Tenderly, I Am Devoured

This YA gothic romantasy is truly one of a kind! From the very first page, I was completely swept away by the haunting atmosphere, lush writing, and unique worldbuilding. It’s dark, emotional, mysterious and yet still full of hope.

Lark's journey had me feeling everything. Her transformation was powerful, raw, and so beautifully written. I adored the horror elements, the tangled romantic dynamics (including a gorgeous sapphic thread!), and the layered folklore that gave this story such depth. It’s taboo in ways that made it all the more intriguing! It was poetic, a little unhinged, and deeply captivating.

If you love your romantasy messy, magical, and just a little monstrous, this one’s for you. But definitely check the trigger warnings first!

I absolutely loved this book so much,. This was one of my most anticipated reads this year, and I got so lucky to have been given an arc. Lyndall Clipstone's writing immerses you in the world of Verse, I just want to pack my bags and move there.

I found myself a lot in Lacrimosa and the love triangle she had going on with Alisatir and Camille, and towards almost the end I was bawling my eyes out. I loved the vibes from Saltburn and this book defitnetly gave me the same vibes, please read this book!

Gothic, lush, enthralling, the very definition of atmospheric, Tenderly, I Am Devoured is an absolute must-read.

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

Lark must marry the god of salt and sea and wood in order to restore her family’s salt mines to pay off their debts, but something goes wrong, and now it’s up to her and her former childhood best friends to uncover the truth Lark didn’t even know she needed.

“And neither of us mention that the true danger isn’t out there, in the dark. It’s within me.”

The lyrical prose kept me enchanted and captivated from beginning to end. Lyndall continues to expertly craft unique storylines that are timeless.

The author’s eloquent writing evoked deep feelings in me. I’m talking gasping out loud, near to tears, wanting to clutch my heart, throwing hands in the air…all on a treadmill at the gym. I could not stop reading this book! It is entirely magnetic!

“I’m drawn to Camille. I’m drawn to Alastair. I care for them both in equal measure. We were always a trio, and it feels impossible to divide that, to choose one part and set aside the other.”

I adored all the queer representation. The romance was so tender (pun not intended, but definitely fits)! I just wanted to wrap my golden trio in a bubble. And oh my gosh, I did not expect to get so attached to the god in this story, but my heart went out to him!

The setting was just…astounding. I want to book a train ticket to Verse, please, so I can live in a cottage by the sea and frolic around with Lark, Camille, and Alastair.

- childhood heartbreak to lovers
- saltburn vibes
- gothic fantasy
- dark academia meets cottage core
- polyamorous (mff)
- haunted legacies
- upper ya standalone with some steeeeam

This will be a wonderful book to revisit in the fall! I love the dark and stormy vibes. I'm always on board for a good gothic romance though. The characters were enjoyable and the story was easy to follow as well as get lost in. This is a book I definitely intend to revisit.

Lyndall Clipstone's Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a lyrical and ethereal fever dream, washed up on the shores of a gothic, cliff-side mansion. With a decadent and deviously aristocratic setting much like Saltburn, and tension and yearning similar to The Secret History, this book cloaks readers in a gauzy veil and rapturous focus. The world falls away and there is only Lark, Therion, Alastair, Camille to carry you away to Verse, happily.

Clipstone's poetic prose paints watercolor imagery, so vivid and surreal, but grounded. Verse is not unlike our world, it feels both timeless and historic. She weaves lore with magic and ritual in ways that feel natural. Clipstone's lucid words are immersive.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a hauntingly beautiful story of young love, pain, sacrifice, fear and hope. Its lush words will stay with you for a long, long time, knit into the fabric of your heart. I know many of you will feel the same! I hope you enjoy!

I might push this up to a 5 star - I need to think on it for awhile because there's a lot going on here for a 300 page book.

Lark (Lacrimosa, which is arguably one of the worst names ever but fits the vibes) is expelled from her boarding school just prior to graduation and returns home to Verse, to the sea, where they worship the chthonic got Therion. Don't worry if you find him hot, he's not a bad guy even if he is very much not mortal.

Lark's remaining family is her two brothers - Henry and Oberon (both also hot) and she finds upon her return that the family has fallen deeply into debt because their salt mine has run dry (salt is super useful in this world.) There is a deal on the table though - if Lark will agree to marry Therion, and be with him in the underworld during the salt season, Therion can restore the mine. Her brothers really don't want her to do that, but Lark is a great lead because she's always fighting for her autonomy and the freedom to make choices, so she kind of says screw you bros and accepts.

This all gets complicated by the interference of her childhood friend turned early teen crush turned enemy Alastair, and the return of his long banished sister Camille. She's missed them both, is drawn to them both, and the more danger they are in the more they are drawn together and the harder it is to ignore.

This is a happily, unquestionably queer world and has all kinds of love and relationships in it, including being romantically interested in both brother and sister (although there's nothing even remotely inappropriate about the relationship between the siblings), as well as connections they've all had in the past that shape how they feel about and value each other. Oh yeah, there's also Therion in the mix too.

This is a twisty complex novel that reads like tears and poetry. It took me a minute to absorb the world and get used to the writing style, as well as the gradual release of information, but Lark is an easy lead to cheer for, and you want all these broken people to line up their edges and be safe together.

I was initially very intrigued by the premise of this book - a moody, dark, gothic tale with romance. The beginning did draw me in. Great story to enjoy on a rainy day for sure. I enjoyed some of the mystery about what happened at school that led up to Lark being expelled and what happened between her and Alastair, so I appreciated the way the flashback chapters were incorporated. I think part of what didn't work for me honestly was the relationship between her and Camille felt so bizarre to me - we didn't get any back story or indication that they had ever had more than a friendship - then the first time she sees her in over 5 years and they are kissing and in love? Things fell apart a bit for me after that. It felt like the story dragged on a bit and started to feel repetitive. No real climax - the ending felt lackluster and a bit unsatisfying, unfortunately. I think this one was just not for me.

When Lark has to return home to hopefully save where she grew up, she crosses paths with the one who broke her heart. While this is going on, a marriage to a Sea God is proposed to save her home from financial ruin. I won't get into specifics about what happens with the proposal because I don't want to give any spoilers, but she ends up having to seek help from her lost love and his siter.
This story had so many different beautiful aspects, wonderful world building, it was an emotional, dark, Gothic vibe which I ate up! I would definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmilliam Childrens Publishing Group for letting me experience an eARC of this story and the opportunity to submit my review.

‼️ARC REVIEW‼️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
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Thank you, NetGalley for this e-ARC copy!!!! What an absolutely incredible read. The aesthetic and vibe were like Crimson Peak and One Dark Window had a baby! Throw in a little queer rep and you have this beautiful and stylistically pleasing novel. It has been an exceptionally long time since I read something so GORGEOUSLY written! I loved Lacrimosa, it was like reading my little sister in a book. But truthfully all of the characters were so strong and intriguing, I had a hard time choosing who I liked best! The scene was what really stole the show though. The constant use of descriptives really put you into the atmosphere the author was trying to create. I would recommend this to ANYONE on the hunt for something cryptic and stunning with a little love story thrown in. Excellent read!!!

A truly wonderful gothic tale. The dark God, an FMC in conflict, the beautiful worldbuilding. This book kept me on my toes and on edge through the whole thing. Highly recommend.

I LOVE gothic horror so I was very excited for this ARC and it definitely did not disappoint. There’s LGBTQ+ representation and it actually gave Aquaman vibes in terms of Lark’s backstory and the marriage of convenience with a god of the sea. I also really loved the three musketeers vibes I got from Lark’s relationship with the Felimath siblings. I think there were a couple of spots that felt too slow to me but they didn’t take away from my love of the book. I cannot wait to order this for my teens at work because I know they’re going to love it.

This was such a vibe-filled story. I loved the queer-normative world, the haunting and lyrical writing, and the characters were so good. This was a short and fantastic read, I wish it were longer. This was just a great book, I had a great time all the way through. It was well-paced, quotable and compelling. Honestly, I've enjoyed most of this author's existing works and I'm looking forward to even more from them!

This cover is so beautiful so I was disappointed once I read this and it fell flat for me. I am not sure what I was expecting with this one but it wasn't this?? The book just felt like it had literally nothing going on. The story did not grasp my interest and I was not drawn to any characters. I won't say much more but this was not for me.

This is truly the eerie, haunting, romantic story of my dreams — particularly feverish ones that wake me up both scared and fascinated by the creativity of the human subconscious.

'Tenderly’ is a mind-bending mix of genres, and delivers on them ALL, making this a gripping, impossible-to-put-down read. There are hot swan gods, HEAPS of messy and complicated relationships in a queernormative world, creepy salt mines, sea caves with altars to chthonic gods, and two beautiful siblings that are both wealthy and elusive.

It’s gripping, it’s delicious, and it’s not so scary that you won’t be able to sleep at night, but just the right amount of haunting discomfort that’ll keep you turning pages in a relentless pursuit to figure out what's going on.

This was truly cinematic from start to finish, with beautiful prose and quotes that were truly made for artsy tumblr blogs. a beautiful, creative, salt-crusted delight of folksy horror, queer polyam romance, and gothic fantasy.

Pick this up if you have even one single water placement in your birth chart (especially Pisces!), ever ran a tumblr blog and can appreciate the creative genius of one (1) good rebloggable quote, and yearn for the normalization of wearing flower crowns while on your way to your wedding night with a hot chthonic swan god.

I never knewI needed cottage core AND dark academia in one book but now there’s simply no going back. I NEED MORE IN THIS NICHE MIX OF SUBGENRES!!!!

This book is pure vibes, atmosphere, and beautiful prose. If that's your thing, you're in luck. If you're looking for something a little more, maybe look elsewhere. It's not bad. I really enjoyed my read, but I also enjoy a no plot, just vibes kind of book. There is some plot in here, particularly in the last third of the book, but it is mostly character, prose, vibes, and atmosphere. And I enjoyed it.

4 ⭐️ ARC • i do feel like i have just woken up from a soft fever dream (in a good way) & part of that might be sleep deprivation, because i stayed up wayyy too late reading this book.

first of all: love the vibes so much! soft gothic romance, a cottagecore floral gothic, if you will, atmospheric & soft. i love the greek mythology undertones & the chthonic gods & the folklore vibes.

lark was a bit of a mess throughout this book — an emotional, soft mess, who was falling apart at various points. while i see others critiquing that (and i get it) i do think it makes a lot of sense for what she has been through & her age. reading the “before” where she was at school with damson just made me so, so sad & sick for her — you see the writing on the wall, the insidious toxicity, & you want to look away or warn her, and the tableau is so incredibly unfair. (damson & jeune, count your days). i did love lark’s relationship with her brothers, it was something very soft and warm that humanized this a lot.

alastair is also intriguing to me — i was a little irritated with him & then once you learn more about his past, the truth, the pieces click & i found myself also in love with this sharp-but-soft boy, and rooting for him. camille was interesting too, but to be really fair, she was the one i connected with least because it felt like she was not as fleshed out as the other two.

therion as a god was very interesting to me. i wanted more from him in this book — more scenes with lark, seeing more of his powers & his world. but i did appreciate the symbolism of him being removed but still involved, watchful but still at a distance.

the whole book felt very much like a greek myth — and some things got a little weird just like greek myths. i did think it was gonna be more “big bad fight” and less “mythological inner battles/symbolistic battles” so it felt a little “that’s it?” but once i thought more it was in line with the story — some of my critiques were just that the prose/writing got a little repetitive, some characters/minor action points didn’t seem fully fleshed out/were throwaways, and some characterization fell a little flat.

all in all, i really did enjoy this book — it was a vibe & a different reading experience, which i enjoyed immensely. i was lucky enough to be an arc reader & the publisher so kindly sent me a physical copy (the cover is GORGEOUS & all the little details in the art in the physical book is stunning) but my long, rambling review & thoughts are completely my own!

(note: this is a polyamorous pairing, but it is not explicit & there is no “contact” between the siblings — it is written just that lark gets to love both alastair and camille)

Huge thank you to Macmillan Publishing and NetGalley for the Advance Copy!

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is part folktale, part gothic horror, and part love letter to the sea. This book is lush and atmospheric, so if you want to read prose as beautiful as the cover, you’re in the right place. The writing really transports you into the story. The descriptions of Verse and Lark’s cottage especially, with its salty sea air and chthonic rituals, had me totally transfixed. It felt dark, a little taboo, and a lot poetic. The pacing starts slow, but the writing and characters are so intriguing I hardly noticed. I didn’t personally love the romance in this book, or maybe I didn’t love the romantic aspects when they all came together. Each individual romance had some fantastic moments, but I hate when love triangles involve siblings. I don’t know why the trope has become so popular (looking at you TSITP 👀). I honestly want more stories told in this world! The lore has so much potential, especially with the chthonic gods and how they interact with the mortals. Overall this is a gorgeous read full of beautiful imagery and great characterization. If you want gothic vibes, this book is for you! 🖤

I was so excited for this book and I stood in line for AN HOUR!! to get a physical ARC of it but now that I’ve finally finished reading it, I feel… sad and disappointed.

SPOILERS AHEAD ⚠️

What I liked:

💗 pastel gothic vibes

💗 dreamy queernorm setting

💗 the protagonist, Lacrimosa (yes, that’s her name, which, incidentally, is also the name I gave to an FMC I wrote when I was twelve). she is such an emo bisexual disaster

💗 love interest 1, Alastair (aka my ride and die)

💗 love interest 2, Damson (the best villain, tbh)

💗 the concept

💗 (most of) the lyrical writing


What I disliked:

🦢 too many underdeveloped, unnecessary, one-dimensional characters; e.g. Camille, Hugo, the Salt Priests (would’ve loved to know more about them, really), and even Lark’s brothers

🦢 missed opportunity by not building up the storyline with Therion. what was the point of this (practically powerless) “god” who “loves” Lark (why??) and needs to be brought to this plane (again, why??)

🦢 the plot. so much of it doesn’t make sense. the second half of the book is extremely messy, and not in a good way

🦢 incestuous poly romance. i have no issues with the poly part, but Lark’s two main love interests are siblings!!! who “don’t mind sharing”?! sorry, but I did not sign up for this

🦢 the ending!!!

In a nutshell, I was expecting a high concept gothic fairy chaotic bisexual story with a temperamental god and a girl and another girl and another boy maybe but instead got an unpolished plot and a bizarre poly romance involving siblings 😭

3.5 stars! I can't tell you where I heard about this book, it's just. A title I kept hearing. So when I came across it on NetGalley I just requested it because of the beautiful cover and the mention of Gothic in the summary, lmao. I was shocked to get approved.

That being said, first thing I want to get out of the way: this is a great book, but it has a misleading summary. Yes, technically all the things listed happen, but its... Not what you may expect from reading that. Am I crazy? Are summaries supposed to be that misleading? Moving on.

The pros: The worldbuilding is just. *chefs kiss* Beautiful. Amazing. So enthralling. It's not even super vast, we only hear about what we need to, but it's so masterfully done. The inclusion and repeated symbolism within a fictional painter and his fictional works is just fantastic and so fun to read. Also, the characters!!! My god!! I loved them all!! Also, we get several flashback chapters in the first half, where we switch from 1st person to 3rd, and that change is also handled masterfully, it's not confusing at all. Those flashback chapters also add amazing tension while simultaneously providing context. I also really loved the whole plot of this story, the twists in it, it was just so fun and so beautiful and so ethereal.

The cons: Firstly, I hate to say it, but while the pacing in the first half is fantastic, it's not as great in the second half. Sometimes movement of time is unclear (they drove to a place over the course of several days but got back home in one?), and sometimes the book itself just moves too quickly. I said I loved all the characters and I do, but there is one we are introduced to somewhere around 60% into the story, and we meet him around 75%, and he winds up being very important but.. we have so little time with him, so little build-up. I find him fascinating, but sadly everything with him feels way too quick. On a related note, I think we spend way too much of the book thinking one character is a villain when they are not, and that really plays into the ending being really fast. I don't say this often, but this book could've used another, like, 50 pages at least. I also have to say, while this is marketed as a polyamorous romance... it doesn't often feel like it. Lark is in love with both Felimath siblings, and they both love her back. It doesn't lead to anything incestuous, and I do like their relationship. What it really comes down to is Camille. While we hear of her for the first bit, we don't meet her until, again, like 30% into the book, so we have way less build-up of that relationship than we do with Alistair. Even after they're all together, Lark and Camille have their moments, but the narrative really surrounds Lark and Alistair, and Camille is kind of just along for the ride. I really loved her, but she didn't have that big a role to play. All her relevance was in sub-plots. She didn't quite feel forgotten, per se, but I do think it wouldn't have been that hard to write the story without her in it, or at least without her in the romance. Which is too bad! I would've liked to see her more connected to the main plot.

As always my cons list is longer than my pros but I think I'm just better at writing them out. So don't get me wrong! I really liked this book, I think it's very solid and so incredibly atmospheric, I had a great time!!!

"He's a selkie kept too long ashore, a boy who recites the words of a dead language like they're made of gold."

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a balm to a broken heart, a promise of love and life through mistake and error, an ode to the stormy seas, and the Gothic love story I thought I'd never find the equal of after reading A Study In Drowning - although this may have my heart slightly more than even that story does.

The art themes and descriptions woven through this story are achingly beautiful, and from start to finish I could see every detail of Verse and beyond in my head. I love the buildup and development of Lark's character and the switch between Then and Now, it continued to bring added depth and fleshed out not only her story but the background of a world I long to visit.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the romance - I haven't read many poly/M/F/F stories, but my heart ached every time I fell further in love with them and with the love they all shared. It felt unique and pure in the loveliest, longing of ways and I'm sad I have to surface. I hope against hope that there is more to this world and these characters - Clipstone has created a lore that is one of the most unique I've read in a long time, and I'm still yearning to hear more about the rest of the world.

I cannot recommend this story enough and I can't wait to check out Clipstone's other works!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title!!!