Lyndall Clipstone’s Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a hauntingly atmospheric gothic romantasy that delves into themes of sacrifice, forbidden love, and the weight of family legacy. The story follows Lacrimosa Arriscane, a young woman who returns home in disgrace only to face a marriage of convenience to a chthonic god. When her betrothal takes a dark turn, she must seek help from her first heartbreak, Alastair, and his enigmatic sister, Camille. Clipstone’s lush prose and vivid world-building create an immersive experience, blending folklore, romance, and a touch of horror. T

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book. I think Tenderly I am Devoured is my favorite Lyndall Clipstone book so far. If you liked A Study in Drowning (which I did), then I would highly suggest picking this one up. It’s got academia, an ancient god, a cult dedicated to said god with questionable motives and flawed characters learning to find their place in the world.

Clipstone’s writing is beautiful. The book jumps between the present and past for the first half of the book. In the present, Lark returns to her home of Verse after being expelled from school and learns her brothers are no longer able to pay back their debt to the family of her childhood friend - now enemy, Alastair Felimath. I hope you see where that relationship is going 👀👀 SO Lark does what anyone would do. She becomes the bride of an ancient god in exchange for his help. In the past we unravel the ‘why’ to her school expulsion, as well as Lark’s childhood relationship with Alastair and his sister Camille. What I really enjoyed was that after we close up Lark’s ‘past’ and fully learn all we need to know from her flashbacks, it ties up with a big present day reveal about Alistair. The story moves to being firmly in the present from there, as Alastair and Lark try to grow and move on from their past trauma, but maybeee more importantly, work to break Lark’s tie to the ancient swan god.

I don’t normally read poly relationship books, but I was open to it. I did find Lark’s connection with Alastair more believable than her relationship with his sister Camille, mainly because Camille left for school for so long when they were still kids and then her first interaction with Lark when they are young adults (18) is immediately ‘can I kiss you?’ 👀 Also I felt like I didn’t get to know her as well as we did Alistair.

Alistair and Lark’s whole childhood friends to enemies to lovers arc I ate up. He’s bookish and tortured and just the kind of book boyfriend I root for haha. ALSO, I’m a sucker for a nickname. When he calls Lark his ‘little swan’ in an ancient, dead language? Yes please.

And then there’s Therion, the swan god Lark is betrothed to. Lark is drawn to him and honestly, I was too a little bit. Lyndall does know how to write monstrous boyfriends.

You can also check out my Instagram for some of my fanart for the book over on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DH4e5ZtAE7H/?igsh=MWVyem96eGhmMzNvOA==

Thanks NetGalley for the arc!

I really wanted to love this. The concept is there but nothing… happened? Like I found myself reading reading reading WAITING for something, that never did come to fruition. The writing was beautiful and this really had potential but wasn’t there for me.

Another great read from Lyndal! I really enjoyed reading this and the prose was beautiful. I found the dynamics between Lacrimosa, Alastair and Camille to be one of the most interesting aspects of the book.

My full review: https://youtu.be/un6NxgZPIq4?si=U4h-7pWgjh7nmGhc

3.5 stars

A beautifully written gothic horror romance. The plot was fresh and intriguing, and gave all of the gothic vibes. My only complaint was that the pacing of the story was very slow in several parts of the story.
Overall a good read and I would recommend!

This novel captured my attention from the beginning and gently guided me through its ups and downs right to the very end. I've come away from it satisfied and wishing I could have more. Not because Clipstone has anything lacking in the story, but simply because I enjoyed it so much. This is the type of book I wanted to devour in one sitting but instead forced myself to only read one (or three) chapters in a sitting so I could make it last all the longer. I adored the broodiness of Alastair, the determination and endless love of Lark, and the spunk of Camille. I loved the slow, gentle approach of Therion. The queernormative world was so refreshing and easily conveyed which is a delight for me when I see it in any novel. While this is a world of fantasy, it was painfully realistic (particularly with frenemies). I have already recommended this book to many and will continue to do so. I can't wait to pick up my own copy once it's out.

I've come to expect the following things from Lyndall Clipstone: atmospheric, beautiful prose, and intriguing hooks. TENDERLY, I AM DEVOURED is no exception. I find that while the author tends to write more "quiet," books, I mean this is the best way possible. Her worlds (and words) submerge, ad immersive, and at times, leave me utterly breathless. (Unrelated, I would love to see this author step into the adult publishing sphere because I feel she would do very well!) This book follows Lark, and her complicated relationship with Camille and he brother, Alastair--and of course, in true Clipstone fashion, folklore is woven through every facet of her world. In this case, swans and a god. The poly romance entwined with luscious prose meant I found this hard to put down, and have been thinking about it ever since! It left me feeling distinctly "haunted" in the best way. I think, like most of Clipstone's work, it won't be for everyone, but I appreciate the niche she has going here and how she leans into it instead of trying to please everyone. I loved this, and cannot wait to see what she does next!

Thank you for the ARC.

Actual Rating: 3.75/5

First of all, the cover and title completely nailed the aesthetic—gothic, dreamy, and just the right amount of ominous. It definitely sets a tone, and I was hoping the story would follow through. And honestly, for the most part, it did.

This book leans more YA than I expected, but I didn’t mind. The vibe is dark and melancholy in that really satisfying way—there’s yearning, magic, and a brooding sea god who makes quite the impression. The prose is lyrical and lovely, even when the dialogue occasionally leans a little juvenile.

The world Clipstone creates is rich with atmosphere, and while the lore gets a bit tangled (some of the magical rules feel like they’re shifting as the story goes), the overall mood kept me invested. It felt like something out of a dark fairytale—mysterious, slightly tragic, and just a touch romantic.

That said, the pacing felt a little off. So much of the story is buildup that by the time things really start moving, it’s already past the halfway point. It left the ending feeling a bit rushed and a little too open-ended. I’m not sure if there’s a sequel planned, but it did feel like there were still a lot of unanswered questions.

Also, the romance involves sibling polyamory—not between siblings, but involving siblings—which might throw some readers for a loop. It didn’t bother me, but it was surprising, especially in a YA setting.

Overall, I enjoyed it more than I expected to once I realized this was for YA audiences. It’s a story with a strong aesthetic, poetic writing, and a refreshing lack of tired tropes (jealousy? Never heard of her apparently lol). If you’re in the mood for something moody and a little strange, this might hit the spot.

I am deeply grateful to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for this opportunity to read a digital ARC and provide my honest review.

Tenderly, I was absolutely devoured by this dark, gothic masterpiece. Everything about this book was just perfection, and I am sad I have to leave this one behind! The way Clipstone created tension and mystery with the moody environmental elements and all the creepy gods, the poetry and the recalling of the paintings, and even the strangeness surrounding the salt priest cult. The way Clipstone wrote I could feel the sea sprayed air on my face and hear the crashing waves. I literally want to crawl in and live in this book! The love story is beautiful and heartbreaking and utterly unconventional as Lark surrounds herself with the people she loves the most. I never saw the plot twists and at the end I just wanted more, more, more! This story was completely unique and memorable! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for this advanced copy.

I absolutely loved this book. It was such a fun read and I was able to read it pretty fast. I loved all the talk about swans and there were so many unique things in this book that I haven’t read about in other books.

There is only one thing I thought was kind of weird and it’s Lark’s relationship with Camille and Alastair, but maybe it’s just me because I’ve never read anything with that in it before. Besides that I loved everything else about this book!

This book was AMAZING. I devoured it in one sitting, I can't believe that it's already over, I'll buy anything Lyndall puts out from this moment forward.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Tenderly, I am Devoured was a masterpiece. Full stop.

It follows aspiring artist Lacrimosa as she tries to figure out her place in the world. She’s expelled from school and betrayed by her only friend and goes home distraught.

Nervous to tell her brothers what happened, she skirts around the issue until she notices furniture missing. In fact her entire house looks as though they sold everything. Her brothers tell her they owe a debt and have been struggling to pay it back since the salt mines are officially empty.

No salt, no money.

Together they go and offer prayers to their god, Therion and in turn he asks for Lacrimosa to be his bride. This is the start of a whirlwind of mystery and fear for Lacrimosa.

She learns where she came from and mends her relationships along the way.

The romance in this was beautiful in the way that adolescent relationships can be. Awkward and filled with longing for something you don’t fully understand yet.

The writing though was poetic and lovely and I couldn’t stop myself once I started reading. I felt like I could smell the sea, feel the salt drying on my skin. Lacrimosa is dealing with what a lot of young women deal with, and then some.

It’s not everyday you’re chosen to be the bride to a god.

I enjoyed the pacing. I didn’t think it was too slow and getting to see what happened to her while she was away at school put things even more into perspective.

The way that there was no questioning any of the LGBTQIA+ relationships was wonderful and I hope to read more books where it’s normal, because it is.

Just a beautiful romantasy with a thick plot and some light angst. I only cried three times?

This book is beautifully written and is so descriptive, but I could just not get into it. The author writes with such beautiful descriptions and imagery that you feel as if you are in each setting. The symbolism and “magic” within the book gave it this wonderful romantic/gothic vibe. I also felt it had a good mix of gothic horror in it- some parts were a big creepy and made you jump- but it balanced out overall well.
My biggest complaint with the story was that I didn’t feel that I could connect with the characters. Many of my complaints come towards the end of the book so they will be listed below in the spoilers section. I don’t think my review should be off putting towards others that are drawn to it because it was so beautifully written, I just think it wasn’t for me.

Spoilers below:

I felt like Hugo wasn’t a good enough “villain” for this story. Yes he could perform these rituals, but it felt like he wasn’t powerful enough that they couldn’t overcome him at earlier stages. I also felt like Alastair had an odd growth throughout the book. At the beginning he was so off put by Lark and we didn’t really get a good answer for this. Yes, we saw some depth to his character related to his trauma, but I didn’t feel like it gave a satisfying understanding as to why he was so rude when she visited in the present day. I also didn’t enjoy the love triangle (square?). It felt forced and I guess I just didn’t understand how she would be with Therion/Alastair and Camille.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Company and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4/5 stars
“…the worst hurt doesn’t always come with open violence. Instead, there is tenderness before you’re devoured.”

Achingly romantic, gothic, with a dash of horror, Tenderly, I am Devoured is a story of self-discovery that explores what it means love, and to trust, after to heartbreak and betrayal. Lacrimosa Arriscane (Lark) returns to her home in Verse following expulsion from Marchmain Academy and the loss of her long time dream. Instead of arriving to the warm, comfort of home. Lark learns that her family is on the brink of financial ruin and expect to lose the family home and wild land surrounding it. In a desparate attempt to save them, she agrees to marry the chthonic god worshipped by the people of Verse, Therion. When their betrothal is violently interrupted, Lark begins to slip from time, and possibly the mortal realm. To save herself, and her God, Lark must work with her former childhood friends, the Felimath siblings: Alastair who broke her heart and Camille who left for boarding school as a child and hadn’t returned. The violence that threatened Lark at her proposal continues to haunt her and the three must lay their truths bare in order to stop it.

The most moving and painful parts for me were the sections detailing the events that led to Lark’s expulsion from Marchmain. My heart ached recalling how it felt during experiences of trying so hard to keep the love of someone as you feel the distance grow. The denial and the pain of watching something you kept on a pedestal tumble to the earth and shatter into sharp unfixable fragments. Then placing of blame onto one’s self for your lowest moments as if the decision to give our love and trust wreaked ruin instead of the person we gifted our vulnerability to.

This wasn’t a full 5 star read for me because as much as I loved the lyrical prose, there were some plot points that moved a bit slowly and others that seemed to move exceedingly fast (e.g., Camille). That said, this book was beautiful and I would not hesitate to pick it up again.

This story features a polyamorous relationship that I was nervous wouldn’t work. While I do think one of the two relationships with Lark was stronger, it worked overall and thankfully there were no interaction involving both siblings.
Trigger Warnings: Touch on parent/child physical abuse

Thank you to Lyndall Clipstone, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Henry Holt and Co., and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

🖤🦢

The story evelops us in that stunningly poetic atmosphere of swans, stormy ocean, and chthonic myths. I drowned in it and didn't want to come back.

Loved how the past and the present timelines etwined, showing different, both dreamy, colores. There was the smell of salt, the whisper of waves and cries of swans. There were art gallery quiet halls, noisy university corridoes, and busy city streets. Every emotion, every sound, smell, or touch shuddered through me, singing to the soul.

It was missing possible speed on the plot part. Not much happened in the first half of the book and there were long periods without events further. Although the lack of bright exitment and fast events added a lot to the pastel dream of the general mood.

The characters are impossible not to fell in love with. They share the aesthetics with the story, perfectly navigating its waves. Their names, connectons, and stories became gentle wandering clouds in my mind

- - -
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with this free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

THIS BOOK RUINED ME - it was beautiful, lyrical and oh so hauntingly tragic.
I loved the love story between the main characters and the slowly unfolding past that blends into the current events perfectly.
Love bloomed here unexpectedly and yet the yearning, the years of waiting was clearly there. It was scary, emotional and kept me turning page by page. I still cannot wrap my head around the last 2 chapters, and i urge everyone to read this book!

Lyndall is a writer to follow, her words are achingly sweet and poisonously addictive!🦢🎀🌊

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is an atmospheric story with tales of Cthonic gods that fans of A Study of Drowning will surely appreciate. The writing was lovely, and reading it felt like I was thrown directly into the story, tasting salt on my lips just the same as the main characters did and feeling swept away by the pacing of the story, much like the waves of the ocean described.
The story initially gripped me with its immersion, and I found myself glued to the pages, eager for more. However, as we progressed, I didn't find myself as engrossed as I was initially due to a few factors:
- The polycule relationship between Lacrimosa, Alistair and Camille was not what I'd quite define a polycule to me, but this may be an interpretation that I might just not be aware of. I view polyamorous relationships to be ones where all parties are involved romantically with one another. Setting aside the familial relationship between Alistair and Camille, it felt more like them taking turns with her and less like a cohesive relationship.
- I felt like the conflict between the Felimaths was not quite as explored as I'd have liked. It was a complicated relationship, and looking more into the reasons would be interesting to explore to understand motivations better.
- I would also have liked to see more of Henry and Oberon, for their personalities to be shown more to us rather than told in passing and to look at how Lacrimosa and her family share their dynamic.

The writing style of this author and their ability to set the scene really is spectacular and the premise of the story is very interesting, however I do wish it had been executed slightly differently by looking further into certain aspects of the story for the readers to really gain a good grip of what was going on and the dynamics between the characters.

Thank you to the author, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the early copy. All opinions are my own.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

I really wanted to live this but it was just ok. I couldn’t get into this as much as I wanted but it was still pretty good.

{Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC}
ugh i wanted to enjoy this so badly, the imagery and the world building was so utterly beautiful and captivating but unfortunately that was the only redeeming part of this story. first off, labeling this as a folk horror feels very misleading, this was not a horror in any way shape or form. second off, i was very intrigued to read about this as it was said to be a polyamorous bisexual romance, that it was, HOWEVER, i was unaware that the polyamorous relationship was going to include siblings….it felt very weird. lastly, i am so tired of fantasy books making freshly 18 year old girls “fated” to be with thousand year old gods, its weird, please stop i beg!!!