Anathema

The Eating Woods #1

by Keri Lake

From the author of Nocticadia comes a spellbinding gothic dark fantasy about a shunned woman who is forced beyond the mortal realm's forbidden boundary, into a terrifying world of cursed souls and grotesque creatures.

Only the banished know what lies beyond the woods ...

There are whispers about what lurks in Witch Knell—the forest where sinners go to die. The villagers call it The Eating Woods because what’s taken is never given back. Only those who’ve lost their senses would dare to go near it.

Or the banished.

Maevyth Bronwick knows better than to breach the misty labyrinth of trees, but a tragic turn of events compels her beyond the archway of bones, to a boundary no mortal has crossed before. One that cloaks a dark and fantastical world that’s as dangerous as it is alluring.

It’s there that he dwells, the cursed lord of Eidolon. The one tasked to keep her hidden from the magehood that seeks to crucify her in the name of an arcane prophesy. Zevander Rydainn, known to his prey as The Scorpion, is the coldest, most calculated assassin in all of Aethyria and he’d sooner toss his feisty ward to a pack of vicious fyredrakes than keep her safe.

If only he could.

Maevyth’s blood is the key to breaking his despised curse and vanquishing the slumbering evil in Witch Knell. Unfortunately for Lord Rydainn, fate has other plans for the irresistible little enchantress. And his growing obsession with her threatens to destroy everything.

Including himself.

Anathema is a full-length, gothic dark fantasy, the first book in The Eating Woods duology. Perfect for readers who enjoy a plot-heavy and atmospheric story with a unique magic system, a slow-burn romance and a touch of horror.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Gothic, Dark Romance, Fantasy Romance, Dark

690 pages

First published September 8, 2024

About the author

Author of gothic romance who specializes in demon wrangling, vengeance dealing and wicked twists.

I love connecting with readers, so feel free to join my reading group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thego...

Reviews

[Noa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What is taken will never return."

What lies beyond the woods is unknown…
But feared all the same.
Myths and legends are spread around about the woods. About the witch. About the dark magic.
Maevyth Bronwick knows better than to go near them.
But when she is left with no choice - she goes where no mortal has gone before.
She didn't know what she would find there but it definitely wasn't him.
Zevander Rydainn.
The cursed lord of Eidolon.
The one tasked with keeping her safe.
But fate might have other plans for his little witch.
It doesn't help that he is growing more and more obsessed.
It might bring her down and drag him down too.

"There are those who fear flirting with death, while some of us find it utterly enthralling."

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review 🖤🖤

"A cardinal rule of the forest: never answer to your own name."

I remember starting my Keri Lake journey with "Master of Salt and Bones" and absolutely fell in love with her style of writing. Keri Lake wrote another masterpiece where she brings you into this beautifully crafted gothic fantasy world with lore, twists and turns, and magic. AND THE TENSION AND SLOW BURN!! OMG MISS MA'AM - KERI LAKE HAD ME HOOKED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE THING!! I could not put this world down for the life of me and I was not ready to leave it!!

"Everything is poison with the proper dose. Even you."

All I'm gonna say is this book had so many moving parts that Keri Lake crafted absolutely beautifully and of course I am obsessed with Maevyth and Zevander (IYKYK) 😇😇

"She was beautiful. No, beautiful was too weak a word. She was intoxicating,. Exquisitely divine."

Keri Lake made an absolute BANGER of a playlist to go with this but these are the gothic witchy vibes that I added as well 💫💫

(Link - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qU... )

🎵 "Frostpunk Theme" - Piotr Musiat
🎵 "Dead Of Night" - Ruelle
🎵 "Run Boy Run - Instrumental" - Woodkid
🎵 "Way Down We Go - Epic Trailer Version" - Will Angus, Taylah Withers
🎵 "Black Sea" - Natasha Blume
🎵 "Black Magic Womqan" - VCTRYS
🎵 "Lilith" - Peter Grundy
🎵 "Pleasure" - Crosses
🎵 "Death Wish" - Royale Lynn, Danny Worshop
🎵 "Sodus" - Cemeteries
🎵 "Dark in My Imagination" - of Verona
🎵 "Never Tear Us Apart" - Bishop Briggs
🎵 "Some Magic" - LONIS
🎵 "labour" - Paris Paloma
🎵 "Mysteries of an Ancient Church" - Pafund
🎵 "Glass Heart" - Tommee Profitt, Sam Tinnesz
🎵 "Enter Sandman" - Rina Sawayama
🎵 "Battlefields" - 2WEI
🎵 "BLOSSOM" - RORY
🎵 "Vengeance" - Neoni, Saint Cardinal, Silberberg
🎵 "Scream" - Besomorph, RIELL
🎵 "A Little Wicked" - Valerie Broussard
🎵 "Girl With One Eye" - Florence + The Machine
🎵 "Seven Devils" - Florence + The Machine
🎵 "Moment" - Roses & Revolutions
🎵 "Devil Devil" - MILCK
🎵 "Ghost Town" - Layto, Neoni
🎵 "Hell's Comin' With Me" - Poor Man's Poison
🎵 "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" - Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart
🎵 "THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND" - Bad Omens
🎵 "Us and Pigs" - SOFIA ISELLA
🎵 "Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene" - Hozier
🎵 "Bottom of the River" - Delta Rae
🎵 "Run On" - Jamie Bower, King Sugar
🎵 "Queen of Disaster" - LULLANAS
🎵 "Nightmare" - UNDREAM, Neoni
🎵 "It Will Come Back" - Hozier
🎵 "Parasite Eve" - Bring Me The Horizon
🎵 "Running Up That Hill" - MEG MYERS
🎵 "As They Bloom" - Unlike Pluto
🎵 "SWINE" - Demi Lovato
🎵 "The Hanging Tree" - Rachel Zegler
🎵 "Fire of Love" - Jesse Jo Stark
🎵 "I Of The Storm" - Of Monsters and Men
🎵 "To My Knees" - Two Feet
🎵 "Bleed" - Connor Kauffman
🎵 "Game of Survival" - Ruelle
🎵 "Until the Levee" - Joy Williams
🎵 "Come What May" - The Last Bison
🎵 "Beauty" - Layto
🎵 "Hard To Kill" - Beth Crowley
🎵 "Don't Make Me" - MALINDA
🎵 "Dream Girl Evil" - Florence + The Machine
🎵 "Violence" - Grimes, i_o
🎵 "That Other Girl" - Sevdaliza
🎵 "Not Afraid Anymore" - Halsey
🎵 "Spellwork" - Austra
🎵 "Pretty In The Dark (Slow + Reverb)" - Ashley Sienna, Ellise
🎵 "Enemy" - Imagine Dragons, JID
🎵 "Make A Move" - Icon For Hire
🎵 "Bad Spell" - Larkin Poe
🎵 "Poison - Acoustic" - Rita Ora
🎵 "A Grave Mistake" - Ice Nine Kills
🎵 "Dirty Hands (Gone Mad)" - Kendra Dantes
🎵 "Uprising" - Damned Anthem
🎵 "As Above, So Below" - In This Moment
🎵 "Fire On Fire" - Sam Smith
🎵 "Flames" - R3HAB, ZAYN, Jungleboi
🎵 "Fire Meet Gasoline" - Sia
🎵 "House of the Rising Sun" - Lauren O'Connell
🎵 "You Put a Spell on Me" - Austin Giorgio
🎵 "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" - Lorde
🎵 "Gods & Monsters" - Lana Del Rey
🎵 "Bring Me To Life" - Evanescence
🎵 "Evil Eye" - Franz Ferdinand
🎵 "River - Remix" - Bishop Briggs, King Kavalier
🎵 "Black Magic" - Magic Wands
🎵 "Running with the Wolves" - AURORA
🎵 "Back to You" - Twin Forks
🎵 "Queen of the Castle" - Victoria Carbol
🎵 "Me and the Devil" - Soap&Skin
🎵 "The Hunger" - Bat For Lashes
🎵 "Bones" - Imagine Dragons
🎵 "I'm Her" - Natalie Jane
🎵 "willow - lonely witch version" - Taylor Swift
🎵 "Addicted To Love" - Florence + The Machine
🎵 "LET THE WORLD BURN" - Chris Grey

And prepare yourself for a slow burn but don't worry because the things we are being fed with in this book…

"You look like a goddess right now, and you taste as divine."

"Cursed gods, you are a ferociously breathtaking creature when you're ravenous."

"Come for me, my little moon witch."

🐦‍⬛ Tropes 🐦‍⬛

🦂 Gothic Dark Fantasy
🦂 Horror Elements
🦂 Slow Burn
🦂 Enemies to Lovers
🦂 Forced Proximity
🦂 Found Family

Book Edit - https://www.instagram.com/p/C_S4pXZAe...

[Iqra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keri lake is mother. Keri lake can have all my money. Keri lake u will forever be loved by me.

Anathema delivered on everything I was asking for. The dark gothic atmosphere. The slow burn. Hauntingly beautiful writing.

Part one
Keri set the scene by rlly underlining the depressing nature of the fmc’s existence, the callous atmosphere, the dark tone, the cryptic aura 😋😋😋 I was devouring it all.

I loved the development of the characters. I rlly appreciated Keri Lake for really fleshing out the fmc, maevyth, and her background. Same with the mmc, Zevander. Giving them time individually to make their space in the story.

Part two
Loved it. Best part of the book imo. The plot was moving, the pacing was incredible and the world building had me gagged.

The burning tension. The chemistry. The build up was 👩‍🍳💋💋

I appreciated that there wasn’t an immediate rush of emotional attachment. There is lust at first sight and imo it wasn’t a deal breaker. I don’t get the hate on this “trope”. Also I think Keri lake is known for her mmc’s being attracted to the fmcs from the get go. What’s more important to me is the emotional slow burn and that was done rlly well in this part.

Part three
This is where the plot of the book really picks speed. The urgency in this part had me on edge. I did kinda loose some momentum bc it kinda dragged a bit for me and proved annoying at times but it didn’t deter me from finishing the book — I needed ANSWERS.

This part is also the heaviest on the romance. But it didn’t feel like it was out of place. It was gradual but it was hot.

The ending had me gagged tho Icel. my mind was (and still is) racingggg with theories. I had Ro screaming at me like HOW R U COMING UP WITH THE WILDEST STUFF 😭 bless her for putting up with me during the whole BR.

The buddy read was a success and I’m genuinely so happy I’m bouncing off the walls rn. Ro ily for jumping from app to app w me I’ll forever cherish u 🧸💋

BUT WE NEED THE NEXT BOOK RFN
WE DEMAND ANSWERS

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

When the BR finally makes it out the chat 😼

First BR w Ro pls don’t disappoint 🙏
Update: it didn’t 🤭😋

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

My copy is coming in TODAY 🤸🏻‍♀️🤸🏻‍♀️

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

Don’t mind me, imma just be waiting in keri’s walls till this releases 👹👹⛺️

Release date: Sep 10th 2024 ‼️

[Laura Greenhalgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5🌟 one thing about me is i am going to eat up a dark gothic fantasy EVERY 👏🏼 DAMN 👏🏼 TIME 👏🏼. i am so obsessed with Keri’s writing and how she always creates such atmospheric and immersive worlds. i loved the witchy/horror vibes in this and the romance subplot has me on my knees. i LOVE a good slow burn and mix that with a dark, tortured, brooding MMC?? I AM DONE FOR

[Sloan MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

OBSESSED!!!

[manas · Rating 1 out of 5]

➳ crime against humanity ☆

the only reason i got through this damn book was was because i constantly ranted to my favorite girl, gry. i love you queen!! you’re my favorite buddy reading bestie.

i genuinely wanted to be immersed in this story + characters, but everything felt bereft and inadequate. having a unique magic system and a detailed world are not solid moving traits to carry an almost 700 page story. this was an arrant display of nothing, filled with repetition, redundancy, jarring jumps, and the MOST useless romantic entanglement. authors need to stop force-shoving a romance narrative up our asses in the last 10% of the story. this should've been a FANTASY novel, not some soap opera, i need to fuck her now bullshit that was thrust onto us for no damn reason. when they kissed, i was about to fall asleep as none of that buildup was relevant, it made me somnolent. their relationship was superfluous and incongruous to the prose that were given. the biggest joke is these hoes only start interacting at the 50% mark, and in the FIRST scene—he wants to fuck her so bad. there is no shame in skipping a romance plot, as not every story needs one.

zevander & maevyth had no chemistry, no banter, no thoughts, no competent characteristics, and no reason to be that obsessed after ONE piss poor interaction. zevander constantly being compared to rhysand is embarrassing for both characters, while maevyth had the personality and mannerisms of a spoiled baked potato. i had no credence that these two cared about each other, let alone to be panging and banging with zero indication of how we got from point A to point B. all in all, this was a complete wasted potential on an idiosyncratic concept. once they ⌞got together⌝ officially after five MID interactions, all hope for a passable progression of the narrative... EXTINCT.

we both lost years of our lives by the time this book ended... never again will we be doing such things.

[Maddy ✨ ~The Verse Vixen · Rating 3 out of 5]

⚔️Bound by fate, yet worlds apart, a monster’s hands, a witch’s heart.
A crimson debt, a shattered spell—will love arise, or burn in hell?? ⚔️

A book with a cursed assassin, a reckless witch, and a dark, gothic setting? Yeah, I was already seated. Anathema delivers an immersive world filled with eerie forests, ancient curses, and a slow-burn romance filled with banter that had me grinning. The pacing had highs and lows, but the story kept me hooked, especially with how the tension between the leads built up.
He is 211 years of silence, sharpened by grief. She is defiance wrapped in fire, a girl who should have known better. But when she steps past the bone arch and into his cursed world, their fates tangle like ivy around a gravestone—tight, unyielding, impossible to sever.

🥀Characters~

Our MMC Zevander Rydainn – A Brooding Menace Wrapped in Mystery-
ZEV My New Book Obsession. The broodiest, most dangerous man with a tongue as sharp as his daggers and a heart that you know is buried deep under all that darkness. A killer with a code, a monster with something to lose.Zev is equal parts infuriating and intoxicating, the kind of silent, storm-eyed force that lingers even when he’s not on the page. A man bound by duty, wrapped in secrets, and carrying the weight of something far darker got 10 metal piercings—what’s not to love? He’s exactly the kind of morally gray MMC I live for

Our FMC -Maeyvth— A Heroine with Bite. She’s tough, she’s determined, and she doesn’t just roll over when faced with danger. A girl who steps into the dark with fire in her veins and death at her heels. She is reckless but unyielding, a storm in a world that wants her silent.

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🗡️Part One: Shadows & Sorrows (⭐ 3.5/5)

The first part of Anathema sets the foundation for a world drenched in mystery, power struggles, and a tension so thick it’s suffocating. Zevander and Maevyth are thrown together in a deadly game of survival and strategy, where trust is a luxury neither can afford. But what truly kept me hooked.

Though beautifully atmospheric, this part does take its time building up. A little too much time, maybe. Did I love the gothic vibes? Yes. Did I wish the plot moved faster? Also yes.

🗡️Part Two:Blades & Shades(⭐ 4.5/5)

Here’s where Anathema truly sinks its claws in. The stakes rise, emotions ignite, and the chemistry between Zev and Maevyth shifts from smoldering tension to something dangerous and consuming.

“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Lunamiszka.”
“Do I still annoy you?” she asked.
“Endlessly.”

Lunamiszka. A word he speaks with irritation at first—until it curls into something softer, something far more dangerous.
The moment he called her Lunamiszka, I knew I was in for some prime grumpy x feisty tension. She keeps pestering him for the meaning, and his refusal to tell her? Hilarious.

“You never answered my question. What does Lunamiszka mean?”
“It means you’re persistently frustrating and you ask too many questions.”

-Liar.

Part Two gave me everything I wanted—angst, chemistry, and tension sharp enough to cut.




🗡️Part Three: The Fall & The Fury(⭐ 3/5)
This should have been devastating, but I saw the twist coming from a mile away. I was ready for my jaw to drop, for my heart to be ripped from my chest. Instead, I just…nodded.But I did enjoy one bed though.

-the moment where his restraint shatters:

“You consume me entirely, little moon witch.”

Screaming, crying, throwing up. This is what slow-burn is supposed to feel like.
Their conversations hold weight—some like a dagger to the throat, others like a whisper in the dark that lingers long after it's gone.




What I Loved:
✔️The Banter? The Bread and Butter of This Book.
The push and pull between Zev and Maevyth is absolute perfection. Every word is a weapon, every exchange laced with sharp-edged tension, barely contained attraction, and defiance wrapped in wit. The slow-burn isn’t just a flame—it’s a wildfire creeping through dry land, inevitable and devastating.They don’t just talk—they provoke, challenge, and set the page on fire with their chemistry.

✔️Rykaia Zev's Sis– The Real MVP. Listen. If Keri Lake wanted to make Rykaia the main character, I wouldn’t even be mad. She is the charismatic, scheming, lil-sister energy that I absolutely ADORED. Zev’s sister, Rykaia, is the kind of side character who doesn’t just steal scenes—she owns them. Charismatic, sharp-witted, and utterly unapologetic in her matchmaking, she is a mid reader,she brings a spark of light to the book’s brooding atmosphere.I Really loved her and mayveth's friendship.If she had her own novel, I’d devour it in a heartbeat.

✔️Siblings love-I love how Keri Lake doesn’t just focus on romance but also deep, heartfelt sibling dynamics. Zev’s fierce protectiveness over Rykia had me kicking my feet—he’s that overbearing, grumpy elder brother who acts like she’s a nuisance but would burn the world down for her in a heartbeat.The way she pushes his buttons for fun but also knows exactly when he needs support? The way he watches over her with that silent but deadly kind of love? Aghh. My heart!!

Favorite Moments:

🔮The Immortal's’ "Mortal Cunt" Comment Had Me HOWLING.
When Maevyth was being checked out, one of them mumbling:

“I heard mortal cunt have teeth.”

I lost it. The sheer absurdity, the comedic timing—gold.

🔮The Aphrodisiac Scene – Rykia, You Little Menace.
Rykia knew exactly what she was doing, and I love her for it. The tension in this scene? Exquisite. Zev's barely contained frustration? A masterpiece. I live for this kind of slow-burn torture.

🔮The Training Scenes – that felt like Foreplay.
Nothing says “I want to break you but also worship you” quite like sparring with barely restrained tension simmering between every movement. The way Zev watches her, the way he pushes her, the way it feels like a fight neither of them wants to win?
That’s the kind of energy I crave in Slow-burn..



What Stabbed Me in the Back 🩸:
🔪 A Slow Start That Took Its Time.
The first few chapters were a bit heavy on internal monologues and worldbuilding, and it took a while for the plot to fully sink its claws in.

🔪 The Twist? I Saw It Coming.
I wanted to be shattered, but instead, I just nodded in quiet acceptance. The revelation was predictable, and when it finally dropped, instead of a gut-wrenching moment of devastation, it felt more like a soft sigh of inevitability.

🔪 Pacing could’ve been tighter.
The middle section dragged a little, but once things picked up again? Unhinged chaos.



~Final Thoughts:

Anathema is a beautifully gothic, slow-burning tale of fate, fire, and the sharp edges of devotion. The banter is perfection, the chemistry is lethal, and the writing is hauntingly poetic. But a slow start, predictable twist, and frustrating cliffhanger held it back from being unforgettable.

⭐ 3.5 / 5 stars – Dark, lyrical, and brimming with tension. A love story written in fate and fire, but missing the final, devastating blow I craved.
Lastly, I really enjoyed buddy reading this with Katerina! Nothing like sharing the mutual agony of a frustrating scenes and screaming about fictional men together.🤍



------------------------------------------
PRE-READ~
~WELCOME TO WITCH KNELL: ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK ✨🏹🌲
There's a warning: 🕷️⚠☠️“YOU SHOULDN’T BE HERE.”☠️⚠🕷️
"The forest is cursed, Monsters lurk, magic is forbidden, the assassin 211 years old, cursed & brooding and the FMC has zero self-preservation and his only key to break it!!" -Great! Sounds like my weekend read. Entering dramatically🤸‍♀️

⚔️BR with -Katerina✨

🎭 What awaits / Tropes & Vibes:
✔️ Grumpy x Feisty (he'd rather throw her to monsters, but oops, feelings)
✔️ Age gap? Try centuries. (211 vs. 19—he’s basically a fossil at this point.coz coughs!- she thinks she needs someone older-a lil bit colder.)
✔️ Touch him/her and you die 🗡️
✔️ Gothic atmosphere so thick, it’s basically a character (Dark, creepy, and definitely haunted.)
✔️ Cursed assassin who’s done with life 😤
✔️ Banished heroine who said, fine, I’ll just go past the creepy bone arch
✔️ Forced proximity,"ONE BED.” but make it deadly
✔️ Slow-burn romance so intense, you’ll scream at them to just kiss already (They won’t. Not yet.)
✔️ Magic, mayhem, and monsters lurking in the dark 👁️

The woods are hungry. The curse is waiting. And me? I’m walking straight into this gothic nightmare like I wasn’t warned
~Grab your popcorn, we're going in." 🍿💀

[Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

— 3.75/5 stars ☆

I devoured this book for two big reasons:
1) It's Gothic, and I'm straight-up obsessed with the genre. Like, serve me a Gothic tale with a side of poison, and I’ll chug it without a second thought.
2) My bestie Iqra wanted to buddy read it, and of course, I was like, HELL YES!

This was my first Keri Lake book, It’s a promising start. Her writing is lush, dramatic, and just so exquisite. The way she uses language had me fully hooked I don’t even care what she’s writing about, it’s just gorgeous. Plus, she’s got that spooky, chilling touch with words that I absolutely loved. If I pick up more of her books, it'll be for the writing alone.

and Speaking of vibes... the Gothic vibes in this was Chef’s kiss. It delivered. The setting is eerie, smoky, and darkly atmospheric. it wraps around you and pulls you in. It’s everything I want from a Gothic dark fantasy with horror elements, and I ate it all up.

But... okay, let’s talk about the issues. Because as much as I enjoyed it, it wasn’t perfect. If you’ve read my reviews before, you know I’m picky about pacing and monologues. These two things can make or break a book for me, and unfortunately, both were shaky here.

First, the pacing. It wasn’t terrible. it wasn’t rush-rush or crawl-slow. But with 700 pages, it started feeling sluggish, especially in the second half. There were scenes that just dragged and didn’t really move the plot forward.

second, the monologues, they were beautifully written, don’t get me wrong. But there were just too many, and at some point, they started to feel like homework. The first half of the book had me thinking “four stars, easy,” but the second half brought the vibe down a notch.

Another thing is that at times, the book read more like a draft or a manuscript. There was so much repetition and filler info that the plot sometimes felt stuck in neutral. And the fantasy elements fell a little flat. I get what the author was going for, but the overuse of obscure, fancy words to build “depth” just didn’t land for me. It felt more like decoration than substance.

The main Characters:

Okay, let’s get into the tea.
Zevander. Rydainn. “The Scorpion of Nyxteros” Lord of Eidolon. My man. My man. My man. Who said this guy is like Rhysand? Zevander is just ✨better✨ Or maybe that’s my inner Rhysand hater showing. Either way, Zev is all kinds of broody, sexy, and sharp tongued. His filthy poetic mouth, I was living for it. Their banter was absolute Perfection.

“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Lunamiszka.”
“Do I still annoy you?” she asked.
“Endlessly.

Maevyth had so much potential. she comes from this badass lineage and has the wild ability to control “death”. But somehow, she spends most of the book as a damsel in distress, constantly needing Zev to save her. Girl, come on! It was frustrating to read, especially over 700 pages.

now for the side characters:

Dolion I’m Obsessed!! 😭 He’s hilarious, unhinged, and brilliant. a total scene stealer. And Rykaia and Aleysia? I’m screaming!!! please, can we get a spinoff or FF romance for them? They’d be everything. And that ending?! That cliffhanger. I can’t lie, even with all the flaws, I need the second book immediately. I had so much fun reading this. it wasn’t perfect, but sometimes i like messy books!


───────────


Thank you for my baby iqra—we Finally buddy read something after being friends in here for almost two years lmaoo we did jump from tt to fable to here, it was a chaotic br but so fun and I can’t wait for us to read book two!!

[Gry ☾ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 ★’s
This book feels a bit like it doesn’t want to be read and willfully tries to confuse you…
It’s kind of like being dropped into someone’s dream with little to no context, but the dream is also in a foreign language…
It was unique? Creative, and that’s probably the only positive thing i can say about it.

“Idk what she laced this with!!!” I do, sleeping pills. I can’t tell you how many times I fell asleep reading this, not necessarily because I was tired but because this was so boring and unnecessarily complex.

I don’t know how something that is so smackfull of a million different plots, characters and is over 600 pages can feel this empty, soulless. I can appreciate thorough world-building but I don’t need detailed description of every floor in a castle that they visit once. Sure, it was atmospheric at times but mostly it just made me frustrated, confused, gave me a headache and/or made me tired.

It was so completely all over the place.
If you’re looking for an overly complex book with mermaids, deimosis(idk what they are either), small rat like people, magical ravens and bird-dragons, like thirty different kinds of magic and so many different species that doesn’t even makes sense, then this might be for you… It wasn’t for me.

I pushed through the boring parts(aka most of it) in hopes that the romantic connection would give me at least something to enjoy… Spoiler alert, it didn’t. The entirety of their “connection” is him being turned on by her smell, but apparently so is everybody else in their realm?! There is no chemistry, the words between them feel so empty due to the lack of an actual connection and let’s not even talk about the fucking atrocious smut scenes. This was how I described their first sexual encounter to manas: “wdym her having a magical seizure/demonic possession being high as fuck of the sex wine”…. And that is in no sense an exaggeration on my part.

I know for a fact, I wouldn’t have made it through this if it wasn’t for my girl Manas. 🧡
The best part about reading this was definitely ranting with her, even though this book took literal years of our lives. Time will tell to see if we push through and read the sequel, but as I literally do not gaf about these characters(branimir is the only exception, ily bb), I’m probably gonna go with no.
_____________
⌞Pre-read:⌝

buddy reading this with my beautiful bestie manas<333
sry in advance if we spam ur feed with hate

[Marianna Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

Thank you so so much to Keri Lake and Give Me Books for this ARC! Anathema is a gothic dark fantasy romance with elements of horror.

Keri Lake is the QUEEN of dark gothic romance and I have absolutely loved every book I have read of hers so far! She is truly a master of her craft and if she writes it I’m absolutely reading it! Which is why it absolutely pains me to say this, but at end of the day, personally I really struggled with Anathema and it just didn’t end up being the book for me.

First off, just like all her other books, the spooky, gothic world Keri Lake built in this book was phenomenal, so immersive and she has this way of making you feel like your submerged within the story, watching everything through the characters eyes. The haunting witchy vibes were CHEFS KISS!

Now as Keri Lake disclaimed in the beginning of the book, this story is one of her first where she leans into a heavier fantasy plot line focus, with the romance still being very much so present but not the main focus like all her other books so it is very important to know that going in! And I was incredibly excited for this as a fantasy lover however I think this is where the book as a whole really fell flat for me and just seemed to be lacking.

I did love how unique the magic system was and it was absolutely unlike anything I had ever read before. However that being said, though I loved the overall premise, the execution of the fantasy plot felt kind of messy and bit all over the place to me. There were many times where I felt like there were a bunch of big fantasy elements introduced that had no true meaning or purpose in the story making it feel unnecessarily long and drawn out at times. It was also odd to me how despite there being almost too much explanation of the world and the magic system, I still finished the book not entirely understand how our FMCs magic worked and what the significance of it even is with regards to the overarching plot (which I also can’t quite articulate what that even is at this point). Now this is going to be a duet so I understand there are questions meant to be had, but I still felt like so much was missing that I really was not at all interested in the plot by the end of the book.

It was also really slow to start for me as well. Around the 40% mark things picked up a little bit but that didn’t last long. I think that’s because this book did a lot of telling and little showing, we spent a lot of time in the characters heads. Which there is nothing wrong with that but for me personally I just felt bored.

Onto the characters. I was incredibly intrigued by both our FMC Maevyth and MMC Zevander! Keri lake is incredible at writing complex and unique characters. Maevyth is a mortal and finds herself amidst a tragic turn of events that compels her to go into the dreaded and forbidden Eating Woods which ultimately leads her to a new world. It’s there where she meets Zevander, the cold and deadly assassin who requires her blood to break her curse. Both of them have traumatizing back story’s and have been through hell and back. I really loved Zevander throughout the whole book, to be honest he absolutely carried for me and my heart breaks for him. But Maevyth our FMC I was indifferent towards. I didn’t like or dislike her, but nothing drew me to her. The inner workings of her head were a bit annoying at times but I think that’s just because of the overwhelming amount of inner monologue we got from her.

The romance… this is advertised as an extreme slow burn which again Keri Lake is the queen of so I was very excited for this, however the romance also fell extremely flat for me. I felt nothing towards them as a couple. Now I love a good long and painful slow burn however i wouldn’t at all say that’s what we got here. The couple had their first conversation around the 50% mark and then we really didn’t even start to get those tell tale signs of a slow burn (angst, tension, longing) until around the 65% mark so I wouldnt really describe this as a slow burn because everything happened really fast between them in the end. Again this will be a duet so I think we will get more of the burn in book two. But I think just because I was so uninterested in the fantasy plot I was hoping the romance would make up for that, but that wasn’t the case for me personally. And by the time they started to show any sort of chemistry I was checked out from the book. It’s also advertised as enemies to lovers which…. I would definitely say is a huge stretch.

I also want to note that Keri lakes writing was phenomenal as always, I wish I was more engaged in the story so I could appreciate it even more! Just because this book wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it won’t be for you, I know so many people that loved this and I can see why! At the end of the day I just don’t think it was the right book for me and that’s okay!

[Deepak · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was great. But it was also boring.

It’s darkly, elegantly, and beautifully written.

It’s also painfully repetitive.

A great three star read. But a relief that I’m done with it too lol.

Allow these contradictory opinions of mine to fully sink in on just how mixed I feel about it all 🙋‍♂️.

Anathema is truly a remarkable gothic fantasy that serves right with an eerie atmosphere and engaging magical lore.

The environment feels unsafe , cursed and deadly. Fittingly so. Loved it. I would love to live here.

The magical lore? An absolutely twisted sick treat. Learning about enchanted symbols and hexed bloodlines was ambitiously thought out. And I couldn’t get enough of it.

Until i did.
hahaha.

Intermission of 300 pages for a near 700 page book comes on, and I get frustrated as fuck with everything because at that point the book drags on with no added suspense and page filler material that doesn’t benefit anything or anyone.

Maeveyth’s tale from the beginning has a magnetic pull. It really does, but in the middle of the book, there are literally stacked chapters containing essay’s that restate the same thing about her situation.

It felt like one of those basic techniques where you are hit with that “Ah keep waiting for it. Hold on. Nah wait for it a bit more, it will get good now”.

Well fuck waiting, but I did read on so safe to say I was tricked.

Zavender is also another great love interest that fits the formula well, but even his chapters became painfully predictable and similar.

Basically mid way everything lost its allure.

50% good,
50% this is really testing my patience.

Alas I did finish all 700 pages just to know it ends with a cliff hanger.

Let me take points off that real quick 😂.

[Erika Braga · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

The only reason this book wasn’t a 5⭐️ for me it’s because it was SUCH a slow burn and I am NOTTT a slow burn kind of girl. I don’t need it a book where there’s spicy from the very beginning, but I also don’t enjoy a slow burn like a lot people, here they just have a kiss after chapter 40 something and they only have “some” action on chapter 58 and the book is literally 62 chapters, and when i say “some action” i mean they didn’t even fully have sex yet, it was just some hot foreplay ……… so ……….. me here not being a fantasy reader and so use to the craziness of dark romances, you can imagine my frustration 😂😂😂
But besides that this book gave me everything I was expecting from a gothic romantasy ? 🤷🏻‍♀️ i don’t even know if that’s the classification of this book so please don’t come for me for “misrepresenting “ .
I loved it ! It gave me spooky, gave me a complex world with interesting characters, gave me an eating woods, gave a FMC that’s is kind and is learning her origins/powers. Gave me a broody delicious MMC aka the Sexy Scorpion King (that’s not his nickname, I named him that) Hahahahhahahha! I can’t wait for book 2 and I HOPE there’s more romance in it and a lot more spice cause you know me and I am not one to read a non spicy book 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 what am I , 12 yrs old ? 😂 give me the dirty talk and all in between. So now I’ll wait !

[shaelinslibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO WHY WAS NO ONE YELLING AT ME TO READ THIS?! Y’all are gonna be SICK of me.

This book was fantastic, and is now my new personality, so buckle up. The atmosphere, magic system, and characters were all equally impressive to me.

The depth of the characters, and the things they went through were so awful, and hard hitting. The way they are makes so much sense because of those things, I loved everything about this.

Also, damn. I am down so extremely bad for Zevander.

Now, this book with its macabre themes, and dark atmosphere is not going to be for everyone… If you want a dark, spooky, and lush read, this is for you. 5 glowing stars! ⭐️

[Ri ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

“I find it interesting that any time a girl is unusual, or dare I say, unique, she’s deemed evil, or cursed.”

Anathema marked my first adventure into dark gothic fantasy, and I absolutely loved it. The dark, intense, mysterious, haunting atmosphere was so vividly crafted, and Keri’s descriptions were incredible, though a bit repetitive at times. The world-building had so much depth, and Keri’s writing is beautifully haunting and whimsically poetic. Keri uses a lot of complex vocabulary, which is not usually my preference in fantasy, but I actually loved it because it added a rich, textured, and poetic quality to the story.

“Some women are fire in your veins and hell between your teeth.”

This book has one of the most unique world-building and lore I’ve encountered in dark gothic fantasy. The mysterious, haunting atmosphere was executed so well, and Keri’s explanations were woven beautifully into the story. The way she foreshadowed and built up the intertwined mysteries of Zavender and Maveth was brilliant. The entire world was hauntingly beautiful, and while some parts were disturbing, I loved how Keri blended elements of horror with dark fantasy to enrich the narrative.

Zavender Rydainn, the Scorpion of Nyxteros, is dangerous, lethal, and a formidable hunter in their world, with fire in his veins that can destroy anything. His broken past immediately reminded me of Rhysand from ACOTAR, the grumpy, cold-hearted, and ruthless type of man I always love. His uncontrollable urges when he was with Mayveth were so compelling, and how he tried to despise her yet still saved her every time she needed him. The push and pull, the undeniable attraction, the reluctant yet inevitable way he kept helping her despite wanting to hate her, pure perfection. Zavender’s past and complexities made him one of the most intriguing characters, and I desperately want to know more about how he became this ruthless hunter. I really hope the author does justice to his backstory in the next books.

“You are mine, moon witch. For all eternity and whatever lies beyond it. No soul has ever been more intricately woven into mine than yours.”


Mayveth was an interesting character. She was not a badass heroine from the start, but she knew when to fight for herself and her loved ones. Her curiosity about everything made her stand out, yet she also held herself back because of how people in her world treated her like a curse. What I loved most was how she fully embraced herself in Zavender’s world, how she trained, learned, and discovered more about her powers. Her bond with Rykaia was absolutely beautiful. Their friendship was special, two strong women leaning on each other in hard times, supporting one another in ways no one else could. I adored every moment of their connection and how genuine their relationship felt.

“I’d learned at too early an age that the sound of a girl’s scream drew nothing more than apathy.”


Mayveth and Zavender’s love story was complex yet utterly impressive. The slow-burn romance was so well done, and I loved how Keri carefully unraveled the intimacy between them. They are perfect for each other, yet their intertwined past made it almost impossible for them to be together. The push and pull was hilarious and agonizing, and watching them push each other away while secretly yearning for one another was so satisfying yet so painful at the same time. Their training lessons were my absolute favorite, the tension, the lingering touches, the unspoken emotions between them in those scenes were everything. They are slowly trying to understand each other, and I cannot wait to see them fully realize their true feelings in the next books.

“I want to show you the way you make me feel.” Keeping his eyes on me, he turned just enough to kiss my palm.
“A man should not long for madness with such enthusiasm as I feel right now.”

The last few chapters were packed with action, which I enjoyed, but something about the third part of the book felt a bit off, maybe the pacing or certain plot developments that didn’t land as strongly as the rest of the book. And that cliffhanger at the end was absolutely illegal. I need book two right now! And knowing this is going to be a trilogy just makes me so happy because I want more of this dark, gothic world Keri has created.

~~~~~~~

that cliffhanger was absolutely illegal!! Rtc...

buddy reading this beauty with bestie giuls 🖤

[Kezia Duah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm somewhere between a 3.5 and 4⭐️.

Books like this really show how twisted my brain can get because I absolutely loved every nasty, scary, creepy, horrific scene. As long as a book includes trigger warnings, I'm all in. I know I make this sound worse than it actually is. it’s really not that bad, but it definitely had that dark, gothic vibe I occasionally love to sink into.

The romance was okay. I don’t think Maevyth and Zevander really built something deeply passionate, but I did enjoy the tension between them. I’m curious to see how that develops in the next installment.

My biggest issue, though, is that by the end of it, it felt like... nothing really happened. The worldbuilding was exceptional, and the buildup had me hooked, but it all felt like setup for the next book. And I don’t know…..leaving everything for the sequel doesn’t always work for me.

The reveals were fine. Not shocking, but not disappointing either. It's a very slow burn kind of read, but overall enjoyable, and I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel.

[Laura Jane ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

༻*ੈ✩ "The girl with the moon in her eyes and fire in her soul."✩*ੈ༻

4 stars ᯓ★

Keri Lake never disappoints with her dark, gothic and eerie settings. It is one of the main reasons I love her books so much! She creates the best dark atmospheres!! She really knows how to draw you into these mysterious and spooky worlds. I will admit this is a slower start with a lot of world building and introduction to different worlds and types of magic etc. However, once you settle into this the plot is so unique. The pacing was a bit up and down for me but I was never bored. Plus, I love anything with witchy vibes! 
As for the romance, it was, chefs kiss! It was actually quite refreshing to spend some time with our FMC and MMC separately before they crossed paths. I mean they don't meet until over the 40% part and then you are in for a stolen glances, simmering slow burn!! But this is heavy on the fantasy, so know that going in!

Maevyth lives in a world where women are bound by the rules of men and brutality. The village she was abandoned in as a baby, she is cast aside and branded a witch by the community who are basically some deranged cult who fear the unknown outside of their own ideals. The punishment for going against them is to be banished into the eating woods, where no one comes out alive....

I really enjoyed Maevyth's character, there is so much more to her than meets the eye. She is feisty but kind at heart. I love an absolute badass fmc, but sometimes it is nice to meet a fmc that is determined, strong willed, stubborn but is still quite dominated by her sweeter side. 

Zevander, obviously I am obsessed with the dark, broody, tortured soul! Every time I will fall for the morally grey mmc who has his own internal battles through what he's endured but is also battling with the fact he is completely and utterly captivated by the fmc.

Maevyth and Zevander relationship was so good. Keri truly knows how to do a slow burn!! I adored their relationship build up, the banter and the tension! So many giggling at my kindle moments! 

"Do I still annoy you?"
"Endlessly"

Also Zevander, this man has all the lines that make me so weak! Like please read the quotes!!!!!

'She was chaos wrapped in fine silk. The embodiment of trouble that's nearly brought him to his fucking knees when he's first laid eyes on her across the ballroom. So achingly beautiful, his chest hurt.'

'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.'

"You consume me entirely my little moon witch".

"I have killed in a variety of ways, Maevyth, but anything that dares attempt to harm you tonight will suffer the most violent of them all'.

I also absolutely adored Maevyth and Rakia's friendship!!
"I have slept for a very long time. But since you arrived, I don't want to sleep. I want to jump and dance and breathe again" Female friendships like this >>>

I really do not not know what to make of that ending, it wasn't what I was expecting but I also really cannot decide where it is going to go now... but all I know is I am itching for the next book! Please check triggers with this book as it does have dark themes.

I also cannot leave without these parting quotes that really stuck out to me! 

"How tragic that a woman's worth equated to the depth of a man's pockets."

“I find it interesting that anytime a girl is unusual, or dare I say, unique, she’s deemed evil, or cursed.”


-----------------------
Pre-read:
Yep I’m starting another book cause I had to DNF my last one! Returning to fantasy and this one has been high up my TBR for a while… & it won a poll I did on IG 🫶🏼

’For those who feel lost in a dark and pathless wood. Believe in the magic beyond the trees’

[évieane]

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ᯓ ✿ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍pre-reading ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⪼ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ started ┆05-September-2025┆
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⤿ since i am really trying to cure my reading slump, decided to start this late last night and OH MY GOD IT HAS A GLOSSARY??? Already has my full interest 😩 also, the second book is coming out in a few days, so why not

[Bailee Latham · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the entire year. Spooky, gothic and witchy fantasy.
Now, thankfully I had a friend who got an ARC copy and she told me before I started to know that it was VERY fantasy forward and the romance was a subplot until closer to the end. The slow burn doesn’t really start until later in the book, and honestly, I think that helped me to kind of pivot my expectations and it saved me from being disappointed in the romance.

Everyone in Maevyth’s cult-like town knows better than to venture into Witch Knell, a forest where once you go in, you never come back out. But, when circumstances cause Maevyth to run headfirst into the terrifying woods, a whole new world opens up to her. Literally. She’s thrust into a world of dark magic, terrifying creatures, and mages that want nothing more than to see her dead. Will she make it out alive?

I LOVED the fantasy aspect of this book. The world is dark and macabre and it is wholly immersive. The creatures were creepy, the magic was dark, some of the plot lines were honestly insanely dark, and there were times where I was thoroughly creeped out. Everything I want in a gothic fantasy from that angle. There were times where I thought that maybe we didn’t need world building to describe such minuscule things, but that’s a me problem, not a book problem.
The pacing was slow in parts, but because of the gothic atmosphere drawing me in so early on, I didn’t mind it as much as I typically would’ve.
The plot did feel a little rushed at the end, it was like 373749 things happened all at once and my head was swinging left and right trying to keep up with all of the plot twists. BUT it did leave me more excited for the next book.

All in all, I really enjoyed this. Keri Lake delivered for me.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“She was beautiful. No, beautiful was too weak a word. She was intoxicating. Exquisitely divine.”

“‘Do you know how the scorpion chooses his mate? Promenade à deux. By asking her to dance.’”

“‘If preventing this plague means sacrificing your life, then I’ve no interest in saving everyone else. The whole world could perish of disease and famine, for all I care.’”

[Emma Halbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

SIX STARS 🤯

This is for the dark romantasy girls who love a slow burn with a plot, magic system, world building, and lore that goes DEEP.

It’s creepy. It’s gothic. It’s romantic. The banter & slow burn tension is 10/10.

The last sentence??????? I’m sorry, I need book 2 immediately.

[Tatianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

BE STILL, MY GOTHIC HEART.

There are five star reads, and then there are Keri Lake books. This. Was. Epic!

Grim and enchanting, Anathema is the first book in The Eating Woods series: a gothic FANTASY from the brilliant mind of Keri Lake. What was my most anticipated read of the 2024.. is now my favourite.

“Il captris nith reviris. What is taken will never return.”

I'm a huge fan of the Brothers Grimm, and this story had me feeling as though I stepped through a portal right into one of those atmospheric and disturbing tales. But more complex and intense... and romantic. This exceptional blend of true darkness and horror with classic elements of fantasy and romance is absolutely intoxicating to me and exactly what I want when I reach for "dark fantasy romance"!

What to expect:
- gothic fantasy
- horror elements
- plot driven
- slow burn (for real)
- shunned FMC
- cursed, tortured MMC
- forced proximity
- found family
- intricate world & magic system
- cliffhanger

Keri Lake's writing is always immersive and vivid, but she really flexed her creative mind with this fantastical and disturbing world that has unique languages, lore, bloodlines, creatures and a fascinating magic system... All in the backdrop of a compelling plot with incredible characters and a swoon-worthy slow burn. It honestly leaves me awestruck.

So many scenes gave me actual, hair-raising, CHILLS. There are seriously dark aspects of this book that had my heart pounding and my stomach sinking. The plot itself is enthralling with many moving parts and flawless pacing. I could not get enough!!

“I also know that the delicate black rose doesn’t grow well in these parts. Our winters are far too cold for its fragile roots.” …

“Where do they grow?”

“Where the gods see fit to plant them.”

I adore these characters — the outcasted, curious Maevyth Bronwick who loves so fiercely and leads with her heart, and the morally grey Zevander Rydainn, ruthless assassin on a rogue quest to rid himself of a dark curse.

Zevander is closed-off and broody with a backstory that makes my heart ache. I could understand his ruthless nature, absolutely, and wanted to see him succeed no matter the cost. There is something so delicious about his disdain for Maevyth (or rather, the way Maevyth makes him feel), and the unique vulnerability required of him in allowing her past his defences.

And his supernatural abilities!? I'm obsessed!! I’m calling it now: shadow daddies are out and fire daddies are in.

“The whims of fate are an irksome intrusion, and yet … Who could’ve predicted that one touch of your pounding pulse would be so disarming.”

This is the slowest of slow burns but it’s not without unbearable tension, hilarious banter and electric chemistry. These are truly two characters that bring out the best in each other and I can’t wait to see how their relationship evolves in the final book.

I can't finish this review without mentioning the absolutely phenomenal cast of characters. I found myself wanting to know more about each of Zevander's assassin brothers, Rykaia, and Raivox (!!!!!)… The villainous characters, as well, I found to be alluring and interesting even when I just wanted to hate them. They all added so much to this incredible story.

I've honestly written and re-written this review countless times but I've decided that I will never get it right. I have SO MANY thoughts about this book, I truly could go on and on. Though this book is 700 pages, I could have easily read 700 more... and I'm absolutely desperate for the next book!! Keri Lake is a master of her craft — Anathema is everything I hoped it would be and more.

I would recommend this book to any dark romance readers that appreciate intricate fantasy worlds, grimdark and horror elements, complex characters, unique plots, torturous slow burns, broody antiheroes, immersive writing and impactful stories.

Extras:
Official playlist on Spotify

I am so grateful to Keri Lake for providing an advanced copy for review.

[veerali · Rating 3 out of 5]

— ( 🕸 ) 3.5 stars ⊹

wowza, this book was a total page-turner. it’s like the perfect pumpkin spice latte for your brain during spooky season. i absolutely adored it 🫶

[Seeraaa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥."

“𝐈𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞.”

“𝐖𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.”
“𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬?” 🤣😅

Anathema by Keri Lake is set in a dark world full of curses, pain, and magic. The city of Dystenium hides a lot of secrets, dark magic, and death. It’s a scary place, but some people still try to stay strong and fight back. ⚔️🖤

Tropes:

✔️ Gothic Dark Fantasy
✔️ Slow Burn Romance
✔️ Cursed & Tortured Hero
✔️ Quiet, Strong Heroine
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ One Bed
✔️ Found Family


This book took me on a dark and mysterious journey. The beginning was a bit slow, but it helped me understand the world and how everything works. It’s full of curses, danger, and magic. ✨🤌🏻

When the story started moving faster, I couldn’t stop reading. The creepy and gothic vibes were really strong, and I loved that feeling of danger and suspense. ⏳

The characters?
Mayveth 🪶🐦‍⬛ was quiet and hurt, but also strong in her own way. I liked how she grew stronger through the story.
Zivander 🦂 was dark, cold, and angry, but interesting. Still, I wish his character changed more by the end.

Their relationship?❤️✨
There was a lot of tension, but I didn’t feel real love between them. It felt more physical than emotional. I don’t really enjoy when a relationship starts with lust and then suddenly becomes love. It didn’t feel natural to me. ⚡️

The ending?🤚🏻
It wasn’t as strong as I wanted. After everything, I expected more. But it was still interesting enough for me to want to read the next book.

So yes, it’s a dark and emotional story, with magic, curses, and broken people trying to survive. If you enjoy gothic fantasy and slow burn stories, I think you’ll like it.🤭🫶🏻
And of course… I’ll be reading the next book to see what happens next.🕯️☠️


Finally diving into Anathema! ✨ With book 2 dropping on April 1st, I need to catch up before the hype kicks in! 🔥 Super excited for the dark vibes and all the mystery—let’s gooo! 👀📖💀

🫶🏻🫶🏻Buddy reading this with Leena 🤩📖, which makes it even more fun! Can’t wait to freak out over all the twists and dark vibes together! 😆🖤🔪

[sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars . ⊹ ･ﾟ𖥔 ₊ ˑ

⤷ I absolutely devoured this! Almost 700 pages and I did not want it to end. Anathema is my first book by Keri Lake and it has really set the bar. I loved loved loved the dark and eerie setting that made up this gothic world. I genuinely got creeped out at so many parts. The horror elements in this kept me on my toes and absolutely nothing felt safe. Also an honourable mention to Keri's beautiful and lyrical writing.

“Nothing mattered in this place where death loomed beyond the walls. We were sketching an illusion of normalcy in a world too dark to imagine. A place that longed to devour us. Here, in this little hovel, with our bodies entwined and our hearts beating in sync, we transcended death, existing on our own plane.”

I loved so many of these characters. The start of the book really fleshed out the history and upbringing of both Maevyth and Zevander. Even though I found Zevanders chapters at the start a bit overwhelming and confusing as his world was a lot more complex than Maevyth's, it still was a necessary addition to the story and to understanding his character and the world. I love that the author gave them both space in the story individually to build on their characters. The romance was definitely a subplot and the build up was very slow but it was oh so worth it! Ya girl ate up EVERY interaction and crumb they provided.

“The whims of fate are an irksome intrusion, and yet … Who could’ve predicted that one touch of your pounding pulse would be so disarming.”

I will recommend this book to anyone wanting a dark, fantasy romance. The writing was immersive, the magic system unique, the plot and world building both immersive and complex. Cannot wait to get these grubby little hands on book 2!

[Sam | Haus of Fables · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIVE STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had a feeling I would like this book, the gothic setting, masked mmc (my kryptonite!) and overall vibe had me very intrigued, but I had no idea just how much I would LOVE IT!
Honestly this is one of the best books I’ve read in a while.
It took its time to establish the world and for us to get to know the two main characters (before they even meet each other) which made it the world feel full of depth and the stakes high.
The magic and lore was fantastic and it even had a lot of elements (and creatures) that bordered on horror… spooky AF tbh!
I adored the characterisation of the FMC and the MMC’s backstory is so heartbreaking!! but I loved seeing that trauma represented from a males pov.
Another thing I absolutely adored was the found family and female friendship. It felt EARNED! It felt real. Ugh I swear I could go on and on about this book forever.
This is a true slow burn in the romance with a little spice, but the spice we do get it ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥
This is now one of my god tier books and I can’t wait for the second and final book in this Duology to release!

[micky :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

That cliffhanger!?!?!?
It’s definitely a 3.8 star. At the end I actually like fell in love with it and the characters, but it just took a while to get there. A lot of the time I was really confused as to what was going on and honestly didn’t even really get it until the last hundred pages. It is definitely a slow burn, but tbh I loved to build up to the romance plot! It made the tension almost unbearable and then it broke at the most satisfying time! I just feel like there were alot of things going on at the same time like a lot of mini plots and minor characters w/ backstories that it kind of overwhelmed me. The world building though was honestly very good and I love a book w/ a map and a glossary! I definitely will be reading the second book because oh my god I need to know what happens.

[Zeph rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it but the start was too slow

[Jan Agaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

dare I say...one of my new favorite fantasy books of all time!!
the perfect dark, gothic vibes I love with that achingly slow burn romance. incredible. I cannot believe my eyeballs alone read all 678 of these pages & that I actually understood most of the world building & magic system.
keri lake is a talent.

[Brittany Ferraro · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️stars !!!

Wow, how the fuck do I even put into words how obsessed I am with this book? It has completely consumed my every thought, and I’m officially declaring Kerri Lake an auto-buy author for me.

If you're a fan of The Witcher (and I totally am), you’re going to devour this book,it’s dark Gothic fantasy perfection. The gothic setting was literally to die for. The atmosphere, the magic, the creatures, everything was just so immersive. The eating woods?! Like I may actually have nightmares 😂
My perfect kind of fantasy.

Even though there’s a lot of world-building and a lot going on in the story, it was still super easy to follow. I never felt lost or confused, just completely swept up in the adventure. Seriously, if you want to be transported out of reality and straight into the ultimate fantasy world, you NEED to read this book.

The tension? Oh my god. The burn was so slow, actually crawling towards me, but when those moments finally hit... I was squealing. And don’t even get me started on the training scenes LAWD💦💦and the angst?!?! 10/10

Zavander, aka Scorpion Daddy, might just be the assassin of my dreams. The narrator brought him to life in such a way, I can’t thank him enough. I NEED MOREEEEE. He's definitely book husband material, want a guy who’ll kill for you? How about one who’ll kill someone just for looking at you? PLEASE COME CRACK MY BACK MASK, ON MASK OFF I REALLY DONT CARE. The scorpions can even watch.

The audiobook narrators were absolutely incredible. I honestly thought I was listening to a full cast performance. Their range and character voices were on point, I was blown away.

You might think 700 pages is long, but trust me, I would’ve happily read more. I could’ve stayed in this world forever, and I know I’ll be wishing I was back there every day for the next few months. Thankfully I’ve heard this is the start of a trilogy??? (Hopefully) and I will be counting down the days until I can dive back into this world.

Trust me on this one guys !!!

[denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf at 40%
Another bad book. Welp. At this point I'm like "Et tu, Brute?". I'm so sick of it. I always have to tell myself, you dingus, you always get excited bc you love 2 books from an author and the next 2 that you read from them are just brother eughh. Unironically. So stop it (I never learn). I still love Nocticadia and Master of Salt & Bones, don't get me wrong. But this was NOT it.

You know what's just SOOO fun? The fact that it's almost 3 am and now I can't sleep because of some scenes in this book (partly my fault but I thought the story would get better). The amount of traumatizing dark scenes the book has is astounding. Also, confusing just for the sake of being confusing bc "it's a fantasy" so let's put a name to anything, unlikely characters (little said; I was stabbing someone in the eye mentally every other page), with boring and slow moving plot. And why do the characters in her books always need to have some traumatic assault happening to them in the past/present. Like GENUINELY all of them. What the actual fu-? JAIL. This has been such a reoccurring theme I'm concerned. Like, do u not have anything better to write about?

The characters probably meet around the 35% mark and at the 40% mark they still haven't properly spoken. And you know what? That doesn't really bother me when I actually have a good plot/good characters/decent storyline/LESS darker themes or all of the above. But this book has not flavor whatsoever. It's like not drinking water for 10 hours then taking a spoon of chia seeds and trying to swallow them down. I know, body shuttering. I had the same experience with this book.

I can't do it. It's not only the fact that I'm getting into a slump but it's SO dark for no reason and so boring. I'm genuinely traumatized and yawning at the same time which is a very peculiar sentiment that I never wish to ever have it bestowed upon me ever again. Yes, I had to use early modern English words because I am that discombobulated.

Hated everything about this book so far and I don't care to continue with this book or this series. I don't know if I should ask "Why the fuck" or "What the fuck". TRAUMATIZED, TRAUMATIZED I TELL YOU

Pre-read: I̶'v̶e̶ h̶a̶d̶ g̶o̶o̶d̶ l̶u̶c̶k̶ w̶i̶t̶h̶ t̶w̶o̶ o̶f̶ h̶e̶r̶ o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ b̶o̶o̶k̶s̶ s̶o̶ h̶o̶p̶e̶f̶u̶l̶l̶y̶ t̶h̶i̶s̶ o̶n̶e̶ d̶e̶l̶i̶v̶e̶r̶s̶(it didn't)

[Carleen ☾ ☀︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

⛧☾༺“You’re peculiar, is all, Maevyth. And nothing invokes fear quite like the peculiar.”༻☽⛧
─── ⋆⋅ ♰ ⋅⋆ ───


All consuming and infatuating. I'm totally obsessed! It has taken over my every waking thought.

⛧°. ⋆𓌹*♰*𓌺⋆. °⛧

Keri Lake speaks to my soul and everything she writes is incredible. I have yet to read one of her books that I didn't like. She has a knack for creating enriching, immersive worlds with simmering slow-burn romances. This wasn't your typical, run-of-the-mill romantasy. The magic system and world were unique and had so much depth. The beginning took some time to get into as you learn new vocabulary and figure out the world, but it pays off. Just be patient and let her cook. This book is 700 pages so you gotta give it time to build.

The creepy, gothic/horror elements were bone-chilling. Absolutely loved the eerie scary elements. I was squirming in my seat and freaking out with all the spiders and monsters. It felt like I was watching a horror movie in my head with the vivid imagery and graphic descriptions.

“Is it a curse, or a gift? Some believe communing with the dead is as much a blessing as a burden.”
“How could speaking with the dead possibly be a blessing?”
“It is in what they tell you. What they know of the other side.”

The romance took a back seat for most of the book as it is a slow burn. I've learned from Keri that you need to trust the process and enjoy the journey. Cause let me tell you when the romance hits, IT HITS GOOD. She ate and left no crumbs.

“I’ll never know what in seven hells inspired the universe to send you to me, Maevyth.”
“Some might call it a punishment,” I said, smiling.
“If this is punishment, then I welcome an eternity of suffering.” The kiss that followed was gentle and teasing in the way he merely brushed his lips across mine. “You consume me entirely, little moon witch.”

And the ending! NO. HOW COULD YOU END IT LIKE THAT! Keri Lake why *shakes fist in the air*
How am I supposed to wait until April for the sequel? It's maddening.

So if you like dark fantasy with gothic horror elements, an incredibly unique world and magic system, with the slowest of slow burns then give this a go!

[Mahnoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this isn't enough. I need their story HOOKED to my veins.

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