Author: Lyndall Clipstone
Publication Date: 28 September 2021
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co BYR
Page Count: 384
Reading Method: Digital ARC [Thank you to the publisher!]
Dates Read: September 15 – 18
Synopsis:
When Violeta Graceling and her younger brother Arien arrive at the haunted Lakesedge estate, they expect to find a monster. Leta knows the terrifying rumors about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy. But neither the estate nor the monster are what they seem.
As Leta falls for Rowan, she discovers he is bound to the Lord Under, the sinister death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. A creature to whom Leta is inexplicably drawn… Now, to save Rowan―and herself―Leta must confront the darkness in her past, including unraveling the mystery of her connection to the Lord Under.
Review:
Hold up – how gorgeous is this cover?! I love the dark vibes and a redheaded MC. Just saying. If I saw this books sitting on the shelf in the bookstore, I would pick it up for the cover alone.
Violeta and her brother are whisked away by Rowan Sylanan to live at his estate while he trains Arien to help him break the curse cast on the lake by none other than the Lord Under himself, the god of death. As Violeta, Arien, and crew work to break the curse, mysteries of everyone’s pasts begin to come to light and Leta must come to terms with the magic and the relationships she is forming.
This was a super quick, fun read, teeming with magic and delicious darkness. There are plenty of moments where Leta finds herself in creepy, seemingly haunted scenarios that leave the reader wondering just what the heck is truly going on at the Lakesedge estate. And how is Leta tied into it all? I loved watching Leta’s character change and grow. She has to come to terms with her brother’s magic and letting him grow into the role he is destined to play, while simultaneously revealing little bits and pieces about her role in everything as well. Rowan, as a love interest, was wonderfully mysterious, though some of his mystery led to their relationship not feeling quite as well developed as I would have liked. I would gladly have read a longer book to feel completely assured of Leta and Rowan’s relationship. It’s pretty decent as is, I just wanted even more.
Towards the end, all is revealed and I really loved the direction it took. There was a lot going on and it all seemed to unfold fairly quickly, but I enjoyed the way it all worked out.
