Tenderly, I am devoured by Lyndall Clipstone

This Gothic romantasy is centred on 18 year old Lark, betrothed to a chthonic god, in order to save her family from penury. The god Therion has the power to restore the depleted salt mines on which Lark’s family are dependent to pay a debt, but his price is for Lark to spend six months each year as his wife. It is a price she is prepared to pay, but when the ceremony is disrupted, she finds herself repeatedly ensnared in swirling seas between this world and another.

The story alternates between two time frames, the present and the past, and it is only gradually revealed how it is that she has been expelled from a prestigious school, all her future aspirations in shreds. Clipstone’s writing is at its best as she describes the heartbreaking betrayal of early friendships, firstly with her childhood playmate Alistair, and then later the callous treatment by her closest school friend Damson. Feelings of hurt and loss makes it easier for Lark to consider self-sacrifice to the god.

Clipstone’s writing is emotive, and the reader is swept along in the early chapters piecing together the events of the past. Readers of fantasy will revel in this world of gods, potions, sea caves and altars, with threads of romance entwining Lark with both male and female loves. However, the pace falters as the novel progresses and the action becomes confused, with new characters introduced to extend the plot in unexpected ways. For this reader, some of the power of the initial writing is lost. Perhaps others will find their interest sustained by the twisting strands of romance, friendship so readily leaping to passionate relationships.

Although quite separate from Clipstone’s popular World at the Lake’s Edge duology, this latest book shares many themes, particularly the sustaining love between siblings, the vulnerable heroine, damaged hero, fighting against evil, and of course the haunted settings, so fans of the genre will probably find much to enjoy in this book also.

Themes: Fantasy, Romance, Gods, Sacrifice, Dark magic, Polyamory.

Helen Eddy