Date Read
March 6, 2026
My Takes
This book is the reason Keri Lake is one of my favorite gothic authors! I can't wait for book 2, release date is 3/31/2026 on Audible! If this book is on your TBR, it is a winner! #anathema #kerilake #TBR #gothicromance If you liked Nocticadia, this is a must-read. She gave me chills and includes a wonderful shadow daddy!
Some Notes: The book starts out, and the FMC and MMC are in two different places, leading different lives, but you can see
How are they going to converge, or how they could.
The world-building is probably the first 10 chapters, as it is in a lot of these books.
We can tell that the FMC is impoverished and more than she seems. The sister is not doing as she should per the society rules, and there is some step-uncle stuff happening. The FMC is getting boxed in with only bad choices for her life, and she is trying to do the best she can while protecting her sister and herself.
In a lot of these books, family is awful, and it is not different here. But I enjoy the world that she lives in. It reminds me of the 1500-1600s. Indoor plumbing is happening, but only lightly in wealthy homes. There is an element of magic I like, but there is also superstition and accusations of witchcraft. The townspeople seem to be on the side of the Puritans and very strict in their religious doctrine.
For our MMC, he comes from a realm of magic and wealth. People, of course, are still cruel, and we know from the prologue that his family was forced to do some magic on him and his brother. So, now his only desire is to reverse the curse. The curse actually changes his skin to look like bark, and that is an interesting turn; he won't be our normal handsome, irresistible hero.
This book actually gave me chills! The scene comes up, and you will know it when you read it, it about made me drive off the road!! (Spoiler: If you can't handle spiders.. You have been warned!)
It takes a good 25 chapters for the meet to happen. Now that they have, we are getting an enemy's to lovers tope.
Things progress, and then there are more spiders... UGGGG
