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Anathema (Cloud Prophet Trilogy #1)

by Megg Jensen (Goodreads Author)

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 1,243 ratings · 253 reviews

Magic. Lies. Manipulation

Reychel is a slave girl sheltered from the outside world with no hope for escape. The night before her dreaded fifteenth birthday, her best friend disappears, leaving her to face her branding ceremony - when her master’s sigil is burned on the back of her bald scalp – alone. She soon discovers nothing is as it seems when people desperate for freedo...more

ebook, 204 pages

Published February 5th 2011 by DarkSide Publishing (first published February 4th 2011)

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Apr 08, 2011 Mindy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, paranormal-or-urban-fantasy, romance, warlocks-witches-wizards

Wow, what an amazing book! Hopefully, I won't have to wait long to read the following 2 books in this series! Picking up this book I had no idea what to expect. When I read the first page I was immediately intrigued! Even though the book is less than 190 pages, so much happens in the book that I am truly amazed that Megg Jensen was able to create and deliver such a compelling book in so few pages.

While reading, I was so focused on anticipating what would happen next that I couldn’t put the book...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 05, 2011 Linda Ash rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book drew me in when I read the first chapter on the author's blog. I thought to myself, "I've finally found a really good indie book." The opening is terrific, it says so much in a compelling way and I found myself reading on. I downloaded the book for my nook and read it in two sittings.

Now, having said that, with further reading, I could tell that this was an indie book. It's hard for indie authors to escape this, I think (being one myself, I know). Those of us who can't afford top notch...more

6 likes · like · see review

Dec 01, 2012 Jalyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, paranormal, 3-star, reviewed

I liked this book. It's an interesting and fast read and has a fairy tale kind of feel to it.

This books starts of with a slave named Reychel waking up on her 15th birthday to find her best friend, Ivy, missing. She finds a coin under the covers and knows that her friend has been freed from a life of slavery. Reychel is happy for Ivy, but she needs Ivy's support because she is to be branded on the back of her neck today to show she belongs to her master, Kandek. Reychel learns that you can't alwa...more

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Feb 11, 2011 G.P. Ching rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: indelibles

Full disclosure, I am part of Megg's writer's circle, so I was able to read Anathema before it was published. Anathema is the kind of book you read in a day. It moves fast and has both romantic and fantasy elements. What I like about how Megg Jensen writes fantasy is that she doesn't over-write it. Maybe it's my short fiction roots but many modern fantasy novels seem bloated to me. Not this one. The writing is tight but she doesn't sacrifice plot or characterization.

I thought the premise was ori...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Lindsey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A really enjoyable book, Anathema takes you to a place where freedom comes at a cost and the people you are closest to are often the ones that are hiding something.....

I liked Anathema. It was-for the most part- realistic and fast-paced, which I whole heartedly enjoyed. Reychel fit the bill perfectly for what the heroine of this book had to be and it was nice watching her break out of her shell espically in the last scenes at the castle. Now her relationships were...semi believeable at best. Ale...more A really enjoyable book, Anathema takes you to a place where freedom comes at a cost and the people you are closest to are often the ones that are hiding something.....

I liked Anathema. It was-for the most part- realistic and fast-paced, which I whole heartedly enjoyed. Reychel fit the bill perfectly for what the heroine of this book had to be and it was nice watching her break out of her shell espically in the last scenes at the castle. Now her relationships were...semi believeable at best. Alex and Reychel did not sit well with me. She barely has any contact with him because she needs to hide, but he wants to protect her, and then they both love each other? When did that happen? The relationship had no foundation and no build-up which made it completely unrealistic. Alex also seems inpulsive and cocky so I wasn't in love with pretty boy during the book.
Some scenes felt rushed. Action trumped detail and before I had settled into a scene it would jump to something else entirely. This prevented me from fully entering Reychel's world and I was disappointed that I couldn't fully appreciated what was happening around her. Ex. Her relationship with Johna. Johna is a flat, static character that had the potential to be fleshed out given the amount of time Reychel spends with her. For a "mentor" Johna was a weak presence, easily replaceale with another character. So, not only did I not get to know Johna, the time Reychel spends with her-quite a few months- is passed in a couple of sentences. I never felt the passing of time and before we knew it Reychel was off again.
Ivy was a well done character. After her real personality was brought to light (I never would have guessed what she was really like because we were in Reychel's head so the blindside was pretty powerful) it was easy to see where the plot was going. Not that I really minded. I wanted to see if the author would end with a flourish and she did. I was a surprised at the end (I like being surprised!) with quite a few plot twists. The book ended with a bit of a cliff hanger, but because of my overall rating I have no urgent desire to pick up book two.
I liked Anathema, but am currently debating if the second book is worth it...would not recommend unless you are looking for an average read. (less)

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Dec 20, 2012 Karielle Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blog

Anathema (Cloud Prophet Trilogy #1) by Megg Jensen
Page Count: 185
Release Date: 18 April, 2012 (newest edition)
Publisher: Dark Side Publishing (self-published)
Source: Complimentary copy provided by author, via Romancing the Book, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you both!)

Megg Jensen triggers readers unto a dark, deceptive journey into the fantastical world of Keree in her exciting young adult debut, Anathema. Forbidden by her master, King Kandek, to go outdoors or even near w...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Dixie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Free book I got from Amazon this is my review on it:

Can one girl save the fate of her people?

Reychel has been a slave her whole life she wakes up to find her only friend missing without a trace except a gold coin in her place. What is she going to do now?
What can one slave girl do?

Follow Reychel’s story from a slave to a free person.

It’s fast paced and has a good plot and storyline. I would have liked to see more in depth characterization of the characters because each of them has the potenti...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Justine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 27, 2012 Rhonda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-freebies

Very interesting idea for a story but the follow through fell a little short. It was very unbelievable to me that these older, wiser, more experienced people would just follow a 15 year old girl with her ideas, plans, and wants so easily. There was hardly any disagreement with her no matter what her plans were. “You want to lead a rescue of some prisoners even though we have been waiting for you for centuries? Sure, no problem.“

I don’t think so.

There was also a weird shift from a shy, unsure you...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Nina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen-books-can-t-resist

First of all, this book is pretty short. I finished it in a few hours. I was reading on my kindle and wasn't keeping track of the locations, and all of a sudden it was done.

Aside from the length, I thought the book was really good. I enjoyed the story and it was entertaining enough that I didn't realize how fast I was whipping through it. The story revolves around a slave girl who discovers that she is a foretold savior of her people. This book takes her through the discovery of her status as t...more

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May 23, 2012 Krystal Hammond rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: swords-and-horses-fantasy

I've seen this book on the First Reads page over and over again, and I've entered to win in several times. Never did. So, when this book popped up on Amazon's Top 100 Free list for Kindle, I decided do go ahead and download it.

Here's the super brief summary (mild spoilers): Reychel is a slave who is about to become the permanent property of her owner via a brand on her fifteenth birthday. She gets rescued and is launched on a big adventure.

My thoughts ... this book just doesn't deliver. If you l...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Leah J.J Summers rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well, I first got this book for free from Amazon and heard about it on Wattpad, so I decided to check it out.
I'll admit the ending was a little rushed, but I didn't mind too much.
The beginning was filled with more telling than showing so I was a little frustrated, and the story was pretty predictable. Wish there had been a few more subplots to make it a bit more complicated. I write books too, and if I had written out the plot and how it all comes together, this would have been my first draft. T...more

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Mar 16, 2012 DelSheree rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For a people who have been conquered and subjected to slavery, believe in a prophet meant to save them is difficult to give up. Their faith that they will one day be rescued spurs hope and planning. Reychel, a simple slave, has no notion of the prophecy. Her life has been sheltered beyond any other slave’s, even to the point of never being allowed to go or look outside except in her master’s presence. She knows nothing but the life of a slave…until her best friend goes missing and a mysterious c...more For a people who have been conquered and subjected to slavery, believe in a prophet meant to save them is difficult to give up. Their faith that they will one day be rescued spurs hope and planning. Reychel, a simple slave, has no notion of the prophecy. Her life has been sheltered beyond any other slave’s, even to the point of never being allowed to go or look outside except in her master’s presence. She knows nothing but the life of a slave…until her best friend goes missing and a mysterious coin is left in her place. Her friend’s disappearance changes everything. Reychel is thrown into more intrigue, secrets, and danger than she ever imagined could exist in the outside world.

This basic idea of Anathema sounds interesting. That’s what I thought when I downloaded the book. The idea behind the story is a thought provoking one with a lot of potential. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to that potential. As a whole, the book was interesting. There were many chapters that finished with a good enough hook that I wanted to turn the page, but in general the book fell short of my expectations.

The lack of consistency throughout the book was frustrating. The characters did not use consistent speech patterns. At times they spoke like old world villagers. At other times they spoke like modern teens. The characters themselves were often inconsistent, being clever at one moment than oblivious at the next, or sure of something then speak as if they had hardly considered the idea. The flow was also a problem in many cases. The idea that there were “gifted” people was never brought up until Reychel met one, but then she suddenly recalled many times that she had seen gifted slaves in her master’s house. I wasn’t sure if the author forgot to mention these gifted people earlier on and thought having Reychel remember would suffice, or she thought she was revealing some secret.

Many authors like to drop subtle hints as they write to either increase curiosity, guide readers toward the right conclusion, or trick them into leaning the wrong direction. This can be a wonderful tactic to draw readers in, but subtly is the key. I’m about to reveal some spoilers, but I need to in order to explain why this writer’s hints stole much of the tension from the story.

The first time Reychel is allowed to look out a window while in her master’s presence he asks her to tell him a story, as he usually does. Reychel’s story becomes a tale of her escape from slavery. The fact that Reychel was forbidden to look outside at any other time had been emphasized so much by that point that it was no surprise when Reychel’s “story” came true. I immediately assumed Reychel’s gift was prophecy related to looking at the sky. The frustrating part of the writer’s not-so subtle hints was that the characters in the book were all completely oblivious to this fact and just couldn’t figure out what Reychel’s talent was supposed to be.

Another instance was after Reychel and her friend Ivy have a fight and Ivy runs away, Reychel sees a vision of Ivy living luxuriously and looking very fiendish. When Reychel hears that her former master has suddenly announced his marriage to a mysterious girl, again it was readily apparent to me that Ivy was that mystery woman. But the other characters were at a loss to figure out who the master was marrying and passed off Ivy running away as a non-issue even though she told them before leaving that she knew an important secret about Reychel. Of course, Ivy turns out to be the master’s fiancée and reveals the devastating secret she knew, ruining Reychel’s plans.

I encountered the same problem when Reychel and her friends come up with a plan to rescue prisoner’s from her former master. Over and over again the characters reiterated how simple the plan was, how easy it would be, how it couldn’t possibly fail. It was so overemphasized that I, as a reader, knew the plan was doomed-which it was. One small, barely noticeable hint does so much more than blatant, repetitious hints will ever do.

The one aspect of the book that kept me from really connecting with the story or the characters was its lack of emotion. The first several chapters make a point of mentioning Grey, another slave, that Reychel has feelings for. But when she escapes she doesn’t have a single thought about this boy. No request to rescue him as well, no longing to see him again. She doesn’t even remember he exists until she ends up back in the palace trying to rescue the prisoners. And while Reychel is away from the palace, she meets another young man, Mark, that she makes some friendly comments about, but shows no internal devotion to. Yet when Ivy accuses Reychel of stealing Mark’s attention, everyone acts as if it is obvious that Reychel is in love with Mark. Throughout the book there were scenes where the characters spoke of something being very passionate, but preceding that there was very little internal emotion. This gave the book a rather bland tone at times.

Anathema was an interesting book. It had a very good idea at its base that I simply felt was not utilized to its full potential. I was intrigued at times, but I did not have the overpowering urge to keep reading. I didn’t connect with the characters enough to worry about their future, though that may have been partly due to the fact that the hints told me what was coming up and left little suspense. I enjoy a good love triangle, and though this book hinted that this would play a bigger part in the second book, I have a hard time seeing it suck people in since Reychel forgot the existence of one of the boys for almost the entire book. Overall, I wanted more from this book. I don't think I will read the other books in the series. (less)

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Feb 27, 2012 Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I loved the pacing of the story. All of the little pieces unraveling at the perfect time. I sat and read this book all the way through in one day and found it highly enjoyable and different than anything I have read recently. The idea that the slaves/workers had to shave their heads to symbolize their position in the society. Then to actually have their masters symbols burned into the back of their skull? Seriously? Ow.

When Reychel wakes up to find her friend gone from the bed, the rumor starts...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Rhian added it · review of another edition

Full review, with pictures, at Slacker Heroes

Slave girls in a mysterious castle? Missing friends, magical tokens, intrigue and ritual – I was excited by this story from the opening chapter. Anathema is the first title in Megg Jensen’s Cloud Prophet Trilogy, and the entire time I was reading I could ‘see’ it in my head like a film, so I thought it would be fun have a faux casting for an imaginary movie adaptation.

Our heroine, Reychel, is a slave girl in the King’s castle. She is not allowed to se...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Patricia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A very light and easy read, Anathema was what I expected. No more. No less. Reychel is the strong yet innocent heroine with a great destiny. Too bad that I saw it coming. I love it when there's a mystery shrouding the characters, and for Reychel, it was her Gift and the treatment she received as a slave. I was disappointed it when it was more than apparent what the nature of her Gift was and thus her role in the great scheme of the rebellion. In return, I was quite surprised by her origin story,...more

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Dec 24, 2011 Books rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

The first book in the Cloud Prophecy series, “Anathema” was an awesome read! I downloaded it as a free book from kindle, and wasn’t in a rush to read it. But once I got started, I was hooked! Before I got to the end of the book, I was already looking forward to the next two books in this series by Megg Jensen.

I loved everything about this book. It was an easy and fast read, with an uncomplicated, yet unpredictable, plot line. The story moves at a comfortable pace and each setting is so well-desc...more

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Dec 06, 2011 Between the Covers rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, ya-urban-fantasy, ya-dystopian

REVIEWED by Chris for Between the Covers blog:

I buy indie books on my kindle all the time. I scour the message boards for free or very low priced books every day, but I have yet to find one that has entertained me as much as Anathema by Megg Jensen. (And it was a steal for only $0.99.) The first in The Cloud Trilogy, this book is extremely well written and developed.

Anathema centers around a slave girl named Reychel. Reychel was born into slavery and is forbidden from viewing the outside world u...more

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Dec 02, 2011 Romancing the Book rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ya

Reviewed By- Steph O.
Review Copy Provided By- Print Copy
This is my second time reading the book. I have to say, it’s like I never even read it . . I am so drawn into it. Even though I am fully aware of what is to come, and what leads to what, I am still getting the same feelings all over again. From the heart pounding excited of escape, to the mind spinning lies, and manipulation that are going on.

Reychel has spent her entire life hidden from the outside. Allowed only brief glimpses of the outsi...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Fatima Fayez rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Anathema is a promising start to a great new trilogy. The book drew me in from the start due to the many mysterious nature of Ivy's disappearance and subsequent events. The author quickly set the tone of the world and I was immersed in this delightful fantasy. I love worlds where magic is abundant and talents are revealed gradually.

Reychel is an intriguing character who has a tremendous responsibility suddenly foisted on her shoulders. For a slave, she has a trusting and naive point of view may...more

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Sep 14, 2011 J. Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was pleasantly surprised this book since I haven’t had much luck with up and coming YA authors. Jensen weaves her story around a new and unique land that for me parallels a touch of the issues we’ve faced in our world over time. Our heroine for this story can be found amongst a band of slaves forced to shave their heads signifying their enslavement. To make matters worse at the age of 15 all slaves are to be branded like cattle with the insignia of their master. Which is the time young Reychel...more I was pleasantly surprised this book since I haven’t had much luck with up and coming YA authors. Jensen weaves her story around a new and unique land that for me parallels a touch of the issues we’ve faced in our world over time. Our heroine for this story can be found amongst a band of slaves forced to shave their heads signifying their enslavement. To make matters worse at the age of 15 all slaves are to be branded like cattle with the insignia of their master. Which is the time young Reychel finds her world being turned inside out. She’s spent a lifetime under her masters boot, being hidden from the outside world except in his presence but at the same time given certain privileges no other slave would dream of which in turn makes her hated among her own people. Ivy is the only friend she has in the world until the day comes for Reychel to be branded and she wakes up to find Ivy kidnapped. But the kidnappers don’t stop with Ivy and soon Reychel is torn between the impending death of her people and a life she never knew existed.
Anathema, for me, was a unique and refreshing read; a pleasant break from the onslaught of vampires, werewolves, and witches but with the same amount of mystery and magic we’ve all come to long for in our reading. The plot was certainly engaging although a few things were predictable because of “not so subtle” hints. However, the plot kept my attention and I genuinely couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. My biggest complaint was the not-so-romantic romance that for me seemed to have been forced into the plot. I think leaving the romance out and allowing it to bud over the course of the trilogy would have done wonders for the book. There was so much dramatic effect put into Reychel’s relationship with Ivy that I believe it would have been more beneficial to allow that to be the leading conflicting relationship. I needed more reasons to trust and believe in Ivy for the unfolding events to shock me.
The book was certainly too short. I needed more time to get into Reychel’s head and really get to know her. That’s why I’m so glad this is a trilogy.
Because of it’s uniqueness and Jensen’s obvious creative flair, I believe with a little more editing and detail work this book could have been a best seller. I am excited to read more from her!
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May 05, 2012 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So I recently won a giveaway on Twitter from Indelibles, which is a great blog with over 25 indie authors. It was just fluke that I happened to be on twitter for indie chat that was going on, so I jumped right in because I LOVE indie authors! So when I found out that I won books by all the Indelibles Authors I was so ecstatic! The next day they all started pouring in… so I ended up with over 20 new books! I had no idea where to even start… so then I started reading all the synopsis’s on goodread...more So I recently won a giveaway on Twitter from Indelibles, which is a great blog with over 25 indie authors. It was just fluke that I happened to be on twitter for indie chat that was going on, so I jumped right in because I LOVE indie authors! So when I found out that I won books by all the Indelibles Authors I was so ecstatic! The next day they all started pouring in… so I ended up with over 20 new books! I had no idea where to even start… so then I started reading all the synopsis’s on goodreads and there was this one book I received from Megg Jensen that really grabbed my attention… and then I realized she actually had 5 books and a novella all connected to the same story! So I decided to start there! This brings us to my current review…

I started reading Megg Jensen’s Cloud Prophet Trilogy. The first book in the trilogy is called Anathema… and WOW it was such an amazing book! Megg Jensen creates this world, and it just sucks you right in... Within the first few pages I don’t think I could have put the book down even if I had wanted to (which I didn’t). It’s not a very long book, but it never seems rushed even though it seems like there is just so much going on.

I loved Reychel! She is such a great character! She was a slave her whole life, never even got to see the sunlight except for very rare occasions… yet when she escapes she is still optimistic that things can change, that people are not all bad, and in the end that she can help save everyone.

I also weirdly enough loved Ivy, even though she was a truly nasty person, she still caught my attention because she wanted to better her life, so she went about it no matter the cost… and I do truly think that even though she turned her back on people when she definitely shouldn’t have, she was just looking out for herself which seemed to be what everyone was doing to survive.

I didn’t really care for Mark too much, he was just too soft, maybe I am use to reading books with a stronger male character, but I just couldn’t make myself like him too much. I do hope in the next few books that he comes out of his shell a little more and turns into the book boyfriend that I think he has the potential to be.

Overall it was a fantastic book, and I was so happy that I decided to start with this series, and I am so excited to keep reading the Cloud Prophet Trilogy and then moving on the Megg Jensen’s The Swarm Trilogy… and I am also sure the rest the of the books I won from Indelibles will be just as amazing!
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Mar 19, 2012 Kimberly rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book had potential. The plot drew me in instantly, and I really like the idea of the gifted, but the book as a whole didn't really work for me. I have major problems with the character building. It wasn't very realistic. I know that sounds silly because this is a fantasy book, but the relationships between the chararcters weren't convincing. The romantic realationships were especially unrealistic and unsatisfying. Some authors can pull off the love at first sight thing (It's still a bit ann...more

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Sep 17, 2011 Aimeekay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book. It is a solid start to what looks to be a great series. I really enjoyed the characters that Jensen has created. And the story had some really interesting twists in it that I wasn't expecting. The story, while it isn't completely stand alone, obviously it is the first in a trilogy, can be read without requiring the second book on hand.. While it does leave some unresolved questions, is satisfying, and won't leave you disappointed. The unresolved questions are more of...more

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Dec 24, 2011 Wendy Lohr rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-misc

This review can also be found on my blog: http://escapeintofiction.blogspot.com...

Plot:

Reychel has been a slave to her master, Kandek, all her life. Per his orders, she's not allowed to look out any windows or to even be near them. From time to time, she's called to his chambers for a private audience, where she is allowed to look out the window for a short period of time and tell him stories.

Then, on the day of her 15th birthday, which is also the day of her branding ceremony, Reychel is rescu...more This review can also be found on my blog: http://escapeintofiction.blogspot.com...

Plot:

Reychel has been a slave to her master, Kandek, all her life. Per his orders, she's not allowed to look out any windows or to even be near them. From time to time, she's called to his chambers for a private audience, where she is allowed to look out the window for a short period of time and tell him stories.

Then, on the day of her 15th birthday, which is also the day of her branding ceremony, Reychel is rescued by a mysterious cloaked person. Escaping her slave life, she begins a journey to discover who she really is and why she is so important to so many different people, including Kandek. But what she discovers along the way will test her strength, her courage, and her beliefs and will open her eyes to many hidden truths and secrets that have swirled around her for so many years.

Characters:

Reychel is a timid slave girl that has spent her whole life doing as she's told. She has already resigned herself to the life of a slave, so when she's rescued before receiving the brand of a slave, Reychel discovers a completely different world than the one she's always known. Her experiences with her new-found freedom help to shape her into a stronger and more knowledgable person, and yet she still holds to her core personality of gentleness and kindness. And the discoveries she makes about those around her finally opens her eyes to the true nature of people and how appearances and personalities can, at times, be very deceiving.

World-Building:

Reychel's world has the feel of medieval Europe, where nobility reigns and the number of slaves one has is a mark of wealth and importance. Those that have freedom have more of an illusion of it rather than real freedom. The two races are Malborn and Serenian, with the Malborn being in power. The Serenians have been suppressed for many generations but stirrings of rebellion are beginning to take hold and there's the feel of uneasiness that hangs in the air.

Overall Impression:

From the very first page, this book had me hooked. I was completely drawn into the story and enjoyed how it unfolded. There were several twists that took me by surprise while other twists I had figured out before they were revealed. I think there were certain parts of the plot along the way that could have been expanded on more. And the ending felt too rushed, as if it was suddenly realized that there were loose ends that needed tying and they got tied hastily. I think if the author had massaged things a bit more, the book probably would have been longer, but then it wouldn't have felt quite as rushed.

As a whole, though, this was definitely an intriguing beginning to what I think will be a really good trilogy. The plot itself is unique and the world is different from typical YA paranormal worlds. I truly did enjoy the book and look forward to reading the next in this series!(less)

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May 28, 2011 Karen Fowler rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Anathema is a well-written, fast paced YA fantasy that hooks you into the story from the very first page. I read a great deal of paranormal books, but I seldom stray into the land of Fantasy. I'm logical-brained and usually it takes too much for me to suspend my beliefs and really get into fantasy books. That was not the case with this novel though, and I'm glad that I stepped outside of my comfort zone.

I'll skip the synopsis, because that's what book blurbs are for. I will say that this book t...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is pretty much everything you want in a YA book: romance, mystery, unknown villain, secrets, magic, etc.

The pace moves pretty quick; it's descriptive without being over bearing. Told in a narrative, you only know what Raychel knows, and seeing as she's only a 15 year old slave, that's not much outside her daily tasks. However, things get very interesting when her bedmate Ivy is kidnapped. History and unanswered questions are weaved throughout the story, so it's very unobtrusive. Charac...more

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Oct 27, 2011 Amaris Jimenez rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I actually won Anathema through GoodReads' giveaways which I found to be an amazing opportunity. To say the least- I read the book in a day. It is an easy read, with a hook of a storyline that digs in deep (though sometimes I wanted that very same hook to dig in deeper). I do wish the writing was a little more polished: more diverse vocabulary / more intriguing dialogue (I am a sucker for incredible dialogue)...so on and so forth- that said- it all boils down to the characters and the relationsh...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Karin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian, ebooks, 2011-reads, fantasy, magic, youngadult

Reychel has always lived in the castle as the king’s slave, but even among all the other slaves she is treated differently. She is the only one granted brief audiences with the king and while others may whisper of the inappropriateness of the king meeting alone with a slave, it is really quite innocent. The only thing he ever asks Reychel to do is to tell him stories. Reychel is always glad to oblige since it is the only time she is allowed to see outside. Any other time she is forbidden to go o...more

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May 05, 2012 Wanda Panda Hartzenberg rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My review
I fell in love with the cover the first time I saw it. I still adore it. So when it became free on Amazon for a limited time I could not wait to download it.
I started to read it but found it a little hard to really get into the story. I found the start of the book slow and overly detailed. So why did I stick with reading the book? For the prose, Megg’s use of the English language is a treat all by itself. She really does use nice words and has an ease of writing that is a pleasure to re...more

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About Megg Jensen

I've been a freelance parenting journalist since 2003 and began writing YA novels in 2009. I co-run DarkSide Publishing, am a member of SCBWI, and I blog about writing while juggling freelancing, volunteering, and family life. I live in the Chicago suburbs with my husband, two kids, and our miniature schnauzer, Ace.

For more information on me please visit my website at http://www.meggjensen.com/. O...more

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The Initiate (Cloud Prophet Trilogy, #0.5)

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Quotes from Anathema

“Ivy held no claim over me," he said softly. "You, on the other hand, you claimed me from the moment I first saw you.” — 8 people liked it

“There will always be sadness, child, but until you're dead life goes on. Don't waste it lying in bed.” — 7 people liked it

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Anathema (Cloud Prophet Trilogy #1)

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