Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone Review

Title: Tenderly, I Am Devoured

Author: Lyndall Clipstone

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company (US), Hot Key Books (UK)

Pages: 304

Release Date: 1 July 2025

Goodreads | Amazon | Blackwells | B&N 

Hello fellow book lovers, today I’m sharing my review for Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone. A beautifully haunting (and atmospheric), gothic romantasy bursting with dark and deliciously foreboding, (cottagecore-horror) vibes that had me in a literal chokehold.

Synopsis

 Expelled from her prestigious boarding school following a violent incident, eighteen-year-old Lacrimosa Arriscane returns home in disgrace to discover her family on the point of financial ruin. Desperate to save them, she accepts a marriage of convenience… to Therion, the chthonic god worshipped by Lark’s isolated coastal hometown.

But when her betrothal goes horribly wrong, Lark begins to vanish from the mortal realm. Her only hope is to seek help from Alastair Felimath: the brilliant, arrogant boy who was her first heartbreak, and his alluring older sister, Camille. As the trio delve into the folklore of gods, Lark falls under the spell of the Felimath siblings.

Ensnared by a fervent romance, they perform a bacchanalia with hopes the hedonistic ritual will repair the connection between Lark and her bridegroom. Instead, they draw the ire of something much darker, which seeks to destroy Therion―and Lark as well.

Review

Firstly, I have to talk about Clipstone’s prose, which was gorgeously lyrical with lush, evocative imagery that I found utterly immersive. I truly felt transported to Verse, and could practically feel the sea spray— alongside the suffocating sense of dread and anticipation as Lark uncovers startling secrets and the ethereal, chthonic based powers that seem to be at play.

I also loved the depth and complexity that we explore in our cast of characters, all of whom are trying to overcome their own individual struggles and trauma. For Lark, our protagonist, it’s the desperate desire to find a place (and people) to truly belong to. Having grown up an orphan with only her brothers to raise her.

And for Alastair and Camille, (Lark’s childhood friends and neighbours) it’s their conflicted feelings towards family expectations (their duty and their loss of autonomy) at the expense of their own happiness.

We learn soo much from their interactions with Lark, giving us a glimpse into their inner thoughts and emotions — which were as equally as intense and chemistry laden as they were compelling.

It can be a bit of a slow-burn at times. But with such incredible writing, worldbuilding and lore to discover (particularly when it involved the Swan God, Therion) I really didn’t mind the slightly slower pace. As it gave me a chance to soak up all the setting’s lush ambience.

Though, the most compelling and emotionally endearing part for me, had to be the journey of sacrifice, self discovery and love (in all its many forms) that we get to watch unfold. With Lark and Co. delving ever deeper into a terrifying world of monstrous gods, ritualistic (salt based) practices and dark forces that threaten to upend the very lives they seek to preserve.

I don’t think I can say anything else without spoilers, but fans of House of Hollow, For The Wolf or Erin A. Craig really need to consider adding this to their TBRs. Especially if, like me, you’re a sucker for a gorgeously written (and plot twisty) gothic fantasy.

Also, a huge thank you to Lyndall Clipstone for the e-arc.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

About The Author 

Lyndall Clipstone is the author of haunting, ethereal (Hannah Whitten, NYT bestselling author of For the Wolf), bloodied but gorgeous (Victoria Mier, bookseller at The Spiral Bookcase) books, with prose that reads like a hypnotic incantation (Kirkus).

A former youth librarian who grew up running wild in the Barossa Ranges of South Australia, she currently lives in Adelaide, in a hundred-year-old cottage with her partner, two children, and a shy black cat.

Her debut novel, Lakesedge, was a Dymocks, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble bestseller, nominated for the 2021 Book Shimmy Awards, and selected as one of Better Reading’s 2022 top 50 kids’ books. Unholy Terrors was featured in Teen Vogue, and chosen as a Kids’ Indie Next Pick for Nov/Dec 2023.

Her works have been published in over four territories, including multiple translations.

Website | TikTok | Instagram | Goodreads