Thank you to Macmillan for the ARC of Forestfall to review!

Okay before I get into the review here is a little shortened version of it all.
• Love triangle but exciting and fresh? Check.
• Coming into power but also in like a corruption kind of way? Check.
• Red thread of fate trope? Check.
• Monsters? Check.
• Kissing those monsters? CHECK.
I loved this book. I have been in a bit of a slump but I read through this almost 400-page book like it was nothing. It was captivating. I was trying to figure out what the Lord Under’s tactics were. And hoping that Leta and Rowan would find each other.
And even torn apart there is romance and so many kissing scenes that it does not feel like a slog to get through for the reuniting that other books suffer from.
Leta also becomes so much more powerful and becomes more self-agented which I loved. She’s confused but will do what she wants – even if they aren’t the smartest of choices.
I also love how the love triangle was fully established and how it ended! I won’t say much but it was quite unique. And speaking of the ending, unlike a few YA books that just end once the conflict is done and will do an epilogue maybe, Lyndall Clipstone gives us two chapters of what happens after. How they are still dealing, how the world is doing, and how our characters and Leta and Rowan are doing in a new and average daily life.
AND if you’re looking for a YA book with some YA spice then this book delivers. Especially that chapter. All I can say there’s a throne and I think BookTok would go crazy for it. And if I don’t see any art of this scene (more so the SFW part of this scene) I am going to riot or even just commission it. Because oh my god.
I do rate this a 5/5 stars. Is it the most perfect book? No, I was a little confused at the beginning with some of the magic because I was only a quarter through my readthrough of Lakesedge. But it was a book that kept me hooked. One that I thought about at work. And it does have an almost perfect ending.
If I doing a more critical post I would round down to a 4.75 as it does have a trope that I don’t vibe with. It does make sense in the book but also I just wish it didn’t happen. I will elaborate on this and more once the book releases and once people have a chance to read it.
Either way, pick up this series! It’s short but not too short. It’s gothic and has a great romance. And Lyndall Clipstone’s writing is magical. It makes me wish I was made out of moth wings and smoke and ash.

Lyndall Clipstone wrote one of my favorite books of last year: Lakesedge. A stunning, atmospheric, gothic story about a townsgirl named Leta and the monster in the woods.

I was ecstatic when I was able to get an e-arc of Forestfall, my most anticipated sequel of THIS year. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the chance to read this.

Forestfall picks up where Lakesedge left off, with Leta dealing with the decision/sacrifice she made to save those she loves and Rowan's grief over losing her. We get two POVs throughout this book from Leta and Rowan. Our supporting cast grows and new monsters/Gods get introduced to us, which I really enjoyed.

Leta is adjusting to her new live in the World Under and her the new dynamic in her relationship with the Lord Under. I really enjoyed seeing her relationship with the Lord Under grow and their dynamic shift as she comes to understand her feelings for him and his power. She continues to be the tough, headstrong, independent character she has been throughout Lakesedge, but we also see her struggle with the decision she's made and the ones she makes in this book to get back to her home.

I know he's the villain, but I love the Lord Under. He's such an interesting character and his dynamic with Leta I found charming.

Clipstone's rich, lush, atmospheric writing continues through this book as I hoped it would. It was overall a strong sequel and I look foward to seeing what else she writes.