The Eating Woods

By:

Keri Lake

Spice Scale

Number of books

2 Published

KU

✅

Audiobook

✅

Series Status

Incomplete

Interconnected

N/A

Overall Rating

Coming Soon

The Eating Woods by Keri Lake is a gothic dark fantasy series launching with Anathema, where Maevyth Bronwick, a shunned orphan in the oppressive, cult-like village of Foxglove Parish, survives on the edge of the dreaded Witch Knell—known as the Eating Woods—a cursed forest that devours all who enter, from which she herself was mysteriously rescued as a baby amid ominous crows. Facing forced marriage to a cruel elite and her beloved foster sister Aleysia's banishment for scandal, Maevyth defies fate by plunging into the terror-filled woods, only to cross into Nyxteros, a perilous immortal realm of Aethyria brimming with dark mages, grotesque creatures, and ancient prophecies marking her as a target. Rescued yet guarded by the brooding, cursed assassin Zevander Rydainn—the scarred Prince of Eidolon, tormented by sablefyre and a tragic past—their clashing wills ignite a slow-burn tension as she uncovers her hidden powers, navigates betrayals, monstrous threats, and a looming dark mage's plague, blending horror, romance, and survival in a richly atmospheric world.

Jamie’s review

The burn is slowwwwww, my friends. Anathema is 678 pages and things finally start happening between Maevyth and Zevander around page 630. So buckle up! Eldritch picks up a bit more in the 🌶️ but the romance is a subplot in my opinion.

I love the creepy, gothic world building and the twisted religious cult vibes. It's detailed and well written and dark. Check those trigger warnings! I am feral for Zevander but I find Maevyth to be a lackluster FMC. She's just mid, I don't feel connected to her.

I know this is an unpopular opinion because book girlies LOVE these books, but I found them to be unnecessarily long which made me a little bored. I will read book 3 when it comes out because I need to know how this all ends, but I am not on the edge of my seat like I am with other unfinished series.