A review by phoenix2
Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone

2.0

Lakesedge has a strong start, where the gothic atmosphere of the story is built up, introducing the characters and their settings, with the two god figures, the magic system, and the politics of the village. And it is indeed pretty intriguing, with the old mansion, the monster lord, the horror scenes spread throughout the book.

However, after that first part, the book started bringing one letdown after another. It got repetitive, with not only the plot (that pretty much recycled the same outcome over and over again) but with the descriptions as well. It actually felt like it was forced to be fairytale-gothic-like.

In addition, the lord who was called again and again by everyone that is a monster, was not monstrous. He was like a kitten towards Leta after their first encounter and he was pretty much this emo kid who was over his head with the outcome of his actions.

Also, Leta, though she was an enjoyable character, somehow remembered the big change in her life that happened when she was a child, in the middle of the book and out of the blue. I mean, if you have experienced something like that, wouldn't it have been a part of you and being mentioned here and there right from the start?

Finally, the book felt half baked, like it needed a final brush-off before it was published.

But, overall, the characters were well written and the relationships nicely established.