Reviewed by Audrey, Cerdon College, Merrylands

Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone is a gothic dark fantasy novel with horror and romance coexisting together in a seamless storyline and plot. This novel includes monster boys, super old gardens that no one knows about, gods of darkness and death that speak to you at night, squeal-worthy almost kisses (at midnight too, for the aesthetic) and more. This book had me hooked by the end of the first chapter and intrigued as I kept reading. It’s a fun read overall and I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

A defining aspect of this story would be the relationships all the characters have with each other; especially the main character, Violeta, and her relationships with her love interest Rowan and her little brother Arien (the banter between her and Rowan is just adorable and almost makes you forget about the horror). The writing of this novel mixes romance and horror perfectly and I never wanted the story to end (especially with that cliffhanger!). 

I do wish however, that there was more world-building in the story. The world in this novel is very interesting so I hope in the next book there’s more background description and explanations. The writing and the plot make up for this though!!

Overall, I give this book 4.5/5 stars!! It has great writing lush with gothic fantasy elements and an amazing storyline. I can’t wait for the next book!!