A review by thebooknerdscorner
Tenderly, I am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone

3.0

A folk horror tale about a girl coming home to fight for what she loves most and relearn who she is in the process. 

Lacrimosa "Lark" Arriscane has just been kicked out of her prestigious boarding school after the betrayal of her best friend takes a violent turn. Upon returning home, Lark soon learns that her family is broke and desperate to escape their financial debt. In a last-ditch attempt, Lark agrees to marry the swan god, Therion, in exchange for the salt mines her family runs to be refilled with their prosperous goods. Unfortunately, the betrothal doesn't quite go as planned, and Lark finds herself connected to a god who is quite literally beginning to disappear from the world. With few options remaining, Lark turns to Alastair and Camile Felimath, her childhood best friends who she hasn't spoken to amicably in years. They must do everything they can think of to restore Therion to his former glory and save Lark in the process. 

"Tenderly, I Am Devoured" has been on my most anticipated read lists since December of last year. I've been sitting on the ARC for quite some time, but I finally got around to reading it. Unfortunately, I didn't adore it as much I hoped that I would, but it was still a good read. Folk horror is a genre that has greatly intrigued me, but I feel that most of them I've read aren't as great as I hoped they'd be, so maybe it's just not typically a genre for me. 

The complex world, god system, and magical elements in this book are a bit ambiguous and unexplained, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It just had me doing a double take now and again and led to me having to overly explain myself when people asked what this book was about. I think the world Clipstone crafts is really cool and that Therion was an interesting concept, despite the fact that he didn't do all that much throughout the course of the novel. 

The chaotic bisexuals in this book are also pretty iconic (and I mean this is the best way possible). Lark literally kisses all the important characters that she isn't related to in this book, so I never knew what Lark was going to do romantically. I believe that this is the first poly book that I have ever read, which I also found super insightful. Lark is greatly attracted to both of the Felimath siblings, which is quite an interesting dynamic. Camile makes her thoughts on the situation obvious quite early in the novel, but I was intrigued by how Alastair was going to react to this fact. (He ended up also being a chaotic bisexual, so it all worked out in the end.) 

Clipstone creates such an enthralling atmosphere. The way she writes is so lyrical and beautiful, especially when it comes to describing emotion. This became a tad frustrating at times, though, because I felt that flowery language was taking over the narrative at certain moments. 

On the surface, this book is a story of a girl who must marry a swan god to save her family, but it also explores so much more. Lark has been betrayed time and time again by those she loves, so her learning to love herself and find her self-worth is a super important part of this story. Learning to trust those she loves that have wronged her in the past in another important element of this story that most readers can (sadly) relate to. 

I think the biggest downfall of this one for me is the pacing. It took a while for much action to really occur, and I spent over half of this book wondering what the main plot line was. This book really reads like a magical slice of life story with some creepy moments that add to the horror-esque vibes. Some moments in this book felt a tad repetitive, too, but this wasn't a major concern of mine. 

Overall, "Tenderly, I Am Devoured" is a beautifully penned folk horror novel that utilizes figurative language and a haunting atmosphere to the max. It may not have been my most favorite novel ever, but I really enjoyed learning about Lark and the Felimath siblings. I would definitely be interested in checking out more of Clipstone's work in the future and seeing if it ends up resonating with me or not.