Anathema by Keri Lake (The Eating Woods, 1 of 2)

From USA Today bestselling author Keri Lake comes a hardcover repackage of her 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 prophesy. 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, the first book in The Eating Woods. Perfect for readers who enjoy a plot-heavy and atmospheric story with a unique magic system, a slow-burn romance, and a touch of horror.