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jwhitlow91's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Blood, and Self harm
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Since reading the dark and sumptuously detailed Lakesedge (which I absolutely loved) I’ve been super eager to get my hands on the sequel. So when Forestfall landed through my letterbox you have no idea how happy that made me and my little, gothic fairytale loving heart—so much so that I had to dive in almost immediately. And it certainly managed to live up to all my expectations as we finally get to explore the land of the dead and with it’s shadowy and mysterious master, the Lord Under.
After the sacrifice that Violeta made, the curse (and the corruption) on the Lakesedge estate is finally gone. But Leta’s bargain with the Lord Under now has her trapped in his domain—the land of the dead. And though he claims to have given her everything he promised, Leta knows that he’s not telling her everything, and she plans to remedy that.
When she discovers she’s still bound to Rowan, Leta goes to drastic lengths to reforge their connection. But her search or answers (and a way home) may just draw her even deeper in to danger—and even deadlier bargains—as she struggles to resist the allure of her new, darker powers…
It was soo good to finally return to Lyndall Clipstone’s exquisitely crafted and hauntingly atmospheric world of monsters, maidens and gods that I fell absolutely in love with last year. The Hades and Persephone vibes that were teased in Lakesedge were really ramped up in this instalment and honestly I love every second we got to spend in the land of the dead with the fiercely determined Violeta and the intoxicatingly dark (and sinfully smouldering) death god, the Lord Under.
The tension between the Lord Under and Leta was absolute perfection—he may be a monsterous god of death, but his intense, longing looks and scene stealing chemistry really had me second guessing my love for Rowan for a minute—but don’t worry he’s still my favourite monster boy.
It was also soo good to see Rowan again, and though he is separated from Leta for a good chunk of the book, we do still see them find a way to interact with one another—I won’t say how, just that the scenes really capture an intensity of emotion that tugged at my heartstrings.
We get to meet some new characters (and monsters) in the World Under in the form of Lady Fawn, Lady Owl and Lady Moth—and they we’re definitely pretty interesting if a little less dimensional than Leta, Rowan or the Lord Under. I loved the detail in the descriptions which was the perfect balance of creepy without being scary and the romance was soo well done. The pace was a little slower than I anticipated, but it definitely gave us time to absorb the exquisite details of the world building and all that deliciously unnerving, gothic goodness.
Lyndall Clipstone is a master of prose and her skill at crafting such beautifully haunting and vivid imagery has quickly made her one of my go to authors for dark, fairy-esque fantasy that I can fully immerse myself in—having loved this soo much, I know I’ll definitely be auto buying everything she writes from now on.
If you love your fantasy brimming with monsters, rich in detail and reminiscent of dark fairytales then absolutely must give this (and the first book, Lakesedge) a read.
Also, a massive thank you to Titan for the wonderful PB copy.
After the sacrifice that Violeta made, the curse (and the corruption) on the Lakesedge estate is finally gone. But Leta’s bargain with the Lord Under now has her trapped in his domain—the land of the dead. And though he claims to have given her everything he promised, Leta knows that he’s not telling her everything, and she plans to remedy that.
When she discovers she’s still bound to Rowan, Leta goes to drastic lengths to reforge their connection. But her search or answers (and a way home) may just draw her even deeper in to danger—and even deadlier bargains—as she struggles to resist the allure of her new, darker powers…
It was soo good to finally return to Lyndall Clipstone’s exquisitely crafted and hauntingly atmospheric world of monsters, maidens and gods that I fell absolutely in love with last year. The Hades and Persephone vibes that were teased in Lakesedge were really ramped up in this instalment and honestly I love every second we got to spend in the land of the dead with the fiercely determined Violeta and the intoxicatingly dark (and sinfully smouldering) death god, the Lord Under.
The tension between the Lord Under and Leta was absolute perfection—he may be a monsterous god of death, but his intense, longing looks and scene stealing chemistry really had me second guessing my love for Rowan for a minute—but don’t worry he’s still my favourite monster boy.
It was also soo good to see Rowan again, and though he is separated from Leta for a good chunk of the book, we do still see them find a way to interact with one another—I won’t say how, just that the scenes really capture an intensity of emotion that tugged at my heartstrings.
We get to meet some new characters (and monsters) in the World Under in the form of Lady Fawn, Lady Owl and Lady Moth—and they we’re definitely pretty interesting if a little less dimensional than Leta, Rowan or the Lord Under. I loved the detail in the descriptions which was the perfect balance of creepy without being scary and the romance was soo well done. The pace was a little slower than I anticipated, but it definitely gave us time to absorb the exquisite details of the world building and all that deliciously unnerving, gothic goodness.
Lyndall Clipstone is a master of prose and her skill at crafting such beautifully haunting and vivid imagery has quickly made her one of my go to authors for dark, fairy-esque fantasy that I can fully immerse myself in—having loved this soo much, I know I’ll definitely be auto buying everything she writes from now on.
If you love your fantasy brimming with monsters, rich in detail and reminiscent of dark fairytales then absolutely must give this (and the first book, Lakesedge) a read.
Also, a massive thank you to Titan for the wonderful PB copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Self harm
dancing_on_ur_muml0l's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The double POV was amazing bc now we get Rowan's POV as well. Also the Lord Under just gets even better ya'll like I can't-
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Sexual content
Slayedmarleywrites's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received an e-arc of this book. I am in the US so at the time of this review the book is not yet out in my country.
First of all, I am absolutely floored every time I read something Lyndall Clipstone writes because of how GORGEOUS it is. The imagery is so delicious I could eat it. It’s so flowery yet raw and I can always picture the scene exactly as I imagine she wants us to. The way she describes colors and textures and the way the magic flows, god, I loved it. I am in love with her writing style. To conclude this paragraph, why can’t we have mothlights in real life? I need them in my house at once.
Second, the gothic vibes of this book were beautiful. It was spooky, it was beautiful, it felt cold, it felt real. This book is perfect for fall and even though I read it in August and September I felt like I felt like I was mid November. I was simply transported to fall. The way Clipstone writes truly transports me to that world.
The reason I rated this three stars was mostly because, despite the lovely writing style, I was a bit confused at some parts. The parts are spoilery so I will discuss them more behind a spoiler wall. But for the sake of this review, some parts of the book felt like they needed a bit more clarity to me, and I was not clear on some specifics of the love triangle that was presented. I also felt that there was a lot of excessive blood (biting cheeks, biting lips, scratches that reopen) and that some parts felt repetitive when it came to Leta using her magic.
Overall, I will still read every book Lyndall Clipstone puts out, and I still adored this book. I purchased the OwlCrate exclusive of both Lakesedge and Forestfall and can’t wait to shelve them together.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood
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