Book Info
Anointed by Charity BGenres: Dark Romance
Pages: 407
Published: 03/11/2018
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Purchase at: Amazon | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon AU
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-Zebadiah-
The last time I saw her, she was marked with blood.
Excommunicated.
Now she’s returned, along with my temptation.
Our touch is blasphemous.
Perverse.
They say she’s tainted, but they will not speak against me.
His holy blood is in my veins and my word is truth.
I’m the f*cking Prophet.
-Laurel Ann-
For twelve years, I fought for my soul in this evil world.
Until my God sent him.
My oldest friend. The only boy I ever loved.
What we’re doing risks everything, yet we can’t stop.
When I sin with him, it’s the purest I’ve ever felt.
I lived half my life with the Philistines and I know what they call us.
Cult. Freaks. Fanatics.
But they’re wrong. We aren’t any of those things.
For we are the Anointed.
***This is a full length standalone novel containing disturbing scenes and sensitive subject matter that may be triggering to some readers.
Anointed - My Review
When you pick up a Charity B book you know it will be a blinder. Well-written- thought-provoking, and controversial are all words that spring to mind. Anointed was no disappointment. Be warned though, the trigger warnings accompanying this book are many. You’ll want a strong stomach for some parts.
Laurel Ann and Zebediah are children, best friends, and members of a cult that has resided in a compound in Oklahoma for generations. Their knowledge of the outside world is limited to the stories told in the group’s holy texts and warnings of the dangers that await outside the gates of the compound. They follow the teachings of their elders and god, Zaaron, serve their families, and await the day they’ll have families of their own. They are the anointed, and when the world burns along with all the sinners in it, they will be saved by their god and join the righteous in the paradise star. Yes, it’s as creepy as it sounds and it gets worse. Laurel Ann’s first period sets events into motion that see her torn apart from Zeb and excommunicated from the compound.
Twelve years later they meet by chance and Zeb, now the leader of the cult, brings Laurel Ann back into the fold. Little has changed during the time they’ve been apart, but Zeb is harbouring some dark secrets, both his own and others. The tide is turning and faith in the teachings they’ve followed might not be so strong anymore. What will happen when their transgressions are discovered by the community as a whole?
I won’t lie, so much of this book made me feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t the subject matter that was the issue, or events such as child abuse under the guise of marriage (I expected that to be awful to read) but the way in which some points of view depicted it as part of the everyday, as something normal and even desirable for everybody involved. I was unprepared for how chilling it would be for such things to be considered acceptable, even from the perspective of a fictional character, and how the characters’ beliefs that they were doing what was right would mean that the impact of these actions lessened upon me. Perhaps the best way to describe it is to liken the book to The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s that same kind of wrong.
Underlying the storyline is the theme of love, especially that of forbidden love. There’s a huge list of reasons why Zeb and Laurel Ann shouldn’t be together, but in the end, all of those reasons fade under the strength of their love. We see people acting on a love they believe to be wrong, and facing the consequences when others find out, contrasting with those who stay away from the ones they love because, despite their feelings, they can’t compromise on the beliefs under which they’ve been indoctrinated.
The book is at its best in the final quarter, when the integrity of the compound begins to unravel and beliefs break down under the weight of the lies that have been told for years. Although the outcome was inevitable, I found myself gripped by questions of how things would go down and what would happen to various characters if they made it to the outside world.
At the end of a book like this, you need a happily ever after and there is one for some of the main characters, but I wanted more. I couldn’t help but feel that the final few chapters glossed over the anointed’s entry into the real world and didn’t follow what could have been an emotionally charged story. Would it have fit with the story that was written? No. But nonetheless, that doesn’t stop me from wanting to hear it.
No matter the ending, the book’s strength is in its story and the way it’s been written. It’s marmite – you’ll love it or hate it – but however you think you may feel about it, Anointed is worth a read.
About Charity B
Charity B. is a dark romance author who enjoys pushing her boundaries and trying new things. Her stories are not written to market or to appeal to the masses, but her readers and fans mean the world to her. She’s always been the black sheep, a misfit whose books and characters reflect that. While she’s incredibly intrigued by the depraved side of human nature, fascinated by the things that don’t fit snug into society, she is also is drawn to all things glittery and cute. The duality of her personality is apparent in her work as her favorite thing is to marry those two extremes together.
She lives in Wichita Kansas, where she was born and raised, with her husband, adorable little monster and two fur babies. At times she misses the scenery of Oregon where she lived with her family for a few years before returning home. Her first book was published in 2018, but she has been putting her made up stories to paper since she was a young girl. The earliest memory she has of discovering her love of storytelling is lying in bed at night rewriting movies in her head the way she thought they should have gone.
In her free time, when she isn’t writing her next book, she is usually playing with her son, binging Netflix, listening to music, coloring, or reading something twisted. Her biggest pet-peeves are being in a rush and mismatched items in set. Though it changes frequently, her current favorite musical artist is YUNGBLUD and her favorite color is pink.
