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.