scijessreads

Seriously, I am in my gothic horror book phase and loving it. Give me all the dark and creeping and ominous stories. The mix of unease and obsession that threads through so many of them is intoxicating.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone is a lush, gothic tale shrouded in salt air and the sea. It is a tender and aching story of a young girl that wants to leave her home to be something more. A girl that experiences more heartbreak than one would think the bear, but manages to still believe in love. It is a story of what people will sacrifice for their family, even if that sacrifice involves their family.

Lacrimosa Arriscane (Lark) has returned home to her cottage and her salt farming brothers, cast out from the city and the school she had been attending under humiliating circumstances. Once back home, she runs into Alistair Felimath, her childhood friend and first love that broke her heart years before. Her brother owe a huge debt the the Felimath family, which Lark ends up taking on. By agreeing to marry Therion, a god of the sea.

Unfortunately, their wedding is interrupted, and what results is a desperate attempt to figure out how to save both Lark and Therion before they fade away. To do this, Lark has to turn to Alistair and his sister, and they all have to face the years of secrets and torment that have always haunted their homes. You can feel the aching, fragile love between Lark and Alistair. You can see a new relationship bloom between Lark and Camille (Alistair’s sister). You can see Lark learn of her past, and find the strength to move forward and still hold forgiveness in her heart.

The setting is lush and moody, and the story beats crash over you in waves. The sea is as much a character as everyone else, and you can feel it. You can feel the salt air and the pervasive sense of being lost to the depths, where only love can give you anchor so you don’t lose sight of the shore. This is very much in the mood of A Study in Drowning, or even Divine Rivals, in terms of settings and sacrifices and gods. I loved all of it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own. Publication date is July 1st, 2025.