Lyndall Clipstone has been on my radar for some time now. Last year, I read Unholy Terrors and saw the author's potential so I am especially excited to see how she has continued to hone her craft this time around. I first discovered this author and novel through some random Goodreads list I was scrolling and since then (24th April 2024), I have been patiently awaiting this book's release.

I read it, and whilst I do think the author's craft has improved since writing Unholy Terrors, I still felt that the same thing was missing. The plot felt like it happened to the main character rather than something she participated in; when she did, it was either a carefully planned move that the reader learned about earlier, or it was somewhat predictable.

However, the prose is beautifully stunning. Clipstone truly writers flower threaded horror and no one else in the industry has the style she does. Her blend of romantasy tropes with gothic influence and just the right amount of horror is something hard to perfect yet Clipstone does it so effortlessly perfect. Her worldbuilding and settings are vivid oil paintings that you can swim amongst the pain strokes of.

Furthermore, I would like to see this author try her hand at more adult themed romantasy. I think it would suit her writing style extremely well.

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You should read this if you liked:
-- A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
-- Wilder Girls by Rory Wilder
-- A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

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

Tenderly, I Am Devoured follows teen Lacrimosa "Lark" Arriscane as she enters a marriage of convenience to a chthonic god in order to save her family from financial ruin.

This book was somehow too short and also much too long. I think 300 pages is just never going to be enough real estate to really develop a meaty gothic romantasy the way it deserves to be developed, regardless of who's writing it. But Tenderly, I Am Devoured somehow makes that limited real estate feel twice as long; most of the plot seems to happen near the end, and ultimately feels pretty contrived and out of nowhere. The world itself doesn't feel lived in, which I think contributes a lot to the lack of truly gothic vibes, as well as the unbelievability of the arc of the story. The characters are pretty cookie cutter, often lacking the depth and/or screen time necessary to make them tangible and memorable. The romance at the story's core was arguably the most intriguing thing about it, though I still don't know if I feel positively about most of the choices that were made with regard to the romance.

I'm sure there is a readership for this book, and I did think it had a lot of potential -- the premise did and still does intrigue me -- but I just was not as enraptured as I hoped I would be.

Immediately giving Persephone vibes with her birthday being "when spring takes delicate bites out of winter" and the synopsis including an engagement to a chthonic god.

Release Date: 01 Jul. 2025
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️
Themes:
• Gods, religion, cults
• Friends to enemies to lovers
• Academic lovers to enemies
• Seaside & decaying atmosphere

This is just 𝘈 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, from all the salt water and decaying imagery down to having a story called The Neriad (The Neiriad in 𝘈 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨) as a semi-central piece. Where they diverge is here, the god isn't really the enemy or trying to do anything wrong. The enemy is, as always, power hungry men trying to become something ~more~ by either killing or controlling a god.

I can't say I really enjoyed this, but I did finish it in one sitting. Salty and atmospheric books tend to be a favorite of mine, but I just couldn't help reading it and being like "this is literally just 𝘈 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨" and then being annoyed that I was reading practically the same book.

My favorite part in this would be Therion because he is somehow the most genuine character even as a God, which tend to be the shadiest characters.

I also really don't know how I feel about poly relationships in which 2 of the people in the relationship are siblings.. If anything it felt like it draws away from any potential growth Lacrimosa has because she is still wholey reliant on a romantic relationship being her reason to do anything.

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Henry Holt & Co. for lroviding an eARC of 𝘛𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺, 𝘐 𝘈𝘮 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 in exchange for this honest review.

Very interesting plot and I loved the world building it was a great set up. Don’t want to spoil but I was on the edge of my seat.

Lacrimosa Arriscane returns to her home in Verse, recently expelled from her school, she is disgraced to return to her brother's home and failing salt mine. Upon returning home, her brother's rejoice, but tell Lacrimosa that they may have to sell their home and mines to their neighbor, Alastair Felimeth to repay a debt. Lacrimosa was once good friends with Alistair and his sister, Camille, but was pushed away by Alastair. Lacrimosa goes to the salt mines to pray to her god, Therion, only to find her brothers in discussion with him. Lacrimosa learns that she has been promised to marry Therion and join him in his world every salt season. In return, Therion will restore the salt harvest. Lacrimosa decides that she will marry Therion, but their ceremony is interrupted and Therion is bound to a world in between his and Lacrimosa where Therion is quickly fading. Despite their crumbling relationship, Lacrimosa enlists Alistair and Camille to help her unravel the mistake from the botched ceremony.

Tenderly, I am Devoured is an immersive Gothic Fantasy. Loosely based on the mythology of Hades and Persephone, but with unexpected twists and interesting character interactions. I found myself drawn into Lacrimosa and her world that was driven by salt mining and her god, Therion. Lacrimosa is passionate, determined and feels everything deeply. The writing bounces back and forth between the present and Lacrimosa's time in school as we slowly Iearn why she was expelled, leading to a deeper understanding of her wounds and why she has made the decisions that lead her to Therion. I would love to know more about the world that Verse is part of and how all of their gods fit in. Poetic writing surrounded descriptions of the ocean, homes and Lacrimosa's inner thoughts. I wish Therion himself was a larger character or had some chapters from his perspective to understand his need for Lacrimosa. The suspense unfolds slowly after Lacrimosa's botched betrothal leading Lacrimosa down several paths with her brothers, Alistair and Camille and the mysterious Salt Monks. The romantic tensions layered during this time and added to the drama surrounding the characters. Finishing with an appropriate flourish for all of the characters involved, Tenderly, I am Devoured shows the desire, honesty and darkness in us all.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

I am once again the victim of a beautiful cover. When will I ever learn?

The gothic vibes and stunning cover were what initially pulled me in but unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I was bored, confused and didn’t connect with the characters at all, so therefore had no reason to root for them.

Also, why oh why did it have to be a poly couple consisting of siblings?? That was definitely a choice…

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc.

Really interesting premise. I loved the settings in this book. But that's about where it ended for me. The romance of this book was not it. I'm not into polyamory, and reading about it makes me a little uncomfortable. I don't think I would have felt as weirded out by it had it not been a brother/sister duo. The relationship with the male character was way more fleshed out and developed, but the female character was so random and I felt zero connection or chemistry between the two. Overall, the story was okay. It didn't feel like it lived up to its potential. I didn't dislike the book, but I wouldn't recommend it either.

If you could open up my head and take a peek into my mind I fear you'd find this book tucked neatly inside. This was the perfect blend of gothic romanticism, dark academia, and salt-soaked folklore. Having grown up with the sea on my doorstep the descriptions of Saltswan were so achingly sentimental that I was instantly sucked beneath the waves.
There was a decadent beauty which shone through each line of prose and for someone who has always been a bit of a dreamer and loves to romanticise life, I adored this!

I wouldn't categorise Lark as a 'typical heroine', she is unapologetically openhearted and emotional. I've often seen these traits labelled as flaws but Lyndall refuses to condemn her character's emotions and thus Lark blossoms with equal measures of softness and strength. This was a characteristic I also loved about Effy from Ava Reid's 'A Study in Drowning'.

Amongst the gorgeous setting and mysterious folk horror aspects, Tenderly mainly focuses on the relationships between characters. We see friendships forged, love in all its forms, shattering betrayals, and sweet comfort. At times it is melodramatic...but in the best, most accurately, young adult way.

I simultaneously didn't want to put this down but was also dreading the moment it was all over and I'd have to enter the real world again (which has a distinct lack of swan gods 🦢).

Themes: Romance, fantasy, LGBTQ, non-monogamy.

Lark gets kicked out of school, She goes home in shame, but she's given the opportunity to saver her family from a debt they owe a prominent family in Verse. Unfortunately, it all goes very very wrong.

This was a solid book with a solid story. I loved Lark as a flawed FMC. I thought the steamy scenes were a little, misplaced? Like they happened at really odd times that made me go WHY NOW? Overall, an enjoyable read.

The descriptions in this book are absolutely beautiful. The author really has a talent for describing such aesthetically pleasing settings and dreamy character moments. I honestly kept wanting to pick up this book just to read more about the gorgeously dreary coastal setting and dark folklore vibes. I also liked the choice to exclude cell phones and modern clothing in this world since it added a lot to the general coziness and sense of isolation in the small coastal village. As for the characters, I connected with Lark and Alistair the most and enjoyed their romantic tension but I wish some of the other characters were more developed, especially Camille since Camille and Lark also have a romantic connection that seems like it is meant to be equal to Lark's relationship with Alistair. The polyamory was still so refreshing to read about and I wish more authors would explore those kinds of dynamics. Based on the vibes alone this is the perfect book to read in the transition from summer to fall and I would especially recommend it for fans of A Study in Drowning.

I’m sad to say that I didn’t love this book. While the concept was interesting and the writing was very atmospheric, I don’t think the story and characters were developed enough for me.

~ Story ~
First off, the vibes of this book were amazing. I am a sucker for a mystery and I was immediately hooked by the coastal gothic vibes and loved the idea of the love interest being a literal god. However, the plot felt a little underwhelming and the first half and the second half of the book felt very disconnected. A lot of the issues/conflicts that were set up in the first half felt like they didn’t even matter in the end because so many other events happened in the second half that made the first half feel like a completely different book altogether.

~ Characters ~
Most of the characters felt one dimensional and therefore I never cared for them. I wish we got more of Therion and Camille so I could understand them better. They are both such large parts of the story and yet I didn’t feel any connection to either of them because they felt superficial on the page. The only character I felt any real connection to was Lark. I thought she was an interesting character to read and I enjoyed seeing how she grew throughout the story and found her self worth and purpose after everything that happened. She was honestly the main reason I kept reading.

~ Romance ~
One of my biggest complaints with this book is the romantic relationships. They all felt very out of nowhere, especially Camille and Therions relationship with Lark. We are basically shown that Lark had only been thinking about Alastair in a romantic way but we never got to see Camille pining for Lark or any real interaction between Therion and Lark to show why they would truly love each other. Ultimately I just wish we got more build up for all of the relationships so they felt more natural.

Overall, I do think this is a unique concept and I think it will appeal to readers who love a slow paced angsty mystery with lots of lore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone first caught my eye because of the cover. That said, when I started this book, I was immediately intrigued and found myself turning the pages to see how this one was going to turn out.

Lacrimosa Arriscane is the fmc and she is introduced to us as she is returning home in disgrace from school. We don't know yet what happened, just that something went wrong and she isn't going back. When she gets home, she realizes things are worse off than she actually realized and because of a loan owed back to the Felimath family, she and her brothers don't have many options open to them as their salt mines have run dry.

Ultimately, Lacrimosa decides to accept a marriage of convenience to Therion, the chthonic god worshipped by her isolated coastal hometown but when her betrothal goes horribly wrong, her only hope is to go back to Alastair and ask for help and his older sister Camille decides to help out and the three of them work together to figure out how to save Lark, Therion and each other.

This was an interesting and unique story. I loved the story between the Arriscane siblings and thought the way Clipstone developed the relationships between the Felimaths and Lark was done well. Overall, I enjoyed this one and if you like gothic, ya, fantasy, check this one out, you might enjoy it too.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a masterpiece of a novel filled with haunting, lyrical prose. A bisexual gothic daydream exploring themes of ritual & religion, family dynamics, & class divides. A story of opposites: the disparity between loving brothers & abusive fathers, sprawling mansions & country cottages, academia & rural life, gods & mortals, friendship & betrayal. The characters & the relationships between them that ebb & flow like the tide are complemented beautifully by the settings, with descriptions so vivid they are almost an assault on the senses; the scent of sea salt & wildflowers, the crash of waves & the whisper of turned pages & footsteps through galleries, the taste of blood. An utterly perfect novel.

Summary:
After being kicked out of her boarding school for a violent incident, Lark returns home to find her family's salt mine and legacy destroyed. To save it, she agrees to marry a god, but when the wedding doesnt go as planned, Lark must rely on estranged childhood friends to save her from a force out to destroy everything.

Rating: 3/5
Spice: 2/5

Tropes:
Dark Academia
Body Gore
Gods

Triggers:
Death
Abuse
Body Horror

My Thoughts:
I really wanted to like this book more and the writing is actually quite eloquent, however, the pacing was very slow in the beginning and I found myself frustrated that I wasn't receiving answers to questions throughout the plot. I also found the writing to be very wordy at times, which sometimes made it hard to follow. I do like the author a lot though and would read another book by her.

First of all this cover is one of the m0st eerie and beautiful ones I've seen in a long time, secondly this was gothic storytelling at it's finest.
What great twists and the perfect vibe of haunting and just the right touch of dread. Excellent.

Beautifully haunting, this folk horror tale was an extremely interesting read. It did take me a minute to feel invested in the story but once I was there I rapidly finished it wanting to know what happens. The romances could have been a bit better developed, yet, all of the characters involved have a history of some sort with the main character, Lark. At times, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to view certain characters in a positive or negative light but this kept me guessing on where things were headed. Overall, I enjoyed this enchanting gothic story.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't really for me. Just like previous books, the premise sounds utterly amazing and like a 5-star read, but the execution just doesn't do it for me. I cannot get into the story at all. So unfortunately I cannot give this more than 2 stars.

The vibes for this book? Immaculate. Think House of Salt and Sorrow or A Study In Drowning.

But everything else? Not so great. This book is supposedly a romance, but there wasn't enough time to develop one romance, let alone three. I really wanted to love this, but when all three of the romances felt half-baked, I just found myself frustrated and wanting more. I'm just really sad that this did not live up to expectations at all.

My rating for this book is actually a 2.5, not a 3.

This is the most ethereal, haunting tale. I felt constantly torn – I could not tell if I was in the most beautiful dream or my worst nightmare. The writing is atmospheric and utterly divine – I was completely transfixed.

These characters, the story, the writing…it will cast a lasting presence. One that is so profound it sinks deep within your bones, and you will wonder how you ever survived without this sensation.

I don’t like to judge books based on my expectations of them. I think that generally does a disservice to the actual content of the book. However, for a summary that promises horror and a “fervent romance,” this book falls short. The plot drags in places, the flashbacks are seemingly irrelevant and the stakes just didn’t feel high enough. We’re dealing with gods here but everything was resolved so easily. I will give credit where it is due. The prose in this book is stunning, and the setting is moody and atmospheric, perfect for a gothic novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian for the advance copy.