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Biography

Lyndall Clipstone is the author of haunting, ethereal (Hannah Whitten, NYT bestselling author of For the Wolf), bloodied but gorgeous (Victoria Mier, bookseller at The Spiral Bookcase) books, with prose that reads like a hypnotic incantation (Kirkus).

A former youth librarian who grew up running wild in the Barossa Ranges of South Australia, she currently lives in Adelaide, in a hundred-year-old cottage with her partner, two children, and a shy black cat.

Her debut novel, Lakesedge, was a Dymocks, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble bestseller, nominated for the 2021 Book Shimmy Awards, and selected as one of Better Reading’s 2022 top 50 kids’ books. Unholy Terrors was featured in Teen Vogue, and chosen as a Kids’ Indie Next Pick for Nov/Dec 2023.

Her works have been published in over four territories, including multiple translations.

Shorter biography

Lyndall Clipstone writes dark tales of flower-threaded horror. She is the critically acclaimed author of The World at the Lake’s Edge duology, Unholy Terrors, and the upcoming Tenderly, I am Devoured. She currently lives in Adelaide, Australia, in a hundred-year-old cottage with her partner, two children, and a shy black cat.

Accolades

Praise for Tenderly, I am Devoured

A folktale you’d find in the library of a gloomy seaside manor—haunting, ethereal, and lace-delicate - Hannah Whitten, NYT bestselling author of For The Wolf and The Hemlock Queen

Equal parts romantic and horrifying, Tenderly, I am Devoured shimmers with aching loveliness and the deepest yearnings. Clipstone’s world-building is so sumptuous, I’m ready to pack my bags for Verse! - Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Roots and Ruin

Rarely have I read a book with such delightful and sumptuously drawn imagery. This is a shimmering fever dream of a story, replete with lyrical prose and all the haunting, passionate trappings of the feminine Gothic novel. Clipstone’s characters ache with desperate yearning, and their journey toward hope and healing will sweep you away on a glittering tide. Decadent and transfixing - Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn

Tenderly, I am Devoured transported me to a gothic, dreamy, and sea-swept world that I didn’t want to leave. I was wholly enraptured by this story and the fascinating characters that populate it. This book is a dark delight and I can’t recommend it enough - Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching and An Academy for Liars

Softly haunting and darkly romantic, Tenderly, I am Devoured is addictive and gorgeously written, an ethereal tale of love, betrayal, and twisted devotion that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page - Meg Smitherman, bestselling author of Thrum

Deeply lyrical and brimming with romance, myth, and creeping horror, Tenderly, I am Devoured is a salt-drenched fever dream that lingers long after the pages stop turning - Logan Karlie, author of Dream by the Shadows

With her decadent, trademark prose, Clipstone has crafted a devotional love story between the ghosts of a girl's past and the gods of her most intimate prayers. Tenderly, I am Devoured is utterly bewitching and dizzyingly dreamlike - Isabel Agajanian, author of Modern Divination

With all the glitter of salt and the danger of a riptide, Clipstone has written her best yet in this tale crafted equally of beauty and horror. A captivating story of eldritch bargains, desperate desires, and secrets deep as the ocean itself, Tenderly, I Am Devoured will keep readers gripped until the very last page—and for six months more - Elle Tesch, author of What Wakes the Bells

Praise for Unholy Terrors

"A whirlwind journey, filled with heart-wrenching tension and sinister twists. This is the kind of dark romance you thirst for!" —Alexandra Christo, internationally bestselling author of To Kill A Kingdom

"Bloody and lovely at once, Unholy Terrors is a moody meditation on desire and duty, fate and free will, the bonds we are born to and the ones we choose for ourselves." —Erica Waters, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The River Has Teeth

"A stunning fantasy romance with claws—literally—that begs to be devoured, but is certainly worth savoring." —M.K. Lobb, internationally bestselling author of Seven Faceless Saints

"Lyndall Clipstone has woven a dark dream that ensnares all five senses. Fanged yet delicate, with its windswept moors, blood moons, and aching romance, Unholy Terrors is utterly spellbinding."—Rachel Gillig, NYT bestselling author of The Shepherd King duology

"As romantic as it is gruesome, this heart-stopping gothic fantasy explores what it truly means to be a monster."—Kelly Andrew, author of The Whispering Dark and Your Blood, My Bones

Praise for Lakesedge

"Brooding and atmospheric." —Kirkus

"A linguistically lush fantasy." —Publishers Weekly

“Bloody, sumptuous, and as timeless as a fairy tale.” —April Genevieve Tucholke, author of The Boneless Mercies

“Lakesedge is an intense tale of mystery and magic that will have lovers of gothic romance eager for the next installment.” —Juliet Marillier, author of the Blackthorn & Grim and Warrior Bards series

"A shadow-drenched fairytale that readers will happily devour. Lyndall Clipstone's lush prose lends itself to a world both dark and elegant, brimming with monsters and a young woman brave enough to face them." —Emily Lloyd-Jones, internationally bestselling author of The DrownedWoods

"This tasty morsel of a book is full of dark waters, family curses, summer bonfires, lakeside summoning rituals, weary boys with monsters inside them, and gods of death who don't play fair. A strong, lyrical debut from a rising star to watch." —S.T. Gibson, internationally bestselling author of A Dowry of Blood

"Reminiscent of the romantically gothic atmosphere of the Phantom of the Opera." —Dawn Kurtagich, author of And the Trees Crept In and The Dead House

“Lakesedge crawls into your soul, like frost growing on a window or a shadow emerging from a dark corner, and entrances you . . . a stunning debut that’s sure to delight fans of Wintersong, Crimson Peak, or The Phantom of the Opera.” —Rachel Strolle, Teen Librarian, Glenside Public Library

Praise for Forestfall

"Clipstone’s gothic slow-burn has all the right romantic dark fantasy elements—shadowy magic and a tortuous love triangle...making for prose that reads like a hypnotic incantation and love scenes that are positively incendiary. An inventive and unconventional duology closer certain to spark discussion."
—Kirkus

"In an eerily vivid world of dark magic and darker monsters, this lush fairy tale of a book if so full of yearning, my heart physically ached - for Violeta, for Rowan, for the Lord Under himself. What a haunting depiction of death, power, and the lengths we will go to for true love." —Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles

"Lyndall Clipstone casts another spell with this lush, atmospheric sequel. I was swept away with Violetta and Rowan into this dangerous yet magical world, and I never wanted to leave it. Prepare your hearts for the journey Below." —Rebecca Ross, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Divine Rivals

"A beautifully rendered, twistingly gothic tale of love, loss, longing and sacrifice. Utterly gripping, from the first page to the last.”—Vanessa Len, author of Only a Monster

"An exquisitely crafted tale of love in all its brutality and how far we are willing to fight for it in defiance of death.. Lyndall Clipstone is a brilliant new voice in YA and certainly one to keep watching for. I was haunted by every word." —Kylie Ann Freeman, bookseller at Indigo Books