Have you had enough of the summer heat already and are looking forward to the gloomy autumn? Well, you are not alone, dear bookworms! And we have the perfect slow-burn dark romance to get you in the mood. If you love dark fantasy romances with gothic vibes, a complicated storyline, games of fate, and dual POVs, then Anathema by Keri Lake is the read for you!
The first book of the Eating Woods series has a lot of intricate world-building and magic system, and lots of darkness, which translates to a lot of trigger warnings and is not recommended for a YA book club session. If you loved The Shepherd King duology, check out our One Dark Window summary and then proceed to add Anathema to your Goodreads TBR or any alternative you prefer because we guarantee you’ll love it.
Let’s proceed to the summary of this BookTok-approved gothic romance. As always, beware of spoilers when venturing into the treacherous eating woods!
Maevyth Bronwick, like everyone raised in Foxglove Parish, knows to steer clear of the Witch Knell—the cursed forest where the banished are sentenced to be devoured by the monster lurking within, also known as the Eating Woods. No one survives the Eating Woods. No one, that is, except Maevyth herself, who was found there as a baby, abandoned deep in the woods and surrounded by crows—creatures considered cursed in Foxglove Parish.
Now our FMC is a woman, and she knows her evil step-grandmother, Agatha, will no longer tolerate her or Aleysia, her step-sister. Pondering that, Maevyth stumbles upon a dying crow. She decides to give it a merciful death and bury it, but she gets scratched in the thatched arch signaling the entrance of the woods, and her blood is mixed with the bird’s, leaving her with an open wound. As her wound festers, Maevyth falls into a feverish delirium and sees what she assumes is a hallucination: a beautiful man with blazing amber eyes by her bedside. When she wakes, he’s gone, but she finds a mysterious egg, and she decides to hide under her bed.
Agatha wastes no time and sells Maevyth to a very rich merchant named Mr. Moros. Moros seems nice at first and patiently waits until Maevyth is feeling better. Maevyth hates the idea of being sold off; however, the perks of being a married woman are too tempting. She could take Aleysia with her and finally have everyone’s respect. Aleysia is trying to find her own solution by fooling around with her step-uncle, Agatha’s most beloved son—we know, what a loving family! She foolishly thinks he will take her away when she discovers she is pregnant. But when Agatha discovers the truth, it is only Maeve who fights for her. Moros seems to be on her side, until he reveals he has no intention to save Aleysia and shows Maeve his collection of peculiarities, where he intends to put her as well after they have an heir.
During Aleysia’s banishing, the girl is stripped, shaved, and made to lose the baby before being pushed into the woods left to fend for herself. Sacton Crain surprisingly, also banishes Uncle Riftyn, the man responsible for her suffering. Maeve chases after Aleysia into the woods, and Moros follows her. There, Maeve witnesses the legendary monster tear both Moros and Riftyn apart. She and Aleysia escape toward the far side of the forest, where another archway stands. Maeve passes through, but Aleysia hesitates and doesn’t make it. Maeve tries to return, but the portal no longer lets her through.
Suddenly, she finds herself surrounded by guards who lock her in a dungeon, so prisoners can have their fun with her. The first prisoner underestimates her and gives her a knife, which she uses to stab him. Then a figure bursts in, taking care of all the men, and the amber eyes that have haunted her dreams are staring right into hers.
Zevander Rydainn, cursed from infancy with sablefyre by the wicked mage Cadavros, has lived for centuries in the land beyond the woods—Aethyria. The magic inside him is powerful, but it’s eating away at him, just as it did to his brother, Branimir. Zevander has been searching for a cure for two hundred years. To find it, he must collect the bloodstones of all seven races of Aethyria to forge a sacred weapon. On his hunt for the final bloodstone—a red orb laced with silver veins—he enters the Eating Woods and finds Maeve. Although he knows she could be the key, his fire and his heart refuse to harm her.
He takes her to Castle Eidolon, his family’s castle. There, Maevyth meets Dolion, the mage Zevander has paid for the cure, his sister, Rykaia, and the other three assassins of the king, like Zevander. Dolion explains to Maeve that she is the last living descendant of the Corvikae people, mortals who worshiped the death goddess. Morsana, and were wiped out by the Solassions. Her survival is an obstacle to Zevander’s cure, but she must survive as the last Corvi.
Torn between his duty and his growing feelings, Zevander refuses to harm her. Instead, he takes it upon himself to teach Maeve basic runes and help her harness her budding magic—all while struggling to resist his desire for her. Captured and abused as a child by the Solassions, Zevander has lived closed off from love and physical affection. But Maeve’s presence breaks through his walls, and she’s burning just as much. Together, they follow the trail of the Corvikae’s forgotten history.
Meanwhile, Maeve is desperate to return home and find her sister. Rykaia, also battling demons of her own—namely addiction and deep grief—is slowly healed by her growing friendship with Maeve. The two of them get into all kinds of magical mischief and are saved by the little creature Maeve hatched, the protector of the Corvikae people.
When the “Becoming” ceremony of Princess Calisza is announced, Maeve and Rykaia strike a deal: Maeve will attend if Rykaia helps her get back to Foxglove. During the lavish event, Maeve can’t help but long for Zevander’s attention. When he finally asks her to dance, she’s undone by his touch. But when she spots a familiar face from Foxglove in the crowd, she knows something’s wrong.
Turns out it’s all a trap. Maeve is captured, even as Zevander fights to save the prince. Dolion and Rykaia try to protect her but fail. In a twist of fate, Maeve ends up rescuing herself—wielding her magic like a pro—and is taken back to Foxglove. But the place is unrecognizable. The people are zombified, and Agatha and Maeve’s uncle try to kill her. Luckily, her training pays off.
Just in time, Zevander arrives, unable to stay away. He confesses his love, and they finally give in to the passion between them. Their bond is deeper than either imagined: they’re mates, tied by fate and magic. Zevander’s power cannot harm her, and she is now part of him.
Just before the end, Zevander is visited by Cadavros, who is responsible for the plight of Foxglove, and is given a choice: sacrifice Maeve and join Cadavros, or unleash hell and die. The book ends with Zevander seemingly choosing Maeve and Maeve discovering Aleysia locked in a secret door in the now-dead witch’s house.
Both our main characters struggle deeply with accepting their identity. Maeve has always felt different, and when her identity as Corvi—and possibly Morsana’s daughter—she finally has some answers. She struggles at first, but soon embraces her true origins. Zevander, on the other hand, hates who he is and what he can do, he longs to be free of sablefyre and its perks. His proximity to Maeve and her acceptance of the deformed Branimir help him immensely to accept who he is.
In a world where many things are predestined by fate, the characters seek a way to stray and act freely. However, despite his longing for freedom, Zevander is relieved to find out that Maeve is his mate, that a person is entirely meant for him. Similarly, Maeve rejoices that she no longer has to be alone in this treacherous world. Rykaia is the greatest advocate of free will and giving in to impulses, but that is often a trauma response for her. Zevander also has to exercise his free will to resist harming Maeve, despite his quest for a cure.
Foxglove is the symbol of corrupted values and a decaying society, and the curse that befalls its people is very allegorical. The same happens in Aethyria, where sablefyre and Cadavros have corrupted the people, showing that unchecked power can lead to corruption.
The book includes many harsh realities, like the one that befalls Lady Rydainn and the Lyverian servant—both are sexually abused and brutally killed—and the characters are left with even more trauma because of them. Maeve and Zevander are marginalized their whole lives and must find their place in the world. Together, they start healing and accepting their ugly parts. Rykaia also heals with Maeve’s presence. It seems that the whole realm of Anathema is suffering, and the balance and coexistence of all seven peoples is the only thing that can fix it.
If you are looking for a fresh romantasy read, with a hot MMC, a touch of the enemies-to-lovers trope, and a slow-burn romance, then log into Amazon and get Anathema. After that, Nocticadia by the same author is a must-read as well!
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Yes, Anathema is the first book in a dark romance series. It focuses on forbidden love and vigilante justice. The characters explore their morality, and their moral compass does not always point north. They can be ruthless and a little psycho.
Yes! After Maeve wakes Zevander from a deep state of Caligorya—the dark space of the mind—she explains that they are alone and surrounded by the creatures. Zevander swears to protect her and stay by her side. Looking for something to eat around the old witch’s house, Maeve discovers Aleysia being locked in a trap door under the witch’s floor, further complicating the story.
Always living in her own enchanted little world, Christina discovered the magic that can be hidden within the pages of a book when one dares to take a closer look from a tender age. An avid reader, she is constantly inspired to delve into the secrets woven between the lines and challenges herself to find her own voice amidst the chaos. She is a dedicated fan of the classics, but the supernatural creatures that have tormented readers for years are her kryptonite. The mastery it takes to infuse the author's essence, molded by the era they grew up in to their innermost desires fascinates her. Undoubtedly, putting her passion and knowledge on paper has a mesmerizing allure on her, and following the steps of so many other dreamers before her she wishes to leave her mark in the literary world. Guided by T.S Eliot’s haunting words: “I will show you fear in a handful of dust” she intends to wreak havoc in the minds of her future readers.
