Forestfall (World at the Lake's Edge Duology, #2)

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Forestfall (World at the Lake's Edge Duology, #2)

Author(s)

Lyndall Clipstone

Publisher

Henry Holt & Co. (BYR)

Genre(s)

Fantasy

Age Range

14+

Release Date

September 27, 2022

ISBN

978-1250753410

Buy This Book

At the lake's edge, I made my promise. In the forest, I will fall.

The curse that haunted Lakesedge Estate has been broken, but at great cost. Violeta Graceling has sacrificed herself to end the Corruption.

To escape death, Leta makes a desperate bargain with the Lord Under, one that sees her living at his side in the land of the dead. And though he claims to have given her all he promised, Leta knows this world of souls and mists hides many secrets.

When she discovers she is still bound to Rowan, Leta goes to drastic lengths to reforge their connection. But her search for answers, and a path back home, will see her drawn into even more dangerous bargains, and struggling to resist the allure of a new, dark, power in Forestfall by Lyndall Clipstone.

Editor review

1 review

end of a fantasy duology

September 28, 2022

Overall rating

3.3

Plot

3.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

FORESTFALL was an intriguing continuation of LAKESEDGE that takes the reader to the afterlife. Picking up after the first left off, the book is told from dual perspectives of Rowan and Violeta (Leta). Leta has been taken by the Lord Under into his realm, where she is alive but not quite living. Her sacrifices have left her feeling bereft, but the magic she had done keeps her tethered to Rowan in the living world.

As she learns the rules of her new life, she begins to understand the ways of the gods and their cruelty. Focused on returning to the world she knows, Leta will do whatever she has to in order to get back to Rowan. On the other side, Rowan is willing to do anything to bring Leta back, and he turns to magic, even as the darkness threatens to consume him.

What I loved: This second book wraps up the duology well. There are several twists and turns that help to bring the threads together and lead to the end. The dual perspectives were helpful, as it was intriguing to see what was happening in both realms. The mythology remains really interesting in this sequel, with the Lord Under and his realm coming to life even more as well as the Lady. There were themes around truth, trust, balance, and betrayal that were thought-provoking throughout.

What left me wanting more: The characters felt very single-minded. It was tougher to connect with this story than the first, and there was something strange happening with the Lord Under that was difficult to fully buy into. It would have been intriguing to have his perspective here and there as well to understand both sides of that. The story felt a bit windy in the underworld with Leta's path to possibly get back to the living world, so it was not as immersive as the first with a bit of a meandering journey.

Final verdict: Overall, FORESTFALL completes the LAKESEDGE duology with a reasonably satisfying end.