Book Stats
- ARC from NetGalley 🖤
- Book 1 of the Darkest Divine series
- Publication Date: 06/30/26
- Publisher: Second Sky Books
- Format: audiobook & ebook
- Length of audiobook: 14 hours & 54 minutes
- Narrators: Savannah Thomas & Sean Masters
- Chapters: 35, plus 1 epilogue
- Pages: 479
- Narrator POV: 1st person, from Nina’s POV
- Also on Kindle Unlimited 🖤
Book Rating
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/ 5
Summary & Review
First and foremost, the audiobook. Fucking PHENOMENAL. Seriously, I expected great things when Savannah Thomas and Sean Masters were listed as the narrators, but damn! It exceeded my high expectations!
These two both perform so amazingly on their own, but together? *Chef’s kiss*. Absolutely perfection. I cannot recommend this audiobook enough. Seriously, it’s just so well done! I loved every second of these two narrations breathing life into this story. I could not imagine better narrators for the part.
And the story? Alexis L. Menard, I need to know if you’ve written anything else ever. Pause, please, while I scour Amazon.
Fuck yes! She has written a couple other books/series! The Vows of Vengeance series, The Last Daughter series, & The Eternal Night series!
There’s nothing better than finding a talented author with a backlog of books you’ve not had the pleasure of reading yet! 😍 I’m obsessed already and I can only assume her other work is just as amazing!
Sorry, little fangirl moment, but damn. The writing is so compelling and fast-paced and interesting and just all around enjoyable. I am ecstatic to find that she’s created other intriguing pieces of fiction – and most are on Kindle Unlimited! Ugh, consider me a fan, Alexis L. Menard. 🖤
Okay, enough raving (not really, but whatever).
The Anatomy of Magic is such an interesting story. We primarily follow Nina Veyr and Maxence “Max” Antonin.
Nina works at a surgery with her mentor, Dr. Bernard Broussard. He’s also basically a father figure and helps Nina take care of her sick mother. Medication is very expensive so in order to help with finances, Nina often comes across magical artifacts/ relics on the body of deceased patients that she sells to her friend, Bria.
This side hustle eventually includes the transportation of dead bodies to a mysterious buyer. Which is dangerous and, of course, goes all sorts of wrong when one of the bodies is discovered and it happens to be a very powerful person. Nina is framed for the murder and ends up accepting help from a stranger whose magical dice are some of the relics she recently stole.
Max walks into Nina and Bernard’s surgery one day with serious injuries and a clear intent on finding his missing dice that were stolen from him. He’s also one of The Cursed – individuals with heightened senses and strength.
Nina and Max get entangled in some pretty tricky situations and they end up having to work together. They descend into the underworld, partake in many dangerous plans, and attempt to find this mysterious buyer together.
This book has it all – seriously! It has wonderful writing, amazing narration, top notch banter, betrayal, magic, enemies-to-lovers, & tons of yearning/ longing. And this isn’t a complete list!
This story is fast paced and fun. There is always some twist or turn happening that keeps you guessing on where things will go. You get to constantly meet new characters, all of which are so intriguing themselves.
The Anatomy of Magic sucked me right in and didn’t let me go. I had such a hard time putting this down to work or sleep. I’m so excited to have found a new author to follow and I cannot wait for book 2! Which apparently doesn’t come out until 4/13/27, so that’s super depressing. 😭
This is seriously one of the few times when I realize that listening to ALCs can be difficult – how am I expected to wait? Max and Nina – you have my heart! 🖤 I’ll be counting down the days!
No, seriously – I’ll have a countdown going on here! Please note: After the release date, in case I forget to remove this portion, I realize that we may not actually have a countdown going anymore. Unless she writes a third book. Then, of course we will!
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