Anathema cover art

Anathema

The Eating Woods, Book 1

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Anathema

By: Keri Lake
Narrated by: James Cassidy, Melissa Barr
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About this listen

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 prophecy. 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 and the first book in The Eating Woods series. Perfect for listeners who enjoy a plot-heavy and atmospheric story with a unique magic system, a slow-burn romance, and a touch of horror.

Contains mature content. A complete list of content warnings can be found on the author's website.

Narrated in duet style.

©2024 Keri Lake (P)2025 Podium Audio
Dark Fantasy Fantasy Gothic Horror
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What listeners say about Anathema

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

If you love a slow burn with gothic vibes this is for you

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .5

I waited for the audiobook to drop before reading it, and it finally did! The world-building throughout the book exuded a perfectly dark and gothic vibe, which I thoroughly enjoyed. However, the two main characters lacked a strong connection, even though they were destined to be together, which was different. It’s a slow burn, which, for me, was a downside and contributed to the unnecessarily length of the book. Nevertheless, I appreciated the cliffhanger at the end and will continue reading the duology when the second book is released.

Tropes:
Gothic dark fantasy
Some horror scenes
Slow burn
Fated mates
One bed
Found family
Magic

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  • Overall
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Sets the bar for Dark Fantasy Romance

This book is everything I expected from the write up and more. The plot is rich and descriptive but not boring, the characters are fantastic and omg the mmc is like no other and with James Cassidy’s voice is a chefs kiss. It’s dark but not cringeworthy and with a splash of horror to keep you on your toes. The narration is top class and perfectly cast and it’s a duet!!! You nailed this Keri Lake and podium audio, I can’t wait for the next book

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Loved this gothic romantacy!

One of my favourite books, can’t wait for the next one! Great plot, great characters, very easy to be immersed in their world and story.

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His voice!!

Brilliantly written and I couldn’t stop listening. I can’t wait for the next book. A wonderful world to escape from hum drum days.

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Slow Burn Enemies to lovers

Well written thrilling story keeps you on the edge of your seat right up to the last page... need the second book to come out.

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This was my full first audiobook!

And I loved every bit of it! I'm so glad I chose this book to lay the path toward audiobooks, I'm going to purchase the paperback and I can't wait for book 2!

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Dark gothic fantasy

What a fantastic story! The audio performances were perfection! So many creepy macabre moments that had me on the edge of my seat, everything served a purpose in the story. The writing is so expressive that the world is very quickly tangible and tactile which makes those moments even more impactful! So glad I read this late so I don’t have to wait too long for the next book!!! Absolutely brilliant book!

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Perfection

Now this is how you write a dark fantasy!
Absolutely loved the story from start to finish.
The story was written so perfectly, and the narrators did a great job to add to the experience.
Highly recommend

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I started with 20 reading hours and somehow it disappeared so bloody fast 🤷‍♀️

I Ate this book UP!! it was a great slow burn and holy hell hurry up and release the next book! 💀💀
and the narration tickled my 😵 brraaain 🙌
sooooo good!

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Just incredible!

Anathema
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Char. Dev.:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Conflict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Narrator performs: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my favourite/best book of last year, and listening to the audiobook for this reread was perfect!! Both voice actors did incredible work. As its Duet style all the female characters are beautifully performed by Melissa Barr. She was the perfect choice in my opinion. Her accent work, her line delivery and her overall performance was excellent!

And the male characters are voiced by the immensely talented James Cassidy. He embodies Zavender for me. He sounded exactly like I thought he would and the emotions behind his line delivery was perfect!

This plot is incredibly intriguing! There are so many questions posed in this book which makes me so excited for the second book coming out this year! I loved the world building and how Keri Lake writes and sets up plot points!

The characters are very multifaceted but as it’s the first of a series there is still so much more j want (NEED) to know about them!

I adore anything Keri writes! She’s one of my instant buy authors!

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