TW: Self harm/mutilation, abuse/parental abuse, death, blood, drowning imagery 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. 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. VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Posted in Reviews Tagged Book blog, Book blogger, Book review, Bookstagram, Cadence, Fantasy, fantasy books, folktale, harp, lyrical writing, Scottish Review: Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone This is a beautifully written story, and if you like historical fantasy with lush, almost cozy fantasy vibes (and a gorgeous book cover) then you might like this one! This could have been a five star book if it had ended differently. My biggest critique of this book is that I wasn’t a fan of the melodramatic ending. Literally the only thing these two books have in common is fae, but they’re called spirits in A River Enchanted and are very different from Maas’ fae. While I haven’t read the latter, House of Earth and Blood is a strange comparison title. It’s worth noting that this book was pitched as House of Earth and Blood meets The Witch’s Heart. It really takes its time building everything up-especially the mystery of girls on the island going missing. This is a very slow-moving book, and thankfully I like slow-moving stories. While I liked Jack and Adaira, I felt like they, and their relationship, paled in comparison to Sidra and Torin. I loved her character, and I felt like I understood her and got into her head and heart more than the other characters. Sidra and Torin really stood out to me, especially Sidra. I also really enjoyed getting to know the characters and all of their relationships to each other.
I also enjoyed the emphasis on music through Jack’s harp. This book is very atmospheric, and the island itself seems to live and breathe on the page like its own character. The aspect of this book that I love the most is the writing. The story follows multiple POVs: Jack, a harp player who is called back to Cadence after 10 years of studying music on the mainland Adaira, the Heiress of the East Sidra, a healer, and her husband Torin, the chief of the guard. The story is set on the magical island of Cadence, which is divided in half by two feuding clans, and where spirits rule the isle. It’s a Scottish inspired folktale fantasy with a historical fantasy type feel. A River Enchanted was the last book I read in February.
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