"At the lake's edge, I made my promise. In the forest, I will fall.

The curse that haunted Lakesedge Estate has been broken, but at great cost. Violeta Graceling has sacrificed herself to end the Corruption.

To escape death, Leta makes a desperate bargain with the Lord Under, one that sees her living at his side in the land of the dead. And though he claims to have given her all he promised, Leta knows this world of souls and mists hides many secrets.

When she discovers she is still bound to Rowan, Leta goes to drastic lengths to reforge their connection. But her search for answers, and a path back home, will see her drawn into even more dangerous bargains, and struggling to resist the allure of a new, dark, power in Forestfall by Lyndall Clipstone."

Buy this book in spite of the horrid cover.

After devouring LakesEdge, I was excited to start ForestFall.
It did not disappoint.
Once again Lyndall’s writing is beautifully atmospheric- the imagery was incredible but eerie; full of death and rot and monsters.

Leta continues to make mistakes despite her intentions. Rowen just wants to bring her home but the Lord Under also wants her. There is a bond between the three characters that is very evident throughout the two books.

My favorite part of ForestFall is being in Rowan’s perspective- It was a change from all of Letas thoughts.

Forestfall by Lyndall Clipstone was absolutely perfect. It was even more amazing than Lakesedge, in my opinion. I love reading Lyndall Clipstone’s writing because it is very luxurious. Forestfall was a really darkly enchanting sequel. I loved learning about the time in The Under and seeing The Lord Under's world. My heart still belongs to Rowan and Leta and the ending was perfect. Thank you NetGalley for giving an amazing opportunity. I can’t wait to have a physical copy for my library.

I absolutely loved Lakesedge and , for me, Forestfall was an epic and thrilling conclusion to the duology. The story's eerie, gothic vibes were perfect and set the tone for a dark atmospheric novel that had beautiful writing and word building alike. I loved the flaws of the characters and how,although somewhat predictable the love story turned out to be, it was still thrilling and heart wrenching.

I received an e-arc of this book. I am in the US so at the time of this review the book is not yet out in my country.

First of all, I am absolutely floored every time I read something Lyndall Clipstone writes because of how GORGEOUS it is. The imagery is so delicious I could eat it. It’s so flowery yet raw and I can always picture the scene exactly as I imagine she wants us to. The way she describes colors and textures and the way the magic flows, god, I loved it. I am in love with her writing style. To conclude this paragraph, why can’t we have mothlights in real life? I need them in my house at once.

Second, the gothic vibes of this book were beautiful. It was spooky, it was beautiful, it felt cold, it felt real. This book is perfect for fall and even though I read it in August and September I felt like I felt like I was mid November. I was simply transported to fall. The way Clipstone writes truly transports me to that world.

The reason I rated this three stars was mostly because, despite the lovely writing style, I was a bit confused at some parts. The parts are spoilery so I will discuss them more behind a spoiler wall. But for the sake of this review, some parts of the book felt like they needed a bit more clarity to me, and I was not clear on some specifics of the love triangle that was presented. I also felt that there was a lot of excessive blood (biting cheeks, biting lips, scratches that reopen) and that some parts felt repetitive when it came to Leta using her magic.

Overall, I will still read every book Lyndall Clipstone puts out, and I still adored this book. I purchased the OwlCrate exclusive of both Lakesedge and Forestfall and can’t wait to shelve them together.

I loved the gothic atmosphere of this series and it’s a great read for this time of year, but ultimately it was just okay for me. Although this book is fairly short, it managed to feel long and I found myself skimming. It was a little repetitive and kind of just went back and forth between Rowan and Leta doing different things to try to get Leta home. The Lord Under was one of the more interesting characters but I feel like I wanted more from him, the connection between him and Leta wasn’t developed enough and I didn’t really believe her feelings for him. It also didn’t really make sense to me to throw Rowan into the mix. That being said, I do understand why people enjoyed this duology and I thought it was wrapped up nicely.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC.

Rowan and Violetta are tied together by more than just their love, and this tether has allowed them to glimpse each other through the veil. This sets them both on a journey where they will do whatever it takes to make it back to each other. Violetta has the added task of fixing the balance in the Below. Which has been buggered up for quite awhile do to Lord Unders actions.

I really enjoyed our time spent in the Below, it was so vividly written it felt like we were walking the path right along side Violetta.

The build up is quite slow with alot of bad decisions made on both sides, and kind of a long drawn out middle, but it did pick up towards the end and that was my favorite part. I didn't like the weird love triangle, but I do think it was resolved in the best way possible.

**Thank you to Henry Holt BYR, the author, and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will release September 27, 2022.**

*I am the girl who was poisoned on the altar. I am the girl who took the hand of death.*

After sacrificing herself to end the Corruption that has been threatening Lakesedge Estate and the land beyond, Leta finds herself Below in the realm of the dead. As she and Rowan try to find a way back to each other, prompted by the golden thread of magic woven between them, Leta begins to be changed by her time below, and by her connection to the Lord Under.

I just read *Lakesedge* for the first time over the weekend in preparation to review this ARC and I’m so glad that I did—I’ve had my eye on this duology for a while, and these books are the perfect atmospheric-heavy gothic romance for the shift into autumn. The things I adored about *Forestfall* are the same things I loved about the first book: the lush descriptions, especially when it comes to nature, and the interesting twists on how magic is used or performed—in particularly, how bargaining with the gods works and how these exchanges can come back to haunt you in unexpected ways.

And of course, the Lord Under. [SLIGHT SPOILERS] I really like that we got a death god romance, because I *love* that sort of thing, but man was the fact that Leta chose to return to Lakesedge and live with Rowan a buzzkill for me, personally. Not to mention when I thought she freaking *killed him.*

However, despite how much I loved individual elements in this book, I didn’t like it as much as Its predecessor*.* (This seems to be a problem I’m running into with sequels lately.) Overall, *Forestfall* feels much more repetitive and yet somehow a bit more confusing. These two qualities really came to a head towards the end, which I found to be anticlimactic, though it did make a bit more sense when the magic system is taken into consideration. Still, I would have liked to see a bit more of a fight (she said, shocking herself and everyone who knows her taste in fight scenes). I also would have loved to get to know a bit more about the Lady Above in general, and more of a sense of how this particular faith influences the characters. I’m so intrigued by what we were given and I’m sure that there’s plenty the author could explore in this universe should she choose to return!

As a whole, though, *Forestfall* is a darkly rich story of love and sacrifice, and I think that those who fell in love with Leta and Rowan’s gothic, monstrous world are going to adore it. With such gorgeous prose, I know I’m going to look forward to whatever Lyndall Clipstone writes next!

A big thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for approving me of a copy of an e-arc of this book!
I love it. And I'll leave it at that.
(p.s. I know this is not a full review, and probably not so helpful, but I'm bad at writing, no matter how hard I try. I just try to read my requested titles and provide even a minimal review. Thanks for understanding.)

A broken curse, a girl who has sacrificed herself to the Lord Under, and the monstrous boy who will do anything to get her back. The curse that has plagued the Lakesedge Estate has broken... Violeta has had to sacrifice herself to end the Corruption that was poisoning the land and the boy she loves. She strikes a deal with the Lord Under, in exchange for helping her mend and fix Lakesedge she will swear her love, devotion, and life to him... and now she is imprisoned in the world he has created, deprived of her memories of her family and left feeling grief over the loss of Rowan. She now lives in the land of the dead... yet she’s starting to realize that she doesn’t know that much about the Lord Under as she imagined. She’s beginning to realize that there is an imbalance here... that there are other gods with worse motivations... and that she might also be falling for the Lord Under.

Rowan was a monster but now he has been saved, yet Leta is gone. Leta, the one person he is in love with and now he will do anything to bring her back. He will even become the monster again if that is what it takes to get her back.

Rowan and Leta will both be working towards finding their way back to one another but their journey will require sacrifice, pain, loss, but it will also lead to happiness, love, and family.

This was a great way to end the duology. I have been a fan of Lyndall’s writing style, it’s just so beautiful and it definitely adds to the gothic romance element to the story. Not gonna lie, I fell for the Lord Under ( haha), move aside Leta, I will stay with him instead (LOL). Overall if you enjoy gothic romances and hades/persephone-esque stories with a dash of Beauty and the Beast, I would definitely recommend this series!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Forestfall picks up after the end of Lakesedge, with our heroine in the land of the dead at the Lord Under's side, and her aboveground friends desperate to get her back.

Like its predecessor, Forestfall pulls us into a spooky, atmospheric world that is beautiful and riveting. I was so thrilled to be once again immersed in a gothic atmosphere, and even more thrilled to finally get to read Rowan's perspective. It did get off to a bit of a slow start, which was a bit of a struggle for me since Lakesedge ended on such a climactic moment, but overall I loved the journey and the way everything wrapped up so nicely. This is certainly a duology I will be returning to for the spooky, magical vibes.

I was so hyped for this, but honestly, I started getting bored around the 60% mark and ended up skimming the end. Was it interesting? Absolutely, I loved seeing what happened to Leta and Rowan and everyone else, especially with that happy ending but good lord, there Was just so much that I couldn’t stand.

Her instant love to the Lord Under simply because of a bond? Did I miss something because that didn’t make sense to me, the other gods weren’t well explored and I would have loved that, not to mention how things are going on in the Above. I just felt like the first book created such a rich atmosphere and really pulled you in and this book relied on that without doing any lifting of its own and I’m disappointed to say the least.

*Thank you to Netgalley, Lyndall Clipstone, and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the eARC!

Lakesedge was one of my favorite reads of 2021 and while I did like Forestfall it didn’t meet my expectations. A lot of this book felt very repetitive and sometimes a bit too stretched out in places. The pacing of this book leaves a lot to be desired. The ending is satisfying but was a chore to get to.

I do love Lyndall Clipstone’s prose, it’s gorgeous. She’s built a fascinating world and I love her characters. I just didn’t love this book overall.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing Group for the Advanced Readers Copy.

I went into this having just finished Lakesedge, which left off on a serious cliff hanger, so I was excited to get this early. The beginning chapters that took place from Violetta’s POV started off pretty strong and I loved her dynamic between her and the Lord Under. I found the Rowan chapters to be be slow and tedious (much like my thoughts on his potential as a romantic lead). I would have preferred quick glimpses into the world above instead of the long drawn out chapters where not much happened.

The power dynamic between Letta and the Lord Under started off heated and intense, very ancient magus bride. However for the life of me I can’t see why she was unhappy…. She had magic again, was basically a queen of the underworld, and had the hot god of the dead bending over backwards to please her….. and yet she would rather have no magic and the sad boring boy on the surface world…. Yes I’m biased towards gods of death… don’t kinkshame,

Without spoiling the end, the way Violeta resolved the problem in the underworld, wasn’t in anyway unique to her own powers, she spent a lot of effort getting some information she probably could have just asked for if she wasn’t busy being so stubborn. So that was a little frustrating.

The three new characters that were introduced were really cool! Liked them a lot. Also lots of fun world building in the under world.

The writing is good and what Clipstone is really good at is atmosphere. This certainly checked the fall atmosphere box.

As a gothic fantasy, I thought the book did well in setting up the atmosphere and mood. Forestfall was gritty and dark but I found myself struggling to read this book whereas Lakesedge was far easier to fly through.

A few things I noticed that hindered my reading: pacing, characterization, and just the overall motivation.

Starting with the writing, there were a lot of sentence fragments that made the story not flow. I believe the intention was to add to the intensity of the situation, but the multiple sentence fragments in a row to drive a point home was frustrating to read. For our characters, I could not tell their head voices apart, making it seem like they have the same personality. While I understood Rowan's goal was to get Leta back, and Leta to return to Rowan in the World Above, I found myself wondering why I care for their problem. Leta's newfound powers from her bargain was unexplained but by the end of the book, she was more powerful than the gods. I found this to be arrogance on her part and just couldn't root for her.

It's great that this series wrapped up with a nice little bow by the end, but it seemed a little too perfect for how dark this YA was supposed to be. No one suffered any consequences or made any sacrifices, and it felt rather unwarranted. While I strongly considered giving up on this book, by the end it overall ended up as a 3 star read for me.

A beautiful conclusion to our time at Lakesedge! The story progressed so well and kept my interest from Chapter 1! I really enjoyed our time in the Below and seeing what the world of the Lord Under was like. It was descriptive and detailed to really give you a clear picture to life there. I liked the addition of the Lord Under’s sisters and Leta’s interactions with them. It’s intriguing to see how the Lord Under fell for Leta the way he did. Their bond became so much stronger once she was in the Below.

There was a perfect balance between the Above and Below and the plots from each flowed really nicely together. I liked when they would cross at times and bring us closer to having Leta back with everyone she loves.

The character development through this was fantastic. Leta and Rowan definitely grew so much and shaped nicely into the people we see at the end of the story. I came to love Leta and Rowan even more in Forestfall! I adore their relationship so much. The love they have for each other and those around them in beautiful. They’re both selfless people who think only about the safety and well-being of the ones they care for over themselves.

I enjoyed being in this world a lot! Lakesedge is such a unique story and world to read about!

After reading Lakesedge earlier this year, I was very excited to recieve an arc of Forestfall. I gave Lakesedge a 3.5/5 stars. It was enjoyable and I loved the gothic romance vibe, but not my favorite. Forestfall however seemed a lot more complete and unique, and I very much enjoyed it! In the beginning it was a bit slow so I wasn’t sure what I would think, or if I wouldn’t enjoy the book. Sure at parts the plot isn’t there and it is mainly vibes and atmospheric setting, but the characters and that atmosphere really run the story and make you hooked and ready to see where everything goes. The romance was done really well and I very much loved the ending! Overall a great book, perfect for fall, and Forestfall was a great ending installment to this fantasy series.

Forestfall
by Lyndall Clipstone
Pub Date: 27 Sep 2022

At the lake's edge, I made my promise. In the forest, I will fall.

The curse that haunted Lakesedge Estate has been broken, but at great cost. Violeta Graceling has sacrificed herself to end the Corruption.

To escape death, Leta makes a desperate bargain with the Lord Under, one that sees her living at his side in the land of the dead. And though he claims to have given her all he promised, Leta knows this world of souls and mists hides many secrets.

When she discovers she is still bound to Rowan, Leta goes to drastic lengths to reforge their connection. But her search for answers, and a path back home, will see her drawn into even more dangerous bargains, and struggling to resist the allure of a new, dark, power in Forestfall by Lyndall Clipstone.

Thank you to Lyndall Clipstone and the Publishers, and Netgalley for the eArc.

This was truly incredible. This was the perfect followup to Lakesedge, and continued the worldbuilding and themes in such an amazing way.

I don't think I could have asked for a better sequel. The relationships, the characters, the development, were all developed to perfection, and it left me wanting more and more.

I've never been more upset that a book was over!

After absolutely loving Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone, I couldn’t wait to read the sequel and conclusion, Forestfall! The book picks up where Lakesedge left off, Leta made a deal with the Lord Under to save everyone and mend the corruption. Unfortunately, the deal did not go as planned, and she ends up stuck in the World Under. The book revolves around her efforts to return to the World Above.

Devastatingly, I did not enjoy Forestfall very much. By itself, it is a great story, but the plot made absolutely no sense after the events of Lakesedge. Leta develops a romance with another character in the book, and this was the main issue I had. Not that someone can’t be in love with two people at once, but Leta’s love for this character in the second book was simply illogical and contradictive from what we know about her from the first book. This issue really influenced my opinion of Forestfall, and was the main reason why I didn’t like the novel.

That being said, Clipstone’s writing is absolutely poetic and lyrical. There are not many authors that have the talent to write such beautiful prose, and that was Forestfall’s one saving grace.

Overall, I would not recommend this book to those who enjoyed Lakesedge. Like I said, the story is good, it just doesn’t make sense as a sequel to Lakesedge.