How great is that title? This book will work for the right person. I was not that person. Although I hesitate to describe it as such – because I have my own negative connotations with the word – this book is trendy. It has all the right elements – blood magic, ancient enemies, and attractive boys – for the right person.

I spent nearly 2 months attempting to read Wicked Saints before I finally just powered through the last few hours of the audiobook and called it a day. This book had all the potential to be a beautifully dark and gritty YA fantasy but instead read as bland as vanilla pudding. Hard pass.

Let's start off with Nadya. She's introduced as a point-of-view character so obviously I'm expecting that she'll play a major role in the story. I was wrong, but I'll get to that. Her whole shtick is being able to call upon the gods who grant her the use of different kinds of magic based on which one she prays to. Alright, cool, I'm digging it. And this power makes her pretty important to her people and the current war they're in, so a bit of Chosen One vibes but I don't mind that so much.

If it hadn't been written out that Nadya was important, I wouldn't have known based on her character. She spends the better part of the book on the run or with a band of characters who are The Enemy, and once she's with them, quickly becomes reduced to a love interest and secondary character. She's not really doing anything the entire book. She casts some spells but in the grand scheme of the plot, she's not a major player. Everything about her character ultimately comes back to her love interest, Malachiasz.

At that point, I wished he's just have his own chapters. I didn't understand why Nadya had her own. Their romance was lackluster at best, and while enemies-to-lovers is my favorite romance trope, it wasn't even happening here. There was no tension, nothing to ground their interactions. Malachiasz did what he wanted and Nadya followed. And now their romance is a good chunk of my review because it took up a huge portion of the book. This was less a dark fantasy and more a struggling fantasy romance.

The other point-of-view character, Serefin, is prince of the country invading Nadya's. I liked that we get both sides of the story and some of the impacts of war from each group. Also, I'm thankful Serefin had some drive but he was ultimately as bland as the rest of the cast. His interactions with his friends were more genuine than Nadya's but I struggled to make the connections that Serefin seemingly did throughout the story. There weren't any breadcrumbs for the reader to really follow for it all to work together.

Wicked Saints felt like a big set-up for something to come. The problem with that is the first book in any series really does need to stand on its own to some degree. As a reader, if I'm not hooked by the first book, I'm not going to pick up the sequel. It took until nearly the 70% mark before the story picked up but by that point, I didn't care about any of the characters so I ended up reading more just to get it over with than anything.

I regret not DNF-ing this one.

This book left me unsatisfied with the ending and lacking any interest in picking up the sequel. The plot jumps around too much, the characters are flat at best, and the entire story didn't feel like a story so much as background info for something to come. Wicked Saints was only redeemed for me by the audiobook narration. The two narrators who performed Nadya's and Serefin's chapters did a fantastic job and I wouldn't have made it through this book if not for that. If you're struggling with the text but like the overall premise, give the audiobook a try. If you're still considering whether or not to read this book, I can't personally recommend it.

Definitely lives up to the hype despite the similarities to other YA fantasy books. The best part about Wicked Saints is the magic system and the characters, and I'll certainly read more in the series for those two reasons.

I enjoyed this book but felt like it was really dry. And it felt like it took me forever to read it and forever to really get interested and invested in the world.. I just wasn’t that hooked but I am intrigued enough to continue the series when the new books come out. I just think I hyped it up a bit too much in my head and that is what made me not enjoy this that much. I think though as well what really sold me on continuing was the characters. I thought once I got into their story, they really made the whole story. They were normally grey and I loved that about them. overall I highly recommend checking this out if you’re into morally grey characters, but also just unique storylines in general. This was cool after I really got into it.

This was one of my most anticipated YA books for the year but sadly didn't meet my (perhaps too) high expectations. The writing felt really green and stilted to me and I prefer stories that are character driven, not plot driven. The characters were wooden, just reacting to what's happening around them, instead of actively driving the story with their decisions. There was very little atmosphere too, which was surprising since the blurb and cover seemed to promise this heady, religious, Slavic atmosphere, but the world building was really thin and bland to me, like everything was happening against a gray backdrop. I'll still recommend this for people who like Leigh Bardugo since this feels very heavily influenced by Shadow & Bone even though I didn't enjoy this.

Well that was fun. Interesting idea and I feel like it can go in any direction now. I'm curious to see what happens next and will actually carry on with the series. Dark, light, good, evil, love, hate, all that jazz.

A girl who can speak to an entire pantheon of Gods. What a terrific premise led down by a terrible execution.

I really tried with this novel - but it just lacked cohesion. The magic wasn't well explained. The characters, while being diverse, held no heart.

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wicked Saints is perfect for fans of Six of Crows, Grave Mercy, and ADSOM.

Wicked Saints is such a good book, I couldn’t write a review for months.

Honestly, I feel as if I can’t write this review still. This book had all the things I loved and all the things I didn’t know I could love. So, writing this review is kind of like…trying to describe why I like ice cream. IT’S ICE CREAM!

But yeah, the less you know about this book the better, because you’ll want to learn all the surprises by yourself. It’s twisty and gritty, and the first chapter throws you for a loop. It’s just fantastic.

I loved all the characters. Every single one of them. I constantly refer to one of them as “my boy” so, that should tell you something. They’re all so different from each other and they all work so perfectly (or not, as the case may be) and I just need them all to be ok. They all need hugs. And possibly showers, that too.

Overall, this book is gripping. It’s dark and edgy and gritty. It’s fun. It keeps you up at night reading and won’t let you put it down. Just, read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an e-ARC of this novel!

3.5 stars

This was a mixed bag for me. First off, I loved the way this novel handled the discourse between politics, magic, and religion. This book is pretty graphic as it deals with blood magic, so it might be triggering to some readers. I enjoyed the use of the magic system within the story but the limitations and rules within the system were not made very clear. Also, the insta-love between Nadya and Malachiasz irked me since the reader is repeatedly told that Nadya is a headstrong, independent female character. She continues to go along with whatever Malachiasz proposes and trusts him much too quickly given her history. Admittedly, I loved the setting and the overall dark and macabre tone but it just isn't enough for me to raise my rating.

3.5/5 stars - I would have given this a higher rating if I was more hooked in the beginning, but truthfully, it took me way too long to feel invested. I had to restart it twice before understanding what was happening because I found myself getting bored within the first few chapters.

However, once I got past the first 40-50 pages, I was finally into it. The writing was really good, and I fell in love with the characters. There is Nadya who has the ability to speak to gods and use their power, Serefin- a prince with blood magic ability, and Malachiaz, another blood mage.

The magic system was really unique, and I liked the constant battle between religion and non-religious people. There was no right or wrong, each character was in that grey area, which made it 10x's more interesting.

The world was also inspired by Russia and Poland, and being Polish myself, I loved that aspect of it. I was picturing all of the exquisite palaces and lands I saw when I visited Poland in the past.

It was very fast-paced which I am very happy about. I was able to listen to most of the audiobook in one day. The characters were constantly on the move, and there was a lot of action.

Overall, it was a decent book. I wish that I had enjoyed it more, but I will most likely pick up the next book in the series!

This book was worth the wait, and the hype surrounding these characters and the world building was true. Duncan did an incredible job of engaging me in a genre that is not usually my go to.

Wicked Saints is one outstanding debut! Get ready for your next favorite fantasy series. The world is complex and draws from Slavic folklore. The writing is beautiful and dark. The characters are ones you can't help but root for every step of the way. The plot is fast-paced. Oh, and there's this deliciously twisted romance. Readers of the Grishaverse will definitely have found their new favorite book. Be sure to check out Wicked Saints today!

It is not very often that I am surprised by the outcome of a novel, but here it is. With three main characters with trust issues, secrets, and serious motivations, Wicked Saints manages to share and hide just enough information to make you question how their constantly changing plans will shake out. Nadya and her gods want to bring religion back to the region. Malachiaz is some sort of monster, or not. The High Prince Serefin might be in danger from his own father. Somehow their goals align, but their reasons to work together might not be worth the trust they must put in each other.

***ARC received in exchange of an honest opinion***

I really enjoyed this book. The story was very original and different from anything else I’ve read before.

It’s a fantasy plotline that was refreshing and I cannot wait for more!

While the plot and premise were amazing, I did not feel as much of a connection to the characters or the story arc. I wanted to know more about the world and the characters.

I really loved the world and the magic system in this world. I was completely engaged in the story and wanted to know what was going to happen next. The characters were interesting and I was always wondering what their end goals were. I especially loved the ending and I am really looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

This book was extremely gripping, but also very slow in the middle. I instantly was drawn to the two POV characters, and the overall tone of the novel is great. The romance was extremely trope-y, but I knew that it would be going in, and by the end, I was intrigued by even that aspect of the story. I would say this is at least a solid four stars, possibly slightly more. The final act of the story was intense and awesome, and well worth the draggy middle. I can’t wait to see where the story and characters go in the sequel! 4/5 stars.

This is my first book by Emily A. Duncan, and it took me a little time to get into the book.

A war is waging, and has been waging for a very long time. High in the mountains though, a young girl can speak to the Gods, and she is being trained to end this war. Pitted against and sometimes with a prince/magician and a defector from his country, Nadya finds shifting allegiances at every turn in her quest to bring an end to the war and return the Gods to power,

I love fantasy done well, but I feel this attempt fell flat. I did not care about the characters and far too much time was spent with action that amounted to nothing or went nowhere. I did enjoy some of the ideas and questions the book raised about allegiances, religion and strength, but I found the book to move to slowly for its intended audience.

Hopefully the book picks up on the second in the series.

I liked the premise of the book. The idea of salvation for a war-torn country resting in the hands of a girl who can speak to the gods is pretty awesome.
The execution of the story was less so. Nadya, despite her connection to the gods and ability to wield some serious power, was a bland protagonist. She was buffeted along by fate and circumstance much more than I expected a powerful cleric would be.
I wasn't much taken by the bad guys either. To be honest, they were predictable and not terribly interesting.
Although there is a lot of potential for Wicked Saints to be amazing, it never quite came together.