“…the worst hurt doesn’t always come with open violence. Instead, there is tenderness before you’re devoured.” —Lyndall Clipstone; Tenderly I Am Devoured.

“Tenderly, I Am Devoured,” is full of lush, gothic and dark academia prose—the kind that fill me like a warm cup of tea on a rainy day. Swan feathers growing from wrists, salt mines filled with smoke and chthonic liquor, strawberry jam and museum curators—all the vibes. My favorite scenes were these horror-like fever dreams with Therion, Lord of the Sea, when he’s haunting Lacrimosa. They were horrifying, I absolutely loved it. (Outside of these 3 or 4 scenes, I wouldn’t say this book is a horror novel. In any way.)

I also loved the dark academia world she built—simple, yet lush. Anything by the sea is mesmerizing, to me, and she describes such a place so well that I can practically taste the brine on my tongue and feel the salt in my hair. The idea of a world powered by salt and filled with old gods and salt priest was a very interesting concept that had me intrigued. I would have even enjoyed Clipstone leaning into this a little more throughout the whole duration of the novel, because it was very intriguing and nostalgic.

What I had a hard time with was her character, Camille. Camille was actually my favorite character on paper. She was spunky, admirable, and fun. However, she didn’t have a purpose in the novel. The spark between Lacrimosa and Alastair felt raw and intense—both in their hate and passion. Camille is Alastair’s sister, also a love interest of Lacrimosa, and it felt very odd and forced that the siblings never had riff over this. That they were just okay with sharing Lacrimosa, sometimes touching her at the same tine, and Lacrimosa felt the same. But more than that, she simply didn’t have a real role herself throughout the story, and it took so much potential away from the other relationships in turn, leaving them forced, confusing, and stilted. And overly sexualized. And that bogged down the plot in the third act.

I have heard some say that Clipstone was trying to check the sapphic box with Camille. I don’t know if I can agree to this because Lacrimosa had another love interest with a girl named Damson. That sapphic relationship made sense. The passion was present, the role of Damson made sense, and it added to Lacrimosa’s character arc. So if Clipstone was simply trying to check a box, she already had. I’ve seen others say Clipstone was trying to check a box about sibling taboo or something or another. Again, I am not sure. I say, give the book a read yourself and find out! Like I said, Camille was my favorite character, I was just left floundering at what her character’s purpose was. And also a little sad that Lacrimosa truly had not one platonic relationship—they were all lust and lore. Which left something to be had, particularly for a YA novel. Which is a shame, because I really enjoyed LakesEdge.

That one aspect aside, the book was full of promise. Dark academia, salt burn vibes saturated in sepia light and chthonic liquor.

This book had very little worldbuilding and made very little sense, but it was a really entertaining read and the atmosphere was great. Something that I notice about a lot of Lyndall Clipstone's books is that she puts very little time into crafting a believable world that will make the main plot make sense. However, she does a great job creating a gothic atmosphere and tragic characters. Sometimes, that's all that you want in a book.

I loved this book. I will scream from the rooftops that I loved this book. The premise! The cruel but beautiful gods! The cruel but beautiful love interests! The yearning! The rep!

This book gave me absolutely everything that the premise promised and I ate up every second of it. I think that this is quite possibly the fastest that I've ever finished an ARC, and I attribute that to the fact that I was reading it while walking, while showering, while cooking my dinner. This book consumed me... in the best possible ways.

If you love beautifully dark things, give this a read like... yesterday.

All my thanks to both Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

3.97 ★ — unearthly. dreamlike. just utterly beautiful prose. however, it was too short for me to properly get invested in the plot. it felt somewhat like an appetizer—no meat to the story, just bones dressed in lovely ribbons.

the romance, however, i was entranced by. probably hypocritical, because only one out of the three (maybe four? trust i'm getting yaoi out of this too) was well developed. nevertheless, i devoured lark & camille's fleeting kisses. one thing i will always eat up is a sapphic fairy story, and every touch between them was magic. therion's entire existence was god's personal gift to me. the hades-persephone parallels of his and lark's non-marriage was everything, despite them having exactly two scenes together. i know he's not actually a love interest, and if he was, this would be a very different book, but the ending of his swan watching over everyone at the gallery was so beautiful. i love him. i love everything. and then we have lark and alastair. they're pretty cute, but they're not intoxicating like the other two ships. unfortunately, theirs is the relationship the book most focused on. i feel like their formula is pretty basic in romantasy stories (guy hurts girl to hide his family trauma/overbearing father, girl finds out years later, they make up), so i don't have any feelings about them to contribute. the final (non)relationship is alastair and therion. they're not a thing, but i am delusional, so i will make them a thing. one thing i will say is that the poly was written so well. i thought it might be weird because of camille and alastair being siblings, but it really wasn't.

as for characters, lark was vivid, lifelike, and truly enjoyable to read about. i think this is one of the few stories with alternating timelines that i've liked. lark's perspective is fascinating, or maybe it's that the writing is stunning, but i inhaled everything she had to offer. her motivations, her vulnerabilities, her relationship with her brothers, her desire to be independent and be able to protect her family, her love for alastair, every emotion she had resonated with me. unfortunately, no one else received this attention—alastair, camille, therion, henry, oberon, hugo, everyone was mostly flat. i, personally, loved camille and therion for reasons, but they weren't really well written by any means. granted, this is a very short book, and exclusively from lark's perspective, so it is somewhat understandable.

anyway, this was lovely. i will be on the lookout for anything else by lyndall clipstone!!

I wanted to like this book so bad, and honestly I held off reviewing for so long because it feels like my fault for even requesting this book after reading the summary. I just cannot get past her going after both the siblings, even if the relationships were separate. I feel too bad to give this one star because like I said, it feels like my fault for even requesting.

I received an eARC of this for review. if you're unfamiliar with Lyndall's work, she write for us weird, melancholy chaotic women who love reading by candlelight, surrounded by trinkets, on rainy evenings. I devoured (pun intended!) this in two evenings; I fell deeply in love with each character. This was not too long nor too short; just right.

Lyndall Clipstone is such a brilliant writer and has conceived a fully fleshed and vicious world, full of beauty and dark gods, mysteries and intrigues, and dynamic characters. Her sentence level writing and atmosphere are the standouts for me on this. I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for providing an ARC for review.

It’s hard for me to know if this book is another victim in my current reading slump. However, I spent a good portion of this book bored. The atmosphere is brooding, to the point of melodrama. By the 50% mark I found myself frustrated and uninterested.

There are many flashbacks to Lark’s time in school. These sections are both too long and too short. For a good portion of the beginning, figuring out the mystery of why Lark left school was more exciting than the god plot. However, once the mystery is revealed, this plotline is completely dropped in a way that is deeply unsatisfying. It feels that this section distracted from the chthonic plotline in a way that does not justify the time it took up. It honestly feels like there were two separate books here: a girl struggling in academia, torn between a challenging family life and her toxic relationship with her best friend, ending in violence, plagiarism, and expulsion – or a book about a girl getting wrapped up in a fantasy plot involving a god. The melding of these two disparate portions felt disjointed to me, and as a result I found this book challenging to engage with and enjoy.

I didn’t mind the romance as much as other people. Using siblings in a why-choose romance can head into questionable territory, but I felt that since it was more of a hinge polyamourous relationship rather than a throuple, it was more tolerable. Being fully transparent though, I did skim the last 35%, so it is completely possible that I missed or misunderstood something.

One final gripe – I genuinely don’t understand why Saltburn is being referenced at all to advertise this book. Perhaps to describe how Lark felt consumed by Damsen in their toxic relationship? But once again, that was a relatively short portion of this book, and apart from that, the two stories have relatively little in common. (Which is a shame! I loved Saltburn.)

This book made me taste the salt on my lips and feel the sea on my skin.

The imagery in combination with the poetic prose made this story tangible. I connected with the characters so deeply and was feeling everything along side them!

This read is full of growth as Lacrimosa finds her true purpose and true connection.

I highly recommend this read if you love the sea and crave a taste of a chthonic world.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the Mythology of Therion and wished we had more of his backstory. I loved the dreamy feeling this book gave me. The cover is so aesthetically pleasing to me. While I loved the story, I wasn't too into the borderline incest vibe going on with Lacrimosa being involved with siblings, i completely get that it isn't incest but it did feel icky when she'd go from kissing the sister to then kissing Alastair. Overall this was very enjoyable!

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is an emotionally charged and poetic read that explores deep themes of love, loss, and personal struggle. The writing itself is beautiful, with vivid, lyrical prose that often made me pause and reflect. The emotional intensity of the story is palpable, and there are moments that really hit hard, offering a raw, honest look at the human experience.

However, at times the pacing felt uneven, and the abstract nature of some sections made it difficult to fully connect with the characters or the plot. The narrative can be a bit too introspective, leaving some readers wanting more clarity or structure in the story.

While it’s a moving and thought-provoking book, it didn’t completely resonate with me in the way I hoped. It’s a solid read, but the emotional depth doesn’t always translate into a fully satisfying experience.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone is a dreamy Gothic tale with complex world building and tender storytelling. It may be great for fans of moody, character-driven novels, but it may not appeal to everyone.

4/5 ⭐️
Gothic. Promised to a god. Cults. Secrets. Queer. Poly relationships.
So, reviewing this book is tough. First half, I adored. I know some other reviewers said it was on the slower side, and it was. But I liked it. It leaned into the atmospheric and mystery. It felt so reminiscent to an Erin A Craig book, who I love. And more specifically her, Salt And Sorrow book with the whole gods and seaside thing. I loved all that. I love the creepy gothic elements. The uncertainty if something is happening or what someone is withholding. I loved the rich history between some characters. I loved that the characters acted the age. However, I did not like the second half as much. If the first was slow, the second was running at break neck speed. And some choices and decisions just wasn’t for me. Even then, I still found my gaze skimming sections of the second half.
So the rest of this will contain slight spoilers, nothing crazy, but I want to share what I wish was different. Though that being said, what I didn’t love, someone else might.
First thing I would’ve changed would be to cut the flashbacks. Actually I lied. I didn’t mind them. They were great showing how rich and torturous Lark and Alastair’s history was. I more specifically would’ve cut the school stuff. At the end of the day it did nothing to the plot or character development. It just took up time that could’ve been used to slow the latter half down.
I also would’ve loved more gothic stuff. Like it started off strong. But then was thrown to the wayside in the second half. I would’ve loved if kept building like it does in Erin A Craig’s books.
The other major thing I would’ve change would’ve been Lark & Camille. Felt random. Like if you cut the romantic tension it wouldn’t affect the story. I could’ve liked it more if either Lark was sort of using Camille as a surrogate for Alastair or their relationship in general had been built up. Like Camille went off to school so early, leaving lark & Alastair to get closer. And the latter two always felt closer than the former two in the flashbacks. The end result just left a strange taste on my tongue. Like her going after the two siblings mostly for no reason? Alastair I understand. Camille, no. And it also shows cause Alastair gets to be more involved in the plot and has a whole arc while Camille feels so secondary. The poly thing then felt so cringe and forced. Especially since it’s with siblings. Honestly, Camille could’ve been completely cut and the story would’ve been stronger. And it’s nothing against Camille and Lark getting together. I would’ve been more behind it if it was built up more like hers and Alastair’s was.
Final thing. The “sex” scene felt SO random. Like it wasn’t built up to. Didn’t add to the plot or character development. Plus to do it on the abusive dad’s desk right after he left the room. Idiotic
So in the end, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the things I listed at the top. I totally think someone else will love this entirely. I just personally left feeling meh, could’ve loved it more with a few tweaks.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

Can we talk about that beautiful cover first !?
GORGEOUS!

This was my first read by Lyndall and it won’t be my last ! She is so poetic and her words are so beautiful!

This features a unique story line that offers a LGBTQ representation! It was a fantasy thriller that was slow at times but honestly the pace that it went in , I grew to love and in the end I didn’t want it to end ! This was giving me black swan but gothic . Perfect for fans of saltburn or Ava Reid !

Can’t wait to read again and get a physical copy !

I feel like I just had the tenderest fever dream ever. Tenderly, I am Devoured is a title that fits perfectly the book itself. The writing style is poetic, gorgeously descriptive. It is definitely slow paced, yet I could not put it down simply because of the beautiful imagery that the author was able to concoct with each sentences, page after page. It was calm, yet tumultuous. It has undoubtedly some Saltburn and The Secret History references, which was a delight, especially combined with the folklore and cottagecore elements. It is rare that a book perfectly delivers on what they advertised, but it truly did with this one. It’s such a unique read, I enjoyed it immensely. I feel like it’ll become a comfort read.

oh this is one of THOSE. the ones that alter your brain chemistry, got it got it. cool cool cool. WOW i am just in awe that there are minds of real people out here who write and tell stories like this. i wish every single person would pick this book up immediately, it’s not one that’s leaving my mind anytime soon

GOTHIC ROMANTASY IS SOMETHING I NEVER KNEW I NEEDED! This book was EVERYTHING that I could have ever wished for. I absolutely adored the main character, Lacrimosa, and I definitely recommend this book to EVERYONE. Lyndall Clipstone, I was unaware of your talent!

Lyndall Clipstone is known for her YA fantasies with a dark twist and she continues this theme with Tenderly, I am Devoured.

While I really enjoy Clipstone’s writing, and the story is original and creative as always, I had the same issue with this book that I did with the Lakesedge duology: it’s underdeveloped. The fantastical elements in this book were great, and Clipstone created a beautifully dark atmosphere, but I really struggled to connect with the main characters and felt that the plot needed some work to avoid holes and unanswered questions.

Additionally, the romance plot of this one was a little all over the place. It’s polyamorous, which isn’t an issue, but I don’t feel that it was communicated very well.

Don’t get me wrong, I still really enjoyed this book and I think that a lot of YA readers will love it. With some more work I feel that it could have been in the vein of Ava Reid or Rebecca Ross. Make sure to check TWs before reading. 3/5

I loved this!!! So much fun to read, I’ll definitely be buying a physical copy for myself! I flew through this with ease and I’ll be recommending to friends.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC! All opinions below are my own.

With this being my first Lyndall Clipstone book, I can confidently say this won’t be my last. For enjoyers of Rebecca Ross and Ava Reid, I URGE you to pick up this book asap! The entire book is written almost lyrically, and the vivid descriptions result in easily visualizing the gothic seaside setting and immersing yourself into the story almost immediately.

While some of the pacing with the relationships is a little odd, I didn’t ever have the feeling any of it wasn’t believable. From found family to healing relationships within blood family, and even breaking away from toxic dynamics- this book portrays almost every aspect of human relationships down to their very core. Each and every character has depth that makes them stand out in their own ways, and feel quite real. This fantasy world also normalizes m/m and f/f pairings, which is incredibly refreshing to see in a fantasy period. Given the sensuality of some romantic scenes, I’d definitely say this would be more upper-YA.

Overall, I loved through this book and couldn’t put it down. Truly, this is a wonderful stand-alone with just enough romance, just enough horror, and the right amount of gothic. While the plot seemed somewhat slow at first, it quickly picked up into something I have no regrets reading and wish I could pick up for the first time once again.