGBTQ+ representation in our characters who balance the line of selfishness and guilt, hunger for freedom and responsibility. The prose are rich and poetic taking us on this journey as Lacrimosa (Lark) our main character recounts her painful past that feeds into her present - dreaming for a different future that she wants to have chosen and grasped for herself.

There’s chthonic gods, demons, isolating coastal towns, eerie tension and folklorereference wrapped up in this beautiful lyrical writing.

I really loved this book, it felt both heartwarming and heartbreaking reading about Lark, Camille and Alistar (and let’s be fair, the rest of the characters) in this gothic, coming of age story. Watching them discover themselves in their choices, all whilst fighting both inner and physical demons to restore family livelihoods and legacies from ruin.

Truly though, I am devoured !!

(This copy was provided as being part of the Saltswans Street team. Review will be shared across web pages closer to publication date UK)

I really enjoyed the premise and world building of this book, the mythology was really interesting and I loved the shifting timeline structure.
I wished this was part of a longer series as it felt a little rushed to me by the end and I would've enjoyed following a series of books around how Lark frees herself from Therion whilst exploring more of his world and the netherworld in which he's trapped. Equally the concept of the Salt Priests was so interesting but it felt so rushed whereas I would've loved them explored in a later book. Alistair and Lark had great potential as a couple but the jarring insertion/return of Camille before Lark's wedding felt forced and then for it to develop into a throuple felt even more so for me.
I'm so grateful to have read the book and would definitely explore some of the author's other work but sadly for me I had great expectations from the initial set up and concept but let down slightly in the realisation as the book progressed.

4.5 stars
This was exquisitely dark and mysterious. A rich, gothic setting, ancient gods, and yearning romance all blend together for a wonderful story that will draw readers in right from the start.

3.75 Stars
Both the writing and plot are well written. I thought that the way Clipstone wove the present narrative with moments from the past was well done and very effective.

I enjoyed this story more than I expected to. The story was fairly simple but I still enjoyed it. Stories where there are fruity characters are my favourite, and this had many within the small number of characters. It wasn’t anything i knew going in to it, so it was a brilliant surprise. <spoiler>I adored the relationship between the three main characters and that there were many references to other lgbtq+ relationships but that the fact they were lgbtq+ relationships weren’t discussed or any sort of issue, they were just part of the character but not at all the focus of the characters. There was no “coming out” just realisation and acceptance of feelings of certain people, but no surprise at the gender of said people. I also loved the Poly relationship with no jealousy or hurdles with it being poly. I did find the whole relationship with Therion kind of rushed. The entire story was based on/around it but we didn’t spend more than a few scenes with his character, it was all resolved and we didn’t really get to know the character at all on a personal level. It could have been fleshed out a little more.</spoiler>

2.5 stars out of 5

Tenderly, I am Devoured is a gothic fantasy following Lacrimosa 'Lark' Arriscane as she makes a bargain with a god to repay the debt owned by her family. This bargain entails betrothal to the god, but when the ceremony goes horribly wrong, Lark must seek help from Camille and Alastair Felimath; her estranged childhood best friends, the latter of which, loathes her. As the trio navigate how to reunite Lark with her bridegroom, darker powers are at play. Can they find a way to restore balance without anyone getting hurt?

I found myself so disappointed while reading this book as it had so much potential, with such a stunning cover, a beautiful setting and such compelling character archetypes. Formulaically, it should be my perfect read, however, I found that it left much to be desired.

I love Clipstone's writing and enjoyed 'Tenderly, I Am Devoured' much more than her previously published 'World at the Lake's Edge' duology but unfortunately, I’ve found that her plots tend to drag on unnecessarily. I really enjoyed the back and fourth then and now chapters but once the ‘then’ chapters finished I found myself bored.

The romance also felt rushed as it relies on you just accepting that these characters are perfect together because they’ve known each other for so long without really providing much evidence. I found this especially evident in regards to Lark and Alastair's relationship; I wish they had interacted more in the present timeline on a one on one basis before getting together. Lark's relationship with Camille felt even more surface level as there it only one flashback with her before they become romantic.
The romantic scenes were written beautifully but it didn’t change the fact that I felt as though these characters barely knew each other, despite their confessions of love. All in all it just felt incredibly rushed especially as I value a relationship build-up more than any other aspect.

Also not a huge fan of Camille and Alastair being siblings dating the same girl but maybe that’s just me…

As a final sidenote; I have no idea why this is "recommended for fans of Saltburn" because the only similarity is that that there’s a big house called Saltswan….? I feel like marketing teams will just relate anything to any piece of popular media just so people will read it and it’s so annoying.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Tenderly I am Devoured contains very lush and atmospheric writing that truly brings the Gothic world Clipstone has created to life. This book would be perfect for fans of Ava Reid’s - especially her young adult novel A Study of Drowning - as it contains the same damp coastal setting and imagery. The pacing remained tight throughout, assisted by the dual timeline narrative. Lark is a very layered and unique protagonist which really added to my enjoyment, and I especially appreciated the relationship she had with her brothers. These bonds were my favourite part of the book. 


The romance, however, was not it. At all. Love triangles that consist of siblings are icky enough as it is, but to start a throuple this way was too far for me, which is a shame as I thought Lark and Allistair had great chemistry. Similarly, if the relationship between Lark and Camille had been given more time to grow and develop, they could have been a great option too. Instead, the lines were uncomfortably blurred, and I found myself wanting to skip any romantic scenes, especially any that contained all three of them.


Overall - Tenderly, I am Devoured is a well written gothic standalone with a very interesting premise that is unfortunately let down by the romantic choices. 3.5 stars


Thank you to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This book was so underwhelming, yet it still left me feeling a bit weirded out by the end. Not in a good way, either.

I will start with the positives, though. The prose and atmosphere of this novel is amazing. Clipstone really sets the mood of a mysterious little seaside town with the vast and vivid descriptions and pieces of lore sprinkled in. It made the world feel truly alive; it was one of the best aspects of the book in my eyes.

Unfortunately, everything else wasn't as good.

I did not feel anything for the characters (Except slight disgust, but we'll get to that). Lark is sympathetic in a vacuum, but I never found her a strong lead due to her otherwise stale personality. The side cast was even more so, particularly the sibling love interests. Camille literally has nothing interesting about her. The only two traits of hers I can identify is that she cares for her brother and Lark, and that she's bad at math. She felt so empty and hollow as a character; I feel like very little would change if she was taken out of the story. Alastair had more going for him, but only because of what laid at the heart of of his and Lark's heartbreak. Anyone who reads the book could probably vouch that they saw the twist from 10 miles away, and the fact Lark didn't even try to even guess at it shows how little character she possesses. Everyone else was just there, but some had some intrigue. Lark's brothers, and another guy Hugo, who has a lot of plot relevance, but both are just squandered. There's also an entire cult called the Salt Priests who are the background villains, but not once do they actually show up in person. We're only told about their evilness second-handedly, which really sucks.

As for the romance - I'll just be plain: Lark ends up with both siblings. Said siblings aren't together romantically, but they still agreed to "share" Lark. It's not exactly incest, which normally is a major theme/device in gothic literature, but I just - can't comprehend a relationship like that. Besides, I feel like the whole triangle could be thrown out entirely. Like I said, Camille could have been erased from the plot. I feel like Clipstone made it a love trio between two siblings only to for the story to pull more gothic themes from the roots. I dunno, maybe if there was more actual chemistry and character from these people I would be more forgiving, but as it is, I just can't.

All in all, I'd only recommend this to people who just want good vibes from atmospheric worldbuilding but don't really care much about plot or characters. As someone who strongly desires the latter from my books, it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Net Gallery for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this book feels like summer nights, dark and heady with the scent of salt in the air. The prose was lush and lyrical, reading this felt more akin to a Grim’s fairy tale and honesty? Made me hanker for some chthonic wine. The world building is lovely and easy to fall into, the world simply falls into place around you until it feels as though you’re breathing in the sea air.

Lark is a lovely protagonist, deeply relatable and the slow reveal of her past cut me like a knife. I think most people would be able to relate to her situation and it made me like her all the more.

I would have liked Camille to have a little more development, at times it felt as though not as much thought had been given to her history with Lark as opposed to Alastair’s but I enjoyed her character all the same.

Perfect for those who enjoy dark gothic romances, I highly recommend.

ᯓwhat i liked:
༝ stunning cover and artwork
༝ beautiful atmospheric writing
༝ dark eerie gothic vibes
༝ intriguing plot

ᯓwhat i disliked:
༝ very slow pacing w/ boring repetitive parts
↪ some flashbacks felt unnecessary and didn’t add to story
༝ romance was a miss for me
↪ couldn't feel the chemistry. the brother/sis duo wasn't for me
༝ camile's character was undeveloped
↪ causing her relationship with lark to feel forced and unnatural

ᯓoverall thoughts:
loved the vibes but the slow pacing often left me bored. i found the story interesting but couldn't connect to any the characters.

This gothic brooding YA fantasy novel was a quick read with a polyamorous love story between a girl born to be a sea gods bride and the siblings she falls in love with.

I liked Lark & Alastair as characters but Camille’s character was quite underdeveloped and I didn’t see the chemistry or romance between her and Lark?

The plot was also a bit thin in places.

Has some darker themes so please check triggers before going into this.