The Eating Woods · Character
Aleysia Bronwick
Also known as loony Aleysia
- Major
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 2
Aleysia Bronwick is a major character in The Eating Woods, first appearing in Anathema (Book 1).
Which book are you on?
Everything after it stays hidden.
- Gender
- female
- Age
- young adult
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 2
- Books
- 2
Aleysia Bronwick begins as a spirited young woman with wild blonde curls, secretly entangled in a forbidden affair with her step-uncle Riftyn that leaves her pregnant and condemned by her community. After being seized and cast into the Eating Woods, she emerges in the second book transformed: a thin, pale figure marked by a grotesque black mass on her ribcage, her mind fractured by memory loss and violent episodes. Throughout the series, she transitions from a sheltered niece and lover into a haunted survivor who is both protected and feared by those around her, ultimately challenging her former accusers and forging uneasy alliances in the mortal lands.
Description
A young woman with golden-blonde hair in wild shoulder-length curls and bright blue eyes. She wears dresses or underdresses, sometimes with the underdress slipping off her shoulders; she rarely wears undergarments. A thin human woman with wild blonde curls falling in loose ringlets about her shoulders. Her complexion is described as pale and sickly during the infection; her eyes can turn black during episodes, while after the exorcism they are brighter and her cheeks regain a healthy pink. A large black mass with thick, rough black veins marks her ribs or flank during the infection. She is seen in shifts, chemises, dresses, and cloaks.
Connections
Friends & mentorsRivals
Zevander RydainnFriend
Maevyth’s mate who travels with and protects Aleysia despite her initial wariness, treating her welfare as important to Maevyth’s safety.
- CG
Corwin GrinsgaithFriend
Travels alongside Aleysia as part of Maevyth’s group; apologizes for abandoning her during her frightening episodes and later becomes a companion she expects to live with.
Mr. MorosEnemy
Shifts from captor who intends to sacrifice her to the Banishing Man, to a reluctant former protector who shelters her after the woods, and finally to the man who delivers her to the spider in the mangled tree.
- SC
Sacton CrainEnemy
Begins as the public accuser who orchestrates her banishment; later becomes the target of her open defiance when he denounces her as a demon.
- TC
The Crone WitchEnemy
Initially takes Aleysia in after her escape from the tree, then confines her during violent episodes and is later accused of trying to kill her.
Story so far
BOOK 1Anathema
- Secretly carries on a sexual relationship with step-uncle Riftyn, resulting in pregnancy.
- Publicly accused by Sacton Crain of committing a crime through her pregnancy.
- Seized on Moros’s orders and sentenced to face the Banishing Man in the woods.
- Flees into the woods and becomes trapped beyond the barrier as the Banishing Man approaches.
BOOK 2Eldritch
- Lies unconscious with a black mass on her ribcage and black veins spreading across her torso.
- Cared for by Maevyth, who resists a dark compulsion to harm her.
- Confined by the Crone Witch (Elowen) during violent, memory-loss episodes.
- Kills a captive Lyverian woman in Moros’s mansion, claiming an act of mercy.
- Challenges Sacton Crain’s hypocrisy after being denounced as a blasphemous demon.
Quotes
The afterlife couldn’t be so cruel. Torment and rejection are unique to the living, after all.
Book 2 · Eldritch You never once let the hatred of this world change who you were.
Book 2 · Eldritch
Key events
- Book 1
Ch. 27Aleysia's BanishmentAleysia is seized by Vonkovyan soldiers for her pregnancy and taken to the Eating Woods for banishment alongside Uncle Riftyn. - Book 1
Ch. 27Crossing the UmbravaleMaevyth crosses the shimmering barrier into Aethyria, leaving Aleysia behind; she is captured by Imperial Guards. - Book 2
Ch. 2Aleysia's Rescue from the CabinMaevyth and Zevander recover Aleysia from a hidden space beneath the Crone Witch's cabin, finding her unnaturally cold and unresponsive. - Book 2
Ch. 24The Spider Attack on the CottageEnormous spiders emerge inside the cottage, forcing Maevyth and Aleysia to flee; they are saved by Raivox. - Book 2
Ch. 64The Church SiegeFlesh-eating vyrmish swarm from beneath the snow, attacking Maevyth and her companions in a ruined church.
Gallery
Book 1: Anathema
Book 2: Eldritch
Appearances
Next stop
Meet Aleysia Bronwick in Bookworm
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