Anathema by Megg Jensen

Book blurb via Goodreads

Forget prophecy. Make your own destiny.

Sheltered from the outside world with no hope for escape, slave girl Reychel dreads her fifteenth birthday - when her master’s symbol is burned on the back of her bald scalp. Her best friend disappears the night before, leaving her to face the branding ceremony alone. She soon discovers nothing is as it seems when people desperate for freedom beg for Reychel's help.

Can Reychel learn to believe in herself?

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 read. 

By the time the story itself gripped me, I was hooked on the prose.  It took a massively shocking betrayal to get me to get hooked to the story for real.  Reychel never acts like a 15 year old, she never faints, she never escapes her duties, and she is still very human in her doubts, her error of judgements and in her love. 

I ended up really enjoying the book and can recommend it to all YA paranormal lovers.

I give this book a 5 * review. 

About the author

Megg Jensen has been a freelance parenting journalist since 2003 and began writing YA novels in 2009. She co-runs DarkSide Publishing, is a member of SCBWI, and blogs about writing while juggling freelancing, volunteering, and family life. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two kids, and their miniature schnauzer, Ace.

For more information on Megg please visit her website at http://www.meggjensen.com/.