Review – Lakesedge (World at the Lake’s Edge, Book 1) by Lyndall Clipstone (3.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Length: 378 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: September 28, 2021
ASIN: B0966CF6JH
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the World at the Lake’s Edge Duology
Source: Borrowed ebook from Library
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
“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.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the World at Lake’s Edge duology. I borrowed this book as an ebook from the library.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this but didn’t love it. This is one of those very dramatic dark gothic types of reads. The premise is that Violeta Graceling is desperately trying to protect her brother, Arien, from the shadows that haunt him. This is when Rowan shows up and demands that Arien accompany Rowan to Rowan’s estate. The rumors surrounding Rowan are dark and vicious but Violeta and Arien have no other options as the villagers start to turn against Arien and his dark shadows.
I did like the imagery here and the dark gothic tone to it all. Unfortunately, the book felt a bit unfinished as well. The world isn’t built out very well. We know there are alchemists and possibly other types of magic? However, the story is very secluded to Rowan’s estate and this makes the world feel small and underdeveloped.
The characters are okay. Violeta (Leta) and Rowan are both a bit overly dramatic for me. I kind of dig Rowan’s dark, wounded, savior vibes but he is just sooo stereotypical for this type of story. I also got a bit sick of Leta’s savior complex; she was constantly putting herself in crazy dangerous situations to help those she loved and it was just so repetitive that it made her character feel a bit flat.
The writing style is very lush and descriptive but also felt a bit immature to me. The story could have been tighter, the plot more complete. This also ends at a very big cliffhanger which I am not a fan of. I did enjoy the alchemical magic and the Lord Under though.
My Summary (3.5/5): Overall this book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the tone, the gothic darkness, and the alchemical magic here. Leta and Rowan’s relationship is about as darkly gothic wounded feeling as they come. However, the world building was thin, the characters lacked dimension and everything about this felt a bit unfinished and overly dramatic. I am on the fence about whether or not I will read the next book in the series.
