Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Anathema by Keri Lake

3 reviews

brd_emi's review against another edition

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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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mzquirk's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-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

4.75


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kimberlyyyreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Hear me out, hear me out, HEAR ME OUT! 

Ok, if you’ve seen my review for Nightshade, you are WELL aware of how much I didn’t enjoy the writing in that. So going into Anathema, I had no expectations. 

But to my surprise, I had a damn good time reading this! 

Anathema was everything and more. 

The characters, found family, slow burn, mystery & fantasy components all complement each other in this book. 

The first few chapters feel a little slow but its pacing increases past the 20% mark! 

One thing I will say is that the world building is hard to navigate. Given how it’s built, it’s hard to keep track of the languages and other beings but despite that I had somewhat of an awareness of how the magic system works. 

Maevyth as a main character in the beginning left me feeling bummed. I wasn’t a particular fan of hers, in fact, I preferred her sister Alyesia, who is loud, courageous and loves her sister with a PASSION(kindle notes will prove my point). 

But Maevyth won me over! I think her character is so interesting as more of her background and origin get revealed so I truly am excited to return back to her character. 

(Also fuck their perv uncle, I literally wanted to beat the crap out of him) 

Now Zevander is incredibly complex, and I think this is truly done well. From the get go, you understand that he is a character driven by passion and protective instincts. This remains to be the same when Maevyth comes into the picture but his internal battle becomes more intense as he realizes the impact she has had on him. 

I feel for the little boy that Zevander used to be and I truly hope he heals because I am completely on his side  👏. I cannot wait to see more of his character arc. 

I could ramble about the side character such as Zevander and Maevyth’s sisters but I would be here for much longer. 

If you’re looking for a complex goth fantasy with a slow SLOW burn, I would definitely turn u to this book! 

I must warn you my friends, this book does end on quite the cliffhanger! 🫣 

(But it definitely guaranteed my chances of reading book 2)

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