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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
bryonyindecisivereader's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It took me a while to get into this one, I don’t think I really got into it until at least 40% of the way through.
I think a lot of the story hinges on how much the main character loves and cares for her younger brother, but I didn’t really get a chance to care for him. I don’t think he was actually in the story much. There’s much more a focus on the love interest and he’s a bit… meh. I also didn’t really care for him.
Weirdly, I think the audiobook narrator made me really anxious (I was listening on 1.5 speed which is normal for me, but I did have to slow it down for this book) because she seemed to always be talking really frantically. It meant I’d rarely want to pick it up because I usually listen to audiobooks when I want to relax or turn my brain off - and this didn’t help.
After the 40(ish)% mark, I did find the story a bit more interesting. I always find folktales being real an interesting premise, and I liked how the fantastical seemed to creep into the real world in this.
I thought this was a standalone so was a bit surprised when the end didn’t tie everything off nicely. I might check out the sequel… but I may well not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
the_books_music_life's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
(So, I do have a question but it is spoilerly and at the very end, so if someone could answer that would be great.)
I LOVE the brief bsexual rep we got with Rowan. I feel like I don’t see bisexual rep in the books I read. Maybe I’m just reading the wrong books, who knows; but I was very happy to see it.
The love the setting, the atmosphere was stunning and the way it was described I could imagine it so easily. The characters are another thing I like, although, I did have my issues with somethings. I love Rowan and Leta’s relationship, It did develop a little fast but that’s to be expected in a duology. The slight slow-burn of it was enjoyable to read. Rowan as a character is something I really loved, he’s complex and allows/lets the world and people see him the way they want to, but when we get to learn more about Rowan and his past you ca understand why he is the way he is. I also love the sibling dynamic between Arien and Leta, it was so sweet and you can tell how much they mean to each other.
I feel iffy on the price Leta had to pay, it felt like too much and not enough at the same time. Maybe that was just me.
Now I do have slight issues with pacing, it felt both rushed and too slow. Leta fell into many of the cliches with older YA of always having to do it yourself and alone. I felt like certain scenes were trying to be more dramatic than they actually were and it threw me off a few times. But the last chapter was so dramatic it had me rolling my eyes a few times; don’t get me wrong I love drama, but when it’s done right. Some of the word choices the author used were a little bit cringe worthy with how dramatic they were.
But, overall I did really enjoy this book, the writing was good, I enjoyed the characters, the different types of relationships etc.
Was it explained why Leta would see, summon, and go to the World Below? Did I miss that explanation? Could someone explain it to me?
I LOVE the brief bsexual rep we got with Rowan. I feel like I don’t see bisexual rep in the books I read. Maybe I’m just reading the wrong books, who knows; but I was very happy to see it.
The love the setting, the atmosphere was stunning and the way it was described I could imagine it so easily. The characters are another thing I like, although, I did have my issues with somethings. I love Rowan and Leta’s relationship, It did develop a little fast but that’s to be expected in a duology. The slight slow-burn of it was enjoyable to read. Rowan as a character is something I really loved, he’s complex and allows/lets the world and people see him the way they want to, but when we get to learn more about Rowan and his past you ca understand why he is the way he is. I also love the sibling dynamic between Arien and Leta, it was so sweet and you can tell how much they mean to each other.
I feel iffy on the price Leta had to pay, it felt like too much and not enough at the same time. Maybe that was just me.
Now I do have slight issues with pacing, it felt both rushed and too slow. Leta fell into many of the cliches with older YA of always having to do it yourself and alone. I felt like certain scenes were trying to be more dramatic than they actually were and it threw me off a few times. But the last chapter was so dramatic it had me rolling my eyes a few times; don’t get me wrong I love drama, but when it’s done right. Some of the word choices the author used were a little bit cringe worthy with how dramatic they were.
But, overall I did really enjoy this book, the writing was good, I enjoyed the characters, the different types of relationships etc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide attempt
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
czoltak's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Self harm, Blood, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
fionamatilda's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
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
joann3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood