Anathema (The Eating Woods)

🐦‍⬛”𝑴𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆. 𝑰’𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈.”🐦‍⬛ “Anathema “ by Keri Lake 💀🐦‍⬛💫🔥🖤🦂🌕 5⭐️ 2.5🌶️(major slow burn 🔥) Loved , Loved , Loved This book!! It was dark , spooky , heartbreaking, complex !! Everything I look for in a Dark Gothic Fantasy book!! I was hooked from 100 pages in !! Even though the first 35% was this complex world/ character building, I absolutely loved it!! And ate 🥣 it up!! 🖤Keri Lake really knows how to write a story that makes you feel like you are part of it!! This is my first book by her and it will definitely wouldn’t be my last!! MFC “Maevyth “ 🐦‍⬛is an outcast in her world , there’s an arch in the (The Eating Woods) the dark forest beyond her house. There’s a horrible act committed by her sister and she’s banished into the arch. But “Whatever is taken is never returned “ Maevyth is thrown into this alternate universe and finds her “destiny “ MMC Zevander 🦂is a cursed , grumpy, morally grey, “Assassin for the King” who is trying to find a cure for his brother who is also cursed and is in advance stages of this monstrous and deadly curse! His only hope is a mortal “Maevyth “ who at first he despises, but soon learns she is the only hope of finding a cure . The enemies to lovers/slow burn🥵 between Zevander & Maevyth was just written so good!! It took a while for anything to happen, but when it did !! Phew 😮‍💨🥵🔥🫠 There so many intriguing layers to this story , with a unique magic system that incorporates some of the spicy scenes!! And there’s so many great secondary characters! Like “Zevander’s “ sister “Rykaia” just loved her !! Loved her wit and her friendship with Maevyth !! And The “ The Crone Witch” love to see more of her backstory!! And of course all the 🐍🦂🐉mythical creatures/ monsters!! I absolutely loved everything about this book! So if you like Dark Gothic Fantasy Romance, Duel POV , complex World Building, a Unique Magic System, mysterious creatures and monsters, Enemies to Lovers, One Bed/ Horse , Fated Mates, Forced Proximity, Slow Burn, Curses & Secrets, Found Family ! Then I would highly recommend you pick up this unforgettable book!! And I’m really looking forward to the continuation of this story !! 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 “She was his. Lunamiszka. My little moon witch.” 💫🌕💫

Anathema is a story I’d been anticipating to read since its release last year. I went in expecting a gothic atmosphere paired with a chilling story line. What I found was a richly developed world, layered with lore, and filled with characters carrying heavy emotional baggage as they fight to protect their realm. There are definitely some eerie moments. You will get your fill of the macabre with mysterious ravens and a spider or two. While the world-building felt a bit confusing at first, once the story gained momentum, I was fully drawn in. Maevyth is a clever heroine, though her lack of self-trust was sometimes frustrating. Zevander’s brooding nature, on the other hand, completely fits his tragic backstory and added a edge to the narrative. Be prepared for a slow burn. The tension in their relationship was sometimes to much to bear, but it eventually delivers.

"He'd lived too long with the practicality of knowing the stars were too far out of reach, and yet, in his arms lay the brightest of them all. The girl with the moon in her eyes and fire in her soul." THIS IS HOW YOU DO A GOTHIC FANTASY! The prologue traps you before the story begins, luring you into what's to come. Filled with rage, agony, and immeasurable sadness-it demands your attention. I couldn't stay away for long. The world building and magic system is fresh, digestible, and unforgiving. Keri Lake truly did not hold back! The story follows Maevyth who is casted as the disease in her hometown due to being found in The Eating Woods. Not knowing who or where she came from, the people of Mortasia never fail to remind her that she will never belong. The only person she can claim her own, her heart, is her stepsister, Aleysia. The two are an unlikely pair that depict deep and true sisterhood. The other POV we follow is, Zevander's- which had to be some of my favorite time spent in this book. He embodies the very meaning of morally gray. Cursed at a young age and deemed unlovable in ways he aches for yet fights for scrapes of, while looking for a cure- he is shackled into caring for his siblings while also serving the king. When a mage sends him on a mission to collect the very thing that can cure him, the two POV'S finally collide. What I appreciated as a reader who has been seeking out Fantasy books that carry weight more in its plot rather than romance, is what this book is. We could not receive the climax between the main characters without the story being woven throughout, giving you the WHY first and then letting everything else unravel later. The action felt like watching a movie! There were moments I audibly yelled "WAIT WHAT" with a smile on my face. It was vivid, provided comedic relief and had me on the edge of my seat. The pages where we saw Maeve and Zevander blossom romantically (even the crumbs) were well earned, EXTREMELY well paced, and packed with feet stomping banter. When we do get a sliver of something, the story begs for them to be apart, but when they're back on page together, they seamlessly pick up where they left off. It was absolutely mouthwatering. The audiobook was a stunning production by James Cassidy and Melissa Bar. Sometimes you pick up an audiobook and one narrator out shines the other, not here. Both left no crumbs- from their passion, different voices, and ability to capture the aura and essence of both main characters- left me with my jaw on the floor! One of the best audiobooks so far this year! **Please be sure to read all TW/CW. Although an enjoyable read, some of it's contents and eeriness, may not be for suitable for everyone. Your mental health comes first. **

Troppo bello e ben scritto. Bellissime scene quasi horror e descrizioni super, mi sembrava di essere nelle scene a volte. Molto gothic Molto da epoca witch hunt

This book is phenomenal, perfect spooky, gothic read.

My copy is missing pages...

Zevander I am sorry you have been through a lot

"I wouldn’t consider reading books in solitary the worst scenario." Devoured is an understatement. I adore Kerri lake and especially love her gothic writings. This one is a home run, beautiful written in her lamenting voice. The MMC is brilliantly tortured and holds a vicious past, that book 2 will explore in more detail, but his character is brought to life wonderfully here - true morally grey and destroy the world for love. The FMC is...okay, she's got so much potential and I hope she bulks up in the following books as is still coming off a little damsel in distress, but I'm trying to allow that she's learning...a lot of her chapters were inner monologues which is fine but sometimes a little too much - I like to know what my characters are thinking but I don't need to know ALL of what they're thinking. Some wonderful side characters that I hope to see more of in future books too - The world building and unique magic system is typical of Lake and wonderful as always...though at this point in the story it's still early to see how the magic system will play out as it's frankly underused really...patience there I think. I also do admit I don't need every detail of a room described to me or every floor is a castle, but I also love the way Lake uses language, so that's a small issue. I'm not sure if I'd call the romance a slow burn, as the characters don't really engage with each other until 1/2 through the book then once they do it all happens quickly. Typically for a gothic romantasy a lot of the action happens in the last 200 pages...which is fun. The beginning is worth it though and I'm absolutely looking forward to the next books (apparently a trilogy).