Forestfall by Lyndall Clipstone

Forestfall is the second novel in Lyndall Clipstone’s World at the Lake’s Edge duology. The story once again revolves around Leta and Rowan and the forces that both draw them together and force them apart. At the end Clipstone’s first book, Lakesedge, Leta has sacrificed herself to the Lord Under, a mysterious being who lives in a realm of mist and darkness, to save both Rowan and her beloved brother, Arien. She is now living uneasily alongside the Lord Under while those she left behind try to come to terms with her disappearance. That is until, one night, Leta and Rowan discover that they still have a connection to each other that spans worlds. Leta is determined to find a way home and Rowan will stop at nothing to get her back.

Clipstone is a former librarian turned author from the Barossa Ranges in South Australia. Forestfall is her second novel and her confidence as a writer is growing. The novel provides a satisfactory ending, with plenty of mystery, conflict and romance experienced along the way. Like it’s predecessor, Forestfall does at times take gothic tropes and angsty teenage romance to an extreme. However, this is a haunting story set in an evocative world, and will no doubt satisfy readers.

Themes: Fantasy, Romance, Family, Magic, Monsters, Gothic fiction.

Rose Tabeni