I've read other works by Lyndall Clipstone and she has solidified herself as a modern gothic queen because THIS RIGHT HERE is so atmospheric, toxic, obsessive, and creepy and... loving. I adored this book.

The book started out amazingly. I like when not all of the details are immediately revealed and there is a timeline jump from the present to the past, and bits are slowly revealed as the present day storyline unravels. It had some mystery, which made me hyper-diligent in my reading because I was actively gathering clues to figure out why certain things were occurring.

The bulk of the writer's writing style was BEAUTIFUL! "There will always be a scar on me in the shape of the truth." She is definitely talented in the way she weaves words to tell her story.

It had so many great moving parts, all parts that gave this story great potential. The plot as a whole is where this book faltered for me. It felt like all of the pieces didn't fit together. The "throuple" situation with the brother and sister duo was icky and weird. There was a moment where Lark is kissing Alistair (the brother) while his sister, Camille, is caressing Lark's neck. It is weird as heck to imagine my sibling and I dating the same person, much less them stroking any part of that person's body while I'm being kissed by them. I just could NOT get on board with this, and it ruined the suspense and slow burn of her and Alistair reconnecting. By the time they kissed, I was so icked out I didn't even care.

This book had a beautiful chance to be a place for young adults who are in these situations, where they're experiencing bisexuality and aren't fully formed in their identities or sexuality, yet, and it could have served as a soft landing place for them to begin to explore those thoughts and feelings conceptually if they weren’t already exploring them on a physical level. But all of the relationships weren’t fully fleshed out. We kept being told about how Lark connected with these characters without the author having scenes to flesh out how those connections were built. As much details were shared about Lark’s relationship with Allistair and Damson, even significantly less was shared about Camille. That relationship surprised me and it didn’t make sense to me. It made me take Lark less seriously.

I LOVED Larks’ brothers. I would not change anything about them. I adored them for their deep love for Lark and the selflessness they showed in caring for her. Her initial anger did not make sense to me, not at the level she harped at her brothers about regarding the secret they were guarding. If they hadn’t done what they did, she would not exist. They were selling off everything in their house to be able to support themselves and support her while she was away at school. They never asked her for a thing. And they not once tried to manipulate or persuade her to marry Therion. SHE did, despite their multiple attempts to dissuade her. So her being mad? It seemed bratty and immature. Feeling like her trust and connection with them was minimally frayed because they withheld that information from her would have made more sense than the temper tantrum she had. They were willing to sell their home and their land so that she didn’t have to be forced into a marriage with Therion. They were not the bad guys. She was a drama queen and unlikeable with how she handled her initial reaction. Again, an unfriendly reaction would, of course, have been warranted. The level at which she blew up did not feel justified.

There was a scene where Hugo, Allistair, Camille, and Lark were having dinner with Allistair and Camille’s cruel father. At some point, the father demands Allistair accompany him upstairs, and it is obvious Mr. Felimath is angry. Lark KNOWS the man is most likely going to physically abuse Allistair. But she decides to make out with Camille first, and THEN go upstairs to try to intercept any abuse that the father might inflict on Allistair. I did not understand HOW she could be slightly in the mood to kiss ANYONE knowing what could possibly be happening to Allistair upstairs. There was no urgency in her trying to get to him. I did really like this line: “I am small and soft, nothing but a fierce heart and a borrowed dress, but in this moment I know I would tear out MARCUS FELIMATH’S throat with my own blunt teeth before I let him put his hands on Alistair again.” (I guess unless it gets in the way of a mini make-out sesh with Allistair’s sister downstairs, but THEN when she's done, she will tear out his throat and blah blah blah.)

The ending of the book began to pick up again. There was another weird moment where Camille and Lark kiss, I think while they’re trying to connect to Therion, and it made zero sense. Everything about those two being romantically involved felt incredibly forced and like she just wanted someone in the book to have a female on female relationship. I felt like Damsen and Lark fulfilled that box if it was something the author was trying to check. Even though they were not a fleshed out couple for me, they made sense to me because Lark was coming off of a rejection and broken heart from the boy she loved, so I was not surprised she latched onto Damesen the way she did.

I would not recommend this book to my friends, fellow librarians, or purchase it. If the hiccups were better developed, this could be an incredible book, and then I’d happily purchase it. I appreciate NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Henry Holt and Co. for the digital review copy of this book in return for my honest feedback.

❝The worst hurt doesn't always come with open violence. Instead, there is a tenderness before you're devoured❞

The pages in the book were pretty as well with doves and floral prints.

Lark starts as a lost soul and I loved the character development. Alastair’s character is heartbreaking and compelling. Their story of self-discovery and sacrifice, mixed with Camille’s sweet tenderness, is beautifully told. The horror elements were full of seafoam and saltwater.

The best way I can think to describe this book is an eerie gothic romantasy . Its descriptions are light and ethereal while its underlying themes drift towards the darker sea so favored by Alastair.

This was deadly slow burn! (but I don't mind that at all !) Some elements felt unnecessary to be so repetitive but I guess flashbacks were needed to help have the element of building to something. Some characters needed to have more character development so the relationships they had with other wasn't made to felt as forced.

all in all this was a good read!

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Ava Reid’s A Study in Drowning, or to those who wished Saltburn had chthonic gods!

Betrothal to a chthonic god (which very Hades & Persephone inspired in its terms)
Lost & lonely characters
Floral gothic vibes
Seafoam romantic horror
Different planes
Complicated family dynamics

i was provided with an advanced read from NetGAlley for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up

This book had everything I should have loved—romantasy, dark academia-meets-cottagecore vibes, haunting family secrets, and gorgeous descriptions of the setting. And yet... I just didn’t feel it. It’s a slow burn (it took me almost a month to finish), but the atmosphere kept me going.

The romance? Didn’t quite spark for me. The characters? Never fully clicked. And the love triangle? Let’s just say, when siblings are involved, my interest rapidly declines.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a dark academia story set by the sea. After Lark is expelled, she comes home to find her family struggling financially. In order to save them, she agrees to marry a god. Unfortunately, an unknown enemy ruins her betrothal and puts her and her god at risk of disappearing forever. With the help of her childhood friends, she seeks to save not only herself but pretty much everyone she knows.

I liked the idea of the story and the world building was good. I think the book could have been a bit longer. I would have loved more details about each character and the development of the story overall. I had a hard time being convinced of the chemistry of all the relationships. Lark felt desperate to me, because she was so quick to fall for almost every character introduced.. I know the story is labeled as polyamorous but Lark's affection was so freely given that none of the relationships felt profound enough. There was very little build up and I wanted SO much more for all of them. I really did enjoy the overall atmosphere of the story, but this book just isn't for me.

Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

─ 4,5 ★'s

🦢 childhood heartbreak to lovers
🌊 dark academia vibes but add the haunted sea
🦢 a soft but ambitious & haunted bi FMC
🌊 complicated family dynamics
🦢 romantic folk horror
🌊 eerie gothic vibes
🦢 a swan god!!!
🌊 flower-threaded horror
📌 STUNNING cover
📌 lush prose

It took me a LOOOOONG time to finish reading this book. And that is not because I wasn’t invested or did not like it — I just never felt ready to have it end.

TENDERLY, AM DEVOURED is not necessarily a fast-paced, crazy-action-fights-every-two-pages. Instead, it is more of a softly haunting, feverishly delicious book.

That does not mean the slight horror elements were not scary - it just means they were hidden so well under the atmosphere that they did not feel misplaced or “just to add horror” and more like “these elements HAVE to be here”.
I don’t want to spoil too much so I will say: It felt like I am stuck in this mystical world while unknown presences tug at my consciousness.

Main Character:
LACRIMOSA —

🎀 Lacrimosa (Lark) was so refreshing to see as a main character. She is very sweet and caring but willing to do anything to protect what is left of her family — even if that means marrying a god.

Sometimes, I would have wished to see more of Camille because I was unsure who exactly she is in the beginning, but that did not make the reading experience much worse since I had Lark to obsess over too.

Prose/Writing Style:
TENDERLY, AM DEVOURED is a gorgeously written book. As another writer, Lyndall Clipstone’s prose is to dream for if you desire lyrical and poetic prose. My mouth fell open several times with me thinking, “I need all the books I read to sound like hers.”
TENDERLY dares to walk into the direction of lyrical writing but manages to stop at the right and not reach purple prose level, at least in my reading experience.


(Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

4.5 stars

To gather the words in order to portray this book with all the justice is deserves is something I don’t think I can truly achieve but here is my review nonetheless.

It’s not very often I read the acknowledgements at the end of a book but after having the pleasure of chatting to Lyndall with her street team group, I knew it was important to recognise and I’m so glad I did. This book truly captures this raw emotion that was poured into it.

Lyndall has written this tender, gothic folklorish fantasy with refreshing romances with LGBTQ+ representation in our characters who balance the line of selfishness and guilt, hunger for freedom and responsibility. The prose are rich and poetic taking us on this journey as Lacrimosa (Lark) our main character recounts her painful past that feeds into her present - dreaming for a different future that she wants to have chosen and grasped for herself.

There’s chthonic gods, demons, isolating coastal towns, eerie tension and folklorereference wrapped up in this beautiful lyrical writing.

I really loved this book, it felt both heartwarming and heartbreaking reading about Lark, Camille and Alistar (and let’s be fair, the rest of the characters) in this gothic, coming of age story. Watching them discover themselves in their choices, all whilst fighting both inner and physical demons to restore family livelihoods and legacies from ruin.

Truly though, I am devoured !!

(This copy was provided as being part of the Saltswans Street team. Review will be shared across web pages closer to publication date UK)

2.5/5 stars

This is a very moody and lyrical read. Gothic and eerie. That was what intrigued me about the story and ended up being my favorite part! There were a lot of interesting moments but I was confused throughout the story. Some of the story just didn't make sense to me. That might be my fault as a reader-rather than the author's. I don't read a lot of dark academia stories. So I am unfamiliar with the genre. I didn't feel comfortable with the love interest being siblings and if I had known that prior, I probably wouldn't have read this book at all.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Huge thank you to the publisher and author for this ARC! This was such a beautifully written book and I really loved the three main characters, Lark, Alastair and Camille. Some of my favourite chapters were the “flashbacks” to Lark’s time at school, though they were equally some of the most infuriating and upsetting ones. I’m really glad I had the chance to read this ARC and I will absolutely be reading Clipstone’s other books in the future!

The writing and overall atmosphere were the strongest parts of this book.

The comp titles for this were A Study in Drowning, Don't Let the Forest In, and Salt Burn. Did not see how Saltburn was a comp title for this at all. But the other two make sense so if you've read them and liked them, give this one a try.
I don't know why I requested this book because I personally did not enjoy any of the comp titles. I was in a specific mood when I requested it and once that mood passed, I didn't enjoy reading something like this as much as I could have. Overall, the story was fine.

It was nice to read such beautiful sentences but most of the time I found my thoughts wondering. So many sentences or paragraph worded in the most wordy way possible; and sometimes it left a more negative experience than just a neutral one which is where I prefer to be.

I never really clicked with the characters and found them lukewarm. I don't have much to say about them beyond that.

I dont really want to talk about the romance. That was my least favorite part. When I first read the description, I thought the poly was with a god and a boy. If I had known the boy's sister was involved in all that, I would not have requested this book. Any time romance popped up, I had that in the back of my head and couldn't get invested in any of that.

The dual timeline was extra meh. It just ruined whatever pacing the "now" parts could have had going. But then again, when I think about it, its still all very meh

Not a very useful review but I wish I could have liked it more. Bad timing on my part this time around.

I dont know, I dont have much to say. It was just fine. Lackluster, underwhelming, etc.

Obsessed! I'm here for this book! This was absolutely delicious.
Loved Larks journey to find herself. The m/f/f relationship was never awkward and flowed really well. Didn't feel messy which I didn't know was something I wanted for this story.

I have to thank you so much for the ARC opportunity!!

First things first, the cover is GORGEOUS and pulled me in right away. It captures the hauntingly soft dark academia vibes of the story SO well.

The overall prose in the story was so beautiful and pulled me deep into the story of Lark. She was such an enjoyable character and it was so interesting to see the relationship develop as the story progressed. The slow-burn had me yearning for more and I will definitely look into the author's other books as well!

I would have to give this books a 2.75 rating.

It definitely was an interesting read but there were moments when I was confused on what was happening in the story line. It’s jumps around a lot in time.

The premise of the book is about a girl named Lark who has just come home from school to a home that is basically empty. Her older brothers have been struggling with the salt mines that they own and work. The harvest hasn’t been very kind to them so they’ve been selling things off to pay on debts owed.
A childhood friend now turned enemy is coming to their home demanding they pay their debts. But, Lark isn’t having it. She forces Alister out and confide in her brothers that they can make this work by marrying her off to their God Therion. In return for her hand in marriage he will provide the mines with enough salt to pay off the debts. However she will have to live with him in his world.
Everything seems to go to plan until someone interrupts the marriage between them. Now Lark has to fix the misunderstanding and save her God and herself from being lost to the world forever.

I honestly wasn’t sure what I was reading because a lot of things didn’t make sense to me.
It’s a good dark academia type read that deals with the God’s world spilling into the human world.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to be an ARC reader.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, and Lyndall Clipstone for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own!

Tenderly, I am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone is a 304-page descent into madness with gothic horror, creepy cults, and chthonic gods. Sexy and drugging, heart-breaking and hopeful, this why-choose LGBTQIA+ novel will leave you breathless and reeling at the end.

Told in chapters alternating between Then and Now. The Then chapters start out dreamlike and idyllic and transform into a nightmare, whereas the Now chapters start out as a kind of waking nightmare and get better. It is a thoroughly engrossing and effective narrative device that draws the reader in.

This book comes out on July 1st, 2025, and will be available in hardback for $19.99. Let’s show this author some love! 5/5 Stars

The reviews on gmpotter.com and Goodreads are live now. The review on YouTube will be live on 5/1/25 at noon CDT.

My thoughts on Tenderly, I am devoured 🦢



I’ve been really trying to find the words to talk about Tendely- and honestly? I’m still at a loss! It was truly just a magical read for me.

One of the reasons being is how powerful the atmospheric building is in this story, particularly the way we talk about where this story takes place. The location feeds the soul of the characters in many ways and to me that is something I find really heart warming. Tenderly feels like a dream in the most beautiful way possible. It clings to these dreamlike elements, that make the vivid imagery Lyndall writes so compelling and haunting to devour.

It’s atmospheric, moody, gothic, dreamy and wears it’s heart on it’s sleeve - yet it is also brimming full of angst, a complex quest in a search for identity, acceptance, and having your existence matter, alongside exploring .

Even in the jarring moments where you might want to shy away, the poetic-ness in the way everything is written has you feeling that ache in your heart. This book is charisma in a bottle, the mixture of ethereal whimsical-ness, with mental health representation and ominous undertones that explore love, sacrifice, sexuality, and what it means to be alive all intertwine together.

Lark's journey of self discovery, embracing who she is, and crafting her own identity for herself rather than others is a big development arc in her character. Alastairs broody-ness, and desire to become something other than he is and be true to the heart of himself is a challenge he faces throughout, he's the chronic 'people pleaser' when it comes to the family dynamic and I loved how that changed throughout, and how he became honest with his feelings. Camille brings the quiet strength between the too, the unconditional love she has for her brother, and how she sees Lark for who she really is through both the eyes of a lover and a friend. The story between all of them evolves in such a dreamlike, emotional, layered way. This is a slow burn all the way.

What I did love the most 

was this romantic relationship that was built around the sea, and how all the characters has a relationship with it in one way or another. As an avid sea lover, and ex swimmer I could understand the whole conversation about feeling ‘close’ to the sea. That weightless feeling it gives you, and how powerful that is.

 Tenderly, is a magical story brimming with family secrets and haunted legacies. Lacrimosa, Alastair, and Camille all fight their own battles in different ways. Each relationship has its own depth. There are some very emotionally turbulent moments, of self discovery and realisation, but there is also an immense amount of strength drawn from these moments.

 The LGBTQ+ representation in this was unravelled beautifully, I felt such a deep love for all the characters. To me this is an unforgettable gothically written fantasy, with the sea being the centre of the tale. The slow moments played out like a movie reel, and I could definitely imagine this become a film.

I can’t wait to see this book out in the world, and for others to experience this read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Henry Holt and Co. for the ARC!

The writing in this book is like reading poetry. It has that beautiful, lyrical feeling where you can image the story having a tinge of sepia effect to it as you’re learning about the world and characters.

While the writing is beautiful, some of the plot points feel disjointed and unresolved. I felt that there was not a deeper understanding of the gods of this world. There were also some unclear reasons why characters were motivated to act a certain way or to do something. But ultimately, I was able to overlook that because of how beautiful I felt the writing was.

Lyndall is an auto buy author for me, ever since Lakesedge. Her writing is so hauntingly beautiful. It draws you in, wraps you in a dreamy embrace, and the next thing you know, your kids are teenagers, your husband has a beer belly, and you've been missing in Clipstone's worlds for 10 years. Tenderly, I Am Devoured may be my FAVORITE book of hers yet! These characters are everything and this has flown to the top of my 2025 reads!

This was a gorgeous book. I’m not just talking about the cover. I was completely consumed but the gothic seaside atmosphere. I want to live at Saltswan. I loved that the romance was a touch taboo with the brother and sister second chance love triangle. Also, I never wanted to run off with a swan god before reading this but it’s going on my to-do list. I had a wonderful time with this book. I’ve already preordered a physical copy because writing this stunning deserves annotations and many rereads! I cannot wait to tell everyone I know to read this book.

Tropes:
LGBTQ
MFF(?) FMC love interests are siblings
Academia
Slow burn


Romance is a subplot in the overall story line. Lark’s relationship with Camille felt underdeveloped and forced compared to Alistair’s relationship. The contrast on the two relationships are very different. The were moments in the book where it felt repetitive and slow and it didn’t move the storyline anywhere.

Although I personally didn’t vibe with the book, I do like the authors writing style and hope I like her future books.

I feel honored to have read this book as an ARC.
This is the first book l've read by Lyndall Clipstone and she did not disappoint. Tenderly I am Devoured is pure perfection. The plot is well paced and the characters feel whole while still having space for development. I predicted one plot twist, but the rest were a complete surprise. I adore the yearning and the lgbqt+ romance so thoroughly. There isn't enough of it in modern books. This book is more than a story about a girl who has a god-husband. It's about learning to trust other people after you've been betrayed. About giving people second chances. About finding purpose and not being afraid to chase after it. 5/5 stars.
PLEASE read this book when it's released