Anathema by Megg Jensen

Anathema is the first in the Cloud Prophet series by Megg Jensen, and I loved it! 

Here is the summary from Goodreads:
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? 

On her 15th birthday, in the middle of her horrible branding ceremony, Reychel finds herself involved in a plot to save other slaves like herself, and ultimately a prophecy of old that involved the freeing of her people from the ruling class.
 
What I liked most about Anathema was Reychel's strenght.  She wasn't sure of herself in the beginning, much like a typical teenager.  But, by the end of the book, she had grown into a leader.  She knew what she needed to do to help her people and ultimately learned about herself.  I really enjoyed watching her grow into a force to be reckoned with.

I was upset with the situation at the end with Mark (and I won't say more because I don't want to give anything away), but I'm hoping that it gets resolved in later books.  I appreciated that Reychel and Mark had a seemingly normal courtship.  They started as friends, later realizing how much they cared for each other.  Again, I don't want to say much about the situation at the end, but I'm hoping that it was for show or as a twist to draw other players in, and we learn why in the next book. 


This was a very quick read for me, I finished it in one night.  The language Ms. Jensen used was easy for me to follow.  I have a hard time with fantasy books that have too many weird names, places and their own made up words.  Ms. Jensen did not do that, she used language that was easy to understand and accessible to many readers, and I really appreciate that.      


I would recommend this book to readers who are unsure of reading fantasy books.  It allows you to get your feet wet in the genre, so to speak, without having to jump into the deep end.

Megg Jensen, the author, tweeted last week asking if anyone wanted a copy to review, I responded, and she was nice enough to send me an ebook copy.   I really appreciate her generosity.