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moncoinlecture's review against another edition
2.0
2,5 - La fin n'est pas mal, l'atmosphère est réussie, mais l'héroïne est tellement gossante avec son désir incessant de sauver tout le monde et de se sacrifier! Ceci dit, j'aime bien... le méchant!
eden3's review against another edition
3.0
Lakesedge is a pretty, radiant and eloquent story of love, grief and fantasy. The books delivery is mostly great, with small moments of flat or dull expression. With strong and likeable characters I would expect this book to be enjoyed by many but repealed by few; the story often feels directionless and needs a little more backbone to be brilliant. Overall this was an enjoyable read, I would certainly read more from Lyndall Clipstone, however only wish the book had a little more solidity.
Lakesedge definitely falls into its marketed audience for YA Fantasy readers. The book is very much a story of love, magic and fantasy on a small scale (at least for Lakesedge book 1), the story mostly takes place within one location, dealing with the day to day dramas of a world soon corrupted by dark magic.The addition of chapter illustrations adds a much missing layer to the book that many fantasy novels do not claim.
The gothic aesthetic is highetened through appropriate and complimentary use of metaphors and similes, however somewhat juxtaposed against other more rigid and linear forms of writing within the book; it can often feel as if the book was written by two different minds at times.
Clipstone often loses sight of what they desire, the plot often becoming a little directionless; is this a romance? A fantastical journey? Is it about magic? Is it about the land? It doesn't necessarily hold any of them with courage however is still very enjoyable to witness. It needs a bit more grip and detail on some plot aspects to solidify them as relevant to the story.
The characters of Lakesedge are all wonderfully enjoyable; evil or good. Violetta is quite human, brave but not without flaws and mistakes which is very appreciated. Clover is a cute addition, maybe one of my more favourite support characters in a fantasy novel. I feel as if Leta's brother is a prominant character at the novels start and then somewhat loses presence quite suddenly which is a shame.
Lakesedge definitely falls into its marketed audience for YA Fantasy readers. The book is very much a story of love, magic and fantasy on a small scale (at least for Lakesedge book 1), the story mostly takes place within one location, dealing with the day to day dramas of a world soon corrupted by dark magic.The addition of chapter illustrations adds a much missing layer to the book that many fantasy novels do not claim.
The gothic aesthetic is highetened through appropriate and complimentary use of metaphors and similes, however somewhat juxtaposed against other more rigid and linear forms of writing within the book; it can often feel as if the book was written by two different minds at times.
Clipstone often loses sight of what they desire, the plot often becoming a little directionless; is this a romance? A fantastical journey? Is it about magic? Is it about the land? It doesn't necessarily hold any of them with courage however is still very enjoyable to witness. It needs a bit more grip and detail on some plot aspects to solidify them as relevant to the story.
The characters of Lakesedge are all wonderfully enjoyable; evil or good. Violetta is quite human, brave but not without flaws and mistakes which is very appreciated. Clover is a cute addition, maybe one of my more favourite support characters in a fantasy novel. I feel as if Leta's brother is a prominant character at the novels start and then somewhat loses presence quite suddenly which is a shame.
jem_of_the_brew's review against another edition
Read my review here: https://www.artshub.com.au/news/reviews/book-review-lakesedge-lyndall-clipstone-pan-macmillan-2499917/
booknerdlyn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
cosmere_emily's review against another edition
3.0
Leta got really annoying, giving up seeing your family in the afterlife? After going on about how much you love your family? Book really dragged near the end
amakoo87's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ivyhaunts's review against another edition
3.0
This is probably not the gothic story you want it to be. It was very based in alchemy and fantasy, which is fine but not what I wanted. Leta, the protagonist, was not likable to me honestly and I found a lot of ideas rooted in a magical Beauty and the Beast sort of relationship. I probably won’t read the second one, to be honest. This is a very particular type of book and I feel like if you like fantasy, you’d enjoy this.
bryonyindecisivereader's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It took me a while to get into this one, I don’t think I really got into it until at least 40% of the way through.
I think a lot of the story hinges on how much the main character loves and cares for her younger brother, but I didn’t really get a chance to care for him. I don’t think he was actually in the story much. There’s much more a focus on the love interest and he’s a bit… meh. I also didn’t really care for him.
Weirdly, I think the audiobook narrator made me really anxious (I was listening on 1.5 speed which is normal for me, but I did have to slow it down for this book) because she seemed to always be talking really frantically. It meant I’d rarely want to pick it up because I usually listen to audiobooks when I want to relax or turn my brain off - and this didn’t help.
After the 40(ish)% mark, I did find the story a bit more interesting. I always find folktales being real an interesting premise, and I liked how the fantastical seemed to creep into the real world in this.
I thought this was a standalone so was a bit surprised when the end didn’t tie everything off nicely. I might check out the sequel… but I may well not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
lexlex444's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
phantomfan2009's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0