I am absolutely obsessed with this book.

At the heart of it all, Wicked Saints is about two rival countries in a long-standing war fighting over something that has a source of contempt throughout history: religion. And this, my friends, leads us to our characters.

Our protagonist, Nadya, is devout in her faith. It isn’t just because of her country Kalyazin or the fact she was raised in a monastery. No, Nadya is a cleric who has the ability to communicate and use the powers of each of the Gods through prayer. The last of her kind, she has been kept a secret for all her life because her country is sure that she is the secret weapon they need to end the war. But after the monastery is attacked by their rival Tranavia, sacrifices are made in order to ensure Nadya survives – for she is their only hope.

While Nadya has the main point of view throughout the novel, we also are able to see things from Serefin’s side – which is great because he is a powerful blood mage and high prince of Tranavia. Oh, and also? He is the person in charge of staging the attack on Nadya’s home. While the war may be on the forefront of his peoples’ minds, Serefin has more to worry about – especially when his father demands he come back home in order to find a bride.

And our last major player? Malachiasz, a Tranavian blood mage who intends to bring the King down. Nadya must enter a reluctant deal with the boy, even if she doesn’t trust him, because at the heart of it all, they somehow have the same goals.

The part that I found to be the most interesting was actually the allegory of religion throughout the novel. I don’t think the book was overly religious, but I think it provided interesting perspective of the politicization of religion as a whole. Emily Duncan did a great job with taking something that is so defining in the history of the world and shaping it into a book that can keep readers engaged. I think the directions she goes can surprise even the most seasoned of readers while providing great commentary on the political issues of the world.

Moving on though, Wicked Saints is a dark book with twists and turns you might not see coming. Emily was great at making me think I guessed everything that was coming, and then *completely throwing me off course*.

Honestly, I am so excited to see this trilogy go on because I love a good story where the main lady realizes her own kick-ass abilities. I recommend this to all fantasy lovers, but especially those who enjoy the darkness that sometimes comes from this genre. (Please keep in mind, there are *abuse* trigger warnings)

Everyone was saying things so good about this book that I thought I would love it, and while it presents an interesting worldbuilding with a war that has been going on for years, clerics who have magic because they kind of comune with the gods and people who use blood magic, I got kinda uninterested by it.
We got Nadya, who is a cleric. It's ben decades since there was one, and she is very powerful. She can use the powers of not one god but a whole panteon. And despite the fact she sometimes get dizzy I just didn't feel like using all that magic really did cost her anything, so she wasn't very much compelling to me.
Then we have Serefin, the son a king who wants to hunt the cleric as they are blood magic users. His POW was by far more interesting than Nadya's because it gave the side of politics and intrigue, and he was the reason I kept reading as long as I did.
Finally, we have a character called
Malachiasz. One of the results of using blood magic is ending up like the Vultures, monstruous and dangerous creatures. And Mal (for short) knows more about it than I can tell without being spoilery. Also you can tell he is gonna be a love interest early on.
All of this said, the world was intriguing, as where the factions and it has dark subtones with lots of bloody battles, but I really didn't feel very invested in the outcome, as the characters didn't exactly caught my attention and I saw them as being quite archetypical: powerful mage, demoted prince, not quite human love interest. And some of the interactions seemed a bit off/forced to me.
So I am sorry but I ended up not finishing the book.

This was a fantastic book! Magic, romance, a little politics, he gods, religion or lack thereof was fantastic, such a well rounded story.! The characters were wonderful, the plot perfectly paced, keeping you intrigued from start to finish. I won’t say much more because I don’t want to give anything away, but reading this book is a must!! I can wait to read the next one!!!

This book was amazing! Can't wait to read more from this author! Thank you netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!

Okay.

Let me just start by saying that 'thrilling' this is not.

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I love dark books. Not necessarily dark topics, but dark atmospheres. Morally grey characters. Hopeless situations. If you describe a book as taking place in "a shadowy world of spilled blood" and "devastatingly gothic," you can bet I'm all over it. So when I got approved to read Wicked Saints a month early thanks to NetGalley, I was soooo excited.

Now, I am soooo disappointed.

I don't want to shit on this too much, because Duncan is quite obviously a very good writer. I was able to appreciate that. But I don't dance around my issues with books. And my issue with this book was ohmygodIwasbored.

I felt like all the stakes in this book were political, which they kind of were. And I'm a politics graduate, so I'm not against that. I guess it was just the fact that I...didn't care? Maybe it's because I'm the kind of person who needs more background and build-up to a conflict, and this one started in chapter one. I know a lot of people like that (getting into the action right away), but I am not those people. I need chapters of set up. That's just how I am. Being thrust into this war so quickly made it really difficult for me to know who I was supposed to rooting for or even what would happen if one side won. Like, I didn't care who won. That's a problem. I need way more back story as a reader, I guess.

Furthermore, this felt weirdly like a Grisha Trilogy spin-off to me? One of the goddesses is even named Alena, so I had the impression I was reading something that took place after Ruin and Rising but with a new set of characters. FYI - the Grisha Trilogy was pretty boring for me too, so it's not that surprising I wasn't a fan of this book. There was also a very Alina-Darkling dynamic between a couple of the characters (I won't say who because spoilers) that culminated in a cliché "you and I are the same, we can be great, let me show you the depths of your power" kind of thing.

Then there are the characters. The female MC, Nadya, was really difficult for me to like. She did a LOT of complaining about "heretics" and essentially thought everyone who didn't believe in her gods was scum. She does end up getting better over the course of the story, but as a very outspoken atheist this was SUPER irritating to me, because I can't stand those kind of people. And as to the number of times it was mentioned...sheesh, I felt like I was being banged over the head with the word "heretic." Plus, to me, Nadya was this weird mix of super moral but also murderous which was odd to say the least. She doesn't want anyone to die for her and appears to hate death but then a paragraph later she's slitting someone's throat like it ain't no thing. Wut? I hoped for her to be way more badass than she actually was.

The male MC, Serefin, was the only character I really liked. Bad boy who drinks a lot and has a lot of issues. I mean, we all know I'm weak for that type. But since there was no one I wanted him to end up with romantically, it just wasn't as fun. I just really appreciated that he gives no shits.

Also: THE NAMES. I don't know, they were really making it a struggle for me. I could not for the life of me unravel them in my head. There were too many gods, and every time one of their names came up again it took me way to long to remember if I'd already heard it or not, and then I had to remember what they were the god of. My memory is not good, folks.

I don't want to go into detail about the plot because of spoilers, but I was not very surprised by the twist. I mean, I didn't exactly predict it, but I feel like it was something that has been done in so many books that I was less shocked and more like, "Oh, okay. Got it." Maybe I just wasn't clicking, but the rest of the plot was very confusing to me. I felt as if I was never really able to work out what was happening and why. I just couldn't keep track of it for some reason. The whole concept of this group called the "Vultures" didn't make sense to me and I felt like I couldn't really figure out why they existed and what they were and what they were trying to do. Am I just a terrible fucking reader? WHO KNOWS. But....yeah. And the magic system was straight up illogical, IMO.

I don't feel good writing reviews like this, by the way. I really, REALLY wanted to enjoy this book. I just didn't, and I will never not be honest about my thoughts. That said, I seem to be in the minority, so you might like it a lot more than I did. Maybe my expectations were too high because this looked SO on brand for me. C'est la vie, am I right? I'd still be down to read something else written by this author. Because if there's one thing I adore, it's questioning one's own beliefs (or somebody else's). But in the end, this particular book struck me as a reimagined Grisha Trilogy made unnecessarily complicated.

I will leave you with these quotes, which I did enjoy:

"Having power granted to you, and acknowledging that beings of power exist, isn't the same as acknowledging that those beings are benevolent or even sentient."

"It's the concept of gods that I don't accept...(your people)...pin everything on the gods. Creation, morality, day-to-day interactions, their own thoughts. But who's to say that the gods care at all what individual people think or feel or do?"

Wicked Saints has all the elements of fantasy that are on-trend right now: morally grey characters, sometimes downright bad people doing really bad things, mixed with romance and intrigue. And all those things are present in Duncan's novel. That being said, it is a little buried under a magic system that doesn't seem fully developed, and sometimes the writing becomes distracting from the things that make the novel so compelling. The religious and theory-based discussion slow down the plot considerably, for those readers that like their loyalty to characters to be questioned, as well as books that make you think as read -- this is certainly that. For those that want something fun and fast-paced in the same way that Six of Crows or other Leigh Bardugo books are, this isn't that, although it has been marketed as such.

Overall, the Nadya is a very compelling protagonist, and following her journey as her loyalties shift and change, makes the wait through religious zeal and shifting alliances makes for a compelling read.

The cutting made me deeply uncomfortable, the love interest's mouthful of a name was unnecessary, and the plot line was entirely predictable. Definitely won't be recommending this.

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan is about a girl cleric who can speak to gods and summon their powers. Her monastery and community is completely destroyed. They are at war with the blood mages. Escaping with Anna, she meets a mysterious boy with a secret. She has to decide if he is worth trusting and if they can put their rivalry aside to end the war. The high prince returns home after years at the war front to marry a consort, but he suspects there is more to the game.

Wicked Saints is a good book if you like magic, gods, and fantasy in a book. Personally, it was not my cup of tea. I fancy myself a good fantasy and dystopian book that can keep me hooked and shocked when the plot twist hits. However, I never really got into this book in that sense. I think the main reason for that was because I wasn't too fond of the main protagonist. I did not like the romance thrown into the story either. While Nadya wasn't a favorite character of mine, I did really like Serefin's character. Overall, the book started off slow and was hard to get into for me. I didn't get interested until the middle of the book, but even then there weren't any hooks for me. There is a lot of difficult names to memorize and a bit of gods/religion.

Thank you to Netgalley, Emily A. Duncan, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

"Some gods require blood."

This book was one of my most anticipated reads since I first heard about it, and it completely lived up to my expectations; I enjoyed it so much! Wicked Saints was a really great debut with such an intriguing world and one of my favorite things: morally questionable characters. I've read so many YA fantasies, but this one was so unique. I flew through this book and all I want right now is the sequel. It's definitely a standout novel and one that's going to stick with me for a long while.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC! This review will be posted on Goodreads, and on Barnes and Noble's and Amazon's websites at the date of publication.

A girl on the run from a prince who wants her dead. A prince looking for the girl so he can take her powers. Betrayal around every corner.

This book was an ultimate roller coaster of emotions and I had a very hard time putting it down because I constantly needed to know what was going to happen next. The end was a little confusing, but mostly because my own brain couldn't come to terms with some of the events unfolding with the characters! I would highly recommend this novel to my students and also friends my age. I can't wait to see where this story goes in the next book!

This book is grand in all the best ways. It has monsters and magic. It has love, friendship, and assassination plots. It has some really amazing characters. It has serious Grisha-verse vibes. It has everything. And you need this book in your life.

Nadya is a cleric gifted by the gods, but she must confront what it means when the "heretics" might know more about her gods than she does. And it's interesting to see that contention between divinity and heresy. Malachiasz is everything Nadya has been raised to hate. He's a monster in the shape of a beautiful boy, with secrets and darkness swirling in his heart, and Nadya must decide whether or not to trust him. Serefin is a crown prince, heir to a throne he doesn't think he will ever inherit because he assumes he will die before then. Now, with a chance to live and rule, he must choose what kind of leader he wants to be.

And then the amazing Rashid, Parijahan, Ostyia, and Kacper are just the best friends anyone could ever ask for.

These characters all come together for one grand plot against the king and it is quite grand, and the ending leaves you needing the next book IMMEDIATELY. It is awesome. You need it.

A big thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of Wicked Saints.

I had a reading slump in January and that's why it took me so much to read this. If it wasn't for my reading slump, I think I would've finished it way faster.

The story is not boring at all. There are some pacing issues, but those can be worked in time. Some scenes feel like are there just for the romance subplot, which might not bother a lot of people, but I they just felt flat.

The atmosphere is so well constructed. I can see that the author put a lot of work into making the world dark and brutal. I was having actual chills while reading.

Also, the world building is really good. I know the two countries are inspired by Russia and Poland and I saw the similarities, but also Kalyazin and Tranavia were original in a great way.

About the magic system, I loved Nadya's power. I wish I could've read more of it. To see more of their personalities, rules, and limits. The fact that she can talk to gods made me request the book in the first place, so seeing them just in the first part disappointed me.

The blood magic was well executed. But, to be honest, I am getting tired to see blood mages everywhere. This trend started years ago (from what I know) and when I look for fantasy, this is the only thing I see. Blood.

Let's talk about the characters:

Nadya – I wish Nadya was another type of character. She was the basic save the world of find love – there is no in between. I feel like her character had so much potential, but was handled poorly. She readeemed herself by the end and I started to warm a little bit towards her, so I really can't wait to see her development!

Serefin – he is a walking cliche. Fortunately, I love that cliche. I enjoyed his parts a lot. And I'm so happy he didn't become a flat love interest for the female protagonist. Well, I hope that won't happen in the next books.

Malachiasz – I can't really say anything about him. I didn't hate him but I didn't love him either. Now that he became a villain, let's see how he develops.

I found the side characters (Rashid, Parijahan, Kacper and Ostya) so lovable. I feel like the story was to center around Nadya and Malachiasz that those great characters didn't have a lot of time to develop.

One thing I found really annoying was how Nadya saw everyone as a ''broken boy''. I was just rolling my eyes.

Something that happens with a lot of books: the romance makes them feel flat. I tried to not focus that much on the romantic subplot because I find them really cheesy in a lot of Fantasy books.

The relationship between Nadya and Malachiasz was cheesy and unrealistic for me,

(And I have a bit of a feeling that Serefin is bisexual. I need confirmation!!)

In conclusion: Wicked Saints was an average, 3 stars lecture for me. Some might enjoy it more, some might not.

I had my issues with it, but I also enjoyed it. I think I will read the sequel to see how the story progresses – and I'll probably buy a finished copy.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was not my cup of tea. Fantasy is a hit or miss for me TBH. This book didn't strike any chord with me in any way shape or form and just felt flat to me.

Again, I'm not a big Fantasy reader. I have a feeling that those who love that genre, will devour this book!
It just wasn't for me.

Mini review:

DNF

Trigger warning: War. Graphic scenes. Up till the point I read.

I received this E-Arc via St. Martin’s Press, as a part of the blog tour, and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited when I got the email for the blog tour! I’d read the expert and was hooked. Even more floored when I got the widget. Unfortunately it wasn’t for me.

When I reread the first chapter that was in the expert, I felt nothing. The more I read on the less I cared about the plot and characters.

I also realized that this book won’t work for me. I’m not sure I would enjoy the religious elements. It sounded great when I heard about it. Not when I read it.

Still recommend. This was a personal thing and I’m sure others would enjoy it.

Wow, this was an interesting book! It was very evocative and the setting was well-done. The characters were compelling and I really wanted to know what would happen to them next. The war between countries and religions that the characters took part in was gritty and devastating. But once I got to the end of the book I just kind of felt like, "Oh...well, okay. I guess that's it, then,"
Nadya is come kind of religious acolyte/priestess/nun/cleric? who is forced to go on the run when her monastery/church/sanctuary? is sacked by Serefin, prince of a rival country whose religion(?) is different from Nadya's. This is just the latest act in a war between the two countries that has gone on for centuries. While Nadya is escaping she encounters a group of rebels led by Malachiasz, who is actually a former priest/sorcerer/mage? of Nadya's enemies. Nadya must decided whether or not she can trust Malachiasz while they travel to Serefin's palace and try to stop the war.
As I was reading this book the starkness of their world was both beautiful and horrifying. In order to perform most of the magic, the mages were forced to cut themselves and use "blood magic." It was off-putting and yet very well-described by the author, and helped create a brutal and grim world.
I had difficulty understanding the "religions" in the book, it's backstory or mythology, and the geography. I needed a great deal more clarification or less reliance on things that happened hundreds of years ago. I also was not sure if the use of Slavic folklore was supposed to be literal or just serve as some sort of framework. Having just finished the Winternight Trilogy I was familiar with some of the references that were made, but instead of clearing things up, it just made it more confusing. I also had a hard time with names--the Eastern European influenced languages were just unfamiliar to me. A glossary and a pronunciation guide would have gone a long way to enhancing this book.
As the book moved toward the final climactic events, I found myself becoming very confused. I was not sure what was happening and had to re-read chapters. I wasn't sure if it was due to the fact that I just did not understand the "mythology" or if I had missed some of the action somewhere. Then a few plot-points were tied up much too easily, while a big twist left me feeling cheated.
I found the first 2/3 of this book to be very interesting, darkly compelling, and fascinating while still a bit confusing. The ending left me very dissatisfied and disappointed, however. I am not sure that I will read the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley, Emily A Duncan and St Martins Press for my copy of Wicked Saints in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Title: Wicked Saints
Author: Emily A Duncan
Format read: Ebook
Publication Date: 2nd April 2019
Page Count: 400 Pages
Publisher: St Martins Press
Genre: Fantasy
Star rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Synopsis: two countries are at war. Kalyazin and Tranavia have opposing views about magic. In Kalyazin magic comes from the gods and is only given to those like Nadya who are blessed to be clerics. In Tranavia the people no longer want their magic to be under the god's control and instead believe in the magic of their own blood and spellbooks. Nadya is fighting to save her own country and bring the gods back to Tranavia while Malachiasz has his own agenda. Can they trust each other if their natural inclination is to be enemies but their goal is ultimately the same?

I really liked this, some parts felt slightly unpolished but not so that it ruined the story and I find that's kind of expected in a debut anyway. Basically to sum up in one sentence what I thought about this book 'this is what the Grishaverse trilogy could have been'. The storyline is similar (but different) and I felt far more powerful and cleverly done. I didn't see any of the twists coming and I do very much like multiple twists in one story! I have been left with tons of questions but of course that means I'm guaranteed to read the sequel! The characters were great, world building was fantastic, plot excellent. Generally just a really great piece of YA fantasy in a time when it was much needed as I've been struggling with a lot of the newly released books in this genre.
Can't wait for book two!

This was incredible. It was the most creative book I've read in a long time. I usually shy away from books that have religious undertones, but this one was written perfectly. I absolutely adored how gray this whole book was. I mean, all of the characters were morally gray characters. No one was perfectly reliable or perfectly black or white and it was amazing. Not since Leigh Bardugo’s Darkling have I loved Evil this much. Compelling. Intriguing. Gruesome.

I will write a longer review on the blog on March 28th.

Book: Wicked Saints
Author: Emily A. Duncan
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with the ARC. I really must say that I have been really liking what has been coming from Wednesday Books and I hope you keep providing such amazing books to the world.

So, Wicked Saints is one of those books that has been whispered about in young adult circles. I really haven’t been paying that much attention to it, but when I saw it on Netgalley, I decided to take a risk. I really do think that Wicked Saints is going to be one of the top books of 2019 for a number of reasons. There was just something about it that made it hard to look away from. Think of this book as being along the lines of the Grishaverse and Winternight books. Both of these series are beautifully written with just a touch of Russian in them.

Wicked Saints is beautifully written. Emily’s writing is one of the smoothest that I have read in a long time. It’s just simply beautiful. The way everything is woven together just makes for such an enchanting backdrop. I love how much detail we get, but it’s so sneaky. We are never really told the setting of the book in one go, but throughout the whole book. The further we get into the book, the bigger the world gets. I know a lot of people are saying that this writing isn’t the most original out there, but I really enjoyed it. it’s artsy, but without being over the top, like some authors who will not be mentioned. I just loved the feeling that I when reading this.

The plot was okay. I loved the mixing between magic, politics, and religion. Yes, this does make for a very complicated plot. It’s fine, but I really did feel like that the plot was just starting and it can to an end. Yes, I really did like all of the buildup and know that this is only the first book in the series, but it just didn’t have the full punch that it could have. If this is going to follow the set up of the Grishaverse, then it is going to get better and I hope it does.

What I really liked was the debate between religion and politics. It was hard to pick a side on who was right and who was wrong, which is very much a real thing going on in our world right now. A lot of fantasy don’t really play into this aspect; it was actually kind of a nice mix to see this come into young adult. It opens up a lot of places for discussion and makes the magic seem even more real, which is something that I love in fantasy.

The characters…Oh, boy, the characters. I don’t know what it was about them, but I just could not keep them straight nor could I really connect with them. It really did feel like we had too much characters for this book and that they were all trying to get their chance in the spotlight. I think that if we hadn’t had so many main characters, then it would have been better. I don’t know, but maybe they should had been introduced a little bit slower so we could have a chance to get to know them a little bit better. Honestly, I really didn’t care that much about them.

This book will be released on April 2, 2019. I will wrap up by saying that I am actually very interested to see where the rest of the books go.

(Review is already up on Goodreads)

How did Serefin turn out to be my favorite character in this? What happened Nadya?

Nadya, a Kalyazi cleric who can commune with an entire pantheon of gods, is training in secrecy in the holy mountains by priests who sought to wield the power that sheltered inside her into the one thing that could save Kalyazin from sinking to its knees. But a sudden Tranavian attack on the monastery sends Nadya’s destiny spilling out into the air, the storm of it no longer a far future to be reached, but a typhoon here and now.

That first chapter had me hooked, I was like: HELL YES, LETS GO! LETS KICK SOME ASS! I was ready for it, I had my hopes up. Serefin was terrifying and Nadya was interesting and I had that feeling in my pinky toe that this was going to be good. Guess who was left disappointed the moment Malachiasz entered the story. Yes, it's me.

Growing up in a monastery has made her naïve. Painfully so. 90% of her chapters was about how close she realized Malachiasz was, or how he was such a terrible monster yet she could not stay away from him. I mean... why? Her pantheon told her from the very beginning, from the moment they stumbled across Malachiasz and his gang, that she should kill him. At this point, she did not know him - all she knew was that he stood for everything she didn't and yet, you know, maybe he is good? Why should she kill him just like that? When all the signs that she should are there.

I also have to point out that when in the midst of war, with a purpose to kill the King of the kingdom she hates so, running from the Vultures hunting her, does a woman have time to fall in love with the one she doesn't remotely trust? I just don't get it. But maybe it's me and my endless feud with romance in fantasy novels.

The concept of blood magic needing an amplifier through spell books was very interesting, with the magic needing a funnel that requires maintenance and replenishment was a nice diversion from other fantasy reads. I also enjoyed the theology and political discussions that were constantly simmering beneath the conversations. If each side believes their religion is the "correct" one then who can really "win" a religious war?

I also immensely enjoyed the hints of Slavic folklore woven into the story - the mentions of all the creatures made me glee, but then again, there were only names written down, no mentions of what these creatures actually were. Nadya once mentioned she would send a Leshy after someone, but we never got an explanation as to what a Leshy actually is.

This book also focuses a lot on religion - Nadya is heavily religious and her main goal throughout the story is to remove the magical veil that covers the kingdom she hates the most, and bring the gods back (and the religion). Now, even though we're dealing with a polytheistic society, the language and setting bring to mind Christianity in Eastern Europe, which has a fraught history around the treatment of people labeled as "heretics". I think if we had just the Slavic-inspired setting OR the heavy religious aspect, I wouldn't have minded. It's not to say the book is trying at allegory, that the connection I'm making is even that strong. But for me, it was there, and I have major problems with organized religion in general, so I struggled connecting to an MC so ingrained in it, especially since she's constantly calling people heretics and her internal conflict is rooted in reconciling her religious beliefs and her relationships with those so-called heretics.

Serefin's story-arc was the one that I found interesting, yet it's also so painfully familiar. He's the ruthless prince, the powerful and monstrous blood mage that has been at the frontlines of war - yet he's the boy who is not ready for the crown, who faces the wrath of his abusive father. He is torn from the frontlines of war back to court, which in itself is a jarring experience. Especially when he learns that his own father is looking to have him murdered.

Also, I have been trying hard to figure out the meaning of the moths that are constantly swarming Serefin, as far as I know, having a moth as some sort of a "totem" associates with optimism and means that you're heading toward the 'lighter side'. This clearly relates to a moth's attraction to light. Is this supposed to signify that the big bad blood-mage and horrifying prince that we met in the beginning is making a 180? Also, the stars? I'm confused. This is also something that is never explained, and that I assume is something we will figure out in the coming books.

This is a story that has a lot of tropes woven into it and for me, what either kills a story or makes it blossom, is the romance. Unfortunately, the romance in most of the recent YA's has me rolling my eyes - this is no different. Malachiasz is the "brooding bad boy, the 'no, you shouldn't love me, I'm a monster' boy". His story-arc was predictable with the author constantly telling the reader how bad he is, what a monster he has become. Honestly though, this guy loves to grab chins a little too much. I must have counted at least 10 chin-grabbing incidents. It's hot like, the first time. After that it's just weird.

This is not to say that this is a bad read, nor was it something amazing. I came out of this not disappointed, but not impressed either. It was an average read and I hope that the story will impress me more in the sequels to come.

Lastly, please be careful reading this book if any of your triggers include self-harm, abuse, and alcoholism (that last one is used as a character trait/aesthetic, rather than an actual problem, which..... I don't fully agree with).

ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was quite a surprise! I was slow to start it because I wasn't sure I was in the mood for what felt like a "heavy" book but once I got into it I was unable to put it down. Blood magic, passion, romance, lies, truth, politics and history all woven together in way that the reader is thrust into a dangerous and beautiful world. I look forward to the next book by Duncan and to see where this story goes next! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.