Maybe closer to a 3.5? I really enjoyed this! I read most of it in one sitting. Monster love interest really is one of my absolute favourite tropes and it is done so fabulously here, Rowan was one of my favourite parts of this book. He wears so many EARRINGS and is BISEXUAL. There’s also creepy lake magic and dark death gods who whisper in your ear yes please sir I will take that.

I do think it lacked a little substance though. At first I thought maybe it’s because I’ve read a lot of gothic adult books recently and so obviously a YA book is going to feel less dark/gory/horrific/intense compared to those. But the more I read, the more I felt there was something more genuinely missing, unrelated to the adult/YA divide. Despite that, I did thoroughly enjoy this book, bisexual monster boyfriends for the win, but it was quite an easy read and lacked a little depth for me.

Content warnings: self harm, child abuse, blood, sex, violence, some really gross vomit scenes, death of parent

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Emotional abuse, physical abuse, body horror, gore, blood (description of wounds and injuries), discussions of grief and death, descriptions of drowning and deep water, drowning imagery, self harming (for a curse that requires regular physical sacrifices) and suicide ideation

I have been waiting to read Lakesedge for a very long time. Ever since I heard the words: YA gothic romance, Crimson Peak like and main character falls in love with the monster I wanted–no– needed this book in my hands. When I received a review copy I was more than ecstatic especially since it was one of my most anticipated reads of September and of 2021.

And I was so upset when it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

My topsy-turvy relationship with this book started at the beginning with the writing style. I can't quite articulate my reading experience but it looked something like this: low, peak and then low again. For me, it was hard to navigate the world having been thrown into a very intense scene at the very start. Eventually, I did find my feet again and suddenly I was enjoying the book with its lush descriptions, world building and the general ambience that Lyndall has created. I loved reading about the haunting allure of Lakesedge and I wanted nothing more than to uncover the secrets of the corruption and discover the identity of the Lord Under.

But it was as those answers were being answered that my feelings towards this book took a sour turn.

When reading a book, I, and I'm sure a lot of readers would agree with me here, like when a plot progresses and a plot is ultimately resolved. Yes, our plot was resolved however, it seemed to take quite a while to get there. The plot felt very repetitive with many scenes depicting the same tithe giving ritual that Rowan and sometimes Leta and Arien had to endure. I simply wanted the book to progress however, for a majority of the time, it felt like it circled over and over, stalling for the eventual ending. It was when that started occurring that I felt myself slowly and slowly becoming less invested in the novel.

I could have overlooked the circular nature of the plot if I liked the world building and the characters. Yes, the world-building was there and I thought it was the strongest element of the book. In fact, the world building and ambience was done to such a high calibre that I felt as though I was living in the Lakesedge world. The experience of reading this book felt wholly immersive. However, world-building comes second to characters for me.

Characters are the biggest element I focus on as a reader and as a reviewer. It doesn't matter to me if a character is likeable but I must have a feel for them. I need to understand their emotions, I need to understand why they do the things they do, I need to see their character development and how they overcome obstacles to become a better person and to learn from their mistakes. I have read many books that have done this well and many books that have not. What makes great characterisation for me is when we can truly get a sense of who the character is and we can see their flaws, vulnerabilities, their strengths and their weaknesses as well as their personalities and the things they like to do aside from saving the world.

It was because I couldn't see those elements that I started to really dislike Leta's character in Lakesedge. At the start of the novel and towards the middle I didn't mind her, I thought she was protective, stubborn and just trying to do the best she could to provide for herself and for Arien. Towards the end however, and during the time when I started to find events repeating themselves, I found Leta to be questionable in her decision making. She seemed to made careless mistake after careless mistake without ever truly growing from it. I wanted to see her make mistakes, yes, however, I wanted to see her learn from them and she seemingly didn't. I wanted her to question the Lord Under especially after her first dealings with him and how it didn't exactly go to plan. A reasonable solution would have been to question him again and again, making sure no clause was to be left untouched and ensuring that there was nothing in the agreement that could've been twisted to the detriment of the person agreeing to do the deal. Leta made many assumptions. Assumptions however, are not facts. I wanted her to question every single thing she was agreeing to and really think about things before making abrupt and on the spot decisions without considering the consequences of her actions.

I honestly believe if we cut out Leta altogether from Lakesedge, I would have enjoyed the book 100% more. I'm thanking Rowan Sylvanan for that. I like to think of him as Kylo Ren/Ben Solo but with a curse and a mansion. I loved reading about him and his friends, Florence and Clover and how they all interacted with Leta and Arien. The side characters made the book for me and they all had personalities and great characterisation that I enjoyed reading about more than Leta's.

All in all, I didn't mind the book. Maybe it wasn't for me but I did recommend it to some other people who I think would enjoy this book a whole lot more than I did. I definitely think there's room for improvement though and I can't wait to see what would happen in Forestfall

ACTUAL RATING: 2.7 STARS