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itputsthebookupontheshelf's review
4.0
A Dark gothic fantasy that had me itching to know it's secrets.
With morally grey, demisexual and uniquely magical characters, I fully enjoyed watching all of their stories unfold. I really liked the story of The Lord Under and his lady of light and how it all tied into the story and characters.
Leta was a great heroine, and I liked her relationships with the other characters and reading about her backstory. I also really liked Roman's character as well, and how his darkness was portrayed. Hid backstory was really dark, unique and interesting.
I'm really interested to see what happens with this story in the next book.
With morally grey, demisexual and uniquely magical characters, I fully enjoyed watching all of their stories unfold. I really liked the story of The Lord Under and his lady of light and how it all tied into the story and characters.
Leta was a great heroine, and I liked her relationships with the other characters and reading about her backstory. I also really liked Roman's character as well, and how his darkness was portrayed. Hid backstory was really dark, unique and interesting.
I'm really interested to see what happens with this story in the next book.
starlightxs's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookish_mrs_w's review against another edition
4.0
I flew through the audiobook. This was such a good atmospheric gothic read. Most the time I felt like I was watching it in all blacks & greys & whites and reds in my mind while I listened. I didn’t always love the writing style. I felt like their were to many metaphors for tastes and smells and sights, and for me, that tends to hinder my reading experience.
theghostly's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Child death
abotts27's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is definitely a dark, gothic story. There were quite a few mentions of self harm, so make sure to read the content warnings. Overall, I did find myself going back to this story repeatedly because I had so many questions, but I left the ending with some of the same questions.
I felt like the magic system fell a bit flat. It was very crucial to the plot, but I didn’t fully understand how it worked.
The main character was also my least favorite, and she was determined to make herself a martyr rather than opening up to anyone. I had hoped she would learn and grow from it more in the end.
That said, it was a compelling story and unique plot. I kept me interested, and I’m curious to see more from this author.
I felt like the magic system fell a bit flat. It was very crucial to the plot, but I didn’t fully understand how it worked.
The main character was also my least favorite, and she was determined to make herself a martyr rather than opening up to anyone. I had hoped she would learn and grow from it more in the end.
That said, it was a compelling story and unique plot. I kept me interested, and I’m curious to see more from this author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm and Child abuse
Minor: Suicide attempt
aklev13's review
4.0
I definitely enjoyed this and i think it does a great job at creating atmosphere. I got Crimson Peak vibes at the beginning- not in terms of the plot but in terms of the creepy, isolated house and a supernatural element. I felt the boy who was a monster wasnt quite monstrous enough for me, like it was revealed a little too early for my liking that he wasnt that monstrous. However, Lord Under really made up for that. The character of Lord Under was so intriguing and i adored all the scenes with him in them. I read Belladonna recently and enjoyed it but in hindsight i wished she’d treated her character of Death a bit more like Lord Under in this book.
dunnalotofreading's review against another edition
I did not care to finish it. I put it down and didn't want to pick it back up. And before that I was really forcing myself to continue reading it.
atrailofpages's review
4.0
This was such a lovely gothic read!
In this book we follow Violeta whose brother is suffering from these odd shadows that they try to hide from their village. The Lord of Lakesedge notices them one day when visiting their village and takes them to his home so that he can have her brother trained to control his powers. In the meantime, Violeta is trying to come to terms as to what her brother can do, her memories, her feelings for Rowan, and the curse he is under and how she can end it.
This gave me such Jane Eyre and Hades and Persephone, with maybe even a bit of Beauty and the Beast, vibes. It is very gothic and atmospheric, enchanting and a bit eerie. The world is so eerie and gothicly romantic.
I loved the dynamic between the characters. I loved Violeta’s relationship with her brother, and the interaction between the other side characters in this book. I love when the main characters develop such strong relationships with side characters and when family relationships develop. It was well done in this book. The romance in here is also lovely, a slow burn, which I love! I adored Rowan from the start. Such a dark past, that causes his rather broody and dark demeanor, but he obviously has a heart and cares a lot. Violeta, on the other hand, was probably my least favorite character. She was over protective(which I get, it’s her brother’s life at stake here, but still, let him make his own choices), and instead of getting more information, she tended to jump to conclusions and was very stubborn in her thoughts. Then she suddenly just changed and accepted everything. I dunno, she just honestly annoyed me.
Other than Violeta, I loved the rest of the characters, the story, the world, and that ending! I’m curious to know how the story continues! Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the free digital copy to read and review.
In this book we follow Violeta whose brother is suffering from these odd shadows that they try to hide from their village. The Lord of Lakesedge notices them one day when visiting their village and takes them to his home so that he can have her brother trained to control his powers. In the meantime, Violeta is trying to come to terms as to what her brother can do, her memories, her feelings for Rowan, and the curse he is under and how she can end it.
This gave me such Jane Eyre and Hades and Persephone, with maybe even a bit of Beauty and the Beast, vibes. It is very gothic and atmospheric, enchanting and a bit eerie. The world is so eerie and gothicly romantic.
I loved the dynamic between the characters. I loved Violeta’s relationship with her brother, and the interaction between the other side characters in this book. I love when the main characters develop such strong relationships with side characters and when family relationships develop. It was well done in this book. The romance in here is also lovely, a slow burn, which I love! I adored Rowan from the start. Such a dark past, that causes his rather broody and dark demeanor, but he obviously has a heart and cares a lot. Violeta, on the other hand, was probably my least favorite character. She was over protective(which I get, it’s her brother’s life at stake here, but still, let him make his own choices), and instead of getting more information, she tended to jump to conclusions and was very stubborn in her thoughts. Then she suddenly just changed and accepted everything. I dunno, she just honestly annoyed me.
Other than Violeta, I loved the rest of the characters, the story, the world, and that ending! I’m curious to know how the story continues! Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the free digital copy to read and review.
k_lenn's review
2.0
Well, I wanted to love this.
Unfortunately there was something about the characters that just felt off/flat, and the romance lacked chemistry. The very highly-praised queer rep disappointed me, too. While nearly every character is LGBTQ+, it's done in the most low-effort way possible it's as if the representation was just an afterthought. It amazes me how books can get so much praise for doing so little.
Seems like I have unpopular opinions about this one though, so keep that in mind. It's an easy and quick book to read, and I thought the writing was decent. Give it a try if you find the synopsis interesting!
Unfortunately there was something about the characters that just felt off/flat, and the romance lacked chemistry. The very highly-praised queer rep disappointed me, too. While nearly every character is LGBTQ+, it's done in the most low-effort way possible it's as if the representation was just an afterthought. It amazes me how books can get so much praise for doing so little.
Seems like I have unpopular opinions about this one though, so keep that in mind. It's an easy and quick book to read, and I thought the writing was decent. Give it a try if you find the synopsis interesting!
laurenrosewriter's review
5.0
I’m not the biggest fan of the gothic genre, but I really liked Lakesedge! It had such a great plot, likeable characters and it was really well written, with an enjoyable pace. I can’t wait for the next book!