Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a beautiful Gothic romantasy. At its heart is Lacrimosa Arriscane, an eighteen-year-old whose fate intertwines with a god, full of betrayal and romance, as she attempts to save her family from ruin.

This book is beautifully written, with prose that feels poetic and a world steeped in a dreamlike quality—a blend of lust, fear, and wonder. The story elegantly shifts between past and present, weaving in haunting details of Lark’s expulsion and the toll of betrayal. Every page reveals her heartbreak and devotion, even as it sometimes feels like she’s navigating through quicksand. However, it was like viewing a Cubist masterpiece when you prefer impressionist paintings - while I fully appreciate the beauty of this book, it wasn't exactly for me.

I loved the ethereal quality of the book, with its dark romance and haunted imagery that transported me to its eerie coastal town. Lark’s passion and yearning for Alistair were palpable; her ache, her vulnerability, and the betrayals she endures all felt raw and visceral. The story pulls readers into her feelings of desperation and sacrifice in the face of both the mortal and divine. Yet, while I appreciated this dark, captivating world, I found myself struggling to connect with Lark as a protagonist.

For me, Lark came across as too easily swayed by those around her—her love seemed to bloom quickly for anyone who offered her attention, and she often seemed more willing to adapt to others than to stand firm on her own terms. While those around her admired her strength, I couldn’t help but wish to see more of it in action, particularly as her struggles grew.

On a technical level, small continuity issues and some confusion on the world building occasionally pulled me from the experience, like details around actions that didn’t fully add up and my inability to grasp what era I could liken this world to. And though the plot initially hooked me, the story began to lose its grip toward the end, pulling minor characters back in that felt more like distractions than developments. I found myself wanting Therion to remain that alluring, untouchable god figure; instead, he became increasingly vulnerable and desperate, losing some of the mystique and power that had captivated me at the beginning.

In all, Tenderly, I Am Devoured is both poetic and darkly enchanting. The imagery, the dreamlike atmosphere, and the gothic tone are truly mesmerizing. Though I wished for a bit more cohesion and a stronger independence in the heroine, I can still admire the artful craft of this story. It’s a haunting and mysterious read even if you find yourself, like me, admiring it from a slight distance.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I enjoyed this book very much. The atmosphere is immaculate, the prose appropriately flowery and full of yearning for adventure and once-in-a-lifetime romances. It grabs you and doesn't let go until the very end - and once it does release its hold, it feels like waking up from too vivid dream. The worldbuilding was just enough fantastical to feel like a folk-tale, but still remained grounded in reality. I was also happy to see some healthy sibling relationships. I really wish I hadn't read the synopsis.

That being said, this is the kind of book you will enjoy the more the less you know about it and unfortunately the synopsis betrayes about 70% of the book. Which only further pronounces how much the book struggles with pacing.

On one hand, I wish the book was about 100 pages longer and on the other one, I could easily see the author cutting most of the flashbacks - and by this I mean the flashbacks from Marchmain academy specifically, as besides delivering some exposition, they serve little to no purpose. Not only they don't ultimately add much to the plot, they aren't nowhere near as interesting as the present events, making you groan internally every time the narration jumps back. I would much rather spent those pages getting to know the characters that do matter and seeing their relationships progress.

It would give the author time to properly flesh out the characters and to SHOW us how they are developing rather than TELLING us. The author does establish romance with love interest #1 Alaistar through some of the flashbacks, but we don't even see the second one, Camille, talk before she is already kissing the MC.

But at least her character is consistent, unlike her brother's behavior. He rotates between verbally abusing the MC and going out of his way to help her so fast my head spun. Which would have made sense if he was only playing a role... but later he claims he meant it... even though he has no logical reason to dislike her... it felt like the author was trying to force these two characters into the "enemies" role, which in turn made their shift into lovers rocky. Not to mention the entire events of the book take place in the time frame of a... I believe month?

I would still reccomend it, if you're looking for an atmospheric experience that is more about the vibes than the plot. It's certainly a rare gem.

My thanks go to the author for allowing me to read an e-arc of this book.

this story follows Lark, a young woman who comes home to her seaside cottage after being expelled from her prestigious boarding school, only to find the cozy, comforting place she’s always known has changed. trying to help the financial downfall of her family, and feeling a lack of control in every other aspect of her life, Lark makes the decision to offer herself to their god in order for him to restore their family’s salt mine.

this was ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟ. i loved this so, so much. i loved the characters, Lark is a softhearted baby who just wants to be loved and connect with someone and we must protect her at all costs. we have the broody, tall, dark, and handsome aloof mmc who i ADORED. a flirty and caring ethereal sister to said mmc who i equally adored, and a really shitty friend, who i’m sure we can all relate to having a friendship with someone like that at least once in our lives.

i wish i could erase this from my memory and read it all over again, easily one of my top reads this year. 🥹🫶🏻

Tenderly, I am Devoured releases july 1st 2025. you ᴀʙꜱᴏʟᴜᴛᴇʟʏ need to read this! thank you so much for the arc!!

Tenderly, I Am Devoured managed to devour my heart, soul and being. I cannot compare the experience of reading this to another book. The atmosphere, the worldbuilding, the character development was so meticulously executed, every word a caress on the soul.

The main characters were so lovely written, even when they were at their worst, you cannot help but love them. Lark in her bravery, Camille in her unending support and Alastair in all his hurt and devotion … I just love them all so much and their dynamic is truly beautiful. Lark’s brothers were also incredibly sweet. And then there’s Therion of course. The swan god and Lark’s husband, and I really don’t want to spoil anything so let me just say that everything surrounding him was heart wrenching but so incredibly well thought out.

The setting is mainly a small saltmine village at the coast. It’s incredibly atmospheric. I felt like I could taste the salt on my tongue and hear the waves crash.

Everything that happens in this book feels very dream-like. The prose is very lyrical and breathtakingly beautiful, even when it takes on a darker, more unsettling tone after the ceremony went wrong. It never drifted into the realm of “purple prose”, every sentence, every word had a purpose to create the world and shape the characters.

I cannot recommend this book enough if you like Gothic Horror and Gothic Fantasy. Truly an incredible read.

Many many thanks to the writer and the publisher for the e-arc.

4/5✨

Tenderly, I Am Devoured

📖 via E Arc

I’d like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy before release.

I just want to start by saying Lyndal is one of my favorite writers. Her attention to detail and storytelling is lyrical and entrancing.

“Sometimes it feels like there’s a limit to all the good things in the world”

The vibes are emaculate in this book, it’s dreamy and I’d like to dive right in!!

Some tropes:
-Childhood heartbreak to lovers
-Dark academia
-M/f/f poly
-Family secrets & haunted legacies
-Sea gods

The world building is fantastic, with sea gods, salt priestesses, and a very unusual romance. It’s sapphic, it’s poly, it’s a little too close to acceptable… but it works!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lyndall Clipstone for this ARC!

If there was a book that could make you feel every feeling known to humankind, it is this book. Tenderly, I Am Devoured is whimsical, gothic, and magical. I intended to read this at the pace of the book club, but once I started I could not stop. Through Lark, I experienced love, hate, embarrassment, bravery, desperation, and so many more things. I also quickly fell in love with both Therion, Allistair, and then Camille. You will enjoy this book if you enjoy folklore, childhood friends to adult romances, and gothic tales.

This was so, so, so good. There were a couple plot points that fell flat, but generally Lyndall Clipstone is just so incredible with building a world and giving an intimate, yearning feel to her books. I'd read this again and again!

Tenderly, I am Devoured is an atmospheric romantasy that follows Lacrimosa Arriscane, who has just been expelled from school, and the disastrous consequences of her marriage to the local god.

The premise called to me, as I’d never really heard of anything quite like it before, and I adore the title. However after finishing the book, I believe this wasn’t for me. While intensely atmospheric and meticulously detailed, the plot itself moves glacially. The characters never truly tug at the heartstrings, either, and the romance falls flat as a consequence. If you prefer books that offer more vibes than plot, then this is for you.

This book felt like wrapping yourself up in your coziest blankets, sipping warm tea, while inhaling your favorite candle after your first heartbreak. It is so tender, aching, and beautiful. It is a lyrical and poetic story that provides a sense of nostalgia and longing, like watching a constellation of a purple bruise fade over time.

Lark is a young girl, who was orphaned and raised by her 2 older brothers who has a big heart and even bigger dreams of being an art curator. After returning home to her family's cottage after being unfairly expelled from her school, she finds that her family is on the verge of losing everything. Tired of being unable to choose her own path and forced into decisions not of her choosing, she decides to make a deal with the Swan God -- taking his hand in marriage to restore salt to her family's mines. Along the way, she is reluctantly forced to seek the help of those who have hurt her and uncover truths to protect the Swan God and herself.

This book was truly so delicate, it was a pleasure to read!

Song Recommendation to match the mood: First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes

While there is a lot I liked about this book, as the writing is gorgeous and the premise is so intriguing, I found that it just wasn't for me.

To save her family from ruin at the hands of a rival family whose son she once called her friend, a young woman must bind herself to a god but in doing so what she learns is beyond imagining in Lyndall Clipstone’s Tenderly, I Am Devoured.
Expelled from her boarding school and returning home to her brothers, Lacrimosa “Lark” Arriscane, arrives in disgrace and discovers her home bare of the furnishings she remembers as her brothers prepare to sell the property to repay the debt they owe to the Felimath family due to their dwindling salt harvests. Promised to their chthonic god Therion in a bargain as his bride, Lark agrees to be his betrothed in exchange for replenished salt mines but the ritual to bind them is interrupted, beginning the process of banishing Therion from the mortal world, and with him Lark, too. With help from the Felimath siblings, Alastair, her first heartbreak, and Camille, whose allure draws her in, the trio of reunited childhood friends torn apart by adolescent circumstance dig into the lore of the gods to set to right the connections that were tampered with only to find themselves in the middle of a deeper conspiracy for revenge; in order to save everyone, sacrifices will inevitably be required but the question becomes what is worth giving up for freedom.
Set in a richly atmospheric seaside town and filled with god-worshipping, hedonistic rituals as well as youthful, romantic-based angst that builds up tension, the narrative explores the attraction that can develop between people and how it can impact and morph relationships; there’s no judgment in it and, once certain resentments and actions are openly discussed, the dynamic between the main trio is oddly compelling, but the characters seem to punish themselves for some feelings they have, perhaps as residual trauma of the abuses, both emotional and physical, that they’ve suffered from those they love and/or who are meant to love them. In trying to provide context for the events leading to Lark’s arrival home and the fracture in her friendship with Alastair, the splitting of now and then in chapters contributed to a slowing to the pacing that resulted in an unevenness, especially as events escalated toward the end as assertions were made for a path forward. With the manifestations of Therion and the experiences that Lark has of the otherworldly bleeding into her vision and the world around her after the botched betrothal ritual, there’s an eerie supernatural horror presented that is simultaneously captivating and off-putting.
Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

One of the most utterly gorgeous novels I've read in a long time. Lacrimosa pulls you into her world and keeps you there for every there for every heart-pounding, romantic moment. I loved this book.

3.75 stars!🌹✨❤️

This was a deeply romantic, whimsical, atmospheric read!

“The worst hurt doesn’t always come with open violence. Instead, there is a tenderness before you’re devoured.”

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co and Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In “Tenderly, I am Devoured” we follow our main character Lacrimosa (lark), after she has been expelled from school, and with no other option decides to return home to her two older brothers. Upon her return she comes to discover that the family’s salt mines are not doing well, and in a desperate attempt to save her family’s home and business she makes an agreement with a highly worshiped God Therion - to marry him in exchange for the mines/estates well-being. The night she is to be wed, something terrible takes place, causing Lark to slip away from the mortal world. She must confide in Alastair (the boy who hates her) and Camille (Alastair’s sister) in what is taking place so they can figure out how to save her before it is too late.

I really enjoyed the scenic atmosphere of Verse. It was so well described that I could taste the salt in the air reading about the place in which Lark lived. I LOVED the lush, glamorous details of saltswan, and everything regarding the mood of the book was perfect.

I really did have a good time reading about each character and thought they brought something unique to the plot. Poor Lark has been through so many betrayals - her family, her friends, her lovers. It’s no wonder she can’t trust anybody. She still is such a sweet and optimistic girl. Alastair is a complex boy with complex emotions due to his upbringing. Camille is fun and adventurous. Her brothers, well they are - regrettable but still important, nonetheless.

My ONE irk with this book is a major spoiler so proceed with caution.
I was not expecting and did not enjoy the romantic relationships within this book. The only reason it gives me unsettling feelings is because Lark picks BOTH the brother and sister duo. She has an interest and attraction to siblings - and when she decides to stay with both of them - forever as a trio - that was a little too off putting. It felt like a “why choose.” which is not my favorite thing in the world when it involves families (I am SO sorry.)

Everything else - was great. Eerie and whimsical.

What a thrilling book. It was like The Secret History dove into the Romantasy genre. Loved it. Thank you!

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a gothic fantasy that haunted and mesmerized me from start to finish. This book promises exactly what it delivers: a haunting, atmospheric romantic fantasy with a touch of folk horror that captivated me in ways I wasn’t expecting.

The FMC, Lacrimosa (Lark) Arriscane, is an absolute gem. Watching her grow throughout the story—from a girl reeling from betrayal and loss to someone discovering her own strength—was a beautiful, slow unraveling. Her relationships with the other key characters, particularly Alastair and Camille Felimath, never fell into the familiar, often frustrating “love triangle” trope. Instead, the relationships felt organic and real. There is a love and care between these characters that goes beyond typical romantic entanglements, and the book explores their feelings with tenderness and depth.

The world-building is absolutely stunning. The setting—gothic, dreamlike, and occasionally nightmarish—feels both cozy and menacing, with dark gothic vibes mixed in with sea gods and a pagan belief system.

I highly recommend this book to fans of dark fantasy, slow-burn romance, and lush world-building. It’s a dark gothic tale that’s both haunting and tender.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC and give my honest review.

This was a beautiful romantasy about a woman being betrothed unknowingly to a demon god before she was born into existence. As she tries to fulfil her destiny while exploring her love interests with a brooding boy from her school years and his older sister, she yearns to save her family by upholding the engagement to the demon god, Therion. Amidst all of this, she discovers something about her past that she never saw coming. This book is light on the spice, but has a slow burn feel and beautifully written language.

First, many thanks to the author, Lyndall Clipstone, and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of this book!

The story follows Lacrimosa “Lark” Arriscane after she is expelled from boarding school after an incident involving her former friend. I’m not going to go into too much detail about the story as to not give too many spoilers. Now, to the review!

I absolutely devoured this book (pun intended). It’s everything I expected and more. The writing style was a bit hard for me to get into at first, but after my brain rewired to understand it better it was smooth sailing. If you’re looking for a gothic, why-choose, queer romance then this is the book for you! It’s gloomy, moody, and atmospheric; the perfect recipe for the best kind of book, in my humble opinion. The book mainly revolves around the ocean and art so if you like either or both of those things then read this book. The pacing was good and I enjoyed that it switched between the past and present. I also really liked the theology system and the animal shifter gods. I want to know more about the other gods/goddesses.

There are really only two things I didn’t like. The first is that I felt that the relationships between Lark and the Felimath siblings progressed way too fast, especially with Alastair. Like, one minute they hate each other and the next they’re all buddy buddy again after a heartfelt talk. The way Lark describes Alastair’s betrayal, it feels like there should have been some more in between time for healing and forgiveness or maybe I’m just petty and bad at forgiveness and want to project that onto fictional characters. Who knows? The second thing is that I wish we were given more about Damson, Lark’s former friend from boarding school, and where she ended up after Lark left. We also don’t really get any insight as to WHY Damson betrayed Lark and kicked her to the curb for some new girl, which is something I would personally like to know. I mean, we get some idea as to why but never a full explanation. I wanted some sort of confrontation at the end of the book where they either yell it out or duke it out or something messy like that because I live for the drama and there was just not enough (she says as if the book wasn’t full of drama).

In conclusion, go preorder this book and read it immediately when it comes out July 1, 2025. Like, as soon as you’re done reading this review go buy the book. Buy it. Peer pressure always works. I will also be purchasing a hard copy when it comes out and I cannot wait to hold a physical copy in my hands!

This was my very first book from the author. I feel like it had so much potential! Might contain spoilers so read at your own risk.

The story overall was very predictable for me. I still read it through with hopes that it might catch me off-guard but the only thing that did was the random kisses between the MMC's sister and the FMC. It felt so forced and didn't make sense at all. It had so much potential but it was just another predictable book with LBGTQ rep thrown in there, but it was so random it didn't make any sense to me.

The cover is gorgeous, which is the main reason I wanted to read it. I liked that not all the details were told at the beginning of why she got kicked out of the school and made it seem like a big deal but then it just didn't really feel like THAT much of a big deal towards the end of the story. She chooses to make out with her love interest's sister while he was being hurt by his father after saying she would never let him get hurt. Make it make sense.

Anyways, quickly grew bored with this book and just had to finish it to give me two cents.
Would not recommend to my friends.

This is such a sweet and salty book. I loved the writing style and the simple poetry of the story itself. The author weaves a beautiful tale throughout this book that makes you think deeply on many things, from toxic relationships to the deepest loves.

This was my first book by this author, I’ve been meaning to read something by her for a while! I enjoyed this book, it’s a YA fantasy. The writing is very atmospheric and I did get gothic vibes, if I had to name a comp title I’d actually say House of Salt and Sea. I also liked the romance, and the LGBTQ+ rep. I feel like if it had been a little longer it could’ve expanded on plot points/more lore. I also felt like the boarding school exit was a little unresolved?