Tenderly, I Am Devoured by 
With such a stunningly gorgeous cover and a heartfelt title, I was so excited to begin Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone. This was such a beautiful and atmospheric story of love and devotion. Though there were some pacing issues, the writing was lush, painting these wild and sublime landscapes that are characters in and of themselves. Vibes and aesthetics are really what propels the story with plot and character development coming along for the ride.
Though the story is mostly told in the “now,” there are parts that flashback to Lark’s past – both with the Felimath siblings as well as her time at boarding school. I loved see these bits of the past which reveal the decisions that ultimately led to everything falling apart. This didn’t detract from pacing or story and was told in a very cohesive manner. Something that did feel a bit discordant was a scene at the very beginning between Lark and Camille. We hear that Camille has been gone for years at a boarding school, then university, since before even Lark went away. And yet, she returns and immediately there’s this spark and connection. It felt more organic with Alastair whom we got more glimpses of in Lark’s youth, than Camille who was barely there in the flashbacks. I suppose this book was seeing the foundation being built with Camille as who they are now versus witnessing the crumbling foundations of Lark and Alastair from youth.
Where some books are plot driven, and others are character driven, this honestly felt aesthetic driven. There are these large beautiful and wild backgrounds the characters find themselves in and the way it is described is so incredibly lavish and dreamy. This would make an amazing movie to watch. As a book, it’s a bit more difficult. You have to go into this knowing the story and characters will not be as deeply developed or expanded on as the world. Characters are in love because they are in love. Characters are mean because they’re mean. It’s just a given and we’re to accept it and continue forward. As long as you’re okay with that, I think you’ll really enjoy this!
Despite having some slightly racy scenes, Tenderly I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone definitely feels like a YA book that older readers may not be able to fully immerse themselves in. However, if you’re looking for something that reads pretty with fun worldbuilding that doesn’t get too deep, this should be enjoyable!