Lakesedge

by Lyndall Clipstone

Overview

A lush, gothic fantasy from debut author Lyndall Clipstone about monsters and magic, set on the banks of a cursed lake, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Brigid Kemmerer.

When Violeta Graceling and her younger brother Arien arrive at the haunted Lakesedge estate, they expect to find a monster. Leta 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.

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… 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250853233
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	08/23/2022
Series:	World at the Lake's Edge Duology , #1
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	149,245
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Lyndall Clipstone writes about monsters and the girls who like to kiss them. A former youth librarian who grew up running wild in the Barossa Ranges of South Australia, she currently lives in Adelaide, where she tends her own indoor secret garden. She has a Bachelors in Creative Writing and a Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Management. Lakesedge is her debut novel, and its sequel is Forestfall.

Editorial Reviews

"Brooding and atmospheric." —Kirkus

"A linguistically lush fantasy." —Publishers Weekly

“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. Lyndall Clipstone's lush prose lends itself to a world both dark and elegant, brimming with monsters and a young woman brave enough to face them." —Emily Lloyd-Jones, author of The Bone Houses

“Lakesedge is an intense tale of mystery and magic that will have lovers of gothic romance eager for the next installment.” —Juliet Marillier, author of the Blackthorn & Grim and Warrior Bards series

"This tasty morsel of a book is full of dark waters, family curses, summer bonfires, lakeside summoning rituals, weary boys with monsters inside them, and gods of death who don't play fair. A strong, lyrical debut from a rising star to watch." —S.T. Gibson, author of A Dowry of Blood

"Reminiscent of the romantically gothic atmosphere of the Phantom of the Opera." —Dawn Kurtagich, author of And the Trees Crept In and The Dead House

From the Publisher

08/02/2021

Clipstone’s literal-leaning, overwhelmingly white fantasy debut runs the Gothic trope list aesthetically but founders under a looping compulsion for self-sacrifice. Foundling Violeta Graceling, 17, can see her younger brother Arien’s nightmares—shadows that claw her through his hands and draw their pious foster mother’s violence to burn death god The Lord Under out of him. But when regional lord Rowan—a beautiful, facially scarred 19-year-old who purportedly murdered his family—notices Arien’s power and spirits him to the cursed Lakesedge Estate, Violeta forces her way in, obsessed with protecting Arien. Rowan plans to use Arien’s magic to mend the Corruption that is poisoning Lakesedge and consuming him. But as dark visions stalk the halls, Violeta discovers that the estate’s secrets connect to the magic she traded away in a devil’s bargain years ago—and she might have to choose between her attraction to Rowan and mending him and Lakesedge both. Narrator Violeta’s controlling reflexes and an unsubtle blurring between desire and violence combine disturbingly with challenges repeatedly solved through self-harm, resulting in a linguistically lush fantasy of helplessness whose plotting frequently bends around emotion rather than developing its own ideas. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

2021-07-27
A girl makes a deal with the devil to save a monster.

Seventeen-year-old Violeta Graceling and her 13-year-old brother, Arien, live with Mother, their adopted parent. Arien is consumed by a dark magic that frightens Mother, whose fear manifests itself as horrific abuse. When the village landowner, Lord Rowan Sylvanan (also known as the Monster of Lakesedge for murdering his family), comes to take Arien away to use his magic, Violeta demands to accompany them. Rowan wants Arien to use his power to help fight the Corruption, a dark force that threatens to consume the entire kingdom. When their attempts fail, Violeta makes a desperate deal with the devilish deity the Lord Under in order to save those she loves. Predictably, Violeta falls for Rowan. She learns that his monstrous moniker may not be what it seems: While he is mysterious and moody, their romance quickly ratchets from bickering to swooning to positively incendiary. Clipstone’s gothic fantasy has nods to “Beauty and the Beast” and the myth of Persephone. While at times this novel can feel a bit formulaic, dark fantasy and romance fans will likely overlook this, getting lost in the layered drama and romance. Most characters are assumed White; a secondary character is queer.

Brooding and atmospheric. (Dark fantasy. 14-adult)

Kirkus Reviews