Wicked Saints was dark and enchanting, but didn’t reach its full potential as a result of an underdeveloped magic system and a plot lacking in actual conflict.
I LOVED the concept of this book and was super excited to read it after seeing early reviews. Duncan’s writing style & her world reminded me a lot of Leigh Bardugo, and I really do think this book COULD have been great.
That being said, I think it fell short in a lot of places. The plot would sometimes skip ahead in time and then rush through moments I thought were important, and then spend a significant number of pages on moments that weren’t as essential. Building conflicts and tension often passed with little excitement or difficulty for the characters, and until the last scene, it didn’t feel like there was anything that truly challenged anyone in the story.
The magic system was incredibly confusing. The source and functioning of different characters’ powers were unclear, and while I think Duncan’s system of magic could have been interesting, I was often left perplexed and wondering what was going on.
And the characters!! Again, I felt they had so much POTENTIAL to be amazing and complex, but they fell flat. I couldn’t really connect to any of them and felt their personalities weren’t as fleshed out as they should/could have been.
Maybe it’s because I went into this book with decently high expectations, but I was just disappointed in it for a number of reasons. I’m hoping the second book will be better, because like I said, this is a story and world that could without a doubt be so epic.

I had been so excited for this book, but sadly there was too much going on.

I was dropped into the middle of war which I usually prefer having a lot of action in my books. However, this contained a huge amount of characters and magical terms right off the bat in chapter one.

I found the world building to be lacking.

This books was fantastic!!! I loved every single page of this book. All the characters where fantastic the story line was so good and had my attention the whole time I read it.

What can I say about Wicked Saints except that it’s one of the best fantasy books of 2019? The world building, the amazing characters, the compelling plot... it was fantastic. I highly recommend this book to any fans of the Grisha trilogy because it has the same vibes.

Wicked Saints had been on my TBR since I first heard the synopsis. But as TBRs go, it was on the list with hundreds of others and I hadn't gotten to it. Thanks to stay at home orders I finally got around to reading it. Yay for silver linings!
First off, I love "the chosen one" trope. Nadya is chosen by the gods to free her people from war against unholy heretics. Nadya's magic was different than any I've read before. She would pray to the god of whichever element she needed help from and then she would have that magic. So instead of just being the all powerful being, she would pull her power from the gods. Or, technically, they would bless her with their power. I really loved that.
Then there were the heretics that used blood magic. Which was kinda icky thinking of all the blood. Their power came from cutting themselves, or possibly others, and pulling the energy from the blood. Wicked indeed.
Usually the forbidden romance isn't my favorite but in this case it was such an interesting thing to watch develop from hate into something much different.
Wicked Saints was so engrossing and left me wanting much more. Thank goodness Ruthless Gods is out now so I can find out what is next. Highly recommend for fantasy lovers.

Unfortunately, I did not get. the chance to read this ARC prior to its release--I'm hoping to work through my backlist now that we're home for the coming weeks!--but we did end up buying this book for the library collection.

I didn’t read enough of this to write a full review or rate it fairly, it just wasn’t for me unfortunately but I think others will enjoy it.

This was not my speed but I can see how people would love it. I’m not as into what I like to call goth stuff as the author but it was gorgeously written and I did enjoy it. Hope to read the next soon

Duncan's unusual fantasy world provides a perfect setting for a strange tale of saints, demons and endless war.

The story unfolds at a monastery high in the mountains of a war-torn land. Our lead female, Nadya is divine, chosen by the gods to wield their powerful magic. She has been hidden away from the enemy country for as long as she can remember. Nothing stays hidden forever, though. As cannons fire on the only people she has ever known, Nadya must make sacrifices to save herself from the enemy. Sacrifices that include her home, her loved ones, and herself.

“Children of a war-torn land were expected to know how to react when the enemy finally came calling.” — Emily A. Duncan

I LOVE the multiple POVs, and the fact that we get to read things from the enemy’s perspective. This story has everything that I look for in a 5🌟read— a well-constructed world, complicated magic systems, plot twists that make my head spin, strong characters, and an ending that leaves me longing for more. I HIGHLY recommend picking this one up!

@morrighanrose

Overall I really enjoyed this book! I did struggle a little in the beginning, due to a chaotic opening scene, but the further I got into the story I was more and more invested in these characters and the stakes of the story. By the end I was left wanting more and to know what happens next.

I loved the religions and magic present in this book and thought they really added depth to the world and brought it to life. The blood magic added a dark tone to the story. While I found Nadya to be frustrating, I really enjoyed the other two male lead characters. The ending was quite intense and now I can't wait to find out what happens to all three of them.

A great book with REAL Eastern European names, which is awesome. It's hard to find a fantasy novel where real names litter the pages.

Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan is Something Dark and Holy book #1 and the beginning to an expansive and intricate fantasy epic. Kingdoms and lives hang in the balance as religions clash. Nadya is a cleric who can talk with all the gods and she may just hold the key to stopping the war. But we know it's never that easy. When she is forced to abandon the monastery she grew up in, her journey begins, and not just one to save her world, one of personal discovery as well.

Ms. Duncan creates a world full of flawed and complex characters who the reader can connect with, love and hate. The story is filled with both beauty and brutality. The warring of religions as well as magic that is rooted in blood. Ms. Duncan also pulls from the mythos of various cultures to give us distinct peoples who are rooted in ideas that are subtly familiar, yet uniquely different.

Overall I enjoyed Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan and felt it was a good first book for this series. We are drawn in as readers and given a lot of different things to connect with as well as rebel against. I am very curious to see where things go from here as this world and its characters expand and develop.

I DNF'ed this book because I didn't enjoy the story or characters at all. It was not my thing, but I appreciate the chance to read and review this book.

An amazing setting and engrossing story with good characters (nothing new under the sun in terms of characters and characterization. Pretty much your typical fantasy, but at least they weren't annoying) and a complex and original magic system.

I felt like this book tried too hard for YA and fell flat. I think it could have worked better as an Adult novel. I can see what the author is trying to do, but for me, it did not work. However, I enjoyed the "dark"/gothic aspect and the writing was good. I am unlikely to pursue reading the sequel, though I would be interesting to see what the author does in the future.

This book has all the fantastic elements that make it a YA hit: fantasy, forbidden magic, new worlds. While this one, for whatever reason, wasn't one I thoroughly enjoyed, I have seen it fly off the shelves at the library!

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book for my honest opinion. This book has a great opening and clump of pages afterwards, along with a good ending. The world she built is beautiful. However, there are some issues with it. Some of the story is easily guessable, there is an insta romance part, and not all of the characters are interesting. A recommended read though. 3 out of 5 stars.

Thrilling and an excellent page turner! Would read again and love to buy all the copies I can! Would recommend to my friends!

I consider the pinnacle of young adult fiction to be Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Mist and Fury. Anything else usually falls short for me. What can I say, I'm obsessed with Rhysand. Who isn't though...

Wicked Saints has a banger beginning, shockingly exciting ending, a gorgeously atmospheric setting and A LOT of potential. Unfortunately, it also has an insta-love romance, a muddled backstory / world-build, and some parts that are just straight up boring.

Part of what makes young adult fantasy excellent for me, is a grittiness. I want to feel like I'm there with the characters, smelling, tasting, getting dirt on my fingers and rain in my mouth. Not in a white-washed or confusing world, where I'm not sure which way is up and which way is down. The problem with Wicked Saints is that I mainly didn't know where I was at any given time, with the characters or with their motivations.

There's also the insta-love bit, which I just despise. I adore a good slow burn (see Sarah J. Maas) or a true enemies-to-lovers trope (see Sarah J. Maas). That way, I feel invested. I feel like I'm breathless right along with the characters. I feel like my heart and mind is changing with theirs. I feel their shock and electrifying excitement when they're first attracted to that person, or the first time they even consider them as a partner / lover. It's so delicious. Wicked Saints doesn't have that and it really ruined the love story for me. I want to be shown that the characters' emotions are changing, not told repeatedly.

Again, there are parts of this that make the book worth reading. It starts off with a jolt, and ends with a lot of satisfying action. It's the middle that holds the issues, and since a book is a journey, the middle is just as important in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.