Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on September 2021Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
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A lush gothic fantasy about monsters and magic, set on the banks of a cursed lake. Perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Brigid Kemmerer.
There are monsters in the world.
When Violeta Graceling arrives at haunted Lakesedge estate, she expects to find a monster. She knows the terrifying rumors about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy. But neither the estate nor the monster are what they seem.
There are monsters in the woods.
As Leta falls for Rowan, she discovers he is bound to the Lord Under, the sinister death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. A creature to whom Leta is inexplicably drawn…
There’s a monster in the shadows, and now it knows my name.
Now, to save Rowan—and herself—Leta must confront the darkness in her past, including unraveling the mystery of her connection to the Lord Under.
There is something deeply creepy about Lakesedge. Violeta will do anything to protect her brother, the only family she has left. But when he continues to exhibit dangerous powers, she is forced to follow him to Lakesedge, to get help from Rowan, a monster. And what they find is bigger than they can fight.
The atmosphere in Lakesedge is one of the most palpable and alarming things in the book. I love the dark night and the menacing forest, the gods and their muddled intentions. The pace and tone of the book really sucked me in and continued to mesmerize me through the story. In fact, I am so annoyed by the ending (when is the next book?!?!) that for hours after I finished, I was incredibly sad to have left this beautiful gothic novel.
And the Lord Under and the monster that feeds? The evil that hibernates under the lake, growing stronger and more aggressive, was so easily imagined, I can still see it in my mind’s eye just by thinking of it. The author really excelled in showing the threats of this magic and the power it had over the land and eventually, over Rowan and the others. I sincerely think it’s one of the best YA gothic tales I’ve read in a long time.
I have to admit though, Violeta was a little annoying. She always feels she has to do everything by herself, never explaining anything to anyone, never asking help even when it’s putting all of them in dangerous situations. Rowan is the same way which is funny because he is so annoyed with Violeta all the time. I don’t know if I really bought the romance, but it didn’t bother me and there are so many eerie and more imaginative things drawing my attention that the romance didn’t take center stage. Which wasn’t a bad thing.
Overall, I think Lakesedge is a solid gothic story, a promising start to a series and I cannot wait to know more.
Kimberly majored in Songwriting and currently works full time in the music industry. When she's not listening to music, knitting or writing, you can find her outside reading her favorite genres: Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Mystery, and Romance.
