Release Date: September 28th, 2021

Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy, Gothic, Horror

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Pages: 384

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you to Fierce Reads and Netgalley for providing me with a finished copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis

Lakesedge follows Violeta Graceling, who expects to find monsters upon her arrival at the haunted Lakesedge Estate. She knows about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his family as a young boy. As Leta falls for Rowan, she learns he is bound to the Lord Under, a death god that resides in the black waters of the lake. After being drawn to the Lord Under, and learning of her connection to him, Leta must confront the darkness of her past to save Rowan – and herself.

Review

I always love reading gothic novels, so when I saw this debut ya novel releasing, I knew I had to read it. Like many gothic novels, Lakesedge has the perfect setup. It’s creepy, cool, and unsettling, and one that will hook lovers of gothic novels like myself.

The story behind this book is very intriguing as well. The character backstories in this book leave for a lot of mystery and intrigue, allowing the story to develop and twist and turn as it progresses. Plus, these revelations were made in such a way that they added so much to the unease that books like Lakesedge deliver on.

Despite the differences in pacing structure being a core characteristic of gothic novels, I don’t always enjoy how the stories are paced. However, I can say that I really liked how the pacing was handled Lakesedge. In addition to the buildup of the setting, there’s also so much anticipation for what will be uncovered at the lakes-edge estate that the first half of this took is paced just right.

Despite the character backstories contributing so much to the intrigue of this book, I do wish that there was more character development in some areas. At some points in this book, I feel like there was more room to feel for the characters had they been developed more. I think that a little more room to develop the character’s emotions as well really would have added to the feelings that this story evokes

Overall, Lakesedge was a well-written debut with a gorgeously haunting setting and I look forward to the next installment. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy gothic novels or are looking for a book with the perfect atmosphere for the fall season.

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