4⭐️

First and foremost, thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Secondly, I loved this! I love a vibey gothic tale. It felt like a fever dream in the best way, and was additionally a sensory dream. The author has such a talent for describing the setting and other senses such as smells and tastes and I could picture and imagine a lot of it in my minds eye.

If you like the vibe of “A Study in Drowning” by Ava Reid, you would definitely enjoy this (as I personally enjoyed this more). This story wasn’t overly spicy but instead was very sensual. Definitely recommend!

Loved the gothic vibes and the romance in this! My star rating is 4 stars because I think the pacing could be improved.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Arc of this book!

This is my first Clipstone book, and I was intrigued by the description! Polyamory? Bi-rep? Chthonic god? Sign me up.

What I liked: Beautifully descriptive writing and language and a sense of place! Intriguing premise and potential for characters relationships. Although they could have been developed more, I loved Lark’s brothers.

What I had notes on: I think the book started off really strong, but an uneven sense of pacing/tension had me falling out of love. Some parts of the plot dragged while other aspects like character motivations/backstories were just suddenly revealed with little or no build-up. Even though they were childhood friends, the romantic relationships felt like they abruptly happened, and I was never really convinced which is a shame because I was excited for the poly rep. I thought Therion was an unimpressive god who never really made sense. And for being one of the main characters, Camille’s character could have been developed more imo.

I think there was a lot of potential that wasn’t quite reached. I rated this a 2.75 on fable.

First, thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for sending me an ARC of this.

This was my first introduction to the author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There’s a mix of like gods and magic going on along with family drama, secrets, betrayal and relationship drama. Lark is who we are focusing on, she is our main character, everything happens to her. While reading this book you are going to get glimpses of the past as well as the present so you do have to pay attention. It starts with revealing that Lark has been expelled from the school and the school was supposed to help her with her artistic dreams. You find out what truly happens as you continue reading the book. It’s actually insane like I couldn’t believe that! Be careful who you trust!! I felt really bad for Lark because of that. She ended up back home with her two older brothers and there’s a huge debt that their parents left them that they have to pay off and they really don’t have any money to do it. The person collecting the debt though is Alastair who Lark used to be friends with and felt something more when they were younger. Alastair cut her off without good reason and she was also cut off from his sister Camille. Lark also gets caught in drama with Therion, who is one of her gods. That gets pretty messy. Lark is dealing with all of that plus her feelings for Alastair and Camille. I felt myself sucked into the story, and I enjoyed the mix between past and present because instead of everything being revealed at once, things are slowly revealed for you, and that allows you to start putting the pieces of the story together.

Reading this felt like retribution because I read a book earlier this year that promised to be this and failed in every way. This was perfection and exactly what I wanted. A well-balanced mix of beauty and horror, with so many secrets and curious motives that kept me absolutely hooked from start to finish.

Thanks to the author for the early copy!

Lark is returning home from her boarding school in disgrace, having been expelled, and surprises her older brothers, Henry and Oberon, as they are selling off most of what they own to pay a debt to the neighbor, Lark's former friend Alastair. Though they try to hide the truth from her, Lark discovers that the family's salt mines are empty, and only if Lark agrees to marry the sea god Therion - and live in the sea for half the year - will her brothers ever be able to pay off the debt. Lark recklessly agrees, but the ceremony to wed Therion goes wrong. Now Lark feels haunted by the sea god, and the relationships of her past catch up to her: back before she went away to school, giving up her brothers to stay with the girl she loved, Lark yearned for Alastair and his sister Camille.

I was intrigued by the description of this book, which had a Persephone/Hades situation and references to elder gods, mixed with words like <i>bacchanalia</i> and <i>polyamory</i>. While there are some lush scenes, most of this lyrical tale is about longing and the sex scenes are not super graphic. They are very poetic and the language is what I really loved about this book. It had some House of Salt and Sorrows vibes, as well as dark academia vibes. I would say the worldbuilding could be stronger, because other than Therion we don't learn about any of the other gods, and I definitely wanted to know more about the Salt Priest cult. But what we did learn was absolutely lovely and believable.

I really enjoyed Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone! It’s a dark, atmospheric read with a fascinating mix of folklore and romance. The characters are complex, and the polyamorous romance is a great twist on the usual tropes. I loved how the author wove in the Gothic elements and the eerie vibes that kept me hooked. While it took me a bit to fully get into the world, once I did, I was hooked until the end. 4 stars for this unique and haunting story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt publishers for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tenderly I am Devoured is a gothic romantasy about an 18 year old girl named Lark who has just returned home to her family’s cottage by the sea after an incident got her expelled from her boarding school. After finding out her family is on the verge of having to sell their home to repay an old debt, Lark decides to accept a marriage proposal to their chthonic god Therion. The terms of the proposal are very reminiscent of Hades and Persephone: Lark would need to stay in the chthonic world with Therion during the salt harvesting season, but can return to live with her family the other half of the year. On the night of her wedding, Lark goes into the salt mines to join Therion, but things go horribly wrong.

Lark has to turn to her neighbors, sibling Alastair and Camille, to help her as she finds herself increasingly having strange visions and losing chunks of time. Overall this book gave me vibes of House of Salt and Sorrow meets Black Swan meets Crimson Peak. I liked the dark twists of Lark’s origin and her connection to Therion as well as the visuals of the gothic home by the sea where the story takes place. I also enjoyed the numerous representations of lesbian, gay and queer love within the book, as well as the polyamorous relationship between Lark, Therion and the two siblings.

That being said, the pacing at times dragged and I struggled with some of the “flashbacks” to Larks time at school, which didn’t necessary push forward the plot of what was happening to her in the present. I feel like I could have taken the chapters involving her time at Marchmain out and still had the same experience with the main story. I would have much rather spent that time flushing out the love connections between Lark and the others, as they all felt a bit rushed (going straight from enemies to lovers with little build up).

Overall I would give this book a 3.25-3.5 star rating.

While the writing is very beautiful and poetic, I could not get into this story. I finished it mind you, but it felt like large portions of information in the story were just left out? I was confused for most of the book which in turn disrupted the flow to the point I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I will say though, the world building was so lush and stunning, it made me want to crawl into the story and live there!

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is my first book by Lyndall Clipstone. And it will not be my last.

I adore everything about TIAD - from the breathtaking prose, to the utterly unique plot and the characters whom I have fallen deeply in love with. This is a beautiful book, with well written, windswept romance, an entrancing plot, and characters to die for.

I love this book so much that I can’t find it in me to hate any part, not even any characters (I lie, looking at you MARKUS).

“If I was brave, it was only to save you.”

Characters: 3.75⭐
Plot: 4⭐
Writing Style: 4.5⭐
Enjoyment: 4⭐
Overall rating: 4⭐

What to expect? Tenderly, I Am Devoured is set in gothic manors, salt caves, and, prestigious boarding schools. In this highly atmospheric read, Lacrimosa, expelled from boarding school and returning home, quickly realizes that her family is being ousted from their family home due to their debt being called in. The only solution? Calling upon chthonic god Therion to make a deal. A mind-bending romantic, gothic horror ensues when Lacrimosa's betrothal to Therion goes horribly awry and her relationships with former childhood friends Camille and Alistair are tested.

Things I loved?
🔸 The writing was such a joy to read. There were so many beautiful descriptions and lovely lines without making the book feel over-done. The atmosphere was so on point. I wouldn't have changed anything in this regard. This first time we visited the salt caves, I felt so locked into the world and the story.
🔸 The there was unexpected romance between Camille, Lacrimosa, and Alistair that was surprisingly wonderful and wholesome to read. Lacrimosa
s relationship with Camille was so sweet and innocent. And Larks relationship with Alistair brought a sort of tension to the table that, again, I didn't expect from this read. And then that twist at the end with Therion? Wild.
🔸 There were several twists and turns through the story that were unexpected and they hit in just the right spots. So satisfying to read.
🔸 I loved how the ending mirrored so much of what the book was about. That last scene was beautiful.
🔸 The relationship Lark has with her brothers I thought lacked some measure of depth, but it was sweet to read. I'm so happy Lark had a good family in this book to lean on.
🔸 I loved that Clipstone wasn't afraid to have a lot of her characters be queer.

“Unstring our bones; loosen from the world.”

What could be improved?
🔸 We skip around in a time a bit in this story. We explore the relationships Lark had as a child. We get a quick few chapters about her years in boarding school and how that whole situation ended, but honestly? I wasn't a huge fan of the time skips. I love that we got so much background, but I think we could have gotten a few dream sequences of quick flashbacks and then had Lark have more difficult conversations with Alistair and her brothers. That would have served the same purpose and made everything flow more smoothly, in my opinion.
🔸 I think because of the time skips and some of the writing, I felt slightly distanced from some of the characters. I also think it was too convenient that Larks brothers were just gone when the main conflict of the story came to head. And at the start of the throuple relationship, I was not fully on board because of the mixed messages I had from the pieces of backstory.

Books recs if you liked this one?
🔸 The Fabric of our Souls by KM Moronova. The romantic, atmospheric horror elements of this story so perfectly mirror some parts of Tenderly, I Am Devoured.
🔸 House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin Craig. With a similar setting and similar mind-bending moments, I'd highly recommend this read if you enjoyed this book.

Would I recommend this book? Yes! It was definitely a great read. The writing was simply so beautiful.

“In painting, the best compositions are able to be divided into thirds”

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to love this book so, so much, and clearly many reviewers did. But it fell short for me for a number of reasons.

But first, the good:
-the prose is impeccable. Poetic without dipping into purple prose, Clipstone effectively captures the moody seaside atmosphere of Lark's world.
-Lark as a character is very well defined. I loved how she goes from a broken and weaker character to someone in charge of her own future, even if her choices are small.
-it was definitely a page turner--I stayed engaged the whole time, especially in the stronger beginning, and I felt the crafting of the flashbacks worked really well to unfurl Lark's backstory without ever infodumping


And now, the bad:
-the polyamory never worked for me. Leaving aside the fact that two of the three members of the polycule are siblings (it's Gothic: weird sibling stuff is kind of a hallmark of the genre, plus it's in the blurb), I had issues with the insta-lust. Although Lark has history with both Alastair and Camille, we the reader never get that connection; the flashbacks that centered Lark/Alastair gave their relationship good backstory, but did not aid their present connection. With Camille, we barely got any of that.
-the sapphic rep was, imo, not great. I never love when a sapphic character is solely physical, with no emotional connection to our protagonist--unless it's erotica, in which case, I know what I'm reading for--and that's all Camille was to Lark. The first meeting, she kisses Lark in a cave with no provocation, and every time Camille's on the page, she's kissing Lark, touching Lark, etc. What does Camille want? Who is Camille? I don't know. In a romance, that's never good, and especially not great given the history of sapphic rep.
-the worldbuilding was explained decently in the beginning, but then we find out something about Lark halfway through which made me physically set down my e-reader and go "what?!" But not a GOOD "what" -- more like a "WTF is going on and THIS is the direction we're going?!" sort of feeling. I won't spoil anything, but it caught me by surprise because nothing in the worldbuilding indicated such a thing was possible, and then, following that revelation, nothing was really done with it.
-the first half was significantly stronger than the second half, mainly because the mid book twist and subsequent change in direction did not work for me

Although this gets the same rating for me as her previous book, Unholy Terrors, I do think it's stronger in many ways: Lark's character arc works very well, and the prose is much tauter and cleaner (though I did enjoy the prose in UT as well). However, Tenderly is prone to the same shortcomings as Clipstone's previous work: an insular cast that is unevenly developed (Camille's characterization being significantly weaker than Alastair's and Lark's), worldbuilding that never quite adds up, repetitive scenes. I think much of this is a matter of personal taste -- I enjoy a bit more plot to accompany my vibes -- and me being a more experienced reader of YA. Y'all, I've been reading this genre for almost 15 years now. I expect more because I've SEEN more. But hand this to teenage me and I'd have devoured this.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Lyndall Clipstone for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review! I'm still going to request Lyndall Clipstone's next book, because she's truly the queen of vibes and her prose is immaculate. Maybe the third time's the charm?

I had mixed feelings about Clipstone’s previous book, Unholy Terrors, and I’ll admit that I was super hesitant to pick this one up. It’s not my usual genre and I really thought the romance would be off-putting. But I’m happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised by this!

I got hooked early; loved the dreary, spookily magical feel of the world and the betrothal to Therion really grabbed my interest. I was intrigued by Alastair (emo wet cat of a man) and felt that the switch between timelines in the first half was done well. I enjoyed discovering the mystery behind Therion and his connection to Lark, as well as revealing the secrets of Alastair’s past. I still don’t love the romance with Camille. I much prefer Lark and Alastair’s dynamic, and I think the sibling-ness of it all just didn’t quite work for me. I would’ve preferred if there was just one relationship and a close friendship with the other sibling. But despite my misgivings, I did like Camille and how she cared for and protected Lark.

I thought the ending was done well and everything wrapped up nicely! Wouldn’t be opposed to trying another book by this author in the future.

ARC provided by the author and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I delayed picking this up for quite a while, suspecting it might lean toward a slower pace—and I wasn’t wrong. The beginning unfolds gradually, filled with lyrical prose and emotional nuance. It’s a lovely choice if you're craving something soothing, yet it still delivers an unexpectedly layered plot.

Totally adored the cottagecore aesthetic, the subtle touch of dark academia (if I caught that right), and the intriguing twist of a hidden family secret!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall a readable read that could’ve been great if it’d leaned in more into its elements. I wish the horror would’ve been more emphasised, there really were so many cool elements for the taking right there.

The writing and atmosphere were great but things started falling short on the plot, character, and half the romance side. One of the love interests reappears after years of not seeing each other since they were literal children and having had only known each other for a short time at that time (compared to the other love interest) yet they are instantly (still?) in love. You could argue Lark was such an isolated, lonely child she would prize her connections but it didn’t feel like she’d spent all that much time with Camilla before the latter was sent off. And so Camilla, who would’ve gone on to meet many people in her formative years wouldn’t really have had a strong romance base. It just felt like this romance dynamic was shoehorned in.

Camilla as a side character was also cheated on her development; she had so much potential but ended up so one-sided. I wanted better for her.

I wish the chthonic/unearthly being that started out as the clearly not-a-human type would’ve not completely slipped into humanness by the end, I feel that took away most of its initial appeal.

I enjoyed Lark’s earlier timeline at school and her friendship arc there but ultimately I feel that timeline wasn’t really necessary for the overall plot. It was just for character background and it felt like there were two books attempted to be crammed in.

Won’t go into detail about plot but the ending in particular was quite anticlimactic and fast, for all the atmosphere that had been set up, which was a bummer.

The cover and title are amazing though. Definitely was sucked in by those and the description (which I feel is a little misleading).

Like a fever dream, Tenderly, I Am Devoured invites readers into a world where ancient gods and the seemingly mundane intermingle. It's atmosphere is one to simply get lost in.

The story is woven of salty cliff side mansions and sinister sea caves. It's also a deft exploration into the terrifying moment when we kiss youth goodbye and plunge into the abyss of adulthood. It's ancient gods and human horrors. It's tender,compulsive, and positively transportive!

Clipstone had succeeded in writing characters that are nuances and complicated, characters that I felt true fear for as the story unravels. Readers who like there romances complicated and with some edge will be left swooning by the ultimate outcome!!

Thank you for the arc in exchange for my honest review. The premise and vibes of this story were great. The purple prose was both part of what made the story immersive and alluring but also at times daunting and slow feeling.

This was everything I was hoping it would be! Atmosoheric and lovely. I loved the characters and the story. It was very much my vibe. I hope to read more from this author soon.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

2/5

Honestly? I just wasn't feeling it. The premise seemed incredibly interesting and I was excited to read it, but when I actually did, it just wasn't all that I expected it to be.

The story was alright at best, and the writing wasn't my favorite. Don't get me wrong, I think super descriptive writing in this style can be good, but when I'm already just not feeling it, it got to be annoying and too much. I also wasn't really a huge fan of Lark, which could just be because I felt like nothing was really happening and she was just There.

I did think the Now/Then chapters with the first/third person POV switches were an interesting way to tell the current story from what happened in the past, and I like Camille enough, but not really enough to save the whole book.

It was .... fine, I guess. Not the worst I've ever read, but not really good (To Me.) either. Maybe someone else will enjoy it though, this is all my own opinion!

I wanted to like this book so badly, but I’m sorry to say this one wasn’t for me. This is my first one-star ARC.
The world-building was beautiful, and the author really made me feel like I was immersed in Verse. I really felt like I could see what the settings looked like, which I really appreciate in a book. I also loved that we learned a bit about the culture - the art, the gods, the values and currency. I felt like I understood where and when I was and what the people in this world valued.
Outside of Lacrimosa, the characters fell really flat for me. The lovers, especially, really disappointed me. Therion, the god, was hardly shown and the interactions with them felt off. I feel like I hardly know anything about Camille other than the fact that she was sent away to boarding school, was sheltered by her brother, and dislikes math. Alastair had the most potential, but his “twist”/backstory was painfully obvious. The fact that Lacrimosa didn’t realize that made her character seem less “real” to me.
As for the story, I was bought in for the first 60% of the book or so. I wouldn’t say that I was invested, but I was curious enough to keep reading, and the buildup was pretty intriguing. Lacrimosa’s expulsion from school was mysterious, and I was excited to find out what happened. After that first “reveal” was a let-down, I wasn’t excited to see what would come from the story, and I felt justified after speeding through the rest of the story. I also felt like I was being spoon-fed information rather than having descriptors that let me make my own inferences. Think about reading “he thought that was odd” instead of “his brow furrowed and his head involuntarily cocked to the side”. There’s a difference there, and it’s important in my eyes.
The romance felt … odd. There was no buildup for any of the relationships outside of the one with Alastair. The moments of intimacy with Camille felt juvenile, and borderline inappropriate, at times. It also didn’t make sense why the siblings ultimately were willing to put themselves in harm’s way for Lacrimosa. It just didn’t feel genuine. Even more, the major plot point of the Salt Priests felt rushed and kind of messy. The fact that they weren’t even on the page, outside of discussing the idea of them, was disappointing. It felt like chunks of that part of the story were missing.
To end on a high note – the artwork for the cover is stunning. I would have probably picked this up just for the cover art if I saw this in a store.
I’m sorry to say that this wasn’t it for me, but I won’t be recommending this book.