For a century Tranavia and Kalyazia have been at war.
Hidden in a mountain-top monastery, Nadya—a Kalyazi cleric with the ability to communicate with the gods, all the gods—has been living and training. When the Travanian forces breach the walls of the monastery, she is forced to flee into the snow covered lands that have—until now—kept invaders at bay. After fleeing, Nadya encounters a small band of rebels with plans to infiltrate the Travanian palace and kill the king in an effort to end the war. One of the rebels is Malachiasz, an escaped Travanian Vulture with a treasonous plan and a dark secret of his own.

Serefin, the High Prince of Tranavia and a blood mage, has accomplished a victory that no other military leader has, he’s conquered the mountain monastery that hides the Kalyazi cleric. Even though she’s just barely slipped from his grasp, he can feel that her power is far greater than anyone had guessed. And now, with her so close to capture, he’s been called back to Tranavia by his father—for a betrothal ceremony. But Serefin will find that his betrothal isn’t the only danger that lies in waiting.

<I>Wicked Saints</I> is a dark and tantalizing fantasy that balances politics, magic and religion. Everything about the setting and characters seems to exist in the gray area between good and evil. The descriptions are vivid and the monstrous creatures are so well-described that they are easily visualized and horrific to imagine. Although I wasn’t as compelled by the romance as I’d hoped, and felt some of the secondary characters could have been better represented, I still found Wicked Saints to be an enjoyable read and look forward to the sequel.

* I received a copy of Wicked Saints from NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Happy Pub Day!!
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I loved the magic systems throughout this book. I loved the multiple POVs of Nadya, a cleric who speaks to the gods and goddesses, and Serefin, the prince of the land. Overall this was everything I’d hoped it would be! Well done!
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I want to thank the publisher for including me on the blog tour and for sending me an e-ARC of Wicked Saints, this hadn’t affected my review, nor my rating in any way.

This book can definitely be described as a gripping adventure. It started out as a slower paced novel, but quickly made me interested in Nadya’s journey. The world-building, the war, everything was fascinating and it made me want to keep on reading to find out more.

I loved the theological aspects, how Nadya spoke to her gods, how we got to see things from the perspectives of both faithless and religious people. It was interesting and probably the magic system was one of the strongest parts of this book. That and the many twists that kept appearing and taking me by surprise.

There is a war between Kalyazin (Nadya’s country, which still worships the gods. Nadya being their possibly last cleric who can communicate with gods) and Tranavia (the faithless country where blood mages exists and they believe gods are limiting their powers). The war has been very long and everyone has suffered because of it, both countries seem on the brink of ruin and it’s obvious that the war must be stopped somehow.

That ‘somehow’ made our main characters meet, they all have the same motivation – to stop the war, but they are so different that their alliance keep on shifting. They all have other motivations as well, there are lots of conflicts and intrigues. Sometimes it will be difficult for you to predict who will betray who.

The characters were so morally grey that I never knew who to trust. I definitely feel like everyone will disappoint me at some point in this series (because yes, I’m going to read the next books), it’s almost unavoidable, but I’m still going to love them nonetheless because I’m weak. Malachiasz was definitely my favorite character out of the main ones because he’s very complex and he’s probably the hardest to read and understand. I just want to know more about him.

The other main character besides Malachiasz and Nadya is Serefin, who is the Tranavian prince and a very powerful blood mage. He’s very soft and kind, definitely has potential to be an amazing character. I’m not as emotionally attached to him as I’m with Malachiasz and Nadya, but I’m pretty sure he’ll grow on me in the next books.

The romance was AMAZING, so full of tension and angst – exactly what I like. I will keep rooting for this doomed babies forever even if the odds are not in their favour.

There is forbidden love, so if you’re a sucker for this trope, you will most definitely enjoy the romance in this one! I know that I loved reading about their conflicts and how there was always an invisible push to each other despite their differences and their rational sides.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a dark fantasy novel with an angsty romance and morally grey characters that you’ll instantly fall for. It’s an unique and well-crafted debut and Duncan is definitely an author that I’ll keep on my radar!

Rating: 1.5 stars

Trigger warnings: death, torture, self-harm, emotional abuse

SO. Here's the tea.

I'm just so sad. And confused. And disappointed. And frustrated. I was supposed to be part of the blog tour, but you'll see why I couldn't...

Everything was going SO WELL. You can tell from my status updates that I was really into this book in the beginning. I was fully expecting to give this book at least 4 stars.

Just look...

- 1%: I am already gripped with questions! What is this magic? Why is Nadya useful? How does anyone climb 7000 steps?
- 4%: I AM CRYING AFTER A SINGLE CHAPTER. This book is going to be brutal, isn’t it?
- 15%: Each chapter starts with a bit about a saint or god within this world, and I am LOVING it.
- 31%: There is something very darkly sexy about this book...
- 58%: SOMEBODY IS GONNA DIE AND THIS IS GREAT
- 62%: Where the fudge is this coming from????????
- 78%: Where did it all go wrong???? (Reader, I knew where it went wrong.)
- 87%: WHY
- 99%: Well thank the gods that's over

I know, I know, it got a bit harsh at the end there, but you have to understand that I was so looking forward to this book, and it did start out exceeding my expectations. So when it hit that 62% mark, I was shook.

But first, here are some of the things that worked for me to begin with:

- It had an emotional punch right at the start that had me tearing up in chapter 1.
- The magic systems were cool, woven in with culture and religion. I especially loved the snippets about each of the gods and saints at the start of each chapter.
- Characters who did bad things but for reasons they thought were Right.
- Action, blood, gore, etc.
- An enemies-to-lovers budding romance that had so much tension

There were a few niggles throughout the book that I was willing to overlook because I was genuinely enjoying myself, such as confusing timelines and random convenient props. For example, where did they get red hair dye for Nadya in the middle of an unfinished and crumbling church, nowhere near any towns?

I was hooked, and I excitedly told people about this book.

BUT THEN.

Ugh.

Things changed course. In fact, I can pinpoint the exact moment the book lost me. And now things are about to get spoilery, so if you want to avoid that, please move on, knowing simply that characters stopped making sense and everything became convenient for the plot. Oh, and there was emotional abuse. Let's not forget that.

Now, I am a big lover of romance in books. I know there's been an anti-romance push in recent years, but I am not part of that movement. I fall in love with characters at the drop of the hat, and I am fine with that. But even I, a queen of sexual tension and tropes, could not overlook how messed up a certain scene was. Basically, Nadya was freaking out because a) she had just felt the complete WRONGNESS of Malachiasz's magic and b) Malachiasz had just killed another young woman right in front of her when she'd just shown the woman mercy. And what does she do? SHE KISSES HIM! Please, dear reader, tell me how that makes sense.

After that point, nothing made sense anymore. On the one hand, yes, there was a lot of exciting plot, but so much of the plot seemed convenient. And I just couldn't understand why Nadya repeatedly acknowledged how terrible Malachiasz was – especially finding out who he was – and yet she kept going back to him. He kept revealing terrible things to her and she'd almost immediately be kissing him again after. This is not hot chemistry. This is abusive. He literally lied to her to get her to cross borders away from her friends and people with the hope of using her to gain more power for himself. What the actual fudge. Even when he destroyed everything at the end, she cried and kissed him. AFTER HE HAD TRANSFORMED INTO A DEMON. I don't care if we're supposed to feel sorry for him because he was "lost" and "just needed someone to love him". No. That's how people protect or excuse the behaviour of abusers. No no no. I don't expect female characters to be perfect, but Nadya crossed a line for me.

And let's not get started on how many times the word "monster" and its variations (e.g. "monstrous") were repeated in this book. Clearly enough that I started noticing it and rolling my eyes. If you want a book about "monsters" done well and morally grey situations/characters, I highly recommend Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer instead. For reals.

I've now worked myself up writing this so I'm going to end things now and pour myself a glass of port and whip out a nice, fuzzy, empowering romance. (By the way, if romances are your thing, head on over to Love in a time of Feminism.)

I was lucky enough to be able to participate in this book's blog tour. And let me tell you guys, it's sooooo good! It reminded me of Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone trilogy, which is another awesome series. In fact, I may actually like this book better than Shadow and Bone. It's that good!

If you've been following my reviews for a while, you know how much I adore strong character development. And that is an aspect where I feel this book really shines. All of the characters have such powerful personalities and their backstories are so well developed. I feel like these are real people that I actually know. 

The writing is truly beautiful too. From the dialogue, to the lush descriptions, my heart just melted as I read this book. I appreciated that Duncan didn't bog the reader down with too many descriptions, but didn't skip over them entirely. She seemed to have found the perfect balance between too much and not enough.

With my ravings, you might be wondering why I didn't give it a full five stars. I was planning to, and up until the last quarter of the book I was going to give it five stars. But, I felt like the ending was a little too rushed and I had a little bit of a hard time following exactly what was happening and why it happened. 

Aside from a little confusion at the end, I LOVED Wicked Saints. I'm going to need book two ASAP. Otherwise I might just explode from anticipation. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!!!

What can I say other than I LOVED this book? Wicked Saints was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I absolutely devoured it. I have my pre-order in for the hardback and already can’t wait for the next book. It might just kill me.

Now, I’m not going to lie, it was a tad slow getting going. There were a few times in the first, oh maybe 25% of the book that I almost put it down but Duncan quickly redeemed herself and I couldn’t be happier. This is a slow burn but well worth it!

I loved the concept of mixing religion. Normally, that isn’t something I enjoy reading about in books, fantasy or otherwise, but the way faith (or the lack thereof in some cases) was portrayed in Wicked Saints was so captivating that I couldn’t help but want more. I was also quite drawn to the political side of this book and that is something that usually puts me off of a book completely. I just found it so well done and perfectly balanced with magic and romance and religion. I have to admit, it’s a pretty good sign if a writer can take all the things I hate and turn them into a book that I can’t wait to get more of!

Duncan completely hit it out of the park with Wicked Saints. I immensely enjoyed it and will be very impatiently waiting to get my hands on the finished copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this book to read and provide my honest opinion.

I really liked this book but I had one main issue with it. I loved the dark setting. It was very atmospheric. The characters all had many facets. It was interesting to see their interactions with one another as their loyalties shifted and we got to know them better. The religion and MCs powers were a bit confusing at times as many of the gods were only briefly explained or mentioned but not to the point I did not know what was going on.
My main issue with this book was the ending. It was a huge surprise, but not in a good way. It felt way out of left field. I felt like we had spent most of the book learning about these characters and then that is really thrown out the window. Maybe I just missed some of the foreshadowing. I may need to re-read this book to see if the ending is less jarring.

Overall I'd give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it to people who like dark fantasy like jay Kristoff's Nevernight or Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse.

From the summary I was expecting three different points of view, but it actually only has two. I understand why it was done that way, but I often found myself wanting to know what that third character was thinking. I love how we follow two complexe characters from different sides of the war who in their own way just want to save their country. There voices and personalities were very distinct from one another. I found it very compelling being in the head of such a morally grey character as Serefin. I enjoyed the way Nadyas struggled with falling in love with a monster and having her beliefs questionned. Malachiasz was one of those characters you know is probably evil, but can't help love anyways.

The side characters were great, but I wish we got to know them better. We meet Ostyia and Parijahan, two fierce female side character from different sides of the war who Im hoping end up together. One of them is clearly into girls so theres definitely hope for this pariring. Despite them also being from different sides of the war, Kacper and Rashid are kind of interchangeable to me. They're both funny and sweet side kicks. One of my favorite friendships was Ostyia and Serefin. Opposite sex platonic relationships are just way too rare. Theres another character that was just kind of forgotten about, but Im hoping to see in the sequel.

I did see some of the character decisions coming, but I still enjoyed the direction the story went in. I did find it a little unbelievable that someone who was sheltered for most of her life in a monastery decided to go to a foreign country with only sketchy strangers for company. I guess having gods at my back would also make me feel like taking big risks to end a war. The plot was high stakes from the start. Nadya perspective was filled with tension from being on the run and infiltrating a foreign palace to kill the king without being uncovered while Serefin had to scramble to uncover his fathers sinister plans without losing his life in the process.

The russian inspired world had a wonderfully dark atmosphere, but it wasnt as extreme as I was expecting. We get dangerous blood mages and these fascinating creatures called Vultures. The whole concept of talking to gods with each one being able to bless people with a different ability was pretty awesome. We also get interesting lore about the gods and even about some monsters. The writing wasnt as immersive or gripping as I prefer, but at one point when I had to get up and stop reading I was so entranced by the story I tried to pause the page on my phone so I wouldnt miss anything. The way things ended was pretty intense and Im itching to pick up the sequel.

This YA Fantasy received a lot of pre-publication attention – and so I was thrilled to have my request on NetGalley approved! It has all the makings of an epic tale – it opens up with plenty of action in the war between two neighboring nations. The narration is split between two main characters – Nadya is a cleric who speaks with the gods and is able to perform magic through their blessings, while Serefin a prince and general in the war relies on the blood magic that fuels his nation. With the war and detailing the mechanics of these separate magics, Duncan unfortunately doesn’t spend as much time on the landscapes and character development as I would have liked. This makes it a little more difficult to connect with the characters and the story itself. I think that some added detail would ground the story a bit more and make it more enjoyable.

I like the unique magic, but never really knew which character I wanted to root for. Without that connection, I felt like it weakened the impact of the ending in particular. Sometimes the action gets a little convoluted with some gaps that make you feel like you missed something. But, there are plenty of interesting moments – and the unique overall premise, plus the open-ended nature of the ending, does leave me wanting to see what happens next in the sequel. There are plenty of unanswered questions left – and hopefully the characters will develop more and become easier to connect with!

OH MY GOD. This was so amazing!!

I was so happy to being a part of the blog tour of this book, I saw how everyone was so thrilled about it... And it did not disappoint. IT’S A-MA-ZING!!! It’s action-pacted from the start, fun and cute, and, at the same time, jaw-dropping.

I liked that it was fast pacing, and I could’ve totally read it in one setting, but I chose to sleep🙊

The characters are so different, yet so alike in their similar quest. It’s fun to see that even if the story is fast-paced, even if they have an not easy task to do, they still learn to know and trust each other.

I just can’t wait for book 2!! 😭

Many thanks to Wednesday Books for this amazing opportunity.

This was a really good debut, and I'm very excited for the sequels. Unfortunately there was just like something missing from this for me. I'm super excited to read more though. I feel like the sequels will capture all I want better.

Here's my blog post for the blog tour: https://booksandbreadcrumbsblog.wordpress.com/?p=626

Wicked Saints is one of those books that is hard to talk about and I think it might be polarizing for readers. Once I found my reading rhythm, I was all in it. I can also see people who easily need more to catch their interest turning this one down. I personally love morally gray characters and dark fantasy, and this book is a whole lot of that.

So if you do like strange, complex books, with weird magic, and characters you love to hate, stick around for my thoughts. I am not going to lie, this book is weird. At times I was enjoying myself, and at other times I was confused, and sometimes I hated all the characters…but ultimately as the story evolves you definitely start rooting for them all.

The religion and religious aspects were intriguing. The world building, the magic, and the gods and saints were all something I had to learn and grasp before I started really enjoying the story. For me once I was on board, I was all in for the plot to play out.

There is a lot of political scheming and intrigue mixed in with fast-paced action. I almost want to say we have an unreliable narrator, even though we have dual POVs, because as a reader we really have no idea what is right or wrong, with the twists and turns we have no idea what we will experience next. The dual POVs really helped me find my understanding overall as to what actually is going on, but damn getting to the end, was one hell of a ride.

You never know who to trust in this book, those who you think are your enemies, turn out to be your allies…or are they all cruel and evil. Yeah pretty much somewhere along those blurred lines. And of course we have a hate to love trope which I ate up with spoon. Because we think the Prince, Serefin, is the bad guy, but somewhere along the way you start rooting for him and then realize he is the good guy. Yes, it’s complicated, but eventually you enjoy that level of complication.

So yeah, I definitely liked Serefin the most. His mission felt more compelling and easier to connect with than with Nadya and her mission. I can’t even speak about how Malachiasz fits into the fold. He is convinced he is a monster, and yet, he is so intriguing. Ultimately this is a dark story about war and divided countries. We have magic, saints, war, politics, and so many twists you will be seething by the end.

Emily A. Duncan has crafted such a rich compelling story, and a hell of a debut and start of a series. I can’t wait to see what comes next, especially because the end of this book truly threw me and speared every emotion I have ever had. So be prepared.

So at first, I didn't think I was going to like this book. I read a few chapters, and I was on the verge of deciding the book just wasn't all it was hyped up to be. Even though there was action, I just didn't think I could get into it.

Boy was I wrong! I'm so glad I stuck with it. It may be one of my favorite reads of the year so far, and that is saying a lot since fantasy is not my usual genre, even though I pick it up every now and then!

The characters were absolutely amazing in this book. Some of them you didn't want to love, but you just couldn't help it. The action was great. The story line was even better. I liked the use of religion/politics in this book, although I usually want to stay away from things of that nature.

I can't wait for Duncan's next one!!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with an early copy of Wicked Saints to review. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by this opportunity.

I absolutely LOVED this book. The more books I have read the harder it has become to impress me, so let me be the first to say this book utterly impressed me and not only that, it blew me out of the water.

Emily has crafted such a unique and intriguing world I couldn't help but continue reading late into the night, I just had to know what happened next and couldn't bear to be away from my precious Malachiasz. Speaking of him, let's dive right into the characters of Wicked Saints. It's hard to have a successful book without love-able, memorable characters and man does Wicked Saints deliver. Malachiasz will forever be my dark and broody cinnamon roll, I want nothing more than to give him a hug and a pat on the head. He just needs someone to tell him everything will be okay, and I want to be that person!

Our fierce heroine Nadya is so interesting to me, I want to know more about her and why she can speak to the gods. One of the most intriguing things in this book to me was her ability to commune with them and the powers she received because of it. I also love her spirit, she's so feisty and I think I could be great friends with her. Last but certainly not least is Serefin! He is such a tired little marshmallow that only wants to be loved, my heart aches for him and the facade he puts on to cover up his pain. There are so many more memorable characters that I could talk about for days but this review would be WAY too long!

One reason I really enjoyed the characters in Wicked Saints is because they fit so well in to this dark gritty world that Emily crafted. The Russian and Polish inspiration, the description of the cathedral, even the freaking snow was so on point I could picture everything about this world so clearly in my mind. This makes for an immersive read that's hard to put down. Don't believe me? Just read the first chapter, you'll see what I mean. Before you know it you'll be 100 pages in and craving even more.

This is the type of story that sucks you in and doesn't let go. By the end of the book my jaw was hanging on the floor and I was left with wanting MORE. If you pay attention throughout the book the signs are all there as to what happens in the last 50 or so pages. So yes, it was a tad predictable but that in no way made it any less enjoyable. In fact, I actually think I enjoyed it more because of this, the anticipation of what could come was almost too much to bear.

Well. This book unlike any other book I've ever read. I have to admit it was horrifying, gruesome, and thrilling, which is usually not my thing. In fact, I often avoid horrifying, scary, gruesome stories. But the book's description interested me and once I started it, I couldn't put it down. That is purely due to the magic of Emily A. Duncan's writing.

First, the characters. Wicked Saints has some DEEP characters. Ones that have secrets on top of secrets and unbelievable magical abilities. I think every character in this book had some shade of darkness, some degree of moral grayness. And I'm surprised how much I enjoyed that. Sure, it got a little annoying when I would trust a character, then get whiplashed, and then trust them again, then get whiplashed. But that just shows the depth of the characters behind the scenes. Truly masterful.

Overall, I liked it. I thought the plot and pacing was engaging, the writing style poetic and fast-paced, and the world building excellent. However, in order to get through this book, you have to put on your "blood dripping from the sky/people's eyes and mouths/self-inflicted wounds doesn't bother me" hat. It's a rather hard hat for me to put on. For that reason, I would be careful about who I recommend this to. It's a masterpiece, but could be damaging if in the wrong hands. Be warned.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Would I recommend? Carefully, yes.

*Thank you St. Martins / Wednesday Books for the free review copy!

Title: Wicked Saints
Author: Emily A. Duncan
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Nadya is a cleric who can commune with all the gods—unheard of—living in a remote monastery. Kalyazin has been at war with Tranavia have been at war for a long time, but the war has never touched the monastery. Until it does, in the form of Tranavian soldiers led by Serefin, High Prince and blood mage. As her friends die around her, Nadya escapes into the wilderness.

She meets Malachiasz, a defector with dark secrets that Nadya isn’t sure she can trust. But Nadya’s powers may be the only thing standing in the way of destruction, so she heads to the seat of Tranavian power, desperate to find a way to stop it. Serefin, used to drinking and fighting, has been called home by his father, but Serefin finds the king in the midst of a horrifying scheme to gain immortality and ultimate power.

Nadya, Serefin, and Malachiasz will have to trust each other if they have any hope of stopping the coming darkness.

Wicked Saints is dark and atmospheric, with a creepy and cold setting reminiscent of Russia. The magic systems are dark and bloody, and there aren’t a lot of happy feelings in this book. I was fascinated from the first page, although I wouldn’t recommend reading it if you’re depressed at the time. Treachery, hatred, lies, deceit…all run through the pages of this novel like blood, until you can’t see what’s coming next.

Emily A. Duncan is a youth services librarian. Wicked Saints is her new novel, the first in the Something Dark and Holy series.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Nadya is a special girl, she’s protected by the Gods and she can use their magic. With her country at war, she had to flee from heretics who wanted to kill her, including Prince Serefin. She will be helped in her escape by Rashid, Parijahan and Malaschiasz, they will even be able to convince her to try to kill the king.

Nadya is an interesting character and I liked to see the evolution of her thinking, both about the subjects of the Gods she worships and the people with whom they travel and who are different. She is not a character I found endearing but she is strong and confident.

Malachiasz hides a lot of secrets, at least from Nadya because I was suspicious from the beginning. He’s interesting because of its inner conflict but I think he will be even more so in the next volume.

Serefin is the character who intrigued me the most, he is not what you might call a sympathetic person but I understand his reasons, even if I don’t excuse them. I also find that in the book it is the character who changes the most, he becomes a pleasant character and I liked the change.

The story is nice but I really only got into it during the second part. I remain intrigued by the end and would really like to know how they are all going to fare. I still have a lot of questions that are still pending.

Wicked Saints is told from two perspectives, Nadya’s and Serefin’s.

Quick word: A nice story that had trouble transporting me as I would have liked.

“Iron must be tested, Anna said, quoting the Codex. “ We cannot know the gods’ intentions.”

Let me start this off by saying I am a huge fan of the Grisha series and all things Leigh Bardugo. This book came up in a netgalley email and I thought it looked intriguing, i had heard nothing about it. I barely read the premise and just knew it something to do with slavic lore and had a girl coming into powers so bam, I picked it up.

The first ⅓ of the read reminded me heavily of the Blood and Bone book in the Grisha series. It’s heavily influenced by the series and you realize it as you go on into the book. My first thoughts were that this is for those that shipped the Darkling and Alina, I wasn’t one of those people. I think there’s even some saints that are similarly named and with similar abilities. Speaking of saints, that’s what drives our protagonist, Nadya. We are dropped right into the middle of a battle and it’s a bloody one. It takes some chapters to work out who she is and what she does. I did really enjoy the parallels to religion. Nadya believes as the last cleric that her magic is driven by the goodness of the gods. In order to get power, she must stay in the good graces of the gods.

I really enjoyed learning about Nadya and reading her journey. Her character is complex and one that is driven by both ambition and humility. These two characteristics battle it out throughout the story and make me second guess all of her decisions. However, I totally love her. She was a strong character but of course a boy comes into the picture. A boy with monstrous secrets. I’m still unsure if this is where her true love lies and whether i like it or not but, he was such an intriguing character. He battles between good and evil and unlike other books (SPOILER) evil seems to be his true nature.

I have a lot of feelings on this book and I’m glad I did. The beginning felt like it wasn’t really it’s own story with it’s own nuances but it manages to steer into its own unique direction after laying some groundwork. It challenges your brain trying to figure out the intricacies of the war both in the country and inside the castle. I am invested and I need to see how this story takes shape.

This book sucked me in from the beginning and was non-stop action. I enjoyed the characters and the story telling felt very full. I would highly recommend this book.

I haven't been this thrilled for a series since The Shades of Magic and Grisha trilogies. This blends everything great about the two books. We've got a villain as delicious and terrible as the Darkling. A swoon-worthy prince you want to protect but also punch. A never-ending war where the gods have intervened. There's romance, magic, and doubt. The world is extremely lush and nothing is as it seems. This book was twisty in all the right ways and I was guessing until the very end. There are still so many unanswered questions and yet I'm not mad or unsatisfied, just motived to figure them out along with Nadiya. This is anyone's game and the gods that one side worships to the point of a never-ending holy war may not be gods at all.

Picking up this book will devastate you in a way that only an exceptional book can do. I don't think I'll stop thinking about this story or these characters for a long time and I can't wait to dig into the next book.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*