Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone

This book has elements of The Six Swans, Hades x Persephone, and The Secret History, which a dash of co-dependent queer relationships and culty chthonic hijinks. The writing itself feels very 2000s fantasy, reminiscent of authors like Sherwood Smith, Maria V. Snyder, Patricia McKillip, and Juliet Marillier, so even though it's a recent work, something about it feels very wistful and nostalgic, kind of like a Hayao Miyazaki movie or an old-fashioned British boarding school.

I don't want to say too much since this book is not out yet, but the heroine, Lark, comes from a poor salt-mining family and after witnessing a ritual that she shouldn't, she ends up bargaining herself as a bride to the local swan god of the underworld. We also learn that she's been booted from her boarding school for reasons that aren't quite clear, and for also unclear reasons, she's at odds with the two beautiful rich children that her family is semi-indentured to even though they used to be childhood friends.

TENDERLY, I AM DEVOURED is a short gothic masterpiece that manages to accomplish a lot of story and depth of feeling in a limited page time. It never fully went where I expected it to go, and usually that was a good thing. There were a few characters I personally felt needed to be stabbed who were not stabbed, but hey, you win some, you lose some. At the very least, this book lived up to his coming-of-age promises and obsessive throuple.

Cut to me chasing down everything this author has written because I love the vibe.

Thanks to the author/publisher for sending me a copy! 

4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars