”We’re all monsters, Nadya,” Malachiasz said, his voice gaining a few tangled chords of chaos. “Some of us just hide it better than others.”

I absolutely loved this book!! Loved! Nadya and Serefin’s stories were addicting and enthralling. I couldn’t stop reading. I finished this book in one day in only a matter of hours. I couldn’t get enough and I’m actually happy that it was a cliff. That means I get to read more about them!

Nadya is not just a normal girl. She’s divine. Touched by the gods and goddesses themselves with a power like no other. She has so much pressure and a lot of weight on her human shoulders. She’s meant to save the world and she handles it exactly how I would think anyone would. Not with grace. Not without doubt. She’s flawed and it makes it so much easier to love her.

I have to admit I hated Serefin for a good portion of the book but he grew on me. I figured he would. I started loving him and hating someone else. I won’t say who as to not spoil this book. But love and betrayal is a constant in this book. You can’t have one without the other.

Wicked Saints is wickedly fun, dark and suspenseful. It’s full of hope, love and betrayal. Loyalty and trust. I can’t wait for book 2. These characters are going to stick with me for some time.

A solid, golden 4.5 star rating. :)

You will rarely ever hear this from me, but I was blown away by this book.
This book has a enchantingly lovely writing style, fantastic worldbuilding, and multilayered characters.

Three people (a prince, a girl blessed by the gods, and a mysterious boy) must work together in order to achieve their common goal to kill the king. It seems plain at first, but the author drives the plot with a relentless series of events that keep tensions high all throughout (with a few near plot twists! The plot twists were somewhat predictable, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book). The book kept me hooked, and I was up pretty late just to finish it.

I really liked the depth of Malachiasz and Nadya's character. Malachiasz was always an interesting character, because I could never really quite judge his character. What were his motives? What was his plan? I just couldn't tell, and that was the fascinating part. Nadya, too, was such an awesome female protagonist to read about. She was strong, cared for her country's people, and brave, but she had flaws. She made mistakes that she regretted, and sometimes she was selfish. I really enjoyed that. However, everyone else fell rather flat for me. I think I was supposed to sympathize and care for Serafin, who is another POV character, but unfortunately, I could not.

Really I only grew attached to Malachiasz and Nadya and also Kostya. But I'm really tough to please when it comes to characters, so that I don't really mind.

I'm a little confused on what happened to Kostya. I don't want to spoil too far, but to say in simple terms, the author seemed to set up something with Kostya. I thought there was potential for an interesting reveal in the plot with Kostya, and at first, the author went along with it. But all of a sudden, Kostya was abandoned and disappeared from the plot?? It was very weird.

I also disliked how self-harm and anxiety was briefly mentioned, but not properly addressed. I feel too much like the author just put it in simply to have it there.

I really did love the world building, though. Props to the author! She is really talented, and I'll be awaiting the sequel with bated breath.

Wicked Saints is a dark and twisty tale of a girl who can speak to the Saints, a girl thrust into the middle of a war. Its a tale of a horrible king and a devious prince. There are some murderous moments which reminded me of Nevernight and some forbidden love that was reminiscent of the Grishaverse...all of these things have been said multiple times before me, which is why I snagged it the first chance I could get. I wasn’t 100% sold on the story, as it does seem to resemble similar books. However, I really did like the writing style and characters in this story.

I really wanted to like this book, but I had such a hard time getting into it, and I ended up skipping around a bit at times. Some parts felt like there was too much going on, and other times, not enough. I was expecting more world building and character development than I found. I know this is the first book in a trilogy, but I don't know that I'll be picking up the remaining books in the series.

This book is 100% absolutely AMAZING. I saw the buzz around this book and knew I had to give it a go. It did not disappoint.

The Quick Cut: Three people's lives and goals end up entangled with one another's as they try to kill the king.

A Real Review:

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Magic is something often found in literature, but what about when it's interlaced with religion? This gothic tale attempts to differentiate itself from the ever widening pack of fantasy novels by tackling the religion topic subtly in the first book in the Something Dark and Holy Trilogy.

Tranavia is a world that is doing its best to eliminate the god-based magic of the Kalyazin. It is a place that does not believe in the gods that the Kalyazin do and obtain their magic through blood based rituals. The Kalyazin, as the opposing force, believe in the gods and depend on them for their magic - and must ensure they do what is required to continue to keep their magic coming.

Except one of the Kalyazin named Nadya does more than just get power from the gods - she communicates with them. She's on the run from forces who attacked her monastery when she runs into a blood mage named Malachiasz He is trying to overthrow the current Travanian reign. The third and final major character is Serefin - the prince of Travania and a blood mage.

This is such a dark, brooding tale that I can see being popular with many readers. For me, however, it didn't and a lot of that came down to confusion on my part. While Nadya talks to multiple gods, it can be hard to keep track of who is what and the blood magic isn't explained as well as I'd like. It would have been perfect if a glossary was provided - there's so much going on! I got lost in the details and ended up losing track of the plot and with a major headache.

On the upside, the dual narrators of Nadya and Serefin really pay off. Beyond getting the perspective from each side (and each magic type), it also gives you insight into two characters who are on different levels of good vs evil.

An intensely packed plot, this book may not be for everyone (but it will be very enjoyable to those who can keep up).

My rating: 3 out of 5

First off, if you are at all triggered by blood, gore, or self-harm, please stay 5000 miles away from this book.

There was a heavy focus on magic and religion and the theological debates that accompany them. In fact, I often found myself switching sides on who was right, who was wrong, and who Nadya should trust (and if she should trust herself). The magic system was unlike anything I’ve read before, and same for the world. Though inspired by Russia, it totally stands on its own.

What I loved most was the ‘anything can happen’ fast-paced plot that had me turning pages like nobody’s business. From the first chapter, I was totally swept away and there was no turning back. And trust me when I say the world is dark dark dark (probably the darkest I’ve read), which after following Emily on twitter, I think she’d take that as a compliment.

Overall, it was an enjoyable book but not the best I have read this year.

“Are we so different, Nadya?” He lifted his hand, fingers tipped with long claws, and pressed his thumb against her lips. “We both long for freedom. For power. For a choice. We both want to see our kingdoms survive.”

The ending of this story left me so excited for more. The ending is a maybe a weird place to start a review, but it really was was so great that I just want to talk about it - and all the other things I enjoyed. Anytime I can get a heavy political fantasy and a cool magic system based on gods and gods-blessed powers, I’m pretty much guaranteed to check the story out. And I have to say Wicked Saints combines all these and more to have a fast-paced, character driven story that never sacrifices plot.

I really loved the worldbuilding done in the story. The duelling magic systems of Kalyazin and Tranavia was really interesting and I loved seeing how the different cultures utilized magic different - and the complex ties to religion and belief! And the Vultures were mildly terrifying and a power unlike anything else in the world. They kept the story creepy and an extra line of tension running though all the court drama. I thought all of the central characters were unique and well-realized, creating a full world with differing views and motives. I thought Nadya was great from the first page, but I really great to like Serafin and I’m very excited to see where his story goes. I kinda have the opposite opinion on Malachiasz, who I liked to start with, and cared about less as the story went on. I was also desperately craving a map for the story, and I can’t wait to see if there will be one (if assuming yes) in the finished copies.

The Wicked Saints was an action-packed political fantasy with heavy influences from Eastern European countries. The unforgiving atmosphere and the alluring writing are a match made for each other.

This is officially my new favorite book of 2019! Wicked Saints has solid world-building, several strong and well-built main and secondary characters, and not just one but two compelling magic systems! It is so unfortunate that my work schedule has been so busy lately, because I hated that it took me so long to read this. Honestly, I never wanted to put this book down. Something is always happening and even though I was guessing that in the end so-and-so would betray so-and-so, I never saw such-and-such coming! Overall, I will not stop recommending this book to my friends and followers. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this in advance!!

DNF, about 12% in. There was just tooo much going on in the first few chapters, and I feel like characters kept getting introduced before I even cared about the other ones. What I read of the magic system seems interesting but also not at the same time: you just pray to the gods for magic and it just happens? I don’t know. Just not for me.

I was not sure if I was going to like this one or not, but, I DID. I made the mistake of looking at other reviews before diving in, so I wasn't sure how it would go. I do think, having read it, that either you'll be on board with this book and be all the way in, or you will not be interested at all. If you connect to the three main characters and buy-in to their dark and twisty drama with each other, then it's going to be a fun, fast read. If the book misses the mark with you and you don't quite connect, it's going to feel like a derivative "dark fantasy YA" book and it's going to disappoint. Librarians: definitely put it in on your shelves, because I think it will be liked by new readers to the genre, but it definitely might be a bit too dark for other readers. A solid addition to the upper YA market currently trending.

My Review: This one started off way strong. I did feel like the powers in this one were a little convenient but once you really got going it worked out for this world. I loved the aspect of the magic in this title. So many people try to make different names for powers or use the same thing over and over and it really makes the story irritating. In this one though the author made it clear that we have this special gods blessed power that Nadya has and then blood magic. I like that although it was somewhat complicated it was also very simple.

The story itself did have a few issues. I thought that some parts were slower than they needed to be. This is one of those titles that really is a set up for the series as a whole. So if you have that in mind going in then you most likely will have a better time with it. as you would be prepared for it. Even with the slower than I liked parts this book was still very good.

I loved the setting and the use of Russian, Slavic, and Polish cultures (I looked this up as I was not sure). I think the author did a wonderful job with all of it. You could tell that this was a debut which is fine. I am excited to see how the author grows into the next title.

For Nadya herself I really enjoyed how she grew over the title. I hope that she continues to grow throughout the series and I did like that her transformation in this one was not quick. It had a great pace on her changing and I can not wait to see where she goes from here.

I really think those who loved The Black Witch might enjoy this one. As it deals with a very devout girl who learns a new way of thinking. It has magic etc. I know that I enjoyed it.

Wicked Saints is something dark and holy, indeed. A blood soaked gothic high fantasy that pulls inspiration from Russia & Poland and features gods, monster boys, and blood mages. I'm taking liberties and hailing Emily as queen of writing dark and sexy morally grey characters.

At its core, Wicked Saints is about the war between blood mages and divinity and how far people will go to protect what they believe. Nadya is a religious cleric from Kalyazin (Russian-inspired country). She is the last of her kind and can speak directly to the gods who share their abilities with her. Malachiasz.is a heretic, a blood mage, who is from the country Tranavia (Polish-inspired country) - the country Kalyazin has been bitterly and violently warring with for close to a hundred years. Serefin is a blood mage prince of one of the most powerful realms in this world, but the king is trying to ensure that no one can contest his power, while also wanting to use his son as a martial pawn. He also has a visual impairment and is unable to see out of one of his eyes. The writing is lyrical and atmospheric. The magic system is unique and there is a lot of dark politics.

Wicked Saints is being compared to the Grishaverse series by Leigh Bardugo and that is fair, but in my opinion I think it is in a league of it's own due to a sharp uniqueness as the plot progressed. It's darker and becomes quite violent so that may not be for everyone. If you love these elements in fantasy then I think you'll love this book! This is what my heart has always wanted to read. I love to read books in the "grey area", where things are morally ambiguous. Emily didn't tell us right from wrong... she allowed us to sift through and be challenged to draw our own conclusions about the characters. It had me questioning my own belief and value system by the end.

** There is a general warning for self-harm as there are many blood mage characters and well that comes with their magic use.

J’ai découvert ce roman par hasard, après avoir été contactée par la maison d’édition et franchement je regrette pas du tout d’avoir accepté. J’ai juste adoré ce roman, son univers et ses personnages !

A l’heure où la guerre qui oppose les tranavians aux kalyazis, trois personnages se démarquent dans cette histoire, Nadya, Serafin et Malachiasz. D’ailleurs ce sont les points de vue de Nadya et Serafin qui alternent mais Malachiasz a, je pense, également un rôle important à jouer. Ces trois personnages ont quelques détails en commun : ils sont puissants, n’ont pas choisi ce qu’ils sont et ont un ennemi commun ; le roi des travanians. Nadya est une cleric, la dernière selon les gens qui l’entourent. Elle entend les dieux et peut utiliser leur pouvoir quand elle leur fait une prière. Et pour conserver ce pouvoir, Nadya fait en sorte de surveiller chaque acte et parole de peur que les dieux l’abandonnent. Et la foi est ce qui compte le plus pour Nadya. Malachiasz est un mage de sang assez étrange et différent de ceux que Nadya a déjà vu. Nadya et Malachiasz vont s’associer malgré l’hostilité de Nadya envers les tranavians et c’est intéressant parce que Nadya est persuadée que son peuple est meilleur et vaut mieux que les travanians juste parce qu’ils ne croient pas en ses Dieux. C’est une forme de prison au final dont elle se libère page après page en côtoyant Malachiasz. Serafin est quant à lui le prince des tranavians, c’est un soldat sur le front qui redevient un prince menacé par des assassins dans son propre château.

C’est aussi intéressant de deviner le rôle que nos protagonistes vont jouer dans cette guerre car il faut mettre fin à la guerre mais à quel prix ?

Ce roman a une atmosphère assez sombre parce que qu’est-ce qu’il y a de plus sombre que des personnes prêtent à se saigner à mort pour jeter des sorts ou même de se battre à mort pour obtenir la main d’un prince ? J’adore ce genre d’atmosphère quand il est bien écrit et c’est le cas ici.

Ce livre se lit vraiment tout seul, j’ai dû faire une pause parce que je voulais vraiment en profiter mais je regrette maintenant de ne pas l’avoir lu d’une traite. Je suis carrément surprise que ce soit le premier roman d’Emily A. Duncan. Je la suis sur Twitter et je vous conseille de la suivre, elle est grave cool (et super fans de livres, mais ça c’est pas étonnant).

En conclusion, j’ai vraiment trop hâte de lire ce qu’Emily A. Duncan nous a prévu.

This was a great book kept me on my toes throughout. It also made me a little frustrated as I had to put it down several times while reading. I liked it though it was fun and engaging had some action, magic, witch fortune telling, gods, and other stuff. I know it seems like a lot but it wasn’t and there was just enough to keep you engaged and even unlikely bonds formed as well. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Religion, politics, and magic are twined together in Wicked Saints, the first book in Emily A. Duncan’s Something Dark and Wicked trilogy, and it should be more interesting than it is.

Wicked Saints is the story of Nadya, a cleric from the war-torn country of Kalyazi, the first of her countrymen to have magic in a very long time. She is able to access her magic by the grace of the gods, the entire pantheon of which she is able to commune with by touching a particular bead on her necklace. When the monastery in which she’s been raised is attacked by Serefin, the High Prince of Tranavia and a powerful blood mage, she escapes and runs into an odd trio – two Akolans and a defected Tranavian – who join her on her quest to kill the Tranavian king.

At first, there was something really intriguing about the way Duncan connects religion, politics, and magic. Nadya spends much of the book struggling to reconcile the new information she’s learning with what we she was raised to believe, and there are some really excellent musings on faith. However, none of this stuff really goes anywhere until near the end of the book, when it all collides in mass confusion and a rather anti-climactic final battle.

As this is the first in a trilogy, it makes sense that Wicked Saints would spend the first book developing the world and the characters. Unfortunately, there isn’t much development of either. The world is muddy, the politics glossed over, the magic system messy. You don’t get a real sense of scale. It’s very well-written, and the descriptions of architecture are nice enough, but at times it was difficult for me to get a picture in my head. The plot moves from situation to situation at a pretty solid pace, but that’s all it does. There’s no real depth, no impending sense of doom.

It was difficult to connect to any of the characters. Of the two POV characters, Serefin was the more interesting. Through him we got the barest glimpse of the politics, and he had most of the development as he dealt with the royal plot to rob him of his throne. Nadya, as the other POV, felt like a supporting character in her own story. The focus during almost all of her chapters was Malachiasz, the Tranavian who defected. Their relationship is telegraphed a mile away, and as much as I like the enemies-to-lovers trope, it isn’t handled well here. Their only real reason for being enemies is that their countries are at war, and their only reason for getting together is because that’s what’s expected to happen.

It’s frustrating that such a strong and capable female character has so little agency, going so far as to not even be the protagonist in her own POV chapters. She doesn’t do anything. She’s meant to be the chosen one, to end the war and bring the gods back to Travania, yet all she does is follow behind Malachiasz, even as he keeps things from her. The tagline of this book is “Let them fear her”, and she doesn’t do anything worth fearing.

Honestly, the two Akolans, Rashid and Parijahan, were the most interesting characters (and the only POCs – plus I believe Rashid is LGBTQ+) so naturally we see very little of them, nor do we get much of their backstory.

Wicked Saints is a good enough read. It’s a decent story, it’s interesting, and it goes quickly. But it’s difficult for me to forgive it for the sins it commits against its female lead. I’m tired of badass female characters who get reduced to the love interest even in their own stories.

I'd like to say thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to review Wicked Saints in exchange for an honest review during this blog tour. Over the last few months, I have heard a lot of amazing reviews about Emily's debut novel, so of course, I was over the moon when I was given an eARC to read. The danger with a lot of hype surrounding a book is that it may not always live up to the expectations, but luckily for me, Wicked Saints did.

Kalyazin and Tranavia have been at war for a century, with the Tranavian heretics slowly growing in power. The gods have always listened to Nadya when she prayed and only she is strong enough to go against the blood magic of her enemies. When her monastery is invaded, she goes on the run to escape the High Prince, Serefin, who is the strongest of his kind. While travelling she meets two refugees and a Tranavian blood mage called Malachiasz who had rebelled against his order, the Vultures. Going against the wishes of the gods, Nadya forges an alliance with them in the hopes of travelling to Tranavia to kill the king and stop the holy war before it destroys them all. However, not everything is as it seems and Nadya begins to question everything she has been told about blood magic and her gods.

“We’re all monsters, Nadya,” Malachiasz said, his voice gaining a few tangled chords of chaos. “Some of us just hide it better than others.”

As an atheist, I normally tend to stay away from books with religious themes but I was intrigued by Wicked Saints, mainly because it was so different from anything I'd read before. The idea of gods choosing clerics who can hear them was interesting, especially the fact that Nadya can hear all of them, the only one of her kind. We're thrown right into the deep end with action from the very beginning and I flew through the first quarter of the book. It was really enjoyable and I became more invested as I went along. It took me a little while to connect with Nadya as a character, probably because it dived into the action straight away, but I have to say I enjoyed the banter between her and the gods. It had me smiling on more than one occasion.

The world building was probably my favourite aspect of this story, as it was based on Russia and Poland. I could feel the chill of the mountains thanks to Emily's descriptions and felt immersed in the story. Each new chapter opened with snippets about the history of the saints, clerics and gods of Kalyazin, giving insight into just how violent their world is. While the story takes place in Kalyazin and Tranavia, we also meet two characters from the desert lands of Akola, Parijahan and Rashid, who I really enjoyed reading about in this book. Hopefully, the world will expand more in the rest of the trilogy because I really liked what I read.

Blood magic is rife in Wicked Saints and I loved the new take on it. The mages have to cut themselves (TW: self-harm) and then they press the pages of their spellbook against the cut to work the magic, which is something I have never read before. This is a dark book with dark themes (TW: torture, abuse, gore and blood), although I think part of me was expecting it to be more brutal and darker, so it fell a little bit short there. I think it had to do with the way it was described, I didn't get the ominous feeling I thought I would. However, Malachiasz is a blood mage who caught my attention because I wasn't sure what he was going to do. Nothing is as it seems with this book and it was fun watching Nadya try to handle this monster boy. Malachiasz is a bit of mystery and it was good to see the secrets unravelling in a way I thought they would.

As far as romance goes, I kind of wish it hadn't stayed so close to the trope of enemies-to-lovers as I didn't feel Nadya really had a reason to hate him and there was a lot of focus on him when it probably should have been on their task at hand. I never once felt that it wasn't Nadya's story, but I wasn't as invested in the romance as I thought I would be. However, I did enjoy their characters and can't wait to see what becomes of them later on. Serefin...he's my favourite. He is morally grey, loves to drink and is always tired, which makes him the best kind of character in my eyes. I really loved his character arc in Wicked Saints and I've been left with a lot of questions after the ending. There are other side characters who I loved reading about as well and who also offer some LGBTQ rep in the book, as well as disability.

I'm glad Wicked Saints was a fast-paced book because it meant I was flying through the chapters, but sometimes I felt the pacing was a little off. As if things moved too quick at times and slow at others. The first 25% and the last 25% were my favourite parts of this book, but I wish there had been more than just travelling in between that space. Saying that, now that the world has been set up, I'm sure there will be lots of action in the sequel which I cannot wait for. The ending left me feeling very excited to see what these three main characters get up to next because I have questions.

Overall, I really enjoyed Wicked Saints and felt it was a great debut for Emily A. Duncan. It was unique with the world building, it had interesting characters, and plot twists, which are always my favourite parts of a story (even if I saw one of them coming but it was executed perfectly). I'm giving Wicked Saints 4 stars!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Okay. Here I am trying to form coherent sentences in order to describe this book for this review, but I’m still reeling from the absolute masterpiece that it was. Just a small warning that this review might contain more ranty half-finished sentences rather than any intelligent thought on the actual content of the book.

Wicked Saints, the first book of the Something Dark and Holy Series, is an epic dark fantasy that tells the tale of two kingdoms long at war. A girl who hears the voices of gods in her head, a mysterious boy with a dark past, and a prince who doesn’t know who to trust, may be the ones to bring an end to the century-old war. Rich with blood, magic, and morally questionable characters, Wicked Saints crafts a beautifully intricate tale.

So, I know people often describe many dark fantasy books as “bloody” but none of them can hold a candle to Wicked Saints. There is so much blood in this book. Like people are constantly bleeding. Heavily. Gruesomely. From all possible orifices of the body. That is to say, if gore-ish bleeding isn’t really your thing, steer clear of this book. The main reason for the immense amount of blood is that the entire country of Tranavia practices blood magic. So I guess this means that if someone wants to light their stove with a bit of magic they just have to slice the back of their hand real quick. No biggie.

If you don’t mind bleeding then read on because this book was fantastic, and if you don’t mind gore you should definitely read it.

The worldbuilding in this book was really good. The book was fast paced and always moving, yet it still managed to keep you clued in as to the differences between the two countries (Tranavia and Kalyazin). Concerning their different magics and ways of life.

Even with all the ridiculously impossible to pronounce names that were thrown around, I still managed to keep a good grasp of what exactly was going on.

I’ve decided to include a small list of the really long names that I have no clue how to pronounce that made appearances in this book:

Nadezhda
Zbyhneuska
Malachiasz
Svoyatova
Brzoska

I’m absolute trash at figuring out how to pronounce things I’ve read in books. This means that as the book went on I just resorted to reading the names as unintelligible mumbles in my head.

Speaking of character names, oh my goood the characters! They were definitely my favorite part of the book. They were all such good characters! Nadezhda, Malachiasz, and Serefin are our main cast, and my favorite thing about them is that they all sort of...suck? Like they’re all bad people and Emily A. Duncan does not try to disguise it in any way.

They all want what’s best for their respective countries, and they all want to end the war in whatever way possible. They’re all the get your hands dirty to get what needs to be done type of characters.

Also, fans of the Shadow and Bone trilogy will probably love this book. There are some definite Darkling vibes from one of the characters. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Darkling or the Shadow and Bone trilogy, but as I may have mentioned a few times before, I *loved* this book. So I may just go around describing it as Shadow and Bone, but better.

I can’t wait for the rest of this trilogy, and I absolutely can’t wait for this book to come out next week so that I can rant/rave/argue about this book with everyone!

Wicked Saints had a rough start. I picked it up, read the first few pages and then proceeded to set it down and not come back to it for a few weeks. I wish it had more of an attention grabbing opening so I would have gotten into it sooner. Even with the rough start though it immediately picks up speed and does a great job of explaining the magic system and building this new world to explore without being a huge info-dump. We have three main characters who peaked my interest right away.

Serefin:
So the prince of Tranavia might be an alcoholic. I immediately loved his chapters more than Nadya's though. He was snarky and powerful plus his trusted friends, Ostyia and Kacper, really cared for him and their country. I don't want to say he had a lot of character development, more that we got to know him better instead. His father despised him, his mother was sickly and always away from court because she hates her husband, and the only family member Serefin truly cared for had disappeared without a trace early on in life. While he is front and center in leading this war, and loves showing off his immense power, his journey back to court for the official ceremony of choosing a queen shows him just how much his people and country as a whole are suffering from this war. He is a prince, a king someday, and he loves his country and is willing to do whatever it takes to see it prosper.

Nadya:
We were promised a strong lead female character and I'm not sure that we were quite delivered that. I'm not upset though, I think Nadya has a lot more growing and understanding to do to become the character we were promised. When we first meet her peeling potatoes she seems so ordinary but she is blessed by the gods. more specifically the goddess of war. For someone blessed with great magic and a war goddess she is very kind and nice, not seeming to possess the killing instinct or willing to hurt anyone unless she herself is in immediate danger. I needed her to be a little more bloodthirsty, but not unreasonably so. She is caught in a religious war though and finding out that everything is not as black and white as she was taught to believe in the monastery. Once in Tranavia it all gets a bit more complicated and lines between friends and enemies gets blurred quickly.

Malachiasz:
The boy we love....to hate? I hope in the rest of the series that we get some chapters from his perspective. I understand why we didn't for this first book, but I found myself constantly trying to get into his head to figure out what his next move would be. Should Nadya trust him? Should she kill him? He was so damn charming though and he made every scene that he was in. At the end of the day, just like Serefin and Nadya, he loved his country and would do anything for them.

Just like for Nadya, the reader starts out with this clear picture of a religious war where one side is in the right and the other is in the wrong. Those who love and pray to the Gods, that might be blessed by them, versus the heretics and their blood magic. It all appears very black and white until it isn't and the writing reflects that. Some scenes moved quickly, becoming suddenly confusing and hard to keep up with just like if you were there and were in Serefin or Nadya's shoes. I love books with storylines that seem so straightforward but then take a sharp turn and make you question what you thought you knew. Duncan did a great job writing these scenes and it shows that she put a lot of care into creating this world and the magic within it.

So when Wicked Saints is fully published here is what I need: maps, a list of Gods/Goddesses, a pronunciation guide, and a list of Saints/Clerics. While reading I found myself wishing I could flip to certain pages and see what power this god or goddess wielded or knew how the heck to pronounce Malachiasz (in my head I just called him Mal since his name was used so much).

I have no idea how I'm supposed to wait a year for the next book to be published. I need answers now and the cliffhanger was not even fair. I will be recommending this book to everyone and am excited see what the future holds for Emily A. Duncan and the rest of this series.

I’d like to thank Wednesday Books for letting me be a part of the blog tour. My review is completely honest.

Let me tell you something before I dive into this review. I tried so hard, months before I got this blog tour opportunity, to get an early copy of this book. Since hearing about it last year and all the hype around it, I was all over reading this book early because I just couldn’t wait until its release date. When I heard there would be a drop at YALLFest, I was determined to get in that line and get it. Just my luck, the line was a mess and there were very limited copies and I ended up missing out on getting one. I tried to do some ARC trades and that failed. Then, I got the email from Wednesday Books about the blog tour and I jumped on it without any hesitation. The book gods must still love me.

I really don’t know how to properly execute this review in the way I normally write my reviews because this book was just –

It exceeded my expectations.

Fair warning. This book does involve self-harm and abuse, but Emily has been pretty open about that so there is nothing to be concerned about, but read the book with caution if that triggers you.

In this book, there is something called Blood Magic, but the entire magic system is connected with the Gods. I definitely see this as something very important to pay attention to when reading this book. Nadya, our main character, is a cleric. She can communicate with the gods, which hasn’t really been possible in like 30 years. It doesn’t take long for the action to start. I mean, the first chapter ends with blood. Take it how you will.

Every. Single. Chapter has something. It’s dark, it’s intense, it’s demented. It’s f***ing amazing. The POVs are easy to navigate and there is an extra POV at the end of this book. I like a good book that keeps me guessing and turning my head to the point of whiplash and Emily’s debut did not disappoint. I just-

Emily, I need more.

Seriously, I’m still sitting here just contemplating what life is and what it was without this book. I can see it now. This book is going to be on the bestseller list. If you are hesitant about the hype of this book, do not hesitate. Please. It’s everything you could ever want in a dark and twisted fantasy novel. It’ll fit perfectly on your shelf.

Actually, you may want to shelve it in some sort of shrine because it deserves that recognition.

Emily Duncan, you have officially become one of my favorite fantasy authors.