Anathema (The Eating Woods) Paperback – 12 Sept. 2024

Anathema by Keri Lake completely consumed me. I dove in not knowing much beyond the cover and title, and honestly? That made the ride even more exhilarating. What I found was a beautifully written, dark, and twisted tale that blurred the line between fantasy and horror in the best possible way.From the first chapter, the atmosphere hooked me—gothic, eerie, and richly immersive. The world Lake created is filled with shadowy forests, old magic, and a haunting sense of danger that gave me serious Sleepy Hollow and The Witcher vibes. I imagined Zevander as a black-haired Geralt, and that image absolutely lived rent-free in my head the entire time. He’s everything I want in a morally grey MMC—ruthless when he needs to be, but never with her. He's definitely earned a top spot on my Book Boyfriend list.This story isn’t driven by romance (though it’s there, and deliciously tense in moments). Instead, it’s a dark fantasy at its core, which was such a refreshing change of pace from my usual reads. There are a few classic tropes peppered in—Forced Proximity, the One Bed Trope—and my favorite of all: Found Family. That dynamic added a surprising depth to the story and made me even more emotionally invested.The plot is full of unexpected twists and turns, with a creeping sense of horror that I genuinely didn’t anticipate. It's violent, visceral, and at times downright chilling—but balanced by lyrical prose that makes even the darkest scenes feel strangely beautiful.My only complaint? That cliffhanger. What the actual F. I need the next book now. If you're thinking of picking this up for romance alone, you might want to reset your expectations—but if you're craving a brooding, witchy, medieval fantasy with stunning writing, morally grey characters, and gothic atmosphere, Anathema is an absolute must-read.

4.5 stars⭐️I absolutely LOVED this book! This book contains dark themes, dark magic, monsters, magical abilities with the addition of a romance & spice!For me, the above is just the recipe to make an incredible story. This book was also giving horror, paranormal and apocalyptic vibes which I was completely here for.I thought the plot was great and this first book in the trilogy has started definitely set up the vibes for the following two books. The world building and magic system was excellent, I never had trouble picturing the whole story in my mind whilst reading. I also enjoyed that the book was dual POV!Maevth’s character I thought was brilliant. She starts off completely innocent and throughout the story you witness her confidence develop and you learn more and more about her story at the same time she does - As the book progresses which highlights some really cool things about her!I did enjoy the relationship between her and Zevander and thought the dark themes surrounding both their pasts made my stomach clench with sadness & empathy. I like that this book shows that abuse doesn’t just happen to women.The only thing that has stopped me from awarding 5 stars is that I had to constantly flick back and forth to decipher what words meant. Keri Lake clearly has a fantastic mind to create an almost new language but it did mean a lot of stopping and starting the story which interrupted my reading flow. Kudos to KL though because it’s so impressive!Looking forward to book two!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (yes, six stars)🌶️🌶️.5knew it would be good—it’s Keri Lake, for crying out loud—but I didn’t know it would ruin me.Every. Single. Page.This isn’t just a dark fantasy romance. It’s a guttural, poetic descent into rot, yearning, and twisted devotion. I took notes. I highlighted. I annotated like my life depended on it. I never annotate like that. I even made a bookmark. That’s how deep I fell into this world.The worldbuilding? Insane. Gothic, eerie, alive. You feel the woods, the plague, the fear, the politics. The split between the crumbling Ashen City and the wilds? So stark it hurt.And then there’s Lord Zevander Rydainn.Feral. Broken. Gentle in a way that kills you.He’s mine now. I want to curl him up in my lap and run my fingers through his hair and tell him he’s never alone again. I ache for him.Maeve? Stunning. She’s scared, vulnerable, soft—but forced to survive. Forced to fight. And she does. The training scenes? The proximity? The tension?I devoured it.There’s a scene—spoiler—but she comforts his cursed brother. Even in her fear. That moment? It destroyed me. The humanity in this book is so well done, even amidst blood and shadow.The slow burn? BURNING.The ending? I was in tears. Literal tears.I’m not okay. I need more.Maeve and Zevander own me now. Fully.And thank the moons, Keri Lake is dropping Eldeitch this September.I’ll be waiting in line, sobbing.

I just read Anathema on kindle unlimited - I have to say it was one of the best books that I have read this year.The characters were amazing! It had everything: plot, world building and character development. The supporting characters were well rounded and I cannot wait to see what happens in the second book.The main characters were well written and their love story was the perfect slow burn with drops of spice that didn’t affect the movement of the plot. I loved that it was duel POV and that they were written in different styles. Honestly I have so many questions at the end of the book about the cliff hanger and all the other foreshadowed titbits that I’m excited to see how it will all be wrapped up in the second book.I am now going to read the stand alones by Keri Lake as her writing style is divine!