Wicked Saints was one of my most anticipated reads of 2019. It has a lot of elements I love such as: political intrigue, magic, princes, and an evil figure. But, after reading Wicked Saints, I was left feeling like there was a void that wasn’t wholly satisfied. Was Wicked Saints amazing? No. Was it horrible? No. It is more just okay. I am rating this as a three because I found the beginning and ending interesting, but towards the middle it got very slow. Plus, I had a really hard time connecting with the characters. I am curious what will happen in the sequel.

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan is a phenomenal read! Gods, magic, plus a century long war adds up to one addictive read. Add in a troubled boyo with icy blue eyes and you have a new book boyfriend. While there are some similarities between Wicked Saints and a few other fantasy reads, it still adds a fresh take on the morally gray character. Twists and turns abound and Duncan will keep you guessing till the very end. I cannot wait to see how this series progresses.

So, where has this book been all my life? Longtime listeners know that there’s nothing I love more in this world than a villain love interest and, let me tell you, Wicked Saints delivers in spades.

I don’t want to go too far into the story without giving spoilers but I will say that Wicked Saints flips tropes on their head a bit with that particular dynamic. Whereas in most stories, it’s the villain pursuing the heroine and attempting to seduce her into the dark, Wicked Saints casts Nadya, our raised-in-religious-isolation heroine, as the one with more agency in the romance. And Nadya’s response to rapidly escalating red flags from her love interest? She’s just more into it! Which, you know…relatable!

The author has mentioned online that she views this book as a bit of a response to the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, which is evident throughout the story. We can see it not just in morally dubious love interest category but also in a richly layered and obviously researched Eastern European setting and, most interestingly to me, nuanced exploration of religion and faith.

While I may have some persistent nitpicks with lack of clarity on character motivations and some odd pacing, I think those issues are balanced out by the complex and layered magic system and worldbuilding that feels one of a kind. I’m also a sucker for blood magic, which Wicked Saints takes to the point of serious health concern and clear hygienic safety issues. More disgusting blood magic in YA will be my platform for my upcoming 2020 campaign–thank you in advance for your donations and support!!

It’s an exciting debut from Emily A. Duncan and I’m already vibrating in anticipation for the sequel.

And a big thank you from Macmillan/Wednesday Books for the early copy to review!

I'd seen rave reviews for this book throughout the blogosphere, and that, along with a gorgeous cover and riveting description, had me requesting this book from NetGalley.

Did this book live up to the hype?  Well...mostly.  This is a captivating dark fantasy that weaves the elements of religion, magic, and politics into a thought-provoking storyline.  Many reviews stated the beginning is a slower pace - something I agree with - but the brisk pace and shocking reveals at the end make up for it.  Yes, the pace takes off - but I'd guessed the shocking reveals early in the book, so maybe it's my fault I was a tad underwhelmed.

The three primary characters exist in the fluctuating areas of gray between good and bad - and that's my favorite type of character.  Each are wonderfully flawed, possess traits to love and hate, and are ruthless, driven, and distrustful at certain points.  They all believe they're doing the right thing.  Supporting characters are loyal, well-developed, and occasionally humorous.  Stellar characterization.

Wicked Saints is a brutal, bloody, dark fantasy set in a world rich in history and lore.  It's very well-written, and if you're not into YA, give this book a try, because it's easily a crossover. 

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

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. *

cw/tw: self-harm (blood magic), alcohol abuse/addiction

I went into this book already halfway in love with the characters thanks to the months of gushing and dialogue teasers I had seen on Twitter. I won't lie to you all, I was so worried I would be disappointed-- like I was overhyping. So, I went into it cautiously.
Well, caution and hesitation didn't last long because these characters wouldn't accept less than my full attention and affection.
Is it different than I originally thought it would be like? Totally, but I was so down for this story.

Let me start with talking about the main characters who gripped my heart. Friends, I love morally grey characters-- ones who feel real instead of archetypes. They all have their own problems, their own darkness, and goals for improving the world.
Nadya is a spitfire and I adore her. I love how she was struggling with her faith. I'm not religious at all, but there was a time I did try, so seeing how she had doubts felt very real. She's knows her own mind though, even with the gods talking to her. She's strong, willing to bend and learn, and her dialogue is fantastic. As much as I like Nadya, I really feel like she gets lost. I love her scenes with Malachiasz, but the more I think about it, the more I worry that most of her chapters revolve around him. I think this will change though as she grows through the series. She has a lot of space to grow, to fully believe in herself and her gift, and I'm excited to see how she matures.
Serefin might be my favorite main character... maybe. He's so done with politics and the war and he just doesn't know exactly who he is or how to be himself. He has expectations thrown at him and his parents are pretty horrible to him. His friendship with his two guards Ostyia and Kacper is what allows him to just... be. They are like a family and their scenes are so comfortable.
Then we have Malachiasz. It is hard NOT to like him. He's... he's quiet and loud at the same time. Devious, witty, and a monster, but broken. For more of the book he was my favorite character -- I mean, he was my favorite before I even started the book. I was surprised that we don't get a chapter from his perspective. I hope we get more from him in the sequel.

Before I move on to more thoughts on the actual plot, let me also mention the side characters. They are awesome and we actually learn more about them. They seem pretty flushed out and important, allowing us to grow fond of them as well. I think with a cast with this many great characters the most difficult thing for me is that I want them all to get more dialogue, more page-time, more... everything. I do hope we get more from these side characters :)

As for the romance... I feel like it went a bit too fast for me. It is an enemies-to-lovers trope, but I wasn't truly convinced Nadya hated him enough or for long enough. At the same time, I totally love them. They are my JAM. I have no idea what will happen with them now, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want them to work as a couple.

Okay, storywise... look, I was hooked by this book from page one. I didn't want to stop reading. I needed to know everything! And the magic systems!! Magic from the 'gods' magic from blood-- but done with blood on spell pages? This book felt so new and fresh to me. Yeah, probably won't to those of you who have played DND, but I haven't, I've just read the handbooks.
The writing here is on point and things flowed so well.
Although, I will admit there were times I stepped back and went 'that's it?'. There isn't a ton of action on page and some things could feel a bit anti-climatic. Yet? I'm giving this book 5 stars?
YES! Because I don't see how events could have been done differently without feeling too cliche. I will say the ending felt... weird? it really seemed out of left field, but I mean... that might just be me. I swear for the last like 15-20% I was going "Wha... what?! Wait... no... WHAT?!" So, yes there is a bit of a cliffhanger.

So, I love this book, but I'm not calling it a favorite... yet. AS the series goes, I might call it a favorite, we will see. It is THAT close. I definitely recommend this one to people who play DND, like deeper fantasy novels, and don't need constant action in their books.
I very much am looking forward to the next book in the series.

This book was one of my most anticipated books of 2019, but thankfully I was given the opportunity to be a part of this books blog tour! So thank you for considering me and giving me the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of release date!

I loved this world, it was like nothing I have ever read before, it was so dark and gritty I loved it! I really want to read more about this world, so I am very excited for the next book even though it is set to release in 2020 *sigh* I have to wait awhile before I get to read it.

Moreover, I absolutely loved the characters... and I mean all the characters, which is weird and unusual for me because typically in any book there is always the one character you hate for some reason. but in this book, there was none. I loved how complex and intricate each of these characters were and they all served their purposes and were each individually important to the main story line.

The heroine in this book was strong willed and I love how she stood for her own beliefs even though there were people telling her not to, she did not back down, she stood her ground.

I absolutely loved the magic system, it was so unique. There were people who were blood mage's, they would use their own blood and a book to create their spells. Wow that did not make sense, but honestly this magic system is like none I have ever read and is so different as well.

There are two characters who I rooted for in the beginning of the book but by the middle or maybe even about 30% in I was rooting for the heroine with someone else... and honestly I hate love triangles so thankfully this is not that, there is no hints of a love triangle at all, I just thought the heroine being with this other character in the beginning was where the author was heading. But I am pleasantly surprised and extremely happy in the direction the author took with the heroine's love interest!

I really don't want to spoil the book so I'm just going to say that one fo the characters and I will not say who but they reminded me a lot of Kylo Ren from Star Wars. And I am a die hard Kylo Ren fan so you can imagine how much I adore this character.

I absolutely adored this fantastical world that Emily A. Duncan created, it is so unique and different, I absolutely loved it! I am so excited for the second book in this series and hopefully we do not have to wait too long for it!

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

Wicked Saints is a Russian-inspired YA fantasy that is very interesting thematically and will probably appeal to fans of the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. As a debut author, Emily Duncan is one to watch. While this book wasn't perfect and perhaps tried to do too much, I see a lot of potential for future growth.

In terms of major themes, Wicked Saints has a lot to say about religion and faith 1) in terms of how they intersect with politics and warfare and 2) in terms of the difference between personal religious experience and what one has been taught to believe. Nadya has been raised in monastaries as a cleric chosen by the gods to wield their power in a long-running religious war agains heretical blood-mages. There is a rich mythology for the pantheon of gods and great discussions of faith, lack of faith, and personal religious journeys. I think we could stand to have more of that in YA, although by the end of the book I was wishing that things were left a little more ambiguous [ rather than pushing the idea that the gods are probably just magical beings on another plane. (hide spoiler)] I think there was a lot of potential for a more nuanced conversation and it just didn't quite get there.

Structurally, I think this book was trying to do too much and that detracted from portions of really strong storytelling. For instance, we get a few scenes with political intrigue and a magical duel and I was thinking yes! Give me more of this! But instead it moved onto something else rather than really developing things. That was an issue I had throughout. Honestly, I think the story could have started about 1/3 of the way into the book and would have been stronger for it with more space to elaborate on the great ideas that the author has. Instead, we spend most of the first 50% just introducing characters and moving them from place to place, with most of the interesting action and development happening in the latter half of the book.

So overall, I really like what the author is trying to do here and I think there are some brilliant bits, but it didn't quite come together the way I hoped. But, I am very interested to see how things go as her writing craft continues to develop. I think a lot of people are going to be very into this and fans of the Darkling just might find a new favorite character! I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

WOW!! Something Dark and Holy is the perfect title for this series. Wicked Saints was a phenomenal read! I am still a bit lost for words for how this ended...the epilogue killed me. Emily has such a fantastic debut novel that is dark, sweet and full of humor. From start to finish I turned each page wanting more.

Nadya is the first cleric in over 30 years. She communes with the gods and is supposed to use her magic to fight against heretics of Tranavia. She is a strong willed girl. I enjoyed Nadya as a character. She had her ups and downs, but she was very much a smart, capable and powerful girl. She had her moments of being bullied by the gods but I loved seeing her grow into her own throughout the story. Being raised in the monastery she didn't get to experience much so I loved the whole traveling portion and her getting the chance to see new things. Nadya is definitely snarky with her comments and doesn't tend to take crap from people. I enjoyed her immensely.

Malachiasz is one of Tranavia's Vultures. He's on the run from his people and is looking for a way to stop the war. Let me just say he had me SHOOK the entire story. I loved and hated him all at once. He was a very straight forward guy that talked in riddles. He always had this edge and darkness to him. I loved seeing him become vulnerable. His mind was twisted and the games he played made me sad. He was willing to save his country at all cost even if it meant giving himself up. I loved him!

The romance was swoon-worthy! I just loved me some Nadya and Malachiasz. They were the cutest little concoction of a couple. He was dark and edgy. She was sweet and snarky. Their little moments of kissing just made my heart warm. I adored them and I have high hopes for them in the coming books *fingers crossed*

Serefin is the High Prince of Tranavia and one of the strongest blood mages. I hated him at first because he had such a twisted way about him. It wasn't until he went home to play prince that I began to like him. He truly shocked me as a character. He plays this strong and tough guy, but he's scared out of his mind of his father. I enjoyed Serefin and his development throughout the story.

The King, Izak, was a twisted man. He sucked as father, a husband and a ruler to his people. He felt inferior and tried to make himself become more. I'm glad he got the ending he deserved!

The war between Kalyazin and Tranavia just seems to idiotic! I cannot understand how they allowed themselves to fight for so long. Nonetheless over gods that aren't gods.

The gods that communed with Nadya all seem to irritate me. I did enjoy that they each had their own personality. Marzenya and Veceslav seemed to be the two who communed more often with her. Marzenya pissed me off when it got to the half-way point. She was so pushy and demanding. Granted she had a great reason.

The Black Vulture ... words cannot express my emotions ... just why?!?! Insanity!!!

That ending...I'm still crying over it...like whyyyyyyyyy!!! I need the sequel NOW!

Any story that starts off with the herione battling a mountain of potatoes and then battling for her life against magic enemies as she flees her mountain home in the snow, and that's all in the forest chapter, you know it's going to be a great read. What a beautiful written epic fantasy, full of creative world-building, magic, suspense, intrigue, and romance. It's got a little bit of everything. Not only is there one complex emotionally developed character, but they're are three in this story. The author does an amazing job of weaning the three storylines of these characters together to create a wonderful story. What's even better is that this is just the first off the series of what I know will be a huge hit for years to come.
**I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.**

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

Disclaimer 2: This book has blood magic, self-harm, lots of violence, and an off-handed conversation about said self-harm in the course of its 400 pages. Please practice self-care before, during, and after reading this book.

What the actual eff. Why is this getting such good reviews. Ignoring the fact that I was bored by 10% into this book, and probably wouldn't have finished if Dani and I hadn't been reading it together, after like 55%, I mostly just anger read this one.

The characters are boring, the plot feels reminiscent of literally hundreds of YA books before it (Dani and I were counting off specific points and lines that are basically the same as others we have read), and the "morally grey" aspects made me want to tear my hair out. I have read a couple reviews on here that talk about how Nadya doesn't have a lot of agency in this book - even in her POVs she is reduced to a side character. Once I saw it articulated, I agreed. I do hope that in the rest of the trilogy she is given the opportunity to grow; however, I will not find out because I'm not reading the rest of this.

You have to continuously wait for things to happen in this. It goes from one Big Point to nothing for like another 100 pages until you get to another Big Point, etc. etc. The fact that the characters find out they have been lied to and then so easily trust other people is ridiculous. The "halo" aspect of Nadya's character.... frustrates me to no end. So much of this just ANGERED me because I have no problem with books that use tropes, plot ideas, etc. from other books - but only if they do them well.

I am no longer going to be reading any "enemies to lovers" books that glorify tactics used in abusive relationships as "romantic" and "sexy." I read somewhere online that the test you should do is to imagine it is Peter Pettigrew (specifically the actor from the movies) doing these "hateful" things and see if they are still ~sexy~. If it isn't sexy if Peter Pettigrew does it, then it isn't sexy at all. I'm over villains and generally bad people who get a pass because they are attractive. No thank you!

Just read the Grisha trilogy instead.

4.5

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emily A. Duncan for the opportunity to read Wicked Saints in exchange for an honest review.

Holy war: you have Kalyazin and Tranavia, two warring countries. Kalyazin once had cleric, those who can speak directly to the gods and ask for their power. Years ago, all the clerics were wiped out. But another is born: Nadezhda (Nadya) Lapteva. Tranavia doesnt want the gods power to return to their lend, so this cleric is a threat that must be eliminated. The Tranavian King wants to become a god himself, but he desires blood. How can a man become a god when the presence of other gods is so overbearing?

With the absence of the gods in Tranavia, the country is taking a bloody and twisted turn for the worse. Enter Prince Serefin Maleski, a powerful blood mage. His goals seem odd at first. He's been fighting on the front against Kalyazin for years. If he can kill the last cleric, perhaps his country can finally end the war in victory.

Nadya escapes Serefin's clutches only to encounter a Vulture (strange blood creatures of Tranavia) who has defected from his kind: Malachiasz Czechowicz. While untrusting at first, Nadya and Malachiasz form a plan to infiltrate Tranavia and destroy their kind, finding a strangely unexpected ally within.

This book has it all. There's magic. There's blood and death. There's romance and gods and war. There's somewhat expected but totally not expected plot twists that drive the reader crazy!

I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did, and I can't help but ache for some of these characters. As a reader, I switch sides way too often for my own good. Who's reliable? Who's not? A great start to a fantasy series for a young adult audience that I would recommend to any fantasy lover that wants a dash of everything in one book!

Any book that is labeled for fans of Leigh Bardugo has a lot to live up to. I typically try not to get too hype when I see things like that, because as you know all too often they end up falling short. Well, my friends, I'm oh so happy to report that was not the case with Wicked Saints!

This book sucked me in from the very beginning, with magic, war, Gods, courtly shenanigans and compelling characters this was an unrelenting page-turner. Not for the faint of heart, there is (SO MUCH) bloodshed and betrayal, zealots and monsters, ZEALOUS MONSTERS...all alongside unlikely friendships, rebellion and romance. I'm officially hooked. I already pre-ordered a signed copy. I don't know how I'll possibly survive the wait for the next book....especially after that EXPLOSIVE ending.

Also, let it be said now, I'm team Malachiasz fo life.

We follow Nadya's and Serefin's POVs in this YA fantasy. Nadya is a cleric from Kalyazin (a Russian inspired country) and Serefin is the crown prince and a powerful blood mage from Tranavia (a Polish inspired country). Malachiasz is another main character but he doesn't get his own POV, he's pretty mysterious at the start of the novel but you'll learn more about him along the way.

Kalyazin and Tranavia have been at war for decades, Kalyazin is very religious and believe the Tranavians are heretics. The Tranavians have denounced the gods and use blood magic. This war about religion is very much the main plot and raises very interesting questions. All characters think they are on the 'right' side of the war but slowly grow to see the other side of the war as well.

The story has been compared to the Grisha trilogy and I can definitely see the comparison, Emily even mentions and thanks Leigh Bardugo in her acknowledgments. I think part of the comparison lies in the fact that both fantasies have a country inspired by Russia, there is a Darkling type of person, and the overall feel of the story is somewhat similar. Although I do think Wicked Saints is a bit darker!

I think the story flows quite well, there is a good balance between action and character development and I just flew through the story. This was such an addictive read and I didn't want to but the book down. I loved every twist we got and you can already tell there will be more revealed in the next installment. The world will probably be expanded in the next two books as well.All in all, I really liked the plot, we got court-intrigue, a little competition element, some good fight scenes, great plot twists and good world building. I can't wait for the sequel, especially after the epilogue!

Like I said, there are basically three main characters, Nadya, Serefin, and Malachiasz. But I do have to say it felt like Nadya was our main main character so to say. Parijahan, Rashid, Ostyia, and Kacper are our most important secondary characters.

Parijahan and Rashid are Akolan, a country bordering both Kalyazin and Tranavia and they travel with Nadya. I really enjoyed reading about them and getting to know more about their backstory. They are both wonderful and I hope to read a lot more about them. Ostyia and Kacper are part of Serefin's guard basically and they are his best friends. I feel like we got to know them a little bit less but I did like them as well. Especially Ostyia was a great character. Hopefully we'll learn more about them in the sequel.

Malachiasz is very mysterious and I don't want to say to much about him. You will get to know him more and more but you have to discover him for yourself. I thought he was very intriguing and I enjoyed reading about him. It took me a while to decide whether I trusted him. He challenges Nadya's beliefs and that was probably what I liked most about him.

Serefin is such a wonderful character, he's bisexual and has a visual impairment. He is the crown prince and a very powerful blood mage. I thought the whole 'blood mage' thing was super interesting, I haven't read that much about them yet so it was super cool to discover all that. Because our first POV is from Nadya, I immediately disliked Serefin but he definitely wiggled his way into my heart.

And then we have Nadya, arguably the most important character of all. She's a cleric and that's something else I never read about. I didn't even know it was a thing until this book, shame on me haha. Part of why I enjoyed this book so much was probably because I hadn't read about clerics and blood mages before.

But back to Nadya, she really got on my nerves from time to time. She is super strict in her beliefs and the way she feels about the Tranavians, the heretics. And it fits the story super well and she slowly gets to see not everything is black and white. But at times I did get super frustrated by her attitude haha. I did love her development, she really starts to trust in herself and she comes in to her power. It's going to be great reading more about this super powerful young lady!

Let’s talk about hyped books for a moment. Have you ever read a book that had been built up to you for months? I feel like going into books with such high expectations will leave you disappointed almost every time. Wicked Saints has been EVERYWHERE for months, and it sounds incredible. Who doesn’t love a dark, gothic read? Unfortunately, for me, Wicked Saints fell just short.

Let me explain. The overall premise is fantastic. The landscape of the story is magical, deep and dark. The characters were intriguing to me from chapter one, and the plot picked up immediately – at no point over the course of the novel was I bored. I honestly think that all of the bones for an incredible read are here and I desperately hope that the rest of the series builds on those bones and turns into something incredible.

What fell short for me in Wicked Saints was execution. The whole book was this massive build up to the ending. Throughout, there were things that weren’t well explained but I kept telling myself “This will all be explained at the end, in the big scene the book is clearly building toward.” The issue? Nothing was explained. There was this big reveal at the end of the novel that surprised me, and then the book sort of just…ended – leaving me frustrated, confused, and wanting answers.

To me, there is a difference between a cliffhanger, and an unfinished ending. The ending to Wicked Saints felt unfinished to me because there was just so much information that I felt was needed to understand what happened, and I was provided none of it. It was frustrating and changed what might have been a four star read, to a definite three star read for me.

All in all, I desperately want answers. Duncan is definitely a talented author, writing a world that I really want to know more about. Hopefully in the next two books the story she is trying to tell becomes clearer and her readers are given the information they need to make sense of it.

Greetings. You found me as a puddle on the floor. I. Have. Been. Ruined. In the best way possible, I assure you. In fact, if given the choice, I would let this book destroy me over and over. It was just. That. Good.

First off, I need to give myself a round of applause for choosing to read this while travelling though Eastern Europe. Best life choice I’ve ever made. Forget the trip itself—the cities I was in gave me exactly the right vibe and backdrop to fully invest myself in this dark tale. The blood practically poured off the page. And bloody this was, but in the best way possible. Diving straight into the middle of a holy war, this is a story rich with magic and lore, and a world lush with fear and cruelty.

These characters though. I mean, come on. On average I read about two books a year that absolutely suck me in and thread its cast into my very soul. Nadya, Malachiasz and Serefin have my heart for life. The book is narrated from two points of view:
💫 Nadya—a cleric with the ability to commune with the gods
💫 Serefin—the High Prince blood mage
I really enjoyed Nadya’s development, both as a character and in her magic. I thought it was well fleshed out with huge possibility. Serefin was equally great. When introduced to him through Nadya’s eyes I assumed he would be an absolute prick, so I was delighted to find there was so much more to him. Like an onion. Actually, in retrospect, I realize how impressed I am by the lives Duncan has created. But the character that truly got me was the blood mage Malachiasz. A true precious monster that you can’t for the life of you figure out. One moment I wanted Nadya to deck him, the next I was begging her to give the poor boy a hug. We only see him through Nadya’s eyes, and it’s fascinating to see how his story grows. The crazy ending only solidified my need to know more.

I think out of everything, the cleric/god angle was my favourite. I had a general idea of the premise of the story, but it turned out to be so much more. Clerics are rare, their loss a result of the ongoing war. Nadya is rare and unique; she has the ability to speak with every god in the pantheon. When she prays on a god’s bead on her necklace, they answer. Not only that, but she can borrow their power and utilize it like her own magic. It’s really, really cool! Kinda wish I thought of it first. Likewise the blood magic was fascinating as well, with far more depth than I might have imagined. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that their magic may not sit well with those affected by self-harm as it literally feeds their magic. Each mage has a book that they rip a page or “spell” from which, when combined with their blood, packs a punch. There’s a lot of blood being spilled, which makes it so dark. I had no qualms with it, but I realized afterwards how it may affect certain people, so please consider yourself warned.

Not that you need it spelled out, but five stars! My favourite book of the year so far and one I happily pre-ordered from Indigo—the book box, no less!—the second I finished my ARC. I’ve been left with one hell of an ending and I can’t wait to see where the Something Dark and Holy series goes next!

I wanted so badly to love this but unfortunately I just couldn't get into this book and was left feeling...well not much at all. About the book. About the characters and about this world.

I failed to connect with the characters and for me, that is basically the kiss of death. I could get through a lot of boring plot and world building if I care about the characters. And while I was at times mildly intruiged by Nadya, I couldn't care less about Serefin's which really sucked for me since he has half of the chapters in this book. And even Nadya, who at times caught my attention still felt bland most of the time. Or like a character not fully fleshed. She felt more like a tool to push this message or plot or whatever the hell was going on in this book but she didn't really feel like a real person to me. She has no personality, nothing that really makes me want to care about her.

Then there's the romance which was the only thing that kind of caught my attention in the endless pages of boring world-building and details. But again, even that was not fully fleshed and felt very insta-lovey to me. Considering I felt almost nothing about all their moments and even the "OMG shocker" moments, I feel like that says all there is to say about the romance.

I'm giving this two stars because at times, I would find myself drawn in. I kind of liked Malachiasz and his dynamic with his crew. I also liked Nadya (even though I find her very one dimensional most of the time). But unfortunately, I didn't care about the story and I found myself bored throughout most of it.

Disclaimer: First and foremost I would like to thank Emily A. Duncan, Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way sways my opinions, all thoughts expressed are my own.

I was obsessed with this book from the very first chapter!

This dark, and entrancing story revolves around three central characters, Nadya, Malachaisz, and Serefin, all with different motivations for stopping the centuries long war.

It took me a little longer to read than usual because I wasn't really able to speed read! Each word held my interested and I was so captivated by the central characters and the plot that I just wanted it to last forever! When I was reading, each chapter packed a punch. I love writing that grips you and leaves you wanting more. I absolutely loved the world building, the religious aspects were handled with care, and the star crossed lovers theme had my heart pounding!

I have heard conflicting reviews about the names and how difficult they were to pronounce but this didn't bother me because I read difficult names more like a picture. Even if I can't pronounce it well, I see the name as a snapshot and knew who was talking/what was going on. You can find handy pronunciation guides online!

With all of that being said, the last few chapters of the book were exciting but fell flat/confused me a little bit. I felt like the first 3/4 of the book the questions I had would slowly reveal themselves and then the last 1/4 left me desperately needing answers. Character backgrounds and certain locations were constantly hinted at but never explored. The ending had many twists that happened at all once. I have so many questions!

Things that worked for me (could be considered slightly spoilery):

- I felt as though this read like more of an Adult Fantasy vs YA but that could be just my feelings! It did not affect my rating at all, especially since I am loving adult fantasy right now. I would recommend this to YA readers older than 16!
- I am obsessed with Ostyia and want more. She is a strong, queer, amazing character and Emily can go to amazing places with this character!
- About halfway through the book I started getting so many feelings for both POV. At first I was so invested in Nadya's storyline and was irritated with Serefin but by halfway I was loving Serefin and wanted him to succeed just as much!
- The excerpts told at the beginning of each chapter, oh my gosh! I usually skim stuff like this but I was so intrigued, especially the writing about who people prayed to and what magic they provided!
- The star crossed lovers! Wahhhh!

Things that didn't work for me (could be considered slightly spoilery):

- Some of the magic system is still needing to be thoroughly explored. I  had a lot of questions as to how Nadya's powers worked but I think as we go along more will be anwered!
- Why was Serefin such a feared and powerful blood mage but didn't do much to prevent himself from almost being killed multiple times? I never really saw his badassery.
- What happened to Kostya? He isn't really mentioned at all unless maybe he is the Konstantin mentioned in the excerpt of chapter 30! What was the purpose for Kacper, Parijahan, and Rashid? Where did her beads go?
- Malachaisz total 180. He was a character that was unsure of himself, sweet, questioning his life and wondering if he could be loved by his enemy, to the plot twist of being cruel, selfish, power hungry. It just didn't feel organic. It was almost TOO much.

Overall, I LOVED this book! I think that the world building and the character development are going in such unique places. It was deliciously dark and I am invested in these characters and what is going to happen. I will most definitely be reading any sequels as I HAVE TO KNOW what happens! I think anyone who loves dark magical worlds will adore this book and it's characters!

You can pre-order pre-order this book at Amazon, or search any retailer online or book store closest to you! Available April 2nd, 2019!

~Rachael
IG: @rqdavis_

Finally! Whew! That book was a bloody - those that read the book will understand.

This book took me a long time to read - much longer than normal. I picked this book up, I put it down, I read approx. six or seven other books while reading this book. My main issues with this book were: I liked it, I didn't like it, I lost interest, I became intrigued, etc. I felt as if I were on a teeter-totter(seesaw) while reading this book. Another review used the word "conflicted" to voice her thoughts on the book and I 100% agree. The parts I liked, I really liked, but then there were other parts that left me feeling ho-hum. There were many times I thought about not finishing this book, then I would turn the page and *BAM* the book got interesting again. So, I was torn.

The premise of this book sounded so promising: a girl who can speak to Gods, a prince not knowing who to trust, a boy with secrets. I thought I would love this book. In all honesty, I really think it was me and not the book. Again, I loved the fact that the main character could talk to Gods, all the characters had issues with who to trust, who not to trust, what allegiance to make, each had flaws, each made errors, each had an agenda. I also liked the thought of a centuries long war and that thought of what would happen if either side won. So, what was my problem? I didn't feel any connection to the characters, although I loved the synopsis the plot didn't always keep my attention and I was never invested in the story. This is a case of we all can't love the same book. There is a strong audience out there for this book and I encourage readers to read other reviews. This one was just not the right book for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wicked Saints caught my attention the moment I saw it. I read the blurb and I was so eager to start reading it until I come across this blog tour and I didn't hesitate to join. To be honest, I am so glad I did take part of this blog tour. It is a great opportunity. Also, I fell in love with the cover, I badly want to have a physical copy of the book.

This book doesn't have idle time. I mean, the first chapters are already exciting, a bit confusing at first but as soon as you keep reading, you will get hooked! I can't stop reading chapter every chapter. I was curious about Nadya's power and who are the gods she's talking to? How strong she is and what else can she do? What are the things she's willing to sacrifice for her gods? The next chapters are even more exciting, she met the prince who tried capturing her. She met Malachiaz, a mysterious boy who lives in Tranavia together with two Akolans. She'd been part of a small group until their one goal was to destroy Tranavia. The war that was going on for centuries must be stopped, but the real question here was "how to stop the war?" This book have so much actions that I really enjoyed and of course the magic, the way they casts their powers are interesting to know.

Aside from their exhausting journey to Tranavia, I liked the little romance at the side. The story itself was intense and all you wanted to know was, what will happen next but the romance made it chill and of course spice up the story. The twist of it is what makes my heart ache for Nadya. With all the things happened around her, what would be her next move? I am looking forward to the sequel. I don't read much series type of books but this next book of Something Dark and Holy series is much awaited.

Duncan's debut is a delicious dark, Gothic, and haunting start to what gears up to be an immersive new fantasy series. I fell in love with the lyrical writing, the depth of her world-building and character development, and the unique culture and magic system in the world she's created. I love when fantasy worlds are built upon the intertwining of religion and magic, because aspects of religion are indeed fantastical in many aspects (like the saints in this volume), and they can be interesting, dark, and add dimension to the worlds within which they operate. This is definitely true for Wicked Saints.. This addition adds a sense of relatability and realism to the world in these pages. Duncan's writing also felt more mature and higher quality than a lot of YA fantasy, and I really loved that. There was no "writing down" to the intended audience, nor to the actual audience. Furthermore, the fluidity and quality of this novel makes it one that both young and seasoned readers will love (even the aged 30-something like me). I can't wait to buy a hard copy on April 2, and I plan on re-reading this book as soon as I do. I highly recommend you check out Duncan's blockbuster debut!