Tenderly, I Am Devoured

by Lyndall Clipstone

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Folk horror meets Gothic romance in this lushly written sea-swept tale about a young women’s betrothal to a dangerous god for the sake of preserving her family’s legacy.

An Indie Next Selection!

Perfect for fans of Saltburn, A Study in Drowning, and Don't Let the Forest In, Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a moody, monstrously Gothic romantic folk horror in which a young woman must bind herself to a dangerous chthonic god with the help of the son of a rival family to save her family's legacy—and herself—from ruin.

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 both 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.

Featuring a polyamorous bisexual romance, lush prose, and flower-threaded horror, Tenderly, I am Devoured is a romantic folk horror that is intoxicating as chthonic liquor, and as unstoppable as the haunted tides.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250348913
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	07/01/2025
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Lyndall Clipstone writes dark tales of flower-threaded horror. A former youth librarian who grew up running wild in the Barossa Ranges of South Australia, she currently lives in Adelaide, where she lives in a hundred-year-old cottage with her partner, two children, and a shy black cat. She is the author of Lakesedge, Forestfall, Unholy Terrors, and Tenderly, I Am Devoured.
Lyndall Clipstone writes dark tales of flower-threaded horror. A former youth librarian who grew up running wild in the Barossa Ranges of South Australia, she currently lives in Adelaide, where she lives in a hundred-year-old cottage with her partner, two children, and a shy black cat. She is the author of Lakesedge, Forestfall, Unholy Terrors, and Tenderly, I Am Devoured.

Editorial Reviews

Tenderly, I Am Devoured:

"Using lyrical prose that hums with tension and chemistry, Clipstone crafts an immersive and captivating queer gothic romance."

-Publishers Weekly

Gorgeous...This moody folktale is well imagined... Bold and atmospheric."

-Kirkus

"Lyrical, aesthetical, magical. This queer folk horror shimmers with moody prose and ethereal characters."

- RuNyx, NYT and USA Today bestselling author of Enigma and Gothikana

“Tenderly, I Am Devoured reads like a folktale you’d find in the library of a gloomy seaside manor—haunting, ethereal, and lace-delicate.” —Hannah Whitten, NYT bestselling author of For The Wolf and The Hemlock Queen

"Equal parts romantic and horrifying, Tenderly, I am Devoured shimmers with aching loveliness and the deepest yearnings. Clipstone's world-building is so sumptuous, I'm ready to pack my bags for Verse!" - Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Roots and Ruin

"Tenderly, I am Devoured transported me to a gothic, dreamy, and sea-swept world that I didn't want to leave. I was wholly enraptured by this story and the fascinating characters that populate it. This book is a dark delight and I can't recommend it enough." - Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching and An Academy for Liars

“Softly haunting and darkly romantic, Tenderly, I am Devoured is addictive and gorgeously written, an ethereal tale of love, betrayal, and twisted devotion that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.” - Meg Smitherman, bestselling author of Thrum

“Deeply lyrical and brimming with romance, myth, and creeping horror, Tenderly, I am Devoured is a salt-drenched fever dream that lingers long after the pages stop turning.” - Logan Karlie, author of Dream by the Shadows

“With her decadent, trademark prose, Clipstone has crafted a devotional love story between the ghosts of a girl's past and the gods of her most intimate prayers. Tenderly, I am Devoured is utterly bewitching and dizzyingly dreamlike.” - Isabel Agajanian, author of Modern Divination

“With all the glitter of salt and the danger of a riptide, Clipstone has written her best yet in this tale crafted equally of beauty and horror. A captivating story of eldritch bargains, desperate desires, and secrets deep as the ocean itself, Tenderly, I Am Devoured will keep readers gripped until the very last page—and for six months more - Elle Tesch, author of What Wakes the Bells

Unholy Terrors:

"Passionate and swoony...Gothic fantasy fans will appreciate the intricate worldbuilding and deliberate pacing that allows for rich descriptions of both arcane magic and the desolate wilds that separate the vespertines from the wardens." —BCCB

"The book’s strength and charm lie in its complete commitment to its brooding atmosphere, with stormy nights, bloody rituals, and animal magnetism... A modern, moody, and monstrously gothic experience." –Kirkus

"A whirlwind journey, filled with heart-wrenching tension and sinister twists. This is the kind of dark romance you thirst for!" –Alexandra Christo, internationally bestselling author of To Kill A Kingdom

"Bloody and lovely at once, Unholy Terrors is a moody meditation on desire and duty, fate and free will, the bonds we are born to and the ones we choose for ourselves." –Erica Waters, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The River Has Teeth

"A stunning fantasy romance with claws—literally—that begs to be devoured, but is certainly worth savoring." –M.K. Lobb, internationally bestselling author of Seven Faceless Saints

"Lyndall Clipstone has woven a dark dream that ensnares all five senses. Fanged yet delicate, with its windswept moors, blood moons, and aching romance, Unholy Terrors is utterly spellbinding." –Rachel Gillig, author of The Shepherd King duology

Forestfall:

"In an eerily vivid world of dark magic and darker monsters, this lush fairy tale of a book is so full of yearning, my heart physically ached." —Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles

"With shades of Orpheus and Eurydice and a fresh twist on the classic love triangle, Forestfall is a worthy conclusion to the duology." —Kiersten Frost, Brookline Booksmith

"An exquisitely crafted tale of love in all its brutality and how far we are willing to fight for it in defiance of death . . . Lyndall Clipstone is a brilliant new voice in YA and certainly one to keep watching for." —Kylie Ann Freeman, bookseller at Indigo Books

Lakesedge:

“Bloody, sumptuous, and as timeless as a fairy tale.” —April Genevieve Tucholke, author of The Boneless Mercies

"A shadow-drenched fairytale that readers will happily devour." —Emily Lloyd-Jones, author of The Bone Houses

From the Publisher

2025-04-19
A girl enters into a marriage contract with a god to save her family.

Eighteen-year-old Lacrimosa “Lark” Arriscane expects to graduate from school and step into a curator position at the gallery housing the works of her favorite painter. She never imagines that instead she’ll be expelled from Marchmain Academy, sent away from the city and back to her seaside hometown of Verse, where her brothers run a salt mine. But her family’s troubles have only just begun; the mine is failing, and Lark’s brothers owe a steep debt to the neighboring Felimath family. When Lark learns she can save the mine and her brothers by agreeing to marry Therion, the chthonic god her family worships, she barely hesitates. But the betrothal goes horribly wrong, and Lark must form a fragile alliance with the Felimath siblings, Alistair and Camille, childhood friends with whom her relationship has soured. As the three delve into myths and mysteries, Lark’s romantic connections with both siblings begin to bloom. Clipstone’s dreamily romantic writing can be gorgeous, and this moody folktale is well imagined. There’s a lot of missed potential, however: Some underdeveloped plotlines slow the narrative, and vague characterization prevents the emotional beats from landing. Still, the unique premise and skillful prose may keep readers engaged. Lark and her brothers have olive skin and “hair and eyes the color of honey”; the Felimath siblings are cued white.

Though bold and atmospheric, this high-concept story never achieves liftoff.(Fantasy romance. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews