Title: Forestfall
Author: Lyndall Clipstone
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Titan books
Pages: 416
Release Date: 11 October 2022
Goodreads | Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells | B&N
Hello fellow book lovers, today I'm sharing review for the deliciously dark YA fantasy Forestfall by Lyndall Clipstone—the stunning, gothic infused sequel to Lakesedge.
Synopsis
At the lake's edge, I made my promise. In the forest, I will fall.
The curse that haunted Lakesedge Estate has been broken, but at great cost. Violeta Graceling has sacrificed herself to end the Corruption.
To escape death, Leta makes a desperate bargain with the Lord Under, one that sees her living at his side in the land of the dead. And though he claims to have given her all he promised, Leta knows this world of souls and mists hides many secrets.
When she discovers she is still bound to Rowan, Leta goes to drastic lengths to reforge their connection. But her search for answers, and a path back home, will see her drawn into even more dangerous bargains, and struggling to resist the allure of a new, dark, power.
Review
Since reading the dark and sumptuously detailed Lakesedge (which I absolutely loved) I’ve been super eager to get my hands on the sequel. So when Forestfall landed through my letterbox you have no idea how happy that made me and my little, gothic fairytale loving heart—so much so that I had to dive in almost immediately. And it certainly managed to live up to all my expectations as we finally get to explore the land of the dead and with it’s shadowy and mysterious master, the Lord Under.
It was soo good to finally return to Lyndall Clipstone’s exquisitely crafted and hauntingly atmospheric world of monsters, maidens and gods that I fell absolutely in love with last year. The Hades and Persephone vibes that were teased in Lakesedge were really ramped up in this instalment and honestly I love every second we got to spend in the land of the dead with the fiercely determined Violeta and the intoxicatingly dark (and sinfully smouldering) death god, the Lord Under.
The tension between the Lord Under and Leta was absolute perfection—he may be a monsterous god of death, but his intense, longing looks and scene stealing chemistry really had me second guessing my love for Rowan for a minute—but don’t worry he’s still my favourite monster boy.
It was also soo good to see Rowan again, and though he is separated from Leta for a good chunk of the book, we do still see them find a way to interact with one another—I won’t say how, just that the scenes really capture an intensity of emotion that tugged at my heartstrings.
We get to meet some new characters (and monsters) in the World Under in the form of Lady Fawn, Lady Owl and Lady Moth—and they we’re definitely pretty interesting if a little less dimensional than Leta, Rowan or the Lord Under. I loved the detail in the descriptions which was the perfect balance of creepy without being scary and the romance was soo well done. The pace was a little slower than I anticipated, but it definitely gave us time to absorb the exquisite details of the world building and all that deliciously unnerving, gothic goodness.
Lyndall Clipstone is a master of prose and her skill at crafting such beautifully haunting and vivid imagery has quickly made her one of my go to authors for dark, fairy-esque fantasy that I can fully immerse myself in—having loved this soo much, I know I’ll definitely be auto buying everything she writes from now on.
If you love your fantasy brimming with monsters, rich in detail and reminiscent of dark fairytales then absolutely must give this (and the first book, Lakesedge) a read.
Also, a massive thank you to Titan for the wonderful PB copy.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
About The Author
Comments