Thank you to MacMillan Children's/Henry Holt & Co and NetGalley for this eARC to review!

4/5 stars

Lakesedge was one of my most anticipated reads of the fall, and 2021 overall. Due to *life* circumstances, it took me a while longer than normal to get through this read, despite it not being a lengthy read. While my available time to read was slim, I caught myself either devouring portions of the book, or struggling to pay attention to certain parts.

I definitely enjoyed the prose, the lush gothic atmosphere, and how eerie the Lord Under and the Corruption were. It was a really original concept I've yet to read of something similar, and it kept me engaged throughout the book! The stakes were always high, and there were plenty of twists that I wasn't anticipating in the story, and the story went in a direction I wasn't anticipating either! I LOVED Arien and Clover, and Florence was a delightful motherly figure with a splash of sass.

Leta and Rowan's love was sweet and tender, although at some times it felt rushed or instantaneous, and I would've preferred some more dialogue between all of the characters throughout. It seemed like at times we were more so "told" what was happening instead of being shown or being part of character interaction. I'm hoping in the sequel, we get to see the character interactions and relationships develop a bit more, and really get to get inside their heads while they're dealing with this insane conflict.

Overall I really enjoyed the book, and am looking forward to the sequel to see how the author expands on the character relationships and the plot ARC as a whole!

“When Violeta Graceling and her younger brother Arien arrive at the haunted Lakesedge estate, they expect to find a monster. Leta 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.

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… 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.”

I found this book to be definitely dark and intriguing. The romance wasn’t exactly my favorite because it felt like it was almost like insta-love. I loved seeing the magic and corruption play out in the book. Rowan and Violeta definitely had growth in the story and had to do sacrifices. I really enjoyed this and want the sequel. Definitely a good book to read right before Halloween

Lush prose and gothic world-building makes this book atmospheric, immersive, and creepy--a perfect read for fall. Leta the enigmatic characters surrounding her are all so compelling.

I am REALLY SAD because I could not get this book to load. I TRIED EVERYTHING!!!!

regardless, I am planning on picking this book up because I have a feeling I will fall deeply in love with it. I have seen this title all over the book community and I have already purchased a copy.

A lush gothic fantasy romance set alongside a mysterious lake, with elements of Beauty and the Beast, and a fascinatingly unique magic and religious system.

Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone is a beautifully written gothic fantasy with a swoony romance, and not nearly enough people are talking about it!

In this book, you’ll find…
🖤 A brother and a sister with a strong bond
🖤 A found family
🖤 A monster boy with a big heart
🖤 Lil sprinkle of cottage core
🖤 A demisexual heroine who is a smidge impulsive
🖤 A death god who I love for some reason???

Thanks to Henry Holt and Co. and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan, and Lyndall for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. From first glance I knew this book was going to be one that I really enjoyed. It has Beauty and the beast undertones while also reminding me of Addie la rue and rumplestilskin at time. If you love a good Gothic fantasy this is right up your alley. I absolutely loved Lyndall’s World building and storytelling. I absolutely love this book. I love the fierceness of Leta and the mysteriousness of Rowan. The Lord under is such a good character! I love how all the magic in this book comes with a price and unfortunately it’s usually a price that I don’t want to pay. The characters are just written very well. I really can’t wait to see where their story goes from here. I need more. I really need more. So excited for the next one!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to TBR & Beyond Tours, Netgalley, Henry Holt and Co., and Lyndall Clipstone for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

So I hear the term “gothic” a lot when it comes to stories and I thought I knew what that meant, but maybe I actually didn’t. Thank you to Goodreads for this definition:

Gothic fiction is a genre of literature that combines elements of both the uncanny and romance.

Gothic Genre on Goodreads
There’s more to the definition but this is the first sentence. When you think about “gothic”, is this what comes to your mind? I think knowing this makes me understand why I get gothic feelings from Lakesdge more than I thought before, and it makes me able to appreciate the story now that I have that understanding.

Aspects like how Arien reacts to the darkness seeping out of him when he has those night terrors, and the Lord Under with his secrets and mystery surrounding him give me that gothic vibe. From the very beginning of the story I felt like things were going to get creepy, especially with how we first meet Arien and Violeta. I couldn’t imagine the nights they had to endure like this, and how much physical and mental pain they felt.

It was a great story to ring in October with its spookiness and paranormal feelings. I liked Leta as a main character, and truly felt her love for her brother Arien. I wanted her to figure out how to save him from his fate, and I wanted her to figure out how to escape the Lord Under. I wanted to learn more about the Lord Under and why he would do something like drown his entire family. Was there truth to that story, or was it the whispers of a scared town? The mystery was great and I’m curious to see how Clipstone continues this story in its sequel.

I had high hopes for Lakesedge, if for no other reason than that the cover and synopsis gave such a clear, strong vibe that seemed like exactly what I wanted to read, lushly gothic and dramatically romantic. But the vibe is the strongest thing about the book. It isn't terrible, it's just...deeply mediocre. Every time I opened Lakesedge to read a little more, I'd get bored within a single paragraph. Violeta, the heroine, has less personality than the faceless version of her on the cover; she just sort of moves through her story making unmotivated (or inexplicably motivated) choices and being dramatic. The love interest, Rowan, is exactly what you'd expect - darkly brooding, tortured and tormented, would rather be cryptic and Byronic than answer a damn question - and honestly, that's fine, it's the kind of hero you get in this kind of book, so while it didn't work for me, it would seem a bit silly to complain that he's TOO brooding and TOO tormented. Still, his character didn't gel for me, nor did I feel like he and Leta had the chemistry to sustain the book.

It's a story trying to be about character dynamics and relationships, but they're too weakly written, leaving me as a reader with nothing but atmosphere to fall back on. And the atmosphere's fine, if shallowly executed (it feels like all the trappings and accessories of a gothic novel, but none of the underlying themes and tensions that actually matter)...and atmosphere alone just isn't enough to sustain an entire book. Disappointing, to say the least.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lakesedge was one of my most anticipated releases of this year, sadly it was not for me.

It is marketed as a gothic story but doesn't deliver. It has some of the elements of a gothic book, mainly the mysterious mansion. Other than that, it just feels like a normal YA fantasy with a slightly dark atmosphere.

My favorite thing about this book was the romance- it felt rushed, but it worked. The Lord Under was an interesting character, who hopefully will be a bigger part of the story in the sequel.

So bummed that I didn't like this. I was in the mood for some gothic spooky vibes, being that it's October and all, and this fell really flat for me.

Surprisingly, I was excited at the beginning. I thought it started off strong and I thought the mom making her children kneel on glass was setting the eerie time for the rest of the book. Unfortunately, right after that, we spring into Lakesedge and everything happens very fast and somehow seemed painfully slow at the same time. Fast as in "here are the other characters and we're all best friends now," slow as in "we are going to talk ending the Corruption for the entire book without doing anything."

I'd give it one star, but it did have a good beginning and I thought there were parts that had potential. But overall, a big huge miss for me

What would you trade for the power to protect those you love? Violeta bargains with gods and monsters in Lyndall Clipstone’s debut YA novel, Lakesedge. Described as a “lush gothic fantasy,” Lakesedge comes out tomorrow, September 28.

Violeta Graceling just wants to protect her younger brother Arien from the shadows that haunt his dreams, but the inky tendrils that spill from his palms are no figment of his imagination. Rowan Sylvanan, the young lord of Lakesedge, has a darkness of his own—and he thinks Arien’s shadows might be part of the solution he’s been seeking. It seems unwise to accept an invitation from the Monster of Lakesedge, so called because he is rumored to have drowned his own family, but Violet and Arien aren’t given much of a choice. Lakesedge isn’t just haunted by the tragic death of Rowan’s family, however; the lake itself is cursed with a shadowy corruption that threatens to spread and destroy the land. While Arien studies alchemy with the hope of performing a ritual to mend the Corruption, Violeta finds herself falling for the young man she once thought a monster. But even as she feels drawn toward Rowan, Violeta is pulled toward another voice that calls out to her—the voice of the Lord Under, god of the dead. Violeta, Arien, and Rowan may not be strong enough to stop the Corruption without the Lord Under’s help. But is Violeta prepared to pay his price?

Lakesedge follows the very Gothic tradition of drawing the title of the book from its spooky setting—in this case, the ancestral estate of the Lords Sylvanan, the name of which also serves as a constant reminder of the string of family tragedies that occurred at the nearby lake. When Violet arrives at the estate, she is entranced by its decaying decadence, alternately finding it beautiful and terrifying. Rowan enacts his grief and guilt on the house by keeping the rooms his family members lived in locked up and allowing the estate to fall into disrepair. Despite its foreboding name and appearance, Violeta eventually comes to think of Lakesedge as home—the first true home she’s had since being orphaned as a young child. And yes, she does spend a fair amount of time running around the ruined manor in her nightgown.

The novel also explores a theme common to the subgenre of Gothic romance: falling in love with a monster. Violeta is first introduced to Rowan Sylvanan as the Monster of Lakesedge—a vicious and power-hungry young man who murdered his family in cold blood. Though Rowan gruffly insists that all the rumors about him are true, Violeta is quick to realize he’s not a monster of the murderous kind—at least not in the way that the other villagers think. Wracked by guilt for his past actions, Rowan believes in his own monstrosity almost as much as the villagers do. And as the Corruption from the lake spreads not just through his land but through his own body, Rowan is in danger of turning into a more literal sort of monster if the others can’t successfully complete the mending ritual. But Violeta sees both Rowan’s monstrosity and his humanity, and loves him anyway. She was never much of one to be afraid of monsters.

There are quite a few other Gothic elements in Lakesedge, including bargains with supernatural beings, a trip to the underworld, and a heavy focus on death. But I can’t get into any of these too deeply without revealing major spoilers, so you’ll just have to read it for yourself! You can find the book on shelves tomorrow at your favorite local retailer, or preorder it now online and support The Gothic Library in the process using this Bookshop.org affiliate link. Once you’ve read it, come back and let me know your thoughts in the comments!

A lush and delectable gothic romance that kept me guessing.

If you love gothic romance, monster romances, the dark, or a twisty story then this is going to be one of your new faves.

I will be honest. I really struggled with this read. I wanted to love this book, i really liked the realtionship between the brother and this sister. But the characters did not wow me, The story felt a bit insta lovey to me and it just did not capture me. The book was more romance heavy and less eerie and creepy. It was okay read, but it did now wow me!

This book was good, entertaining, atmospheric read. While it was not my favorite, it’s well written. The characters are likable, though I would have loved more of Clover. A bit more of the history of some of the secondary characters would have truly richened the story. Some of the descriptions in the book can be a bit repetitive. There is also an interesting, slow, burning romance. The ending left me feeling like there is so much more to to be told. Above all, it’s a great October read and perfect for spooky season.


I was granted early access of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you!

LAKESEDGE was a mixed bag for me. For one, I loved the premise. I loved the spooky and gothic feel of the setting, and enjoyed the darkness that permeates Violeta's story. I thought the magic system involving sigils, spells, a "Corruption" in the land and lake, and The Lord Under was all super fascinating and cool. I came to really love the romance in this one between Violeta and Rowan in all it's monster glory. I thought their connection was sweet and well done as it went from enemies to lovers as Leta comes to live at Lakesedge with her brother. I enjoyed seeing what Leta's magic had to offer and I grew to like her more as she became more self-assured with her power. I thought that the plot really succeeded in the darker moments not just between Violeta and Rowan, but also in the scenes between the Lord Under and Leta. The ending was absolutely intriguing and I am certainly interested to see where this story goes. That being said, there is a lack of world-building and background in the that it made me feel like I was playing catch up for the first half of the book. We get the idea of what Lakesedge is like sure, but I didn't have the sense of what the world outside of Lakesedge was like and couldn't visualize certain things. It felt like something was missing there and that's a really long time to feel that way in a book. I also wish there had been better foreshadowing about Leta's abilities and her past. Things are revealed that come out of nowhere, which is fine but I would have felt less lost if there had been any indication of the plot leading up to those reveals. Leta was also super frustrating for a lot of the book and that made it hard to be invested in her. Things certainly improved in the latter half of the book and I was invested at the end, but the reasons listed here are the main reason I can't bring myself to kick this up to a 4 star rating. LAKESEDGE is a dark and romantic story about the lengths and sacrifices we are willing to make and go to protect the people we love, and I look forward to future installments.

What a swoony, darkly romantic, atmospheric fall romantic fantasy! I enjoyed the world developed here, and was rooting for the protagonist as she sought to save her brother and navigate this new world.

I had high hopes for this book and while the plot was very original, I found the writing style to be quite a bit dry. There is a lot of action in the book but I struggled to identify with the characters and really feel much for them.

This was such a great fall/spooky read. It was dark, atmospheric, and had a great dark vs. light story. I can't wait for the sequel!

This book was a YA Fantasy dream. Dark magic, a forbidden/haunted forest, a town monster who may not at all be what he seems, enemies to lovers, a brother and sister duo, a partnership with the literal devil, and a little bit of sapphic at the end? I was here for it. I need more and I truly hope there is a sequel.

Great for fans of V.E. Schwab - several parts of this book made me think of The Near Witch.