This book is exactly what it sounds like - a YA gothic title - and I liked it slightly better than A Study in Drowning. (I know for certain I'm not the only one who saw those parallels). Some of the characterization didn't work for me, especially regarding Camille, but this was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to a younger reader.

I am obsessed with this book I am in love with this book I want every word of it tattooed on my eyelids so every time I shut my eyes I can read it over again.

A Study in Drowning mixed with Cthonic gods, betrayal, worship, a girl who wants to be more and two alluring siblings, Tenderly I am Devoured, was so good. Lark returns home from her school after being betrayed, to find her family’s salt mine is failing. Her two older brothers who raised her are going deep into debt and need to sell the house. Lark agrees to marry a god, Therion, so he will replenish their salt mines. But when the ceremony is interrupted, Lark begins to slip between reality and a Cthonic world. Her groom is trapped and she is being trapped with him. With the help of Alastair, a cold boy who broke her heart and his sister, Camille, who Lark has not seen since childhood, she works to save her husband and in doing so save herself. This was very reminiscent of a Study in Drowning, for those who loved that like me. I can already see this book becoming the next big fantasy dark academia novel and I’m here for it. The writing was so poetic and beautiful, it draws you into this world of magic and keeps you there.

This is a gothic fantasy book that is inspired by Aquaman. I thought it was really unique and original with great world building from start to finish. The horse was beautiful and I thought the characters had great development. I also really liked the queer representation.

This book is the absolute essence of scary and sexy. Lacrimosa (Lark) is an aspirational and gorgeous artistic soul — so stunning that she attracts the attention of a god, Therion, who's giving swan Howl. Brother and sister, Alastair and Camille, are just as enraptured with Lark and are willing to endure much to keep her in the mortal realm and in their lives. What pain and pleasure these lovers will come to know...

Shifting back and forth in time, the story slowly exposes the abuse and agony of insincere love, the shame of being untrue to ourselves and others, and the fear of being seen candidly.
In alluring antithesis, the reader also witnesses the courage and safety that can be found in learning to trust those who truly care. This intoxicating tale leaves you questioning the lengths love will go and how bitter chthonic liquor must be to swallow.

This was a 5 star read for me. It was the first time I had to stay up to finish the last 100 pages. The way it easily flowed from the past to the present made it so easy to connect everything. Walking through Lark's journey from being displaced from school, reuniting with her family, bringing together old friendships, trying to save her life as well as her family's and then all while trying to figure herself out. Just amazing! The lover triangle between Lark, Camille and Alastair was well written. Yes is it a little weird because Camille and Alastair are siblings, but it is written so well that you can see and feel the love between all of them. Adding the god aspect into it was an interesting part that gave the story more complexity but it wasn't the whole story line. Lyndall Clipstone did a fantastic job with her writing and I will continue to read anything that she writes.

thank you netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

this book deserves 5 stars based on the writing style and the aesthetics alone. but sadly, i found the description of the book misleading and therefore my expectations weren’t met. the plot was too slow paced for my liking and quite repetitive… very sad because it had the potential of becoming a new favourite book.

3.5 stars

First of all, everyone needs to take notes on how to design a cover bc this is GORGEOUS.

This book feels like cottagecore meets dark academia. You’ve got the flower crowns, lace, and a cottage by the sea. However, it has this darker, gothic, eerie vibe and you’ve got Lark attending school in the “then” chapters, which brings in that dark academia feel. I wasn’t super invested in the characters but still really enjoyed the author’s descriptive writing style which added so much into creating this beautiful atmosphere. I also really loved the lore of this world! would recommend!

A really fascinating concept that I enjoyed. Creepy, detailed, and interesting, I can’t wait to read more

I am giving this book 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. The prose was BEAUTIFUL and I enjoyed reading this book mostly due to Clipstone's writing style. The book is described as a "moody, monstrously Gothic romantic folk horror" but I feel that is a little misleading. It was moody and folky but very light on the horror. I would have liked it to be a lot more creepy and spooky but it is also a YA book so maybe that's not within the realm of possibility. Clipstone's world was so well built the it felt like a real place that I can go visit. I liked the characters, however I didn't feel super connected to them. Also, I was weirded out that the MC's simultaneous love interests were siblings but maybe that's just a me thing. Overall, I enjoyed the book and if you're a fan of beautiful prose and spooky books you will certainly enjoy it.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This young adult gothic romantic fantasy novel is just one of a kind! I really enjoyed reading this from start to finish and I loved all the elements it had in it! This came with great world building that I found to be unique. It is dark, emotional, mysterious and hopeful. It had elements of horror, complex romantic entanglements, a sapphic romance and folklore! It is well written, captivating and entertaining. This book I would say is a bit taboo, which intrigued me even more. My favorite character was Lark, I could really feel her emotions on her journey. The way this character transforms in this book is simply incredible. To me, this book is art and in many ways poetic and powerful. I highly recommend reading this one! Be sure to read the trigger warnings! I give this book a rating of a solid 4 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Lyndall Clipstone and
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for this electronic ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on July 1, 2025!

3.5 Stars —
This was a very odd book. Not to say that I didn’t like it, I think I mostly did, but it was very odd, and for the majority of the time I truly had no idea what was going on. It was written in a very lush, flowery, inside of Anne of Green Gables’ brain sort of way, and literally every single character is gay. As Princess Mia Thermopolis of Genovia would say, right on. I enjoyed the writing style, and how I could picture every detail of the story in my head as I read it, but the plot is incredibly cryptic. The magic system and the setting’s time period are as well. Overall, it wasn’t a terrible read, only mostly confusing, and just a bit mad. (Also, every character is in love with so many people, to the point that I feel like a chart should be made.)

I was really drawn to this book, because the cover is STUNNING. The story was okay and i didn't really feel drawn to any of the characters. The romance didn't feel developed well enough. The ending also seemed rushed.

In a word -
Sea God
Poly relationship
Horror elements
Fast burn but also not?

I loved the title, premise, and especially the cover, but this one fell flat for me. I didn't feel a strong connection to the characters, the brother/sister poly relationship kinda turned me off, and the build-up to the resolution moved entirely too fast when compared to the first half of the book. There's no explicit incest because the brother and sister are not involved with each other, but Lark going back and forth between the two felt disingenuous to the other relationship, if that makes sense? The beginning 50% is more in depth (and slow, sorry) than the last 50% so by the time I got to the middle I was already thinking of DNFing. The flashbacks were almost unnecessary because the same scenes were alluded to in the present. The flashbacks should have been expanded on or cut all together. I've seen other reviews say that this book has good bones but just needs some fleshing out, and I think that is very true! I do like most of the prose, the setting is beautiful, and the ode to the arts is fascinating. Alistair has the best backstory/motivation, Henry and Oberon make sense, but Camille and Lark confuse me because they've been apart half their lives and then just kinda jump into love? I also really wanted more of Therion (sea god), which is why I was originally interested. I really wish I liked this more. That's all my thoughts for now (I just finished), but maybe I'll think on it and come back to expand.

As always though, I'm thankful to the author/publisher/netgalley for the ARC copy!

To start with, this cover is insanely beautiful. The contents of this book? Amazing. It is a YA in all the right ways, and the prose of the book is so enchanting. It is impossible to pt down.

I think there was a lot of potential here. The premise was cool, and intriguing but ultimately the actually plotting fell a bit flat.

I wanted to like this book so badly, but it sadly just did not work for me. I truly enjoyed Clipstone's other book Lakesedge, which made me jump at the chance to read Tenderly, I Am Devoured. I found the book extremely repetitive and slowly paced. In the beginning the idea of the main character being betrothed to a Cthonic God and having all of these rituals involved was interested...and that was about it.

This one did not work for me, but I greatly appreciate the chance to read an ARC of this book. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

This is my first Lyndall Clipstone book, and I am now completely in love with her writing. Her style of prose is so beautifully lyrical and it captures the setting of Verse with its mountains and grey water.

*References to the plot in my review below. I’ve tried not to be too spoilery but there will be some small ones in the discussions of events and relationships!

I loved the unraveling of Lark’s story — she doesn’t want to talk about why she was expelled from her school so close to her graduation, so we only get little pieces of her time there, until she’s finally able to talk about what happened. The way she was treated by Damson was so heartbreaking to read. Damson manipulated Lark into not going home to spend time with her brothers, both of whom she absolutely adores, so that she can separate Lark so that she only relied on Damson.

Then, when Lark returns to Verse, she has to engage with Alastair, who treats her terribly despite their previous closeness. He is cold and cruel and it’s so hard to see him treat Lark so awfully when she’s trying to save her brothers from selling their home. Of course as the story goes on we get to know Alastair better and see that there’s a reason for his behaviour. Alastair finds a way to be brave, and to make it right with Lark. I love Alastair and I just want to hug him.

Lark is also reunited with her childhood friend, Alastair’s sister Camille, who had been away at another boarding school. The two girls are drawn to each other, and their interactions are so loving and supportive as they fight for a way to fix the *problems* that they’re facing.

Lark is also drawn to Alastair, which is quite the triangle, but neither he nor Camille seem to mind that they are both drawn to Lark. They have their own relationships with Lark, and as siblings, they love each other and protect one another always.

This is one of my favourite Lark quotes:
I don’t want to be something fragile, too delicate to touch. If I must be glass then I want to be the razored edge of a broken pane—sharp and dangerous.

Lark has had so many hard things happen, and I love the way she is standing up for herself and the people she loves. She isn’t going to allow herself to be taken advantage of or to be protected and kept in the dark anymore. This leads to another one of my favourites:

It’s so much easier to be protected from hurts, but there’s strength in knowing, even if that knowledge brings pain.

This resonated with me and has stayed with me. I believe in this so strongly — most of us probably understand the feeling of going along in ignorance of something, and because we don’t know that we’re missing something, it doesn’t matter. It hurts to find out and even though there might be times when it would be so much easier not to have ever known… the not knowing isn’t reality. Being hurt and finding a way to deal with reality and continuing on in spite of it… that’s what life is about.

Thank you to Lyndall Clipstone for sharing this book as an e-arc! I’m so grateful to have had the chance to read this gorgeous book!

4.5 rounded down to 4 stars!

I loved this book! It was amazing in so many ways. This is a gothic, haunting romantic fantasy with a little splash of folklore. Lark was an awesome FMC. She was soft with amazing character development. This book is extremely atmospheric. I would recommend this to so many different readers as this is such a good YA book.

3.75 ⭐️ this is my first Lyndall Clipstone novel and wow did the writing in this book really speak to me. It was so eloquent and beautiful that I found myself smiling just because the storytelling was so naturally beautiful.

I’m so happy I went into this blind because the suspense of Larks past really kept me engaged. Now that I’ve read the book synopsis it really gives a lot away so I recommend going in blind as well :)

Tenderly I Am Devoured is about learning to trust after being betrayed by the ones you love most and also finding your purpose when the one you’ve always had is ripped from you.

It is recognizing that the ones who hold you so tenderly at one time in your life have the true power to devour you.

Favorite quotes:

“If I must be glass then I want to be the razored edge of a broke pane - sharp and dangerous”

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

Hauntingly beautiful, this book captured me from the very beginning and never let me go from it's grasp. Lyndall has created this gothic setting that is perfect parts eerie and beautiful and has such beautiful prose. I loved polyamorous relationship with Lark and the two siblings Alistair and Camille. It was magnificently built up and executed.

Lark has been expelled from her boarding school and when she returns home, her brothers are talking to Alistair, her childhood crush that broke her heart. Alistair is demanding repayment for the debts her brothers owe his father. After Alistair leaves, Lark sneakily follows her brothers to the altar of the chthonic god Therion. She finds them speaking to him, something she didn't know was possible, and Therion is demanding Lark as his bride in exchange for restoring the failing salt mine on the family's property. Lark eventually agrees and during the ceremony, chaos ensues.

Of note, there are themes of child abuse, emotional manipulation domestic violence, religious trauma, and cults, so please read with care. I didn't see a trigger warning at the beginning of the ARC, so I'm unsure if one will be included in the final copy.

This is an amazing story of love, loss, and fighting to protect those you love.

Review goes live June 9