First book in an excellent series. This has everything a fantasy YA reader could want. Mystery, twists, turns, magic. Great read!

Though I've had this book for a really long time just sitting collecting imaginary dust on my ereader, I only just got around to reading it. And man, I wish I read it sooner. Way different than anything I've read lately, books like these have really brought me to love the fantasy and magical power genre, something I didn't used to enjoy. I can't wait to check out the second book in the trilogy.

Living as a slave her entire life has been hard, and life is about to get even harder when on the morning of her fifteenth birthday, with her branding ceremony just around the corner, Reychel's best friend Ivy is missing from their bed. That means Reychel's going to have to go through the traumatizing ceremony not only alone, but that she's lost her only friend. She tries to go about the day like normal, with the new girl instead of Ivy helping her shave her head and in turn, she shaves her head too, and then goes about her chores. But Reychel's different, and her owner knows it. He calls her into his study every day to gaze at the clouds, and tell him stories.

She's horribly hurt and confused by the situation, until she finds a double sided coin with the word Anathema on the back. That gives her the information that she needs, now knowing that her friend hasn't left her, but was instead kidnapped. That doesn't help her personal situation, though. Until they come for her, too. That's when she learns that the people kidnapping the slaves aren't doing it to hurt them, but to help them. And that they only free the gifted slaves. But Reychel's confused, because although everyone says that she's gifted like them, she hasn't the slightest idea what her gift is, and she's horribly worried that she'll never find it out.

One thing I was worried about reading this book was that because the main character is only fifteen, that I wouldn't be able to really get into the story like I can with other ones, but that wasn't even a problem. I slipped right into the background and sat there until the end of the book, when I couldn't help but want more. And I haven't stopped thinking about it since. This was not only exciting, but also mysterious in the best way, and I really couldn't get enough. I think if you like books about beings with tough lives but also magical powers, and trying to change the way that the world works, then this is a perfect choice for your next read.

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I will make this a super short review: this was a free download and the blurb sounded promising. Once I started, I quickly realized that I didn't care about what was going on. The characters didn't appeal to me, nor did the plot.

I couldn't believe that the MC started out as a shy, unsure character and POOF! almost instantly changed into a super confident girl that was beyond brave and bold. What caused this transformation? Usually something profound happens and the character slowly develops but not here. It was almost overnight. Either way, it was not believable and I lost all interest.

The only good thing about this is that it was a quick read. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone though. I don't want anyone to be as confused as I was about this.

This was such a fun read - I flew through the story pretty quickly and had a great time. Great adventure and interesting characters.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and All Night Reads for the opportunity to read and review Anathema by Megg Jensen! Reychel is a slave turning fifteen, the birthday when slaves are branded. Her friend Ivy was gone before Reychel woke up and in Ivy's place was an Anathema token. The Anathema supposedly kidnap slaves, but no one is sure why. Reychel is rescued and reunited with Ivy. She discovers that some people are gifted and learns much more about her world than she could have ever imagined. The characters are a bit choppy but the storyline is interesting and unique - 3.5 stars! I want to read the next two books in the Cloud Prophet trilogy to see if the writing becomes smoother.