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pandasbookshelf's review
4.0
A dark gothic fairy tale of love, friendship and a little horror. The story follows Aglasia, a siren who lives alone grappling with her need to feed from human men. When she meets another siren, Rossa suddenly she becomes enveloped in her desire to support and connect with this being like her. Rossa wants to turn a human male into a siren, and what follows is a gory, dark tale of friendship, hope and love. The story features complex, layered and richly drawn characters. I loved the relationship between Aglasia and Rossa and seeing Aglasia grow over the course of the book. For a debut, this book is extremely well written and you can feel the author's passion come through from the page. My only criticism is that the story doesn't wrap up and I now have to wait for the next book (assuming there is one). After the slow burn start, the final third if the story really started to ramp up and go places that made me want to know more about these characters and the sirens in general. I'll be keeping an eye out for more by this author. I'd highly recommend this one, you won't be disappointed.
justinegreads's review
4.0
i went in with expectations and it DELIVERED
first of all, i didn’t expect that little twist but loved it so much, the banter gave me all the giggles, the action & fights were so good
i love Ags, i said it once but i’ll say it again, she is my spirit animal, Rossa is so unapologetically funny, all the side characters really brought this story together
i absolutely love the entire concept and world building, it was done so well and i was so immersed with what was going on. the characters were written so perfectly imperfect, how they express themselves and their thoughts & beliefs
the start was a bit slow, but when it picks up, it REALLY picks up.. the last 50 pages raised my blood pressure and i NEED to know what happens next ASAP
(4⭐️)
first of all, i didn’t expect that little twist but loved it so much, the banter gave me all the giggles, the action & fights were so good
i love Ags, i said it once but i’ll say it again, she is my spirit animal, Rossa is so unapologetically funny, all the side characters really brought this story together
i absolutely love the entire concept and world building, it was done so well and i was so immersed with what was going on. the characters were written so perfectly imperfect, how they express themselves and their thoughts & beliefs
the start was a bit slow, but when it picks up, it REALLY picks up.. the last 50 pages raised my blood pressure and i NEED to know what happens next ASAP
(4⭐️)
diemerdarling's review
4.0
Thank you Lauren Elizabeth for this ARC!
The way I devoured this in less than 2 days
The way I devoured this in less than 2 days
_booktique2_'s review
5.0
Woman who shred men apart and then eat them? ‘Twas quite a pleasure.
This is one of the best, and well written books I’ve ever read and I am literally speaking with 100% truth. Like I took MY time with this book because I was so mesmerized by evrey detail that I couldn’t put it down. The writing is and breathtaking, and the plot??
This is one of the best, and well written books I’ve ever read and I am literally speaking with 100% truth. Like I took MY time with this book because I was so mesmerized by evrey detail that I couldn’t put it down. The writing is and breathtaking, and the plot??
lindsey_reads_books's review
5.0
"The sea is calling, and so is her desire to kill."
I need more books like this. Lauren, I love your book. I had a struggle of wanting to devour it. So I paced my self not to rush through it but savor it. Was that ending a hint at a second book?! Because I want more of your writing and stories.
This book hit me in some deep parts of my heart. Aglasia emotional journey with loneliness and wanting love but pushing everything away broke my heart for her. This book is dark but in a good healing way. You can only find the light after you hit the bottom of your darkness. Aglasia immortality became a struggle for her and she could only pretend to play the human part for so long before people and memories of her past came back and upturned her quite lonely world. I love this book and it is definitely in my top books for the year. And I love the title of the book and what it meant to Aglasia story!
I need more books like this. Lauren, I love your book. I had a struggle of wanting to devour it. So I paced my self not to rush through it but savor it. Was that ending a hint at a second book?! Because I want more of your writing and stories.
This book hit me in some deep parts of my heart. Aglasia emotional journey with loneliness and wanting love but pushing everything away broke my heart for her. This book is dark but in a good healing way. You can only find the light after you hit the bottom of your darkness. Aglasia immortality became a struggle for her and she could only pretend to play the human part for so long before people and memories of her past came back and upturned her quite lonely world. I love this book and it is definitely in my top books for the year. And I love the title of the book and what it meant to Aglasia story!
beccainabook's review
5.0
OMMGGGG THIS BOOK WAS FREAKING AWESOME!
I am so grateful to the author for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. This story is a fantasy that takes place in the modern day. It is more on the gory side (perfect for spooky season) and with a main character that is definitely not warm or fuzzy.
Can I just say that I loved the main character. Although she may be rude and definitely not friendly, she was entertaining to me with her, “I would rather be alone,” attitude. It was just very different from a lot of main characters in fantasies and I found it refreshing for the genre.
There were so many twists and turns surrounding the plot and it ended with an opening ending hopefully signaling a sequel..... I would certainly be open to reading more about these characters.
The only snag was the romance was kind of meh to me. I wanted a little more, but the friendship between Aglasia and Rossa was a great compromise so I didn’t mind that much. Their bickering was EXTREMELY entertaining.
Overall, such a wonderful read and I can’t wait until the next one! (Please may there be a next one....)
I am so grateful to the author for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. This story is a fantasy that takes place in the modern day. It is more on the gory side (perfect for spooky season) and with a main character that is definitely not warm or fuzzy.
Can I just say that I loved the main character. Although she may be rude and definitely not friendly, she was entertaining to me with her, “I would rather be alone,” attitude. It was just very different from a lot of main characters in fantasies and I found it refreshing for the genre.
There were so many twists and turns surrounding the plot and it ended with an opening ending hopefully signaling a sequel..... I would certainly be open to reading more about these characters.
The only snag was the romance was kind of meh to me. I wanted a little more, but the friendship between Aglasia and Rossa was a great compromise so I didn’t mind that much. Their bickering was EXTREMELY entertaining.
Overall, such a wonderful read and I can’t wait until the next one! (Please may there be a next one....)
itsabookthing2021's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you so much to the Author Lauren Elizabeth for this ecopy of Anthesis.
Anthesis is so different from other siren/mermaid novels I have read. This takes on a more horror, gore and romance aspect.
Aglasia our main character lives on land and has a strict routine. She only feeds once a month and she never hunts in the same place, she keeps herself away from being found out. All this gets put into jeopardy when a mystery woman comes onto the scene - Rossa. She's like an angast teenage brat that implants herself into Aglasia's life. Oh and she has no discipline whatsoever.
The combination of these two characters are great as they play off each other. The carefree against the strict regime. I loved how even though Aglasia is a siren she still feels the turmoil from the killing she needs to do - also the descriptions of these killings are on the gory side and definitely paint a picture.
The way Anthesis is written is fantastic in the way that it's relatable with the emotional turmoil, the found family trope and the added mythology.
The characters are all beautifully carved out, each having a slot where they fit. This world that was created is so different from anything else and I think that's a great accomplishment.
I loved this storyline, it had me tapping the pages to find out what was gonna happen next, the mayhem Rossa could cause and how the friendship progressed along with everything else (can't say too much without spoilers).
I really enjoyed reading Anthesis!
*check Tw before diving in.
Anthesis is so different from other siren/mermaid novels I have read. This takes on a more horror, gore and romance aspect.
Aglasia our main character lives on land and has a strict routine. She only feeds once a month and she never hunts in the same place, she keeps herself away from being found out. All this gets put into jeopardy when a mystery woman comes onto the scene - Rossa. She's like an angast teenage brat that implants herself into Aglasia's life. Oh and she has no discipline whatsoever.
The combination of these two characters are great as they play off each other. The carefree against the strict regime. I loved how even though Aglasia is a siren she still feels the turmoil from the killing she needs to do - also the descriptions of these killings are on the gory side and definitely paint a picture.
The way Anthesis is written is fantastic in the way that it's relatable with the emotional turmoil, the found family trope and the added mythology.
The characters are all beautifully carved out, each having a slot where they fit. This world that was created is so different from anything else and I think that's a great accomplishment.
I loved this storyline, it had me tapping the pages to find out what was gonna happen next, the mayhem Rossa could cause and how the friendship progressed along with everything else (can't say too much without spoilers).
I really enjoyed reading Anthesis!
*check Tw before diving in.
sarahwriteaway's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thanks to Librarything Early Reviewers for the ARC.
Our protagonist for this book is Aglasia, an immortal man-eating siren, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the book gets quite gory and dark in places. Aglasia lives alone, seducing and eating one carefully chosen (for his unacceptable desires) man per month. Her carefully controlled life is suddenly upended by the arrival of another siren, Rossa, who enters her life and refuses to leave. Rossa wants to follow an ancient ritual to turn a man into a siren as a companion. As this seems to be the only way to get her to go away so Aglasia goes along with it, and there we have our main plot. The ‘B’ plot is a romance between Aglasia and a barman named Hunter, which is in turns fun and terrifying (there always seem to be other sirens around who want to eat him).
The book was an enjoyable read, but it took me a long time to warm up to Aglasia. She doesn’t remember much of her past and without this, there’s no real explanation why she has qualms about eating men while Rossa doesn’t. I didn’t feel I understood her motives, and I felt more investment in Rossa getting her man than I did in Aglasia’s own story, because…what did she want, other than to be left alone? The sisterly relationship between Aglasia/Rossa seemed to be the core, but I just didn’t really fully feel it. For that reason I enjoyed the story but I didn’t love it.
Our protagonist for this book is Aglasia, an immortal man-eating siren, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the book gets quite gory and dark in places. Aglasia lives alone, seducing and eating one carefully chosen (for his unacceptable desires) man per month. Her carefully controlled life is suddenly upended by the arrival of another siren, Rossa, who enters her life and refuses to leave. Rossa wants to follow an ancient ritual to turn a man into a siren as a companion. As this seems to be the only way to get her to go away so Aglasia goes along with it, and there we have our main plot. The ‘B’ plot is a romance between Aglasia and a barman named Hunter, which is in turns fun and terrifying (there always seem to be other sirens around who want to eat him).
The book was an enjoyable read, but it took me a long time to warm up to Aglasia. She doesn’t remember much of her past and without this, there’s no real explanation why she has qualms about eating men while Rossa doesn’t. I didn’t feel I understood her motives, and I felt more investment in Rossa getting her man than I did in Aglasia’s own story, because…what did she want, other than to be left alone? The sisterly relationship between Aglasia/Rossa seemed to be the core, but I just didn’t really fully feel it. For that reason I enjoyed the story but I didn’t love it.
annabellw06_'s review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Murder
Minor: Drug abuse, Pedophilia, and Racism