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The Secret Shape of Worship
A MYTHIC, HIGH-HEAT STORY OF LOVE, LUST, AND IRREVERENT WORSHIP.
Mina is giving God one last to speak, to change him, to save him from the constant temptations that surround him in the form of the other boys in his seminary class. And what better place to confront both his God and his demons than a religious pilgrimage with his fellow students—a time focused on biblical study and solemn worship.
But the god he finds is not the one he expected. A brush with death brings Mina face to face with Anubis, the flail-wielding Egyptian god of the afterlife.
Drawn into a dangerous and seductive journey of raw desire and intoxicating revelation, Mina finds himself navigating a world where the lines between sin and salvation are increasingly blurred.
But as lust becomes something more, Mina draws the eye of the underworld and is forced to choose between the safety of his familiar faith and the jackal god he’s come to love. And in the end, it may cost his soul.
Exploring themes of self-discovery, salvation from the expectations of others, and the profound healing in loving ourselves, The Secret Shape of Worship is the first installment of the planned, interconnected Ancient Awakening series.
Mina is giving God one last to speak, to change him, to save him from the constant temptations that surround him in the form of the other boys in his seminary class. And what better place to confront both his God and his demons than a religious pilgrimage with his fellow students—a time focused on biblical study and solemn worship.
But the god he finds is not the one he expected. A brush with death brings Mina face to face with Anubis, the flail-wielding Egyptian god of the afterlife.
Drawn into a dangerous and seductive journey of raw desire and intoxicating revelation, Mina finds himself navigating a world where the lines between sin and salvation are increasingly blurred.
But as lust becomes something more, Mina draws the eye of the underworld and is forced to choose between the safety of his familiar faith and the jackal god he’s come to love. And in the end, it may cost his soul.
Exploring themes of self-discovery, salvation from the expectations of others, and the profound healing in loving ourselves, The Secret Shape of Worship is the first installment of the planned, interconnected Ancient Awakening series.
279 pages, Paperback
First published October 21, 2025
41 people are currently reading
491 people want to read
About the author
A.K. Asher
2 books28 followersA.K. Asher is a queer writer of character-driven M/M romance. He lives in the conservative deep south with his husband and their emotionally withholding cat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
September 2, 2025
A pretty solid debut from a new indie author A.K. Asher! That cover is to die for 🫠
Mina is in his early twenties, and currently in Egypt with his seminary class as his last desperate reach for God because, despite trying to be a good son to a pastor, he’s always struggled with faith, while always trying to suppress his sexuality.
Mina is also HORNY, all the pent-up energy constantly begging for release. And who better to help Mina with accepting and loving himself as he is than an ancient god of the afterlife with a jackal head?
It’s safe to say, Mina will find someone to worship - and it’s not just Anubis (I think the exact words were “a jacked, giant, beefy god daddy” 🤭), but mainly himself.
Because while I went into this mainly for the smut (I’m not gonna play demure, you wouldn’t believe me anyway), it’s first and foremost about learning to love yourself and break your own boundaries, giving into all your desires despite how shameful they feel because of what family/society/religion taught us. Readers personally battling with religious trauma will find themselves seen in these themes, I’m sure.
The Secret Shape of Worship is a mix of erotica, a love story, and an actual plot - but instead of being a blend of the three, it’s more like a three-layered cake, with each separate layer representing one part (...sorry for that analogy, I think I’m hungry 🙈).
And what I struggled most with was the love story between Mina and Anubis, mainly because we don’t see them grow close and get to know each other to warrant such an emotion. The pacing was kind of all over the place - after meeting (and some pretty unique smut), a month, then a year passed, during which they developed feeling for each other but we see nothing of that, we’re just told about them now loving each other.
The last part was the heaviest on the plot, full of Egyptian mythology depicting the Underworld, which I actually really liked. The ending was also a great choice, I don’t think I could be left more satisfied with anything else!
The writing itself needs a little bit of polishing, and the choice of pace didn’t do the relationship between the characters justice, but I consider it pretty good for a debut.
My advice to most readers wanting to pick it up - don’t look for anything serious or deep here (unless it’s deep-throating, mind you! You will find that one 😏), and treat it as a little unhinged fun read with some very interesting sex scenes.
(Teaser - a consensual total loss of control by being wrapped in mummification bandages, leaving only the mouth accessible - and not exactly for breathing 😏)
Consider looking up all the CWs for this one, available on the author’s page! Though I will include this warning - there is a pretty weird dub-con scene between Mina and someone else, that may have been swiftly avenged, but not discussed whatsoever, AND a consensual sexual scene between Mina and one of his classmates. I didn’t actually mind because I certainly didn’t go into it for a love story lol 👀
Thank you to A.K. Asher for this e-ARC, I’m leaving this honest review voluntarily. The Secret Shape of Worship is set to be published 21st October!
Mina is in his early twenties, and currently in Egypt with his seminary class as his last desperate reach for God because, despite trying to be a good son to a pastor, he’s always struggled with faith, while always trying to suppress his sexuality.
Mina is also HORNY, all the pent-up energy constantly begging for release. And who better to help Mina with accepting and loving himself as he is than an ancient god of the afterlife with a jackal head?
It’s safe to say, Mina will find someone to worship - and it’s not just Anubis (I think the exact words were “a jacked, giant, beefy god daddy” 🤭), but mainly himself.
Because while I went into this mainly for the smut (I’m not gonna play demure, you wouldn’t believe me anyway), it’s first and foremost about learning to love yourself and break your own boundaries, giving into all your desires despite how shameful they feel because of what family/society/religion taught us. Readers personally battling with religious trauma will find themselves seen in these themes, I’m sure.
The Secret Shape of Worship is a mix of erotica, a love story, and an actual plot - but instead of being a blend of the three, it’s more like a three-layered cake, with each separate layer representing one part (...sorry for that analogy, I think I’m hungry 🙈).
And what I struggled most with was the love story between Mina and Anubis, mainly because we don’t see them grow close and get to know each other to warrant such an emotion. The pacing was kind of all over the place - after meeting (and some pretty unique smut), a month, then a year passed, during which they developed feeling for each other but we see nothing of that, we’re just told about them now loving each other.
The last part was the heaviest on the plot, full of Egyptian mythology depicting the Underworld, which I actually really liked. The ending was also a great choice, I don’t think I could be left more satisfied with anything else!
The writing itself needs a little bit of polishing, and the choice of pace didn’t do the relationship between the characters justice, but I consider it pretty good for a debut.
My advice to most readers wanting to pick it up - don’t look for anything serious or deep here (unless it’s deep-throating, mind you! You will find that one 😏), and treat it as a little unhinged fun read with some very interesting sex scenes.
(Teaser - a consensual total loss of control by being wrapped in mummification bandages, leaving only the mouth accessible - and not exactly for breathing 😏)
Consider looking up all the CWs for this one, available on the author’s page! Though I will include this warning - there is a pretty weird dub-con scene between Mina and someone else, that may have been swiftly avenged, but not discussed whatsoever, AND a consensual sexual scene between Mina and one of his classmates. I didn’t actually mind because I certainly didn’t go into it for a love story lol 👀
Thank you to A.K. Asher for this e-ARC, I’m leaving this honest review voluntarily. The Secret Shape of Worship is set to be published 21st October!
October 16, 2025
I’d like to thank the author for sending me a free copy of The Secret Shape of Worship in exchange for my honest review.
Tropes;
-Egyptian Mythology
-Self-discovery
-Size-kink and many others (read trigger warnings)
-Religious trauma
-God x Mortal
My review:
The Secret Shape of Worship starts off strong. It is creative, emotional, and full of interesting ideas about faith, identity, and self-acceptance. I really liked how it explored what it is like to be queer in a religious setting because it felt honest and handled with care. The Egyptian mythology was also a highlight at the beginning, with vivid scenes and some really cool takes on the gods and the Underworld.
Things start to fall apart around the halfway point. The pacing gets messy, and the story feels rushed and confusing at times. The relationship between Mina and Anubis, which should be a big emotional part of the story, just does not work. The time skips make it hard to feel any real connection between them, so it ends up being something we are told is deep instead of actually feeling it. There is no real chemistry, and it is hard to buy into their bond.
There are also a couple of scenes with other characters that left me confused. They do not seem to add much except for the spice. If that is what you are here for, you will probably enjoy them, but they felt unnecessary to the rest of the story. It actually just made me go ??? Because I had no idea what those scenes were there for (and I was there mostly for the spice too soooooooo)
Even with those issues, the book has a lot of heart and ambition. You can tell the author put real thought into the themes and worldbuilding. It just needed more time and focus to let the characters and emotions sink in. Still, it is a unique debut with some great ideas, and I am curious to see what the author does next.
Tropes;
-Egyptian Mythology
-Self-discovery
-Size-kink and many others (read trigger warnings)
-Religious trauma
-God x Mortal
My review:
The Secret Shape of Worship starts off strong. It is creative, emotional, and full of interesting ideas about faith, identity, and self-acceptance. I really liked how it explored what it is like to be queer in a religious setting because it felt honest and handled with care. The Egyptian mythology was also a highlight at the beginning, with vivid scenes and some really cool takes on the gods and the Underworld.
Things start to fall apart around the halfway point. The pacing gets messy, and the story feels rushed and confusing at times. The relationship between Mina and Anubis, which should be a big emotional part of the story, just does not work. The time skips make it hard to feel any real connection between them, so it ends up being something we are told is deep instead of actually feeling it. There is no real chemistry, and it is hard to buy into their bond.
There are also a couple of scenes with other characters that left me confused. They do not seem to add much except for the spice. If that is what you are here for, you will probably enjoy them, but they felt unnecessary to the rest of the story. It actually just made me go ??? Because I had no idea what those scenes were there for (and I was there mostly for the spice too soooooooo)
Even with those issues, the book has a lot of heart and ambition. You can tell the author put real thought into the themes and worldbuilding. It just needed more time and focus to let the characters and emotions sink in. Still, it is a unique debut with some great ideas, and I am curious to see what the author does next.
October 30, 2025
- I received an early copy of this book from the author. The thoughts in this review are my own.
I had a lot of fun reading this book, it has a charming unique start where despite the subject being religion suppressing sexuality, the book itself had no problems into making things sexual and that added to the theme instead of shying from it.
The settings are awesome, I could picture the places in my head and the mythology made it all interesting, the third part specially it made a good job of picturing a rotting and desolate place and I loved the little bits of showing how so many gods and creatures seems to be pursuing the same things humans do.
The bits of comic relief are subtle and hilarious and they are where Mina's personality truly shine, because it was something he had beyond religion and beyond Anubis.
The tone in this story changes a lot lot though, in a charming way most of the time, so I didn't mind it too much, because it's a ride, but there was a part in it with a swift jarring change in a scene that was major, extremely important and for such it should have had severe emotional consequences that felt like the author didn't want to deal with it, so it quickly changed again and the sour taste it left was that something too big was used to introduce some gore and be a power display to intensify the Mythology in it disregarding the characters in the process. That scene without the emotional weight of it in the main character, made his constructed depth up to that point crumble, that's where the biggest flaw was, if your lore it's regaining power over your body and desires from an oppressive religion, that thing happening would be an overwhelmingly hard thing to deal with and take some time at least to reconcile.
Otherwise I would have given five stars on the basis of being a debut novel with a very specific subject that wanted to focus on, but that part took quite awhile to recover from and made me wonder a lot things that punched holes in the plot and theme. It made it glaring at that point that their romantic construction was lacking a little bit. That part could have been an opportunity, I suppose, instead of the fundamental flaw it became. An editor should have made this call.
I recommend this read a lot if you're mad at the church and you love smut and you can imagine how adorable a jacklal/canine god mannerisms can be beyond its power.
I'll definitely be watching the author and anticipating his next books because the potential in the writing and these themes are enormous! In the end, a book that has a lot to be discussed it's better than a flawless book.
I had a lot of fun reading this book, it has a charming unique start where despite the subject being religion suppressing sexuality, the book itself had no problems into making things sexual and that added to the theme instead of shying from it.
The settings are awesome, I could picture the places in my head and the mythology made it all interesting, the third part specially it made a good job of picturing a rotting and desolate place and I loved the little bits of showing how so many gods and creatures seems to be pursuing the same things humans do.
The bits of comic relief are subtle and hilarious and they are where Mina's personality truly shine, because it was something he had beyond religion and beyond Anubis.
The tone in this story changes a lot lot though, in a charming way most of the time, so I didn't mind it too much, because it's a ride, but there was a part in it with a swift jarring change in a scene that was major, extremely important and for such it should have had severe emotional consequences that felt like the author didn't want to deal with it, so it quickly changed again and the sour taste it left was that something too big was used to introduce some gore and be a power display to intensify the Mythology in it disregarding the characters in the process. That scene without the emotional weight of it in the main character, made his constructed depth up to that point crumble, that's where the biggest flaw was, if your lore it's regaining power over your body and desires from an oppressive religion, that thing happening would be an overwhelmingly hard thing to deal with and take some time at least to reconcile.
Otherwise I would have given five stars on the basis of being a debut novel with a very specific subject that wanted to focus on, but that part took quite awhile to recover from and made me wonder a lot things that punched holes in the plot and theme. It made it glaring at that point that their romantic construction was lacking a little bit. That part could have been an opportunity, I suppose, instead of the fundamental flaw it became. An editor should have made this call.
I recommend this read a lot if you're mad at the church and you love smut and you can imagine how adorable a jacklal/canine god mannerisms can be beyond its power.
I'll definitely be watching the author and anticipating his next books because the potential in the writing and these themes are enormous! In the end, a book that has a lot to be discussed it's better than a flawless book.
October 24, 2025
This was a great little book with a unique premise - religious, closeted seminary student on a field trip gets lost in an ancient Egyptian temple and runs into the his Anubis, who proceeds to help him find his ‘true self’ through sexual exploration. I enjoyed Mina’s development as he comes to love himself and the unlearning of all the religious indoctrination that had been ruling his life.
This book is short (around 200 pages) but I felt a whole lot was packed in; first times, some kink, collapsing temple doom (Indiana Jones style), monster f3cking, emotional healing, dealing with a furious dad (= deity), and a whistle stop tour through the underworld. It was a great, fast-paced read with lots of smut and lots of introspection.
The reason this lost stars for me was down to two key points:
1. The author at one point describes penetrative sex as ‘proper sex’ which gave me the ick a bit (there are so many ways to have sex, sticking a dick in a hole isn’t the ‘proper’ way). The phrase was something like ‘we’d tried everything but proper sex’.
*SPOILER*
2. This book has sharing(?) in it, which when I’m warned about and in the mood for can be very hot. But this sharing felt weird… It happens twice, the first time is when Anubis is having a guilty thoughts about keeping Mina and gets a fellow god to fuck him instead (which is Mina’s first time at penetrative sex. Mina gets upset and doesn’t enjoy it because he wanted his first time to be with Anubis and it just gave me weird feels). The second is when they find fellow-closeted-classmate Devon wandering in the temple and Mina fucks him to ‘free him as Mina had been freed’. But then Devon doesn’t remember it afterwards… Odd vibes.
So overall an interesting read and one I’m glad to have read, even if there were parts I felt were lacking.
This book is short (around 200 pages) but I felt a whole lot was packed in; first times, some kink, collapsing temple doom (Indiana Jones style), monster f3cking, emotional healing, dealing with a furious dad (= deity), and a whistle stop tour through the underworld. It was a great, fast-paced read with lots of smut and lots of introspection.
The reason this lost stars for me was down to two key points:
1. The author at one point describes penetrative sex as ‘proper sex’ which gave me the ick a bit (there are so many ways to have sex, sticking a dick in a hole isn’t the ‘proper’ way). The phrase was something like ‘we’d tried everything but proper sex’.
*SPOILER*
2. This book has sharing(?) in it, which when I’m warned about and in the mood for can be very hot. But this sharing felt weird… It happens twice, the first time is when Anubis is having a guilty thoughts about keeping Mina and gets a fellow god to fuck him instead (which is Mina’s first time at penetrative sex. Mina gets upset and doesn’t enjoy it because he wanted his first time to be with Anubis and it just gave me weird feels). The second is when they find fellow-closeted-classmate Devon wandering in the temple and Mina fucks him to ‘free him as Mina had been freed’. But then Devon doesn’t remember it afterwards… Odd vibes.
So overall an interesting read and one I’m glad to have read, even if there were parts I felt were lacking.
September 13, 2025
4.5 ⭐ rounded up! I had high hopes for this book, and I got everything I came for:
✨First times
✨Religious trauma
✨Monster sex with knots
✨Kink and some light BDSM
✨Egyptian mythology
...and of course, true love!
The plot: Mina is so deep in the closet that he can't figure out where the door knob is. His parents are church leaders, and expect him to be a good Christian boy and work in the church someday.
Fortunately for him, a certain Egyptian God is on a mission to save Mina from himself. What neither of them expect is the true depth of their connection..because this isn't the first time Anubis has been charged to lead a soul to their true potential, but it is the first time his duty becomes hopelessly entangled with his own desires.
Kinky monster sex aside (and it was kinky 🥵 I had to chill for a minute when other people walked into the room 🤭) the plot was well done. I was worried that Mina would spend a good chunk of the book breaking down, unable to accept himself as a queer man. But it turns out that monster sex is great therapy for that, and it's not the main conflict of the third act. I really liked Mina; he didn't ruminate on his misgivings about his new situation or try to fight Anubis on every little thing (I'm not into brats!) Without giving anything else away, there's some really imaginative settings and challenges, cameos from other deities, and one of Mina's classmates gets quite the awakening as well 😳
You never know what to expect from a new author, but I'm 100% on board with anything they dream up and I CANNOT WAIT for the next book in the series. The writing was smooth, dialogue felt natural, with just the right amount of suspense and angst. I read it all in one sitting.
I received an ARC, but I don't leave reviews for ARCs I don't like. It's always a pleasure to get exactly what was advertised and leave an honest review 🥰
✨First times
✨Religious trauma
✨Monster sex with knots
✨Kink and some light BDSM
✨Egyptian mythology
...and of course, true love!
The plot: Mina is so deep in the closet that he can't figure out where the door knob is. His parents are church leaders, and expect him to be a good Christian boy and work in the church someday.
Fortunately for him, a certain Egyptian God is on a mission to save Mina from himself. What neither of them expect is the true depth of their connection..because this isn't the first time Anubis has been charged to lead a soul to their true potential, but it is the first time his duty becomes hopelessly entangled with his own desires.
Kinky monster sex aside (and it was kinky 🥵 I had to chill for a minute when other people walked into the room 🤭) the plot was well done. I was worried that Mina would spend a good chunk of the book breaking down, unable to accept himself as a queer man. But it turns out that monster sex is great therapy for that, and it's not the main conflict of the third act. I really liked Mina; he didn't ruminate on his misgivings about his new situation or try to fight Anubis on every little thing (I'm not into brats!) Without giving anything else away, there's some really imaginative settings and challenges, cameos from other deities, and one of Mina's classmates gets quite the awakening as well 😳
You never know what to expect from a new author, but I'm 100% on board with anything they dream up and I CANNOT WAIT for the next book in the series. The writing was smooth, dialogue felt natural, with just the right amount of suspense and angst. I read it all in one sitting.
I received an ARC, but I don't leave reviews for ARCs I don't like. It's always a pleasure to get exactly what was advertised and leave an honest review 🥰
September 1, 2025
ARC Review!!! a thank you to the amazing author for the chance to read early!!
a beautiful book that tackles hard concepts of religion while making a lovely romance about self discovery and self love while being spicy. A.K Asher writes so detailed you can Invision everything and emotionally connect to each character. the main MC Mina is relatable and just a cutie with some sass and Anubis is just a puppy draped in wisdom. this book will alter your brain chemistry and keep you coming back for more. if I could give it more than 5 stars I would 10/10
a beautiful book that tackles hard concepts of religion while making a lovely romance about self discovery and self love while being spicy. A.K Asher writes so detailed you can Invision everything and emotionally connect to each character. the main MC Mina is relatable and just a cutie with some sass and Anubis is just a puppy draped in wisdom. this book will alter your brain chemistry and keep you coming back for more. if I could give it more than 5 stars I would 10/10
August 29, 2025
4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I picked this book up and could NOT put it back down until I had finished. I'm not going to lie I was kind of expecting a typical monster romance but it was not that AT all. I love books that explore themes of religious trauma as it's something close to my heart, and let me tell you this book is so healing if you're also that person. Watching Mina grow into the person he's supposed to be and learning to love himself was everything 🥹
If this is a.k asher's debut? I cannot wait for what comes next
🏺God x Mortal
🏺Sexual Awakening
🏺High-Spice but plot driven
🏺Religious Deconstruction and healing
🏺Size difference
🏺Pain kink
🏺HEA
But seriously crying over a book where a blond guy gets railed by Anubis wasn't on my bingo card for 2025 but here we are I guess
I picked this book up and could NOT put it back down until I had finished. I'm not going to lie I was kind of expecting a typical monster romance but it was not that AT all. I love books that explore themes of religious trauma as it's something close to my heart, and let me tell you this book is so healing if you're also that person. Watching Mina grow into the person he's supposed to be and learning to love himself was everything 🥹
If this is a.k asher's debut? I cannot wait for what comes next
🏺God x Mortal
🏺Sexual Awakening
🏺High-Spice but plot driven
🏺Religious Deconstruction and healing
🏺Size difference
🏺Pain kink
🏺HEA
But seriously crying over a book where a blond guy gets railed by Anubis wasn't on my bingo card for 2025 but here we are I guess
August 28, 2025
✨️ARC Review✨️
4,5⭐️
4🌶
I've always been fascinated by ancient Egyptian history and mythology-so much so that I even started working with it after beginning my history studies. So, of course, this story was right up my alley, and I absolutely adored it. The way everything was described-the gods, the atmosphere, Mina himself-it all felt so vivid and alive.
For me, the book had this cosy, almost welcoming quality to it, like slipping into a world I already knew but wanted to explore deeper. And Mina... well, let's be honest, he deserves the title of sex god. The way he talks, what he is doing with his body-hot damn.
I can't wait for book two, especially since it's going to be Devon's story!
4,5⭐️
4🌶
I've always been fascinated by ancient Egyptian history and mythology-so much so that I even started working with it after beginning my history studies. So, of course, this story was right up my alley, and I absolutely adored it. The way everything was described-the gods, the atmosphere, Mina himself-it all felt so vivid and alive.
For me, the book had this cosy, almost welcoming quality to it, like slipping into a world I already knew but wanted to explore deeper. And Mina... well, let's be honest, he deserves the title of sex god. The way he talks, what he is doing with his body-hot damn.
I can't wait for book two, especially since it's going to be Devon's story!
September 1, 2025
ARC READER
This was such an exquisite story of love and acceptance and the desire to be with the one the universe created to complete you.
Mina and Anubis' story teaches us what unflinching altruism really looks like.
I was hooked from the first chapter and could not stop.
Seeing them learn and grow together and fight so hard to get their happily ever after. This beautifully crafted story soothed a wound I had forgotten that I was carrying
This was such an exquisite story of love and acceptance and the desire to be with the one the universe created to complete you.
Mina and Anubis' story teaches us what unflinching altruism really looks like.
I was hooked from the first chapter and could not stop.
Seeing them learn and grow together and fight so hard to get their happily ever after. This beautifully crafted story soothed a wound I had forgotten that I was carrying
October 20, 2025
I really was not expecting to love this book as much as I did, which is wild because I was expecting to love it SO MUCH, so to love it even more than SO MUCH?! Like, that is a lot of love.
Firstly I want to emphasise how important it is to invest in cover artwork that truly reflects your vision for your story, because having 4resna do the art for this book was such a perfect decision. 4resna captured the aesthetic and the beauty of Mina and Anubis so well, that when I was reading the book, I was reading it in their art style. Which was such an elevated reading experience- to see the vision so beautifully told. This art really felt like an extension of the book, and I cannot stress enough how wonderful that is.
Secondly, Mina. Mina, Mina, Mina. He was instantly loveable, and it was so easy to love him, effortless even. For somebody who has no lived experience of being raised inside of, or a part of, a religious world, I found there was no point in this book where I felt I couldn’t connect and relate to Mina. His ongoing journey with himself and the life that is expected of him is something mirrored in so many of us, not just necessarily those within fundamentalist groups.
His personality shined through from the very beginning, and as we saw more layers to who he was, I fell even more in love with him. And when his journey led him to Anubis, we got to see him blossom into the most beautiful version of himself and it was very empowering to watch, and be a part of.
The world building in this book was done so meticulously, where I felt there wasn’t a single moment where A.K. Asher slacked or skimmed over every possible detail. It felt like so much research went into this book, and the way it all flowed so easily is testament to the kind of writer A.K. is. For a debut book, I am so impressed by this.
Although the relationship between Mina and Anubis is quite a focal point of the story, it wasn’t the only thing that carried this book, and I feel that is what made this story so engaging and compelling. There was romance so poetic and stunning, but there was adventure, too, and it was gripping and thrilling and down-right addictive to read.
Anubis was a character who felt like an extension of Mina, in that he didn’t outshine or pull us away from Mina’s self-discovery. But he also didn’t fall into the background either. He was fundamental to the story, but his entire essence was that of support and nurture, and guidance for Mina. Their love felt so powerful, but so intimate and sincere, too. It was gorgeous.
I loved literally every single part of this book, and you could tell there was so much importance to it, for the author. I felt honoured to read it, and experience my own journey through Mina’s.
I’m excited to see what A.K. Asher writes next, and knowing some clues about who it is about has got me very happy!
I really cannot recommend this book enough, and I hope you don’t feel you can’t read it if you do not have your own religious trauma, because this book transcends that, and I feel anybody who has felt as though they didn’t fit in, they weren’t accepted, or that their queerness was wrong, can find something really special within this story.
Firstly I want to emphasise how important it is to invest in cover artwork that truly reflects your vision for your story, because having 4resna do the art for this book was such a perfect decision. 4resna captured the aesthetic and the beauty of Mina and Anubis so well, that when I was reading the book, I was reading it in their art style. Which was such an elevated reading experience- to see the vision so beautifully told. This art really felt like an extension of the book, and I cannot stress enough how wonderful that is.
Secondly, Mina. Mina, Mina, Mina. He was instantly loveable, and it was so easy to love him, effortless even. For somebody who has no lived experience of being raised inside of, or a part of, a religious world, I found there was no point in this book where I felt I couldn’t connect and relate to Mina. His ongoing journey with himself and the life that is expected of him is something mirrored in so many of us, not just necessarily those within fundamentalist groups.
His personality shined through from the very beginning, and as we saw more layers to who he was, I fell even more in love with him. And when his journey led him to Anubis, we got to see him blossom into the most beautiful version of himself and it was very empowering to watch, and be a part of.
The world building in this book was done so meticulously, where I felt there wasn’t a single moment where A.K. Asher slacked or skimmed over every possible detail. It felt like so much research went into this book, and the way it all flowed so easily is testament to the kind of writer A.K. is. For a debut book, I am so impressed by this.
Although the relationship between Mina and Anubis is quite a focal point of the story, it wasn’t the only thing that carried this book, and I feel that is what made this story so engaging and compelling. There was romance so poetic and stunning, but there was adventure, too, and it was gripping and thrilling and down-right addictive to read.
Anubis was a character who felt like an extension of Mina, in that he didn’t outshine or pull us away from Mina’s self-discovery. But he also didn’t fall into the background either. He was fundamental to the story, but his entire essence was that of support and nurture, and guidance for Mina. Their love felt so powerful, but so intimate and sincere, too. It was gorgeous.
I loved literally every single part of this book, and you could tell there was so much importance to it, for the author. I felt honoured to read it, and experience my own journey through Mina’s.
I’m excited to see what A.K. Asher writes next, and knowing some clues about who it is about has got me very happy!
I really cannot recommend this book enough, and I hope you don’t feel you can’t read it if you do not have your own religious trauma, because this book transcends that, and I feel anybody who has felt as though they didn’t fit in, they weren’t accepted, or that their queerness was wrong, can find something really special within this story.
October 23, 2025
So. This is good for a debut, I’m very impressed. I’m always impressed by authors honestly bc they can write and I can’t.
Anyways, anything Egyptian is going to get my attention. I liked the lore sprinkled throughout the story, very nice.
I was less happy with the time jumps and telling us how they ‘fell in love’ instead of showing us. I was also not happy that there is sharing, dubcon during a sharing scene, and discussion of a past suicide attempt that is not on a main trope map while the CW is at the back of the book. I I am able to vibe over these things with the right book (this one) but others may not be.
Anyways, anything Egyptian is going to get my attention. I liked the lore sprinkled throughout the story, very nice.
I was less happy with the time jumps and telling us how they ‘fell in love’ instead of showing us. I was also not happy that there is sharing, dubcon during a sharing scene, and discussion of a past suicide attempt that is not on a main trope map while the CW is at the back of the book. I I am able to vibe over these things with the right book (this one) but others may not be.
September 27, 2025
I’m giving this a four star. It delivered on everything it said it would. I really enjoyed the imagery and Mina was a fun character to follow through the story. The ending was very interesting and a lot of fun. I love it when stories get chaotic. The spice is very unique and I did not expect where it was going which was fun. I love the world it takes place in, and overall, it was an entertaining read.
October 24, 2025
3.25⭐️
What an interesting premise this book has! It follows Mina, a young man in college who has been raised to believe his sexuality is a sin. With his classmates, he visits Egypt and gets stuck in an underground chamber where he meets Anubis, and a wild experience ensues. Here’s some of the content you can expect:
-human (22) x god
-size difference 👀
-religious trauma (and healing from it in unconventional ways)
This book follows Mina as he is put through some strange experiences while he falls for Anubis. In the beginning, it starts off pretty strong and interesting. Mina’s background is established (traumatized and horny), and the mysteries of the setting start to unfold. However, after we initially meet Anubis, what follows is a little bit of a fever dream. We are supposed to feel a romance between the two, but this felt very skipped over and a little bit scattered. There was also just a lot of smut thrown in there (for what purpose.. I’m not sure?) that involved other characters. One was even a little bit dub con, and very confusing as a reader. Once it got to the end, it felt like it got a little bit more back on track, but ended a bit abruptly. The pacing and flow were just a little jarring.
That being said, this book is so creative! The premise is so interesting, the vibes are unique, and I’ve definitely never read anything like this before! This author clearly has some really cool ideas, and a lot of potential. I’ll definitely want to see what they write next!
What an interesting premise this book has! It follows Mina, a young man in college who has been raised to believe his sexuality is a sin. With his classmates, he visits Egypt and gets stuck in an underground chamber where he meets Anubis, and a wild experience ensues. Here’s some of the content you can expect:
-human (22) x god
-size difference 👀
-religious trauma (and healing from it in unconventional ways)
This book follows Mina as he is put through some strange experiences while he falls for Anubis. In the beginning, it starts off pretty strong and interesting. Mina’s background is established (traumatized and horny), and the mysteries of the setting start to unfold. However, after we initially meet Anubis, what follows is a little bit of a fever dream. We are supposed to feel a romance between the two, but this felt very skipped over and a little bit scattered. There was also just a lot of smut thrown in there (for what purpose.. I’m not sure?) that involved other characters. One was even a little bit dub con, and very confusing as a reader. Once it got to the end, it felt like it got a little bit more back on track, but ended a bit abruptly. The pacing and flow were just a little jarring.
That being said, this book is so creative! The premise is so interesting, the vibes are unique, and I’ve definitely never read anything like this before! This author clearly has some really cool ideas, and a lot of potential. I’ll definitely want to see what they write next!
October 10, 2025
I requested an ARC of this one because it sounded so cool and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I read it start to finish on a cross country flight and there were several times I turned to my friend and was like “THIS BOOK OMG”. This pretty little twink was just ASKING FOR IT, wandering off on his own and getting horny.
October 21, 2025
I was originally drawn to this book for Anubis; I’ve always loved the allure of Egyptian mythology but we get a new look at this God in this story. We see Anubis truly want to help others while fulfilling the expectations placed on him. The way he cares for Mina & helps him accept & love himself was unexpectedly sweet in the end. Mina is such a relatable character on so many levels, particularly for those of us who are queer & never quite felt like we belonged. His journey to self discovery was beautiful. This was an incredible debut & I can’t wait to read more from A.K.
August 30, 2025
4.5 stars!
Man this book left me raw. Mina is so freaking relatable. Especially to anyone who identifies as queer or doesn’t conform to their assigned gender that grew up under the weight of religious expectations. I’m from small town southern America. Religion is a way of life here. Anyone that doesn’t conform is treated abysmally. I think that’s why I feel so attached to Mina. I have lived an experience similar to his. I have had thoughts that resemble his. Being inside Mina’s mind is like looking in a mirror.
Then we have Anubis. Anubis who genuinely wants to help others. Anubis who wants Mina to accept and love ALL the parts of himself, especially the ones that others have made him feel ashamed of. Anubis who, despite being a God himself, is not immune to being consumed by parental expectations.
This book is high heat. I would describe it as insta-love, but the overreaching plot line is never lost. I think this book is a unique take on the human/god romance trope. That uniqueness is what originally drew me in, but finally seeing myself represented so fully in a story is what kept me. I can easily see this book being a huge hit, especially with people that have struggled with their own religious beliefs. Absolutely stunning debut, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.
**if you have any triggers, I suggest taking a look at the content warning list before starting this book.
Man this book left me raw. Mina is so freaking relatable. Especially to anyone who identifies as queer or doesn’t conform to their assigned gender that grew up under the weight of religious expectations. I’m from small town southern America. Religion is a way of life here. Anyone that doesn’t conform is treated abysmally. I think that’s why I feel so attached to Mina. I have lived an experience similar to his. I have had thoughts that resemble his. Being inside Mina’s mind is like looking in a mirror.
Then we have Anubis. Anubis who genuinely wants to help others. Anubis who wants Mina to accept and love ALL the parts of himself, especially the ones that others have made him feel ashamed of. Anubis who, despite being a God himself, is not immune to being consumed by parental expectations.
This book is high heat. I would describe it as insta-love, but the overreaching plot line is never lost. I think this book is a unique take on the human/god romance trope. That uniqueness is what originally drew me in, but finally seeing myself represented so fully in a story is what kept me. I can easily see this book being a huge hit, especially with people that have struggled with their own religious beliefs. Absolutely stunning debut, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.
**if you have any triggers, I suggest taking a look at the content warning list before starting this book.
October 16, 2025
I received this as a free ARC copy from the author. The review is my wholly my own (and first so please know I'm new to this 😅).
The reason I've rated four stars rather than five is only because I wish we'd gotten more. Throughout the 140 pages you're told of the passage of time and the relationship that grows between Mina and Anubis, but I wish we'd gotten to see more of it unfold so the development between them felt more grounded. Without that investment the times when things shifted between them, good or bad, felt unanchored and like something of an important, developmentally intimate nature had been skipped. I feel we would've gotten that with more story. But otherwise it was a good story, though there was one part of dubcon with another God I didn't like because it wasn't discussed or handled further than a brief, quick act of revenge. Mostly the sense of emotional fulfilment of this story was Mina unpacking his religious trauma, and internalised homophobia and self hatred he suffered because of that trauma, and learning to love himself completely and the self esteem he gained from that. I'm curious to see what other pairings A.K. plans to add to the series, I just hope we get longer stories with them because it's a mythological and narrative landscape that has a lot of promise depending on what he chooses to do next. I recommend this book to those who would enjoy a queer erotic spin of stories like those told by P.C. Cast's Goddess series.
The reason I've rated four stars rather than five is only because I wish we'd gotten more. Throughout the 140 pages you're told of the passage of time and the relationship that grows between Mina and Anubis, but I wish we'd gotten to see more of it unfold so the development between them felt more grounded. Without that investment the times when things shifted between them, good or bad, felt unanchored and like something of an important, developmentally intimate nature had been skipped. I feel we would've gotten that with more story. But otherwise it was a good story, though there was one part of dubcon with another God I didn't like because it wasn't discussed or handled further than a brief, quick act of revenge. Mostly the sense of emotional fulfilment of this story was Mina unpacking his religious trauma, and internalised homophobia and self hatred he suffered because of that trauma, and learning to love himself completely and the self esteem he gained from that. I'm curious to see what other pairings A.K. plans to add to the series, I just hope we get longer stories with them because it's a mythological and narrative landscape that has a lot of promise depending on what he chooses to do next. I recommend this book to those who would enjoy a queer erotic spin of stories like those told by P.C. Cast's Goddess series.
October 21, 2025
Thank you to the author for the early copy of this book. This is my honest, voluntary review.
I had been following A.K. Asher on tiktok and saw parts of the journey of his writing journey. I was so excited to read this book, and I can say i was not disappointed. (Sorry if this review is scatter brained)
Mina is such a rich, deep character. I felt his emotions through the pages. His journey to self-acceptance, internal struggles with his religion, and his navigation with it all really stuck with me and healed me in ways i wasn't expecting. I didn't expect to be seen in the way i was by a fictional character.
Anubis is a god many of us know, but this book gives a new light to this old god. The portrayal of the power he holds and the love he gives was something to write home about.
I could read about Anubis and Minas love over and over. Their love and sex was raw and animalistic, but it also felt so controlled and exactly what needed to happen. These two balanced each other very well. (i want more, and the smut was written so well my jaw was on the floor. like, come on, i can't stop thinking about it)
As for the writing itself. A.K. Asher has a way with words. The pages flow and made me feel, it didnt just seem like another book to cross of my list but a book I want to read again and talk about it with my wife till she tell me to shut up. I just kept wanting to read, even if it wasn't a good time. At each chapter, i wanted to know what more Asher wrote and what creativity they had for me.
Congratulations, A.K Asher, on your debut. It was beautiful, and ill be adding this to my shelf of favorites.
I had been following A.K. Asher on tiktok and saw parts of the journey of his writing journey. I was so excited to read this book, and I can say i was not disappointed. (Sorry if this review is scatter brained)
Mina is such a rich, deep character. I felt his emotions through the pages. His journey to self-acceptance, internal struggles with his religion, and his navigation with it all really stuck with me and healed me in ways i wasn't expecting. I didn't expect to be seen in the way i was by a fictional character.
Anubis is a god many of us know, but this book gives a new light to this old god. The portrayal of the power he holds and the love he gives was something to write home about.
I could read about Anubis and Minas love over and over. Their love and sex was raw and animalistic, but it also felt so controlled and exactly what needed to happen. These two balanced each other very well. (i want more, and the smut was written so well my jaw was on the floor. like, come on, i can't stop thinking about it)
As for the writing itself. A.K. Asher has a way with words. The pages flow and made me feel, it didnt just seem like another book to cross of my list but a book I want to read again and talk about it with my wife till she tell me to shut up. I just kept wanting to read, even if it wasn't a good time. At each chapter, i wanted to know what more Asher wrote and what creativity they had for me.
Congratulations, A.K Asher, on your debut. It was beautiful, and ill be adding this to my shelf of favorites.
October 21, 2025
This is a hard review for me to write because the premise of this book absolutely fascinated me but I felt like it slightly under delivered.
Please forgive me if I use the incorrect terms for the religious aspects as it’s not something I’m at all familiar with.
So we meet Mina in Egypt who is there as part of his seminary training. He has some deep seated religious trauma around his identity. Both his sexual identity and his body. This aspect was very intriguing to me when reading the blurb but I felt like it wasn’t explored with enough depth really. We’re told Mina’s father is disappointed in him and Mina feels like he has to hide himself to be who he wants him to be. I don’t really feel like I saw this. While he wouldn’t have won father of the year I would’ve liked to see more from their dynamic. I would’ve liked a little more showing than telling on this aspect of the story.
Mina is drawn into Anubis’s lair and things very quickly start to heat up.
We are told that Mina is sexually repressed and Anubis is going to ‘help’ him with this. Again I would’ve liked a little more showing than telling.
This is where things start to really heat up. I think the author did a great job of writing this part, spicy and a light touch of kink. This is where this book really shines and in my opinion it would’ve made an excellent erotica story.
But, just when things start to get interesting between the two we do a big time jump to weeks later and suddenly Mina believes himself in love with Anubis. We get a few flashes through Mina’s memories of what has happened between the pair but not enough to actually understand how their relationship has progressed. It was quite jarring because it stopped me from making the emotional connection with the characters I need to really immerse myself in a story.
Then we do another BIG time jump to what Mina believes is a year later.
I felt completely robbed of watching their beautiful relationship develop. Romance books need the quiet moments too, the bits where we see their love shine through and show us the reader how they cannot live without each other. Especially with the way this book ends. I see Mina doesn’t want to go back to his boring ordinary life without Anubis but it’s such an extreme ending when I didn’t get to see the level of devotion up to that point.
But I digress, so we’ve jumped forward and suddenly one of Mina’s classmates (who have been in the necropolis this whole time because Anubis can control time so only days have passed for them) turns up in their little love nest and Mina decides to essentially Dom him so he can break free of his chains of oppression. Which we find out after was basically pointless because he won’t remember any of it. It seemed like a pretty flimsy excuse for another sex scene that didn’t in anyway move the plot forward and we still don’t understand why Anubis won’t do the deed himself.
And on that note I feel like seeing much more of the story from Anubis’s POV could’ve been really beneficial. We get one small glimpse inside his head (unannounced) in the middle of a chapter and I was immediately excited to get to know him better as a character. I felt like more time spent in his POV might have given me some insight into his motivations especially when he refuses to ‘claim’ Mina fully. He offers up various sexual partners to Mina so he doesn’t have to do the deed himself but (excuse me if I missed something) I don’t believe it’s ever actually explained as to WHY he does this. I was trying to guess what the twist would be as to why he didn’t and was left a bit confused. It makes sense that he doesn’t want to tell Mina his reasons ‘cos that boy is strong willed and I know he would’ve argued his point but that’s where more time spent inside Anubis’s POV could’ve helped so at least we the reader would’ve known his logic.
Eventually we reach the climax of the story where Anubis has been banished to the underworld by his father Osiris and Mina has to make a big decision. Will he follow Anubis into the underworld to save him and sacrifice his own life or will he return to his life as a changed person who inevitably will not fit back into the mould created for him.
This is where I felt the absence of back story between Mina and his parents and the lack of relationship build up really let us down because Mina makes a big choice for Anubis and while this was obviously where the story needs to go for the HEA, nothing up to this point makes it completely clear that this should be Mina’s choice.
Insert some more excellent erotica where Anubis finally claims Mina in ‘all the ways’. This is where Asher’s writing really shines for me. He does write sexy with feelings very well.
So Mina chooses to sacrifice his life in exchange for a chance to stay with Anubis basically giving up his life on earth, his relationship with his family and any chance of living his truth now that he has broken free of his chains. He agrees to have his heart weighed and possibly go the afterlife hoping he will meet Anubis there.
While this was a very happy ending for the pair I really would’ve liked to see more of a build up to this. I was pleased for their happiness if not a little befuddled about how it came about.
Oh and I nearly forgot to mention the scene with the crocodile god who essentially SA’s Mina as a plot device for Anubis to show that he cares about Mina. This whole scene was very odd and once again was a way to wedge some more spice in and a pretty transparent way for Anubis to be the big strong guy and ‘save’ Mina.
Overall I liked Mina as a character, he was sweet and sometimes fiery (would’ve liked to see a little more of his fire).
The smut was great. I honestly think this would’ve made an excellent monster erotica book instead of trying to force in the religious undertones that weren’t (for me) seen all the way through.
I would’ve liked a little more ‘show me’ than ‘tell me’.
Please forgive me if I use the incorrect terms for the religious aspects as it’s not something I’m at all familiar with.
So we meet Mina in Egypt who is there as part of his seminary training. He has some deep seated religious trauma around his identity. Both his sexual identity and his body. This aspect was very intriguing to me when reading the blurb but I felt like it wasn’t explored with enough depth really. We’re told Mina’s father is disappointed in him and Mina feels like he has to hide himself to be who he wants him to be. I don’t really feel like I saw this. While he wouldn’t have won father of the year I would’ve liked to see more from their dynamic. I would’ve liked a little more showing than telling on this aspect of the story.
Mina is drawn into Anubis’s lair and things very quickly start to heat up.
We are told that Mina is sexually repressed and Anubis is going to ‘help’ him with this. Again I would’ve liked a little more showing than telling.
This is where things start to really heat up. I think the author did a great job of writing this part, spicy and a light touch of kink. This is where this book really shines and in my opinion it would’ve made an excellent erotica story.
But, just when things start to get interesting between the two we do a big time jump to weeks later and suddenly Mina believes himself in love with Anubis. We get a few flashes through Mina’s memories of what has happened between the pair but not enough to actually understand how their relationship has progressed. It was quite jarring because it stopped me from making the emotional connection with the characters I need to really immerse myself in a story.
Then we do another BIG time jump to what Mina believes is a year later.
I felt completely robbed of watching their beautiful relationship develop. Romance books need the quiet moments too, the bits where we see their love shine through and show us the reader how they cannot live without each other. Especially with the way this book ends. I see Mina doesn’t want to go back to his boring ordinary life without Anubis but it’s such an extreme ending when I didn’t get to see the level of devotion up to that point.
But I digress, so we’ve jumped forward and suddenly one of Mina’s classmates (who have been in the necropolis this whole time because Anubis can control time so only days have passed for them) turns up in their little love nest and Mina decides to essentially Dom him so he can break free of his chains of oppression. Which we find out after was basically pointless because he won’t remember any of it. It seemed like a pretty flimsy excuse for another sex scene that didn’t in anyway move the plot forward and we still don’t understand why Anubis won’t do the deed himself.
And on that note I feel like seeing much more of the story from Anubis’s POV could’ve been really beneficial. We get one small glimpse inside his head (unannounced) in the middle of a chapter and I was immediately excited to get to know him better as a character. I felt like more time spent in his POV might have given me some insight into his motivations especially when he refuses to ‘claim’ Mina fully. He offers up various sexual partners to Mina so he doesn’t have to do the deed himself but (excuse me if I missed something) I don’t believe it’s ever actually explained as to WHY he does this. I was trying to guess what the twist would be as to why he didn’t and was left a bit confused. It makes sense that he doesn’t want to tell Mina his reasons ‘cos that boy is strong willed and I know he would’ve argued his point but that’s where more time spent inside Anubis’s POV could’ve helped so at least we the reader would’ve known his logic.
Eventually we reach the climax of the story where Anubis has been banished to the underworld by his father Osiris and Mina has to make a big decision. Will he follow Anubis into the underworld to save him and sacrifice his own life or will he return to his life as a changed person who inevitably will not fit back into the mould created for him.
This is where I felt the absence of back story between Mina and his parents and the lack of relationship build up really let us down because Mina makes a big choice for Anubis and while this was obviously where the story needs to go for the HEA, nothing up to this point makes it completely clear that this should be Mina’s choice.
Insert some more excellent erotica where Anubis finally claims Mina in ‘all the ways’. This is where Asher’s writing really shines for me. He does write sexy with feelings very well.
So Mina chooses to sacrifice his life in exchange for a chance to stay with Anubis basically giving up his life on earth, his relationship with his family and any chance of living his truth now that he has broken free of his chains. He agrees to have his heart weighed and possibly go the afterlife hoping he will meet Anubis there.
While this was a very happy ending for the pair I really would’ve liked to see more of a build up to this. I was pleased for their happiness if not a little befuddled about how it came about.
Oh and I nearly forgot to mention the scene with the crocodile god who essentially SA’s Mina as a plot device for Anubis to show that he cares about Mina. This whole scene was very odd and once again was a way to wedge some more spice in and a pretty transparent way for Anubis to be the big strong guy and ‘save’ Mina.
Overall I liked Mina as a character, he was sweet and sometimes fiery (would’ve liked to see a little more of his fire).
The smut was great. I honestly think this would’ve made an excellent monster erotica book instead of trying to force in the religious undertones that weren’t (for me) seen all the way through.
I would’ve liked a little more ‘show me’ than ‘tell me’.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
just-not-for-me
October 24, 2025Well, this sounded so good but it’s not for me.
Been following along on TikTok. I really, really hope this is as good as it seems.
Been following along on TikTok. I really, really hope this is as good as it seems.
October 19, 2025
So… I’m here again, falling in love with another book and another couple. Mina is attending a church seminar while visiting Egypt, hoping that during this trip he can finally feel like everyone else and that the temptations will go away. Even though a part of him is always fighting to come out, he can’t allow himself to fall into lust and sin, what would his parents, the church, or society say? This isn’t the path Mina wants, but sometimes, just sometimes, he wishes his life could be different.
And that’s how, in a moment of liberation, he ends up awakening none other than Anubis himself, who now claims he wants to help Mina find his true self…
This book, OMG listen, it was hot! I loved the author’s creativity, but also how they incorporated Egyptian mythology, the references, and the explanations. Even if you don’t know much about Egyptian mythology, everything is explained clearly, and if you do, you’ll find yourself going “OMG, I remember that!”
Another thing I absolutely loved is the message behind the story: self-acceptance. How people often hide their true selves out of fear of rejection or prejudice, and how it affects their mental health. With Mina, we really see that, it’s his journey of self-discovery as he begins to see the world with new eyes. (I mean, it was kinky ), but it also felt like the missing piece that finally set him free.
Mina and Anubis develop such an adorable relationship. Saying I love these two is an understatement, they had me giggling and going “aww, that’s so sweet” or “OMG, those two are so kinky.”
I think this book has great world-building! I want to know which other Egyptian gods we’ll get to see and learn more about their world because it’s truly fascinating.
The only two things I would’ve liked to see are:
A bit more of Mina and Anubis’s relationship development, we got to read about it, but I wanted to see it more through their interactions. And I wish the book had been a little longer, but that’s only because I loved it so much! The creativity of this world the author built definitely has so much potential.
That said, I’m still absolutely obsessed with this book, and I can’t wait to see the next couples and how their stories will unfold.
So, if you want a book with Egyptian mythology, self-discovery and acceptance, a sexy Egyptian god with a heart of gold, and a human who finally learns to be himself, you need to read this book!
Star Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice Rating: 4/5 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
🏛️ Human x Egypt God
🖤 Self- Discovery and Acceptance
🏛️ Virgin Mc
🖤 Size Difference
🏛️ Forbidden Love
🖤 A New Way Of Bondage
And that’s how, in a moment of liberation, he ends up awakening none other than Anubis himself, who now claims he wants to help Mina find his true self…
This book, OMG listen, it was hot! I loved the author’s creativity, but also how they incorporated Egyptian mythology, the references, and the explanations. Even if you don’t know much about Egyptian mythology, everything is explained clearly, and if you do, you’ll find yourself going “OMG, I remember that!”
Another thing I absolutely loved is the message behind the story: self-acceptance. How people often hide their true selves out of fear of rejection or prejudice, and how it affects their mental health. With Mina, we really see that, it’s his journey of self-discovery as he begins to see the world with new eyes. (I mean, it was kinky ), but it also felt like the missing piece that finally set him free.
Mina and Anubis develop such an adorable relationship. Saying I love these two is an understatement, they had me giggling and going “aww, that’s so sweet” or “OMG, those two are so kinky.”
I think this book has great world-building! I want to know which other Egyptian gods we’ll get to see and learn more about their world because it’s truly fascinating.
The only two things I would’ve liked to see are:
A bit more of Mina and Anubis’s relationship development, we got to read about it, but I wanted to see it more through their interactions. And I wish the book had been a little longer, but that’s only because I loved it so much! The creativity of this world the author built definitely has so much potential.
That said, I’m still absolutely obsessed with this book, and I can’t wait to see the next couples and how their stories will unfold.
So, if you want a book with Egyptian mythology, self-discovery and acceptance, a sexy Egyptian god with a heart of gold, and a human who finally learns to be himself, you need to read this book!
Star Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice Rating: 4/5 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
🏛️ Human x Egypt God
🖤 Self- Discovery and Acceptance
🏛️ Virgin Mc
🖤 Size Difference
🏛️ Forbidden Love
🖤 A New Way Of Bondage
October 23, 2025
Poetic, personal, and confronting — more spiritual awakening than romance
This debut is lyrical, imaginative, and layered with meaning — but not at all what I expected going in. It’s not a conventional MM romance, but a mythic and erotic exploration of faith, shame, and self-acceptance through Egyptian mythology.
The writing is beautiful and visceral, with striking imagery that blends worship, desire, and devotion. Mina’s journey as a preacher’s son wrestling with internalized and societal homophobia is deeply emotional and clearly written from a place of honesty and lived reflection with religious trauma. His connection with Anubis feels spiritual rather than romantic — a symbolic path toward self-forgiveness framed through ritual, submission, and divine intimacy, using sexual acts as metaphors for surrender, faith, and rebirth. Unfortunately, the romantic development and depth of Anubis’s character seemed to get lost in time-skips.
That said, this was a confronting read for me. There are graphic scenes involving side characters and moments of dub-con that were difficult to sit with. While there is a content advisory note, it appears only at the end and doesn’t fully capture the weight of those triggers — I’d strongly recommend reviewing this before reading.
The story’s resolution is bittersweet, with a HEA that felt more symbolic than satisfying for me personally.
Overall, this isn’t a love story so much as a journey of spiritual and sexual self-actualisation told through mythic erotica. An intense coming of age story, heavy on the religious trauma hurt/comfort and kinks. It’s not my usual style, but I respect what the author set out to do and can see how powerful this might be for readers who connect with its themes.
This debut is lyrical, imaginative, and layered with meaning — but not at all what I expected going in. It’s not a conventional MM romance, but a mythic and erotic exploration of faith, shame, and self-acceptance through Egyptian mythology.
The writing is beautiful and visceral, with striking imagery that blends worship, desire, and devotion. Mina’s journey as a preacher’s son wrestling with internalized and societal homophobia is deeply emotional and clearly written from a place of honesty and lived reflection with religious trauma. His connection with Anubis feels spiritual rather than romantic — a symbolic path toward self-forgiveness framed through ritual, submission, and divine intimacy, using sexual acts as metaphors for surrender, faith, and rebirth. Unfortunately, the romantic development and depth of Anubis’s character seemed to get lost in time-skips.
That said, this was a confronting read for me. There are graphic scenes involving side characters and moments of dub-con that were difficult to sit with. While there is a content advisory note, it appears only at the end and doesn’t fully capture the weight of those triggers — I’d strongly recommend reviewing this before reading.
The story’s resolution is bittersweet, with a HEA that felt more symbolic than satisfying for me personally.
Overall, this isn’t a love story so much as a journey of spiritual and sexual self-actualisation told through mythic erotica. An intense coming of age story, heavy on the religious trauma hurt/comfort and kinks. It’s not my usual style, but I respect what the author set out to do and can see how powerful this might be for readers who connect with its themes.
November 6, 2025
Mina has joined the church seminary, desperately trying to fight a part of himself he’s been taught to hide. But during a class trip to Egypt, a moment of curiosity leads him to an ancient site dedicated to the God Anubis and in an act that could be seen as “desecration,” he accidentally awakens the God himself.
As someone who’s always loved Ancient Egyptian mythology, I was immediately drawn in by how beautifully it’s woven into this story. The setting, the lore, and the way the myth meets modern emotion, it’s simply magical.
Mina is an absolute sweetheart. You can feel the war within him, the part that yearns to live as his true, authentic self, and the part that’s been conditioned to feel shame. Then enters Anubis, ancient, powerful, intimidating and yet completely undone by Mina. Beneath the godly strength is someone endlessly patient and gentle, who helps Mina heal, discover, and love himself piece by piece.
Together, they’re pure soulmates. Their love feels sacred, tender yet fierce, soft yet unbreakable. They bring out the best in each other, and there’s something so beautiful about how Anubis becomes Mina’s safe place, guiding him toward acceptance through love, care, and devotion (and some very spicy lessons along the way!).
At its heart, this isn’t just a story about gods and men. It’s about learning to embrace who you are, no matter what the world tells you. To love yourself as deeply as someone who truly sees you would.
If you love Egyptian mythology, an all-powerful god who turns into the ultimate softie for his mortal love, and a heartfelt journey of self-acceptance wrapped in passion, tenderness, and heat them this book will capture you completely.
As someone who’s always loved Ancient Egyptian mythology, I was immediately drawn in by how beautifully it’s woven into this story. The setting, the lore, and the way the myth meets modern emotion, it’s simply magical.
Mina is an absolute sweetheart. You can feel the war within him, the part that yearns to live as his true, authentic self, and the part that’s been conditioned to feel shame. Then enters Anubis, ancient, powerful, intimidating and yet completely undone by Mina. Beneath the godly strength is someone endlessly patient and gentle, who helps Mina heal, discover, and love himself piece by piece.
Together, they’re pure soulmates. Their love feels sacred, tender yet fierce, soft yet unbreakable. They bring out the best in each other, and there’s something so beautiful about how Anubis becomes Mina’s safe place, guiding him toward acceptance through love, care, and devotion (and some very spicy lessons along the way!).
At its heart, this isn’t just a story about gods and men. It’s about learning to embrace who you are, no matter what the world tells you. To love yourself as deeply as someone who truly sees you would.
If you love Egyptian mythology, an all-powerful god who turns into the ultimate softie for his mortal love, and a heartfelt journey of self-acceptance wrapped in passion, tenderness, and heat them this book will capture you completely.
January 20, 2026
I’ll admit it upfront: I bought this book for the cover. No grand intellectual reasoning, no careful research, just the false confidence that a pretty cover surely wouldn’t betray me. Hah, it did.
The Secret Shape of Worship is, objectively speaking, a unique story. It explores themes of self-acceptance, love, and the suffocating weight of religious oppression, and it does so with sincerity and intention. Those aspects genuinely worked for me. There is something thoughtful here, something meaningful, and I can see why this book resonates with people.
That said. The main character is 22 years old and in a sexual relationship with a deity, and at some point I had to pause, stare at the wall, and reconsider what I was even reading. Personally, that dynamic made me uncomfortable, and it never quite stopped doing so.
The biggest issue for me was the sheer amount of sexual content. I don’t mind smut in principle, but here it felt relentless. There was so much of it that it stopped being impactful and instead became exhausting. What could have been intimate or symbolic just felt repetitive, to the point where it actively distracted from the story’s stronger themes.
Also—and I cannot believe I am typing this—olive oil is used as lube multiple times. Multiple. Times. I am not a medical professional, but I am fairly certain that this is not a public health recommendation.
In the end, this was undeniably interesting, and I respect what the book was trying to do. It just wasn’t for me. Sometimes a book can be well-written, meaningful, and still leave you thinking, Ah. I have made a mistake. And that’s okay.
Would I recommend it? To the right audience, yes. To myself, in the past, judging books by their covers? Absolutely not.
The Secret Shape of Worship is, objectively speaking, a unique story. It explores themes of self-acceptance, love, and the suffocating weight of religious oppression, and it does so with sincerity and intention. Those aspects genuinely worked for me. There is something thoughtful here, something meaningful, and I can see why this book resonates with people.
That said. The main character is 22 years old and in a sexual relationship with a deity, and at some point I had to pause, stare at the wall, and reconsider what I was even reading. Personally, that dynamic made me uncomfortable, and it never quite stopped doing so.
The biggest issue for me was the sheer amount of sexual content. I don’t mind smut in principle, but here it felt relentless. There was so much of it that it stopped being impactful and instead became exhausting. What could have been intimate or symbolic just felt repetitive, to the point where it actively distracted from the story’s stronger themes.
Also—and I cannot believe I am typing this—olive oil is used as lube multiple times. Multiple. Times. I am not a medical professional, but I am fairly certain that this is not a public health recommendation.
In the end, this was undeniably interesting, and I respect what the book was trying to do. It just wasn’t for me. Sometimes a book can be well-written, meaningful, and still leave you thinking, Ah. I have made a mistake. And that’s okay.
Would I recommend it? To the right audience, yes. To myself, in the past, judging books by their covers? Absolutely not.
October 21, 2025
This is a fascinating ans spicy debut! I was so intrigued by the story concept that I signed up to read it right away. Contemporary Judeo-Christian elements are mixed in with Egyptian ones. Mina is the son of a pastor with a beautiful singing voice just perfect for choir, but he hides it as well as his sexuality from his family and seminary. He yearns for a faith in which he can be his truest self. During a museum trip with his fellow seminary students, he finds himself - in more ways than one - in the arms of the God Anubis, shepherd of souls. Through the austere but loving guidance of Anubis, Mina learns to love and accept himself, but he also finds a new God, and a new forever love. The path to the end was everything it needed to be!
Along with the importance of the mythical background/setting, there is quite a bit of spice!! It's hot, there's lots of kinks, and woof - talk about deep-throating! I think this is a really good debut with an interesting storyline, though I do think the writing could use some editing since pace was impacted and it was choppy in places. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it!
"Looking up at Anubis, held tight in the god’s arms in the cool flow of the Nile, Mina realized he was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen and that maybe this really was the answer to his prayers."
What to Expect:
* God + Human MC
* Egyptian mythos
* size difference
* religious trauma
* self-acceptance/self=love
* overcoming shame
* very spicy
* Kinks
* mummification room
* monster cock
* choking
* BDSM
* cum play
* other gods in the pantheon
* love is tested
Along with the importance of the mythical background/setting, there is quite a bit of spice!! It's hot, there's lots of kinks, and woof - talk about deep-throating! I think this is a really good debut with an interesting storyline, though I do think the writing could use some editing since pace was impacted and it was choppy in places. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it!
"Looking up at Anubis, held tight in the god’s arms in the cool flow of the Nile, Mina realized he was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen and that maybe this really was the answer to his prayers."
What to Expect:
* God + Human MC
* Egyptian mythos
* size difference
* religious trauma
* self-acceptance/self=love
* overcoming shame
* very spicy
* Kinks
* mummification room
* monster cock
* choking
* BDSM
* cum play
* other gods in the pantheon
* love is tested
October 22, 2025
There are a few books out there that truly strike a cord and resonates with you, and this was one of them.
This was the equivalent of Dante’s Inferno through the lens of a self-loathing queer/gay male raised in the hellish landscape of Christianity and its impose religious trauma led by the afflictions of the self, and never being truly enough to your parents. Mina, our MMC and truly the focus of the story, is on a seminar trip in Egypt where he accidentally leaves an ‘offering’ and summons the Egyptian god Anubis. Anubis here is not just a shepherd for Mina, they develop an ever-growing love for each other with a special and delectable spicy devotion. For me? The importance was that Anubis and Mina are reflections of the same individual. This is the story of you coming to terms of who you are and achieving radical self-acceptance. Mina starts to resonate with Anubis and almost achieve some god-like capabilities, and he has to journey the Duat towards the end to ultimately face judgement. It’s a judgement of being your best self. Honestly I ended up crying after I finished the book because it made me visualize my younger self in comparison to my older self and could only envision me hugging that younger aspect letting him know that everything would be OK and that he would turn out to be happy. Now replace Mina and Anubis with your younger and current self and that’s the meaning and purpose behind this book. Loving yourself.
This was the equivalent of Dante’s Inferno through the lens of a self-loathing queer/gay male raised in the hellish landscape of Christianity and its impose religious trauma led by the afflictions of the self, and never being truly enough to your parents. Mina, our MMC and truly the focus of the story, is on a seminar trip in Egypt where he accidentally leaves an ‘offering’ and summons the Egyptian god Anubis. Anubis here is not just a shepherd for Mina, they develop an ever-growing love for each other with a special and delectable spicy devotion. For me? The importance was that Anubis and Mina are reflections of the same individual. This is the story of you coming to terms of who you are and achieving radical self-acceptance. Mina starts to resonate with Anubis and almost achieve some god-like capabilities, and he has to journey the Duat towards the end to ultimately face judgement. It’s a judgement of being your best self. Honestly I ended up crying after I finished the book because it made me visualize my younger self in comparison to my older self and could only envision me hugging that younger aspect letting him know that everything would be OK and that he would turn out to be happy. Now replace Mina and Anubis with your younger and current self and that’s the meaning and purpose behind this book. Loving yourself.
December 12, 2025
I can't really put into words what this book was like, but I also can't stop myself from feeling like I have to write something...
I really do hate 3rd person POV's - and this is written in just that - mostly in Mina's POV.
BUT.
In this case? It didn't bother me at all.
From the first page this book had its claws hooked in my obsessive brain, and I couldn't put it down.
This was a weird? story.
I can't explain why, but the story had me flying through all 200 pages in no time.
Being from a kind of christian family myself (although not as strict as some other forms of christianity), with church visits on sundays all throughout my childhood, this story hit differently.
I thought I had long outgrown the feelings I had as a child, and later teen, while sitting in church and listening to prayers and preaching that made no sense to me.
As an adult I not once sat foot into a chuch of any kind (so it's been a moment since I was confronted with christianity directly 😸), but this story somehow brought up a lot of memories I thought I buried deep and forgot.
Anyway.
Enough with my rambling.
I loved this book. 💙
It somehow made me more emotional than I would have anticipated. It hit a spot I hadn't expected, and as of now still can't really place.
I recommend this book wholeheartedly, and I'll buy the "real" thing as soon as I can get my hands on it, so this story won't get drowned in my endless list of books I've read on my kindle 😽
I really do hate 3rd person POV's - and this is written in just that - mostly in Mina's POV.
BUT.
In this case? It didn't bother me at all.
From the first page this book had its claws hooked in my obsessive brain, and I couldn't put it down.
This was a weird? story.
I can't explain why, but the story had me flying through all 200 pages in no time.
Being from a kind of christian family myself (although not as strict as some other forms of christianity), with church visits on sundays all throughout my childhood, this story hit differently.
I thought I had long outgrown the feelings I had as a child, and later teen, while sitting in church and listening to prayers and preaching that made no sense to me.
As an adult I not once sat foot into a chuch of any kind (so it's been a moment since I was confronted with christianity directly 😸), but this story somehow brought up a lot of memories I thought I buried deep and forgot.
Anyway.
Enough with my rambling.
I loved this book. 💙
It somehow made me more emotional than I would have anticipated. It hit a spot I hadn't expected, and as of now still can't really place.
I recommend this book wholeheartedly, and I'll buy the "real" thing as soon as I can get my hands on it, so this story won't get drowned in my endless list of books I've read on my kindle 😽
September 8, 2025
This book is unlike any romance that I have ever read. It is part romance, part healing journey from religious trauma. I have never seen an author so authentically take on the portrayal of religious trauma, the impact it has on a person, and the long healing journey involved in recovering from that trauma. I think a lot of readers will end up coming for the spice, but staying for the way the book heals a part of their soul.
I really love the characters and their dynamic. Anubis is more than just a sexy, powerful god who happens to also be half jackal. He is a patient and giving lover who is willing to do what is in his power to help Mina on his healing journey. Mina is a real one. He is also sassy and, at times, hilarious. His journey to find himself and figure out if he can ever love himself for who he is takes you on quite an emotional ride.
If you are an MM romance lover, someone who has always wondered what it would be like to be railed by a god, or someone on your own journey of self-acceptance and healing, I would definitely recommend this book. It might make you laugh, cry, kick your feet, and may even leave your soul feeling a little lighter.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an early copy to read. This is my honest review and all thoughts are my own.
I really love the characters and their dynamic. Anubis is more than just a sexy, powerful god who happens to also be half jackal. He is a patient and giving lover who is willing to do what is in his power to help Mina on his healing journey. Mina is a real one. He is also sassy and, at times, hilarious. His journey to find himself and figure out if he can ever love himself for who he is takes you on quite an emotional ride.
If you are an MM romance lover, someone who has always wondered what it would be like to be railed by a god, or someone on your own journey of self-acceptance and healing, I would definitely recommend this book. It might make you laugh, cry, kick your feet, and may even leave your soul feeling a little lighter.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an early copy to read. This is my honest review and all thoughts are my own.
November 13, 2025
I've been eagerly awaiting this release, and it did not disappoint!
First of all, it's incredibly clear the author has a strong connection to this subject matter, specifically religious trauma and healing from it. It was incredibly heartfelt throughout, and the MC Mina's journey of self-discovery and -acceptance was deeply moving. I really enjoyed being able to explore the mindset of someone with that experience viscerally, and how being truly cherished made such an impact.
My favorite aspect, as you might expect if you know me, was the nature of the love interest, the god Anubis. It was a terribly fascinating premise, pairing an ordinary human with the semi-retired god of death. I very much enjoyed all their interactions, and the portrayals of how strange and unnerving Anubis' presence and his various powers and forms were - even down to his difference in morality. It even went more in-depth about his background, family ties, and different realms he belongs to.
Overall, the novel was a page-turner with a fantastic dynamic between characters - to the point where my only big criticism is that I wish it was longer, with even more time to develop their relationship! I think it was a beautiful first foray into this author's style of story, and I can't wait to see what they'll come up with next.
First of all, it's incredibly clear the author has a strong connection to this subject matter, specifically religious trauma and healing from it. It was incredibly heartfelt throughout, and the MC Mina's journey of self-discovery and -acceptance was deeply moving. I really enjoyed being able to explore the mindset of someone with that experience viscerally, and how being truly cherished made such an impact.
My favorite aspect, as you might expect if you know me, was the nature of the love interest, the god Anubis. It was a terribly fascinating premise, pairing an ordinary human with the semi-retired god of death. I very much enjoyed all their interactions, and the portrayals of how strange and unnerving Anubis' presence and his various powers and forms were - even down to his difference in morality. It even went more in-depth about his background, family ties, and different realms he belongs to.
Overall, the novel was a page-turner with a fantastic dynamic between characters - to the point where my only big criticism is that I wish it was longer, with even more time to develop their relationship! I think it was a beautiful first foray into this author's style of story, and I can't wait to see what they'll come up with next.
September 30, 2025
I received this as an ARC 🥰🥰🥰
The Secret Shape of Worship is a mythic, high-heat debut that takes bold risks with faith, lust, and self-discovery. Mina, a pastor's son in his early twenties, travels to Egypt on a last-ditch pilgrimage to strengthen his faith. Instead, a brush with death brings him face-to-face with Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the afterlife—who just might hold the answers Mina has been searching for, both spiritually and intimately.
The author doesn't shy away from exploring Mina's hunger and the larger-than-life presence of Anubis (he's a big boy, man on man
9)
This story shines in its themes: the push and pull between religion and desire, the healing power of self-love, and the freedom that comes from embracing authenticity. Mina's inner conflict—torn between what he's been taught to believe and who he truly is-felt raw and compelling.
That said, I did struggle with the love story itself. While Mina and Anubis definitely share some fiery chemistry, the emotional development felt rushed. We're told that time has passed and their relationship has deepened, but we don't get to see that.
The boldness of the concept, the unapologetic sensuality, and the way the author ties together mythology and spirituality make this a really memorable read.
The Secret Shape of Worship is a mythic, high-heat debut that takes bold risks with faith, lust, and self-discovery. Mina, a pastor's son in his early twenties, travels to Egypt on a last-ditch pilgrimage to strengthen his faith. Instead, a brush with death brings him face-to-face with Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the afterlife—who just might hold the answers Mina has been searching for, both spiritually and intimately.
The author doesn't shy away from exploring Mina's hunger and the larger-than-life presence of Anubis (he's a big boy, man on man
9)
This story shines in its themes: the push and pull between religion and desire, the healing power of self-love, and the freedom that comes from embracing authenticity. Mina's inner conflict—torn between what he's been taught to believe and who he truly is-felt raw and compelling.
That said, I did struggle with the love story itself. While Mina and Anubis definitely share some fiery chemistry, the emotional development felt rushed. We're told that time has passed and their relationship has deepened, but we don't get to see that.
The boldness of the concept, the unapologetic sensuality, and the way the author ties together mythology and spirituality make this a really memorable read.
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