A review by wisteriamoon
Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone

4.0

4.75 stars. Oh my! That was quite the first read of 2022! Just so you know, this book ends on a cliffhanger and I'm kiiiinda mad about it, but also it was good enough that it didn't ruin my experience. This book gives off Cupid and Psyche vibes, as well as just general Greek mythology vibes, though maybe that's just because I'm writing a Mythology-inspired book so I'm studying that. But it was so so good! Very atmosperheric and transportive and emotional and really... raw and evocative I guess? Maybe I'm just saying words that mean the same thing. Either way it's about a young woman whose brother is touched by darkness and who lives in an abusive home. Certain circumstances lead her and her brother to a very stately mansion/manor/estate that is very very spooky but also cozy! And of course there's a LOVE interest, the master of the house who may or may not have drowned his whole family. Yikes. But he's kinda hot and maybe nice so it's okay?! For real though I liked the romance and that's saying a lot because me and romance usually don't mix, and I was not expecting to enjoy that part of the story. The story has a tinge of magic and interactions with gods and it has lovely side characters so that's a bonus. The only thing keeping me from rating it 5 stars? I guess it was the ending? It didn't wrap up nicely and that kinda is a dealbreaker for me, and it was a great read overall, just not something I would scream about for everyone to read, not necessarily because it's bad but just because it wasn't a 100% perfect match... just a 99.9% match. I'm very picky with five star ratings apparently. Either way it felt like a book that read like a classic but wasn't actually a classic, which was pretty epic. It wasn't necessarily one of those books that keep you up at night or make your heart pound, but that wasn't what it was supposed to be. It was the perfest cozy read to curl up with, and I feel like you could totally read this in fall and get all the Autumn vibes... too bad it isn't Fall right now but in eight months when you're looking for a fall read you can pick this up! In short I think this was just a really cool and interesting gothic fantasy that I would highly recommend for anyone looking for something cozy, romantic and kiiinda dark in a fun way! I know that doesn't make sense, just read the book lol.