Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Anathema by Keri Lake

17 reviews

riddikulyssreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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

Maevyth is a nineteen-year-old girl living in a highly religious community. Having been found next to the dreaded Eating Woods as a baby, she has always been looked at as cursed and shunned by her community. Through the Eating Woods and beyond the magical forbidden boundary resides Zevander. Cursed from infancy, he has become the coldest and most calculating assassin for the king of Aethyria. In order to break his curse, Zevander needs Maevyth’s blood…all of it. Through a series of unfortunate events, Maevyth unexpectedly finds herself on the opposite side of the divide - the first human to do so. Their worlds collide - unraveling a trail of unanswered questions, long-lost history and unexpected emotions. His obsession with her threatens to ruin everything he’s worked so hard for. But only the banished know what lies beyond the woods.

This book is a dual POV and the first in The Eating Woods Duology. It’s perfect for readers who love gothic dark fantasy with a little bit of added horror. Be warned, it’s a true SLOW BURN. Keri does add a disclaimer for that in the beginning. If you want fast romance, this is not for you. This book is plot-HEAVY and fantasy-forward. It has tropes such as enemies-to-lovers, one bed and found family.  

This was my first Keri Lake book and I’m HOOKED. I can’t wait to read more of her work. Her writing is so intricate and immersive. I got visually lost in this world and I did NOT want to come out. I’ll admit, I dragged this out a little because I truly didn’t want it to end. Every interaction and scene in this book was necessary to experience the full immersion of who the characters are and how the world works. The unique magic system was captivating. I never felt bored or like I was overwhelmed by too much fantasy. It was a perfect blend. The glossary was very helpful for reference. This story was dark, gritty and hauntingly beautiful. The angst and tension of the slow burn has me aching for more. The side characters are multi-layered and I can’t wait to learn even more about them. The MCs’ chemistry is on literal fire. I am DESPERATE for Eldritch after that ending!!

⚠️ Please read all trigger warnings before reading this book! ⚠️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 (lots of tension, spice towards the end)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Drug abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Addiction, Genocide, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Child death and Pregnancy

throneofbooks7's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Excellent first installment. Maevyth irritated me here and there but I look forward to her continued growth over the series. Rykaia was my favorite character!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Classism

julietrblack's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Very dark book with some pretty heavy topics. Highly recommend looking at all the trigger warnings first. This book has every trope you would want: touch her and you die, one bed, dark and brooding MMC, and mates. Even though I've read these tropes many times, this still ended up being a fresh and new story. I'm usually not a fan of gory and graphic horror scenes, but for this book I made an exception. The world is so fascinating and I loved how the magic system worked. Nothing felt like filler and the side characters were beautifully written as well. It does end on a cliff hanger, though, so be prepared.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

doahdancer's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There was so much here to love, but not enough to say this will be in my top ten at the end of the year.

The MMC was a broody, traumatized burnt marshmallow of a man. The gothic atmosphere reminded me of One Dark Window, but with more abject horror. It was easy for me to get lost in the environment and adore the characters.

Still, the first half was paced too slowly and the second half rocketed the slow burn romance to levels I didn't feel had been earned. There were some interesting plot twists which cast doubt on the motivations of seemingly reliable characters, but they were delivered so abruptly and without fanfare that I was left more confused than surprised.

This would be 5 stars if the romance developed more slowly and the plot, which completely turned itself inside out and became sort of shapeless in its twisting, regained clarity and drive before the end.

Will keep the next on my TBR.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent

nicoleb_trippin's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Pandemic/Epidemic

brd_emi's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Toxic friendship

chele96's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I am dying to read the sequel. I love the author's writing style and will absolutely be looking into any other books she's written. Keri, please write quickly 🥹

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Abortion, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Colonisation

paulakoala's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Interesting magic and world building. It’s a lot of new terminology with different blood lines so if you’re not into world building you might not like this one. There are a lot of triggers of different sorts so be weary if you are sensitive because it can be dark. 

It was similar to one dark window but written better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Drug abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Grief, Cannibalism, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

srodz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

lili_quinn's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Classism