This was my first time reading folk-horror, so I found this book very unusual in its premise and it struck me as a very unique story. The descriptions were truly what stood out to me the most, with picturesque descriptions of the sunset, the characters, and the setting making the book really come to life. The characters were well-developed and lovely, and I found the romances between them exciting and genuine. Though I’ll admit I find the concept of two siblings dating the same person rather odd, the polyamory was written well-enough and believable. I was rooting for both romances so I was glad there was not one who won out. Overall, this was a beautiful book with a startlingly unique premise with so much queer representation that it really made my heart happy.

this book left me breathless. It was like slowly sinking in a dark, atatmospheric setsea whilst tasting the asalt upon my lips, hearing the feathers of swans rustling behind my ear. If I sat still enough, I could feel myself growing feathers, could feel the sting of chthonic liquor upon my own winter-chapped lips. This immersive, beautiful, romantic folk horror overflowed with yearning, crying, and kissing, art, blood, and sacrifice. Tenderly is a truly unique novel with a setting that felt real yet also completely newly imagined.

For a book that mentioned rot a few times, reading this felt fe so fresh. Yet also familiar, with deep notes of The Secret History, Saltburn, and - dare I say it - Plain Bad Heroines with a hint of Practical Magic. I truly think the cinematic, artful way this book is written lends itself perfectly to the silver screen - done in a way that has the vibes of Black Swan.

And the plot. The characters. Tenderly is a love letter to childish whims and the immense growth that must follow loss and betrayal. This dark, delicious novel is like floating through a fever dream. I was consistently surprised at the elements contained within, and it does not feel YA at all to me. A marriage to a god of the underworld? Poly relationships? Darker themes? A creative, sad girl who loves one particular painting above all else? Sign me up.

There are not words. This book is a 5 star banger just waiting for the world to get a hold of it. It is complex. It is unique. It is such a change in pace from what is currently on the book market.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a very fast-paced read and one I already know I will be reaching for again and again once I have a physical copy. I adored how this book brought everything full circle. I adored the intricate relationship we see between Lark, Alastair, Camille, and Therion.

I appreciated the writing style in this novel. The back and forth between time story telling added a level to Lark that really made it seem as if she was not meant for anyone's world. It made her feel so out of place in her two "homes" that the ending made sense and the twist to who she is felt like that satisfied moment when you put the very last piece into a puzzle.

I think booktok and bookstgram are going to go nuts over this novel. I can see some people taking issue with the way the romance pans out, but again, it felt very... natural to me by the end.

I am so excited to see how this was received. I'm also excited to give it my 3rd 5 star of the year.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for approving me to read arc of
"Tenderly I am Devoured" by Lyndall Clipstone.
Publication date 01 July 2025

First let me start with the most gorgeous cover!! They say ' don't judge a book by it's cover' but maybe you should when you have such beautiful cover. The book didn't disappoint either. The writing style of Lyndall Clipstone had me mesmerized ;it was poetic, enchanting and whimsical. This story itself was horror mixed with cottage core. The world building, the attention to detail was spot on. The characters were the best feature of this book. They were refreshing with strength and flaws.. I was so tired of "The perfect strong FMC " or "newborn fawn FMC" Though the plot was a bit too slow and some parts of the book had me confused.

Tenderly, I am devoured and so are my emotions. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC and here is my honest review.

Rating: 4.25 / 5 stars

What to expect:
🎨 poly romance
🎨 family betrayal / abusive parent
🎨 childhood heartbreak to lovers
🎨 love for the arts

The way Clipstone wrote this book is how I feel listening to Carnival of the animals: Swan. I truly love art and love the way art is portrayed in this book all throughout the story.

Let me just start by saying I love her name. Lacrimosa/Lark. Had me in a chokehold once I saw that name, she truly was shedding tears and fighting all those plot twists that came at her. I went into this book very blindly and came for the cover but stayed for the emotional trauma. 🥲 there is some academia rivalry in the story that was probably Larks downfall at most! I was feeling so sorry for lark at this point but it all prevails in the end. There is a god Therion (a sea god) that not only does lark and her family worship BUT she is betrothed to. 🫡


My favorite character had to be Alastair. He was just a boy who wanted to get his parents approval and make sure no one got hurt in the process. Truly an older sibling thing to do. Putting himself in situations that only led up to him hating his past self and the actions he did but learning and growing from them in the end.

Songs:
LOML - Taylor Swift
Carnival of the Animals: Swan
As the world caves in - Sarah cothran

Thank you for taking the time to read my review! 🤸🏻

I’ll start by saying the writing and prose for this book was beautiful. It was well-written and the author described the setting wonderfully. I was able to picture everything in my mind so I appreciate that. I was quite intrigued by the premise of this book and the cover is beautiful so I was excited to get into it. While the beginning captured my attention I found myself quite bored through the middle of the book and it fell flat for me at that point. Towards the end it picked up again though. Overall I liked it but I didn’t LOVE it unfortunately :(

This books atmosphere and beautiful writing, had me sucked in from the beginning. It had mystery, dark academia vibes, yearning, pain and obsession. I love the fantasy elements mixed with some folklore and an FMC I wanted to just hold and take care of, bc poor girl was being put through it.

This had the same feel as A Study in Drowning with the dreary cliff-sides, ocean and a mysterious god with a story that needed to be unraveled.

Loved this so much.

A moody, monstrously gothic romantasy, with a touch of folklore horror.

It was everything I wanted:
Stunning prose.
Beautifully languid pacing.
Haunting and beautiful love, especially the sweet fleeting sapphic moments.
And to top it off one of the most beautiful covers. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.
- Isak Dinesen, Seven Gothic Tales


This book is IT.
LIT, if you will.
If Saltwater Gothic was a genre, this would be a star pupil!
And it’s everywhere here!

With its moody, flowery lyrical prose it pleases in the best of ways. It flows smoothly and easily and I found myself purposefully slowing down to stay in the atmospheric realm of Verse, even just for a smidge longer. The setting felt like an atmospheric dreamscape with steep seaside cliffs and monstrous manors to die for.

The characters were written so well, complex and multi-layered. They felt raw, haunted and so very human. They all experience so much growth and change.

I might actually just pick this up again, I enjoyed it so much.
I’m hollering for a second. I could absolutely spend more time here. What a compelling place.

Thanks to NetGalley for this E-ARC experience. It was a truly magical read.

I liked this book, however the pacing and flash backs made it a very hard read.
It first gave off Hades and persephone vibes with an arrangement, however that was interrupted putting lark in danger.
Many questions I had were answered, but just not quickly enough and that made it harder to focus on the information between those two points in the story. Like I was questioning why Lark was expelled, but I was given more information on Larks relationships with Alistair or her family rather than what actually happened to her getting expelled.
Overall, great book for someone who likes a lot of information within a shorter span of total pages.

Well I “DEVOURED” this in one sitting.
Hauntingly beautiful, this gothic romance had so many different elements but it blended seamlessly into an otherworldly tale.

Told in alternating timelines of THEN and NOW, we follow Lacrimosa “Lark”s journey both of first loves, friendship, betrayal, and even so far as to being betrothed to a god in a marriage of convenience. Her growth throughout was well done both with her healing and learning to forgive and love again. I don’t know what I was expecting but this more than delivered. The lore was well woven throughout the story and it the pace of the timelines moved quick enough to keep engagement. I especially enjoyed how The Neriad’s lore was interewoven with the lore of Lark’s world. The ambiance had moments of gothic horror and overall sea side dwelling details. While I did get a few moments that reminded me of saltburn, mostly in the details of the Saltswan manor and bonfires, the overall read felt as sea god folklore. I would have like to see more Therion’s activity towards Lark - his haunting from affair, and the impending feeling of doom with his arrival gave me Nosferatu vibes lol). We saw so much of Lark’s journey with Camille and Alastair, which I have no complaint over, but I felt like I got more of an idea of Therion rather than actually having him actively present. I will say, I also docked a star because part of Therion’s allure to me was that he was a god, but the whole betrothal interruption and hunt that happened after reduced him to appear more humanly than I would of preferred. Like I felt like he was wounded so easily and it’s not very powerful for a “god” in my opinion. But other than that, I loved this story. I would love to read more from this author because it was beautifully written.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an e-arc.

I unfortunately didn't finish this book.

The writing is stunning, don't get me wrong. Lyndall is an artist with the way they write. I just didn't find that anything was happening.

The cover of this book is so stunning, compare that with the title and I was sold. I’ve read a book from this author before and really enjoyed it so I was eager to read this one as well.

The writing is absolutely enchanting and atmospheric, this author definitely knows how to draw you into this world with her words.

Highly recommend this for fans of gothic, atmospheric reads.

This book feels like falling into a poem. It's dreamy, gorgeously written, and one of the most atmospheric YAs I've read in a long time. Sometimes similar books can feel too ... gauzy, somehow, like there's no substance underneath, but Lyndall Clipstone backs up her atmosphere with a tensely wrought plot and characters you can't help but adore. It's definitely not horror, as I've seen some marketing suggest, and it's not really about the bacchanalia either. But it is about expansive love, yearning, redemption, and healing. I cherished every moment.

In "Tenderly I Am Devoured," the most ethereal, beautiful gothic atmosphere envelops readers from the very first page, drawing them into Lark’s home in Verse. Eighteen-year-old Lacrimosa Arriscane returns home in disgrace after being expelled from her prestigious boarding school, only to find her family teetering on the edge of financial ruin. Desperate to save them, she enters into a marriage of convenience with Therion, the chthonic god worshipped in her isolated coastal hometown—a choice that leads her into a dark and mesmerizing tale of love and sacrifice.

Clipstone excels at crafting a hauntingly beautiful narrative, where every bit seems to resonate with both beauty and melancholy. The vivid descriptions create an atmospheric tapestry that immerses readers in Lark's world, filled with folklore and the supernatural. As she seeks help from her first heartbreak, Alastair Felimath, and his enigmatic sister, Camille, the trio's exploration of dark rituals and fervent romance deepens the gothic allure, with moments that feel both intoxicating and perilous.

While the story is rich with atmospheric detail and characters I was instantly drawn to, it is not without its flaws. Some pacing issues and stilted dialogue can disrupt the otherwise immersive experience, and Camille's character could use more depth to enhance the chemistry within the group. She was my favorite character and I would have loved more of her. Nevertheless, "Tenderly I Am Devoured" is a beautifully flawed book that captivates with its haunting narrative and emotional depth. If you’re drawn to gothic tales that linger in the mind and heart, this novel offers a mesmerizing journey through love, despair, and the shadows that bind us to the gods we worship.

I think I’ll be echoing many of the reviews previously posted, because frankly they’re all spot on.

“Tenderly, I Am Devoured” is definitely an atmospheric, gothic narrative, enhanced by an eerie setting that beautifully contributes to haunting visceral vibes. I enjoyed Clipstone’s prose. It’s eloquent, and the beginning of the story unfolds with an engaging sense of mystery that effectively draws the reader in. Lark’s perspective stands out as a key strength of the novel.

However, the plot itself lacked substance. While the novel’s cover and blurb are undeniably captivating, the story’s depth was extremely limited, leaving the atmospheric qualities to dominate over more intricate development. It very much read like the plot was boxed in and forced to execute the trajectory (if that makes sense?)The pacing was slow, particularly as the narrative progresses and I found myself pushing to finish.

The romantic subplot, unfortunately, did not resonate with me at all. These scenes are beautifully written, buuut the emotional weight of these moments were diminished by a lack of of an actual connection between the characters. The romance felt rushed, and I get it some people like the “instant love” trope… it just wasn’t for me. I found myself wishing for more pages devoted to the development of this relationship—perhaps another hundred or more, to allow for an actual exploration of the characters’ dynamics. Without this development, the romance felt somewhat shallow.

In the end, I couldn’t buy in with the "why choose" trope. The inclusion of cough, family dynamics, in this context introduced a tension that felt forced and unconvincing, leaving me with more of the ick rather than emotional investment in the characters’ relationships.

BUT. I AM looking forward to reading more of Clipstone’s work as I think this plot and the characters didn’t do their literary skill with prose and atmospheric descriptions justice. Maybe Cli-fi or simply horror, minus the romance, add more plot.

DNF about 67% into this book. Story is extremely slow and repetitive. Nothing makes sense and not in the mysterious way. The characters are infuriating and I just couldn’t keep reading. Thank you NetGalley for providing this eARC for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Well, I not so tenderly devoured this!Absolutely phenomenal! . An intense, emotionally charged story with rich characters and twists that keep you hooked from start to finish. The tension, the romance, the drama—everything was perfectly executed. Easily my top read of the year so far. If you love a book that pulls you in and doesn’t let go, this is it! Definitely recommend!

3.5 rounded up

If you're expecting Saltburn, put it out of your mind (probably for the best, as it's a very iffy YA comp), it's much more House of Salt and Sorrow.

That out of the way, the things that worked here really worked- the prose, the atmosphere, and the gothic world building. Lark was a lovely character to follow, and Therion was darkly compelling. I was reminded a lot of the author's previous book, Lakesedge, with the troubled boy/underwater god aspect. I was disappointed at the lack of development for the ff part of the polycule, though- Camille and her relationship with Lark come off as an afterthought, especially after we see the complicated relationship with Lark's former friend.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is an eerie, gothic novel with a beautifully atmospheric setting. The writing was lovely, and the story itself was intriguing, drawing me in with its sense of mystery.

However, the romantic aspect didn’t work for me. The addition of one particular character felt unnecessary and took away from the central relationship, making it feel forced. On top of that, the inclusion of siblings in the dynamic was bizarre and unsettling.

That said, I did enjoy the mystery and intrigue woven throughout the novel, which kept me engaged until the end.