She knows the terrifying rumors about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy. When Violeta Graceling arrives at haunted Lakesedge estate, she expects to find a monster. Perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Brigid Kemmerer. On top of that, while I’m happy to say that there is LGBTQ rep, it felt like it was a little thrown in at the last minute but once again, I have high hopes for the sequel, where I hope everything will become more fleshed out! I’m here for the spooky vibes, magic, and romance.Summary: A lush gothic fantasy about monsters and magic, set on the banks of a cursed lake. Because of this, I had a little bit of a hard time rooting for the romance. While she got a little better as the book went on, she still wasn’t my favorite character. In the beginning of the book, she was naive and annoying, to be honest. The biggest thing keeping this from being a five-star review is Violeta’s character. I liked Arien, too, although I hope his character, and some of the others, are more well-rounded in the sequel. Even though the story itself was slower paced, I found myself speeding through it because I wanted to know what the heck was going on. Clipstone describes magic in a clear and beautiful way, and I thought the religion in Lakesedge was written well. Her details are dark and creepy, and her writing has a dreamy, atmospheric quality to it. Clipstone’s writing style completely sucked me in. When they arrive at Lakesedge, Rowan’s estate, not only does she have to deal with the prickly Rowan and a cursed lake, but the Lord Under…the lord of the underworld himself. He comes to collect Arien, but Violeta refuses to let him, her last surviving family member, leave without him. When Rowan Sylvanan comes to their village to collect the tithe, he sees Arien’s shadows.
But his shadows are unpredictable, and they come out when he sleeps. Violeta lives with her abusive, overly-religious adopted mother along with her little brother, Arien. I’ve seen it described as a gothic book, and while I wouldn’t describe it as gothic, per say, it does have a creepy, haunted estate ruled by a morally grey man. It often gave me Jane Eyre vibes with a sprinkle of A Sorcery of Thorns thrown in.
If you’re into dark YA fantasies, atmospheric books, lyrical writing, and dark themes, you might be into this book. Thank you so much to Fierce Reads and NetGalley for sending me a digital arc of Lakesedge! The only good thing about being in the hospital was that I got to read 4 books, but I’m glad to be out and doing well. I never got around to posting it, and then, unfortunately, I just got out of the hospital yesterday. Well, I had this review ready to go over a week ago.
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