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thereadedit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
At first I didn't even know where to even begin with this book. I'm usually not one to reread a synopsis after I have chosen a book and put it on my TBR. This one I did when I purchased it a few months ago.
When I was looking for a book to start a few days ago I looked at the cover and thought 🤔 Oh This looks interesting. Gothic vibes, In A Castle Of Sorts, and add in a mysterious man. It hit all of those things for me. It is a slow burn for what I felt was the first 70% of the book, if not longer. I felt like it could have picked up a bit more to keep the reader a bit more engaged.
But alas, I kept reading because I needed to know what the heck I had already gotten myself into and what would unfold.
This was a much deeper read than what I was expecting. I expected there to be some death 💀, usually there is when it comes to a sorrowful gothic book. But this took you to a whole new level. LITERALLY.
With how this ends it almost requires you to read the second book so that you can see how the first really ends. I honestly don't know that I want to take that much time to really care to see how it ends or even continues.
When I was looking for a book to start a few days ago I looked at the cover and thought 🤔 Oh This looks interesting. Gothic vibes, In A Castle Of Sorts, and add in a mysterious man. It hit all of those things for me. It is a slow burn for what I felt was the first 70% of the book, if not longer. I felt like it could have picked up a bit more to keep the reader a bit more engaged.
But alas, I kept reading because I needed to know what the heck I had already gotten myself into and what would unfold.
This was a much deeper read than what I was expecting. I expected there to be some death 💀, usually there is when it comes to a sorrowful gothic book. But this took you to a whole new level. LITERALLY.
With how this ends it almost requires you to read the second book so that you can see how the first really ends. I honestly don't know that I want to take that much time to really care to see how it ends or even continues.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
_haggis_'s review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Self harm
siglerbooknook's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I honestly don't know how to review this book. Even at the end I was still confused, like I was missing some important part of the story.
Lakesedge felt like a scrapbook dedicated to Hades and Persephone, Alice in Wonderland, love triangles, and quippy one liners, but the person making the scrapbook was high.
I enjoyed the little details of the book and there is nothing inherently wrong with the writing style, but somehow it still felt incomplete and discombobulated. The romance was sweet but came at the most unexpected moments. Same with the quippy dialogue: it made me smile, but came after such intense scenes that it gave me whiplash.
The premise held so much promise and I definitely enjoyed the twists and turns of how we got to the end, but I feel like I still don't understand anything that happened or why.
Overall it was not a bad debut novel and I may read it again to see what I missed before attempting book two.
Lakesedge felt like a scrapbook dedicated to Hades and Persephone, Alice in Wonderland, love triangles, and quippy one liners, but the person making the scrapbook was high.
I enjoyed the little details of the book and there is nothing inherently wrong with the writing style, but somehow it still felt incomplete and discombobulated. The romance was sweet but came at the most unexpected moments. Same with the quippy dialogue: it made me smile, but came after such intense scenes that it gave me whiplash.
The premise held so much promise and I definitely enjoyed the twists and turns of how we got to the end, but I feel like I still don't understand anything that happened or why.
Overall it was not a bad debut novel and I may read it again to see what I missed before attempting book two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Self harm
Moderate: Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Toxic relationship, Vomit, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt
bluebell499's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicide attempt
maeverose's review against another edition
Idk why I thought I might like this. I’ve already established I hate YA fantasy.
TL;DR: Typical ya fantasy female mc, irritating love interest that has tension with her way too early, vague magic system
Violeta: She’s the exact same as so many other ya fantasy mcs I’ve read. Dumb (why was she convinced shadows that leave a physical mark on Arien’s skin were dreams? What??), rushing into trouble when she clearly knows less about what’s going on than the other characters, no personality other than ‘must protect brother’ and ‘I hate this mysterious scary evil man except I’m blushing at what he just said/did for some reason’. And why did she call her brother ‘my love’??? Ew
Lord Sylvanan/Rowan: Him being called ‘the monster’ over and over felt dumb to me. Like you’re trying to convince me he’s evil and scary and it’s not working. I just found him annoying. Also, I’m disfigured, and him being scarred felt like an attempt to make him seem ‘scarier/more evil’, which is an overdone, offensive and harmful trope. To be fair, I don’t remember the actual scar being described in a negative way, it’s more just the combination of ‘man whose supposedly done terrible things, is constantly referred to as ‘the monster’ and is generally just an asshole’ + the scarring, that feels questionable to me. Even if he’s redeemed or they explain why he’s scarred, that doesn’t justify it.
Violeta: She’s the exact same as so many other ya fantasy mcs I’ve read. Dumb (why was she convinced shadows that leave a physical mark on Arien’s skin were dreams? What??), rushing into trouble when she clearly knows less about what’s going on than the other characters, no personality other than ‘must protect brother’ and ‘I hate this mysterious scary evil man except I’m blushing at what he just said/did for some reason’. And why did she call her brother ‘my love’??? Ew
Lord Sylvanan/Rowan: Him being called ‘the monster’ over and over felt dumb to me. Like you’re trying to convince me he’s evil and scary and it’s not working. I just found him annoying. Also, I’m disfigured, and him being scarred felt like an attempt to make him seem ‘scarier/more evil’, which is an overdone, offensive and harmful trope. To be fair, I don’t remember the actual scar being described in a negative way, it’s more just the combination of ‘man whose supposedly done terrible things, is constantly referred to as ‘the monster’ and is generally just an asshole’ + the scarring, that feels questionable to me. Even if he’s redeemed or they explain why he’s scarred, that doesn’t justify it.
Storytelling: Why didn’t anyone explain to Violeta what they needed Arien for? Was there any reason for keeping that from her? Or was it just so that there’d be some mystery for the reader? Because it felt like an excuse for Violeta to interfere and be stupid, which I’m not exactly sure why that need to happen anyway.
Magic: It was very vague and didn’t feel well thought out. Maybe if I’d read further it would’ve been more fleshed out, but it just felt flimsy. Especially in chapter six, I think if you’re gonna have a high stakes scene like that the reader should probably know what the hell is going on. It just doesn’t have the same impact if I’m stuck on trying to picture what’s even happening. (It also didn’t help that I didn’t care about any of the characters).
I’ll end this very negative review on a positive note with a quote that I liked:
“Most of the windows are closed, and a thick tangle of ivy winds between the wooden shutters.
I’ll end this very negative review on a positive note with a quote that I liked:
“Most of the windows are closed, and a thick tangle of ivy winds between the wooden shutters.
The front door is carved with a raised pattern. I trace my fingers across it, over vines and leaves so delicate they could have been embroidered against the wood. The iron handle is carved, too.
An enormous ring shaped like a wreath, furled with leaves and bellflowers. When I put my hand against it, the cold press of iron makes me shiver.
But slowly, it begins to warm beneath my palm.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Self harm, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism
inborinth's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
❝𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭?❞
Pesadillas que traspasan la realidad, recuerdos de magia y familiaridad, asesinatos y mansiones, creencias y oscuridad. Violeta está rodeada de aquellos rituales. Convive con la única familia que le queda, aunque algo perverso los aceche. Una magia tan sólida como la mismísima sangre atrapa sus sueños más profundos, pero, ¿son realmente sueños o una trampa? Caer en terror es lo único que conocen, encerrados en un hogar agonizante, alguien logra intervenir todo el dolor que han sufrido.
Lakesedge es un libro de culpa y perdón. De enfrentar verdades y recuerdos, miedos y criaturas horroríficas. Es una historia que reconoce la soledad, invertida en dos mundos tan catastróficamente parecidos. El sacrificio que los personajes deben enfrentar se torna aún más crudo, donde comienzan a hilarse la magia y el poder de algo mucho más temible que la verdad. Un ser que podría acabar con la luz del mundo, un ser que intercambia su oscuridad por lo que uno esté dispuesto a entregar. Pactos de sangre, podredumbre que acecha un hogar aniquilado de felicidad. Cada aspecto de esta historia es un rito de salvación.
Este libro tiene una prosa bellísima, cálida y mundana. El estilo gótico se cierne en cada capítulo y va creciendo a medida que la historia avanza, crece como una raíz. Es difícil abarcar cada parte del libro, pero admito que hubo aspectos del mismo que no lograron convencerme como esperaba. El intercambio romántico de los personajes, a pesar de haberlo disfrutado, lo sentí hueco. Lo presencié como algo brusco, rápido y hasta un tanto vacío. Tienen sus momentos de unión inquebrantable, pero tengo mis dudas al respecto. Tendré que enfrentar su continuación para formar una opinión más sólida en cuanto a su romance.
Pesadillas que traspasan la realidad, recuerdos de magia y familiaridad, asesinatos y mansiones, creencias y oscuridad. Violeta está rodeada de aquellos rituales. Convive con la única familia que le queda, aunque algo perverso los aceche. Una magia tan sólida como la mismísima sangre atrapa sus sueños más profundos, pero, ¿son realmente sueños o una trampa? Caer en terror es lo único que conocen, encerrados en un hogar agonizante, alguien logra intervenir todo el dolor que han sufrido.
Lakesedge es un libro de culpa y perdón. De enfrentar verdades y recuerdos, miedos y criaturas horroríficas. Es una historia que reconoce la soledad, invertida en dos mundos tan catastróficamente parecidos. El sacrificio que los personajes deben enfrentar se torna aún más crudo, donde comienzan a hilarse la magia y el poder de algo mucho más temible que la verdad. Un ser que podría acabar con la luz del mundo, un ser que intercambia su oscuridad por lo que uno esté dispuesto a entregar. Pactos de sangre, podredumbre que acecha un hogar aniquilado de felicidad. Cada aspecto de esta historia es un rito de salvación.
Este libro tiene una prosa bellísima, cálida y mundana. El estilo gótico se cierne en cada capítulo y va creciendo a medida que la historia avanza, crece como una raíz. Es difícil abarcar cada parte del libro, pero admito que hubo aspectos del mismo que no lograron convencerme como esperaba. El intercambio romántico de los personajes, a pesar de haberlo disfrutado, lo sentí hueco. Lo presencié como algo brusco, rápido y hasta un tanto vacío. Tienen sus momentos de unión inquebrantable, pero tengo mis dudas al respecto. Tendré que enfrentar su continuación para formar una opinión más sólida en cuanto a su romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
trippalli's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
First positively the author has a beautiful way of describing rooms, places, clothes, details with adjectives and so the world building is effective and stunning. Unfortunately that's about where it ends. The last survivor/resurrected of the drown family is constantly cutting themselves to do blood magic. The premise is they are trying to undo the corruption on the land caused by the tragedies and causing the tragedies This corruption had killed all the plants and blackened the water of the lake.
The other characters introduced who are trying to help with their magic are failing and also start self cutting to pull power which seems both dark, repeatative and unhelpful. The narrator makes a deal with the dark underlord and gives up her family... The love triangle between the undrowned traffic love survivor and the dark underlord both seem like abusive relationships full of gaslighting, darn deals and unfortunately violent power dynamics.. Giving up positive things in their lives to try to save this cursed land.
It all became redundant, dark and pointless. There's really no plot, the relationships aren't founded in love but more power dynamics, pity, and tragedy. I skimmed through entire book speed reading after the first half trying to see if it would evolve and a plot would evolve. Nothing evolved.
Sadly I can't recommend this, as despite the promising descriptive language and world building, the characters relationships are very triggering for me as an abuse survivor, and the self cutting is horrific, knowing people who suffered with cutting in real life this is not ok to weave into a young adult book as a source of magic. It's not cutting is just tragic self harm.
The other characters introduced who are trying to help with their magic are failing and also start self cutting to pull power which seems both dark, repeatative and unhelpful. The narrator makes a deal with the dark underlord and gives up her family... The love triangle between the undrowned traffic love survivor and the dark underlord both seem like abusive relationships full of gaslighting, darn deals and unfortunately violent power dynamics.. Giving up positive things in their lives to try to save this cursed land.
It all became redundant, dark and pointless. There's really no plot, the relationships aren't founded in love but more power dynamics, pity, and tragedy. I skimmed through entire book speed reading after the first half trying to see if it would evolve and a plot would evolve. Nothing evolved.
Sadly I can't recommend this, as despite the promising descriptive language and world building, the characters relationships are very triggering for me as an abuse survivor, and the self cutting is horrific, knowing people who suffered with cutting in real life this is not ok to weave into a young adult book as a source of magic. It's not cutting is just tragic self harm.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
wildflowerleahg's review against another edition
3.25
If you want some fun gothic horror, this is a fun ride. I, still debating on my rating of this. Rowan and his story is deeply haunted and well crafted. Besides him, I felt I hard to connect with anyone else. I found Letta quite unlikable throughout most of the story and we are supposed to be in her head.
The chemistry… wow… just wow
And this is YA 🤭
I wanted more ghosts and crimson peak and I was left with lots of 19th medical practices. There was no trigger warning for blood and cutting, should have been been in the forward (In my opinion).🫠
The chemistry… wow… just wow
And this is YA 🤭
I wanted more ghosts and crimson peak and I was left with lots of 19th medical practices. There was no trigger warning for blood and cutting, should have been been in the forward (In my opinion).🫠
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Blood, and Death of parent
jwhitlow91's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Vomit, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual content and Suicide attempt
elwan_enchanted's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Self harm, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury