Any book that is labeled for fans of Leigh Bardugo has a lot to live up to. I typically try not to get too hype when I see things like that, because as you know all too often they end up falling short. Well, my friends, I'm oh so happy to report that was not the case with Wicked Saints!
 
This book sucked me in from the very beginning, with magic, war, Gods, courtly shenanigans and compelling characters this was an unrelenting page-turner. Not for the faint of heart, there is (SO MUCH) bloodshed and betrayal, zealots and monsters, ZEALOUS MONSTERS...all alongside unlikely friendships, rebellion and romance. I'm officially hooked. I already pre-ordered a signed copy. I don't know how I'll possibly survive the wait for the next book....especially after that EXPLOSIVE ending.
 
Also, let it be said now, I'm team Malachiasz fo life.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~Rachael
IG: @rqdavis_

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I was immediately excited when I heard a little bit of buzz for this book way before publication so I knew I wanted to read it.
This story starts off in a great way but introducing all of the key players and setting of the world. We have Nadya who is a girl who can communicate with the gods; who then grant her power. She is the last of her kind living in her country and it has always been up to her to keep their country safe from the border country that wants to destroy them in the war. I really loved reading about Nadya because she was not a weak girl, she knew what she believed in and she was a little scared but passionate about her gods and her country. As she moves through the story she encounters the rest of the cast; Serefin, the border country prince with powerful blood magic, and Malachiasz and his crew who are ready to end the war with any means necessary.
I loved the back and forth chapters in this novel so you could see inside both countries and what they believed to be fighting for. I loved the court intrigue mixed with the darker magic world they were in. I liked how all of the characters in this story had something to learn and they were not the same stale characters throughout the story. I also really loved Malachiasz, he might be a new book boyfriend. He is the perfect blend of everything I look for in an interesting male character and I really need to know what happens to him and his crew next.
Overall, I could gush about this book all day. Every aspect from the world building, characters and romance was just on point in this novel. I encourage each and every one of you to go out and pre-order this one because it will be a read you stay up late to finish. I’m already highly anticipating book two and the first book hasn’t even released yet.

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

Wicked Saints will give you a saint who can ask (and be granted) God for powers, a boy from the 'other side' who doesn't believe in God, a prince who's apparently cruel, loads of blood magic and power harnessing, heartbreaks, and heart flutters.


"We're all monsters, Nadya." 
"Some of us just hide it better than others."


The plot of this book impresses me like no other. It combines beliefs and thoughts into understandable chaos that certainly mashes up to, unfortunately, force you to take sides. But you can't! Because the characters are complex and they believe in what they believe in, and there won't be a point where you can clearly call one right and the other wrong. It's a great fantasy that is built on the power of magic. 

"And who are you that you can do what countless others have failed at over a century?" No one. Just a girl. Some small scrap of divinity. She shrugged. "I'm the first person who refuses to fail."


The characters are amazing. Nadya is on the run from the cruel prince or anyone from the enemy side, her beads working as a connection between her and the Gods. She's gifted but is also intelligent, smart, and uses her heart on the right occasions. Serefin is the prince whose father is eager to sacrifice him for power, his hands adorn a cut every now and then when he uses his blood magic. He's not too keen on emotions but he's definitely cunning to find a way out of anything. There are other characters who I'm not mentioning for spoiler purposes. Just pick up the book already! 

"How do you do it? Live without faith?"


The writing is another aspect that I would love to appreciate. It stunningly encompasses every emotion and setting while developing the story in a very subtle manner. You'll never know when you start loving (OR HATING) a character and suddenly there's a twist. The alternate POVs are always hard to execute so well but I guess Emily Duncan can help you learn through this book. 

"You have your monsters; they have their demons."


Finally, I don't know what else to say about this book without either spoiling it for you or sounding repetitive. So trust me, just pick it up and trust me, you won't be disappointed! 

Initial Reaction: There's only darkness inside me. This book helped me realize it. Very. Grateful. Also, my heart is in pieces, it's broken. I'm dead. Everyone, read this when it comes out on April 2nd so I'm not the only one who's dead. Pre-order!

Quotes are from an advances reader copy so might differ from the final release. I received a digital copy of this via Netgalley but that, in no way, influences my rating and/or review. Thank you, Wednesday Books and Emily A. Duncan!

My only issue with this book is one we're going to get out of the way really quickly: I was a little lost and/or overwhelmed at the start. It starts pretty intensely, and that is not necessarily a bad thing, I just didn't know if I cared, you know?

But it's okay, because as it turns out, I did care, yay! The chapters begin with little snippets of tales of the past (presumably potentially wicked) saints, whose stories are all brutal, dark, and utterly enticing. A good way to segue into each chapter, not only because they're awesome, but because it is almost like a tiny breather. You know, if by "breather", you mean "anecdote about how some poor bastard met their doom", but I digress.

Even though I definitely enjoyed the darkness and intensity of this book and world (and make no mistake, I did), the characters are ultimately what won me over. Nadya is just so... human. She doubts herself, she gets completely pissed at herself, she makes mistakes, she's strong, she's so damn relatable. Little morsels of her inner dialogue would have me practically yelling at her in agreement. I just understood her on some level, even though I am not exactly a magical cleric or what have you. And I loved the male characters, too. I couldn't (and maybe never will) decide where anyone stood with Malachiasz, only that I want to root for him, even when he makes it difficult. Serefin is also relatable, but in a humorous way- his antics are never dull.

Obviously this world is dark, as I have mentioned. And the author does a fabulous job setting it up as such. It's bleak, it's desperate, it's basically hopeless. And it's one of those extra-special morally gray situations where maybe everyone is the bad guy and no one deserves to come out a victor. OH! And there is a journey, and wow am I a sucker for a journey. Add to it some romance, friendships that I love (Parijahan for life), secrets, and betrayal and well, you have a recipe for a damn entertaining book.

Bottom Line: I can't decide which is better: The twisted, brutal world, or the twisted, brutal characters. Both are absolute wins.

It took some time to get acquainted with the language, the world and name pronunciation.   Wicked Saints is a true YA fantasy world novel, down to every detail.  I had some issues with the writing style, but that’s just personal preference.  I would recommend this book to fans of fantasy fiction.

This book was thrilling from start to finish. I absolutely loved the main characters, the surprise elements to the plot and the added information provided by the ‘excerpts’ at the beginning of each chapter. Duncan’s writing style is fun and engaging throughout. I could see some simalarities with the The Grishaverse,  in only a positive sense, I loved how it draws on Russian/eastern block style language and terminology. The world is described well and the characters develop in interesting ways during the course of the story. It has been a real pleasure reading this ARC, I am so happy that this book is the first install,ent of a trilogy. I highly recommend this to fans of YA fantasy.

*3.5 stars*

Wicked Saints was one of my most anticipated novels of the year, though I was a combination of excited and wary to read it. This seemed like one of those plots that I would really get into or just not enjoy at all. And while I didn’t absolutely love it, it still ended up falling into that first category and I had a pretty good time with it. From the vivid characterization to the unique and intriguing magic systems, I was sucked into this novel very quickly. A dark tale full of diverse characters and a vividly depicted setting, this proved to be an interesting read.

The countries of Kalyazin and Tranavia have been locked in a war that has spanned nearly a century and there still seems to be no end in sight. Nadya, an orphan who has lived within a monastery all her life, is not only there for training but also for her own protection. She is the first Kalyazin in many years to possess magic—a magic that allows her to communicate with the gods and goddesses and receive powers from them. If she were to fall into the hands of the Tranavians it would mean the downfall of Kalyazin. As she runs from the Tranavians, desperate to survive and determined to keep the religion of Kalyazin alive, she must draw on her great bravery to try and end the war while accepting the help of some people she is hesitant to trust.

The narrative starts off extremely fast-paced—perhaps a bit too fast-paced. We are thrown into the action immediately and while I do like books that really get into things quickly, I felt that it would have been nice to have a just little bit more exposition in the first few pages. There is not a whole lot that lets us know who the characters are, their relationships, nor what their situation is. Also, we know very little about the initial setting before we are thrown out of it. This made it a little hard to form my first connections with the characters and I felt that the scene that ensues definitely needed that.

That being said, when Duncan begins to reveal more information and backstory throughout the following chapters, she does a good job of working it into the narrative. I found things to be a bit confusing for a little too long at the beginning, but I felt that everything was cleared up at some point. There are no major info dumps or any slowing of the pace as she reveals these facts, which is a trap that is quite easy to fall into.

Each piece of description about the characters and the magic system fits into the moment—they are relevant to what is taking place in the main narrative and are seamlessly sewn throughout the plot. Formatting the story this way also allows Duncan to show rather than tell while building the world. She does a great job of giving the reader knowledge of an aspect such as the characters’ personalities through showing their exchanges with each other and how they interact with the environment.

Speaking of the characters, they were a very strong element of this novel. She does a good job of not only creating three-dimensional characters but also depicting how they change and evolve over the course of the narrative. The good guys were easy to love and the villains were fun to hate. I particularly liked the portrayal of the gods and goddesses and how Nadya interacts with them. I also really liked Serefin and how Duncan built his character (at this point, I’m fairly sure I just have a thing for bad boys). I found him to be a particularly interesting and complex character who captured my attention right from the start. My only complaint character-wise was the romance. To be fair, I am extremely hard to please when it comes to romance in novels and this was one I was just not sold on.

Duncan builds the world in which this story unfolds very well. Her descriptions are very vivid and detailed—they truly pull the reader in. She has a wonderful talent for writing. Her words flowed beautifully and easily carried me all the way through to the final page. Very lyrical and captivating, her words were so enjoyable to read. I absolutely loved the Russian and Polish influences in all aspects of this book. Duncan clearly put a huge amount of time and effort into incorporating these cultures into the creation of everything from the setting to the magic systems.

The magic was one of my absolute favorite parts of the plot. Nadya’s magic as a cleric particularly caught my attention. As I said early, I found it to be extremely unique as it was completely based around the gods and goddesses of the world in this novel. I loved learning about each of the gods and goddess and what sort of powers they each bestowed on Nadya. I did feel that she fell a bit into the “special-snowflake” category, but that did not bother me as much as it can in some stories. And though she was not as strong a lead as I hoped she would be, I still liked hearing her story. Overall, I quite enjoyed this novel. I am definitely interested enough to continue on with this series as the next installments come out.

Arc generously provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

  I wish I could say that I enjoyed Wicked Saints. It had every possible advantage; female MC who can literally speak to a whole pantheon of gods/goddesses, her patron saint of which is  the goddess of war and destruction, a badass Prince who really just wants to get drunk and chill, a mysterious deserter who questions MC’s beliefs, all things that should have made for a wonderful story. 

But it just wasn’t.

I seriously almost fell asleep while reading this, and I started at noon. 

I was intrigued by the “holy war” situation, thinking that this would be a great opportunity to break down internalized prejudices, learn that other people have value even though they don’t believe the same things you do, you know, just a general “we are all humans and arguing over religion is pretty pointless” thing. I thought that Nadya would start out with all this bigotry (which she does) and slowly learn better and evolve as a character (which she doesn’t). Even as she falls into a relationship (more on that in a minute), she continues to call these people heretics, and literally nothing ever sways her from her belief. I admit, she has a couple brief moments of doubt, but they are written off so quickly that it’s almost as if they never happened. And even when she does have a lingering doubt, her actions don’t reflect any meaningful change of heart. Even though she <spoiler> loses contact with the pantheon in Tranavia, she never even considers that maybe bringing the Veil down might be a bad idea? And that, I don’t know, maybe these gods/goddesses don’t actually have your best interests in mind? Also, her newfound powers did not have near enough value to the story. They were discovered, then used, then blended, and now I just don’t know what’s going on. </spoiler>

I found the writing extremely hard to follow, especially in certain action scenes, and one whole chapter was basically indecipherable. Some parts were fine, but others were just choppy, and I didn’t get a good enough explanation of what was going on to understand why the characters were reacting the way they did. 

As far as the characters go, here’s my breakdown:

Nadya- I hate her. She just never became all that likable, and the ease with which she just forgot about Kostya makes me extremely upset. She also never behaved in a way that made sense with the feelings she was having. Like, she would be thinking that *someone* is a heretic, and not to be trusted, but the next moment, they’re kissing?? Most of the time, she wasn’t doing anything useful, just pining and whining about boys. 

Serefin- Also, not a fan. Nadya never holds Serefin accountable for any of the horrible things that he has done, and I assume I’m supposed to just forget and love him anyway because of sucky parenting?? Sorry, that doesn’t cut it for me. 

Malachiasz- You know, in the beginning, I saw him as kind of a Rhysand from "A Court of Thorns and Roses". But the amount of times that we flip flopped from trusting him, not trusting him, trusting him again, was just exhausting, and it made me stop caring. I will admit to shipping him in between the boredom, but not with any real passion. 

Everyone Else- Anna, Ostyia, Kecper, Parijahan, Rashid, all of our side characters just. Didn’t. Make. An impression. I didn’t care about any of them. EXCEPT KOSTYA. And we don’t see him past the first few chapters. The pantheon of gods isn’t even that fully fleshed out. I feel like this was the rough outline of a decent sounding plot that never got past the spark note stage. 

Suffice it to say, I was extremely disappointed in "Wicked Saints". This was one of my most anticipated books of 2019, and now….I just need a nap to sleep off my frustration. Some people are comparing this to the Grishaverse, and in the multiple saints aspect, I suppose it is. They even have a Saint Alena, goddess of the sun, remind you of anyone?? But past that...it just doesn’t measure up.

As one of my most anticipated book on 2019, I had a sky high expectations for Wicked Saints. This book promises dark stories and blood, and it truly delivers. The magic is harsh and the world-building is rich; it sets in a world where the landscape is wide and the gods are blood thirsty creatures. However, the similarities made me uncomfortable. It doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoyed it; I did! Plus, the story is super intriguing and I can’t wait to see where it would go next!

I was approached with the incredible opportunity to participate in the Wicked Saints launch tour and since I’ve been anticipating the release of Wicked Saints since April 2018, I signed up. And a month or so later (time is a construct that I struggle with), I got news that I was one of the people selected to be part of the tour. Whoo! *In case that’s not clear enough, I received an ARC of Wicked Saints in exchange for a review and I’m participating in the blog tour portion of the book launch. As honoured as I am to be among these amazing bloggers participating, none of this influenced my rating or review of Wicked Saints.
Let me start off by saying that Wicked Saints is a roller coaster ride of emotions. You will love this book, you will shed tears because of this book, you will gasp and you will take deities’ names in vain, you will mourn and your heart will clench and break and there will be so many emotions ripping through you that you will suffer emotional whiplash and sit there for an actual hour after finishing the book, thinking to yourself “what am I supposed to do with my life now that it’s over? How will I survive until the next book comes out? Why did I have to read this?”
Before I lure you in with how much you should read this book, I want to get the content warning out of the way. Because this book has some triggering content and y’all need to take care of yourselves. If you have any issues whatsoever with self-harm, past or present or just get queasy at the idea of reading about mages whose magic is blood-sourced, I strongly caution you about reading Wicked Saints. I speak from experience when I say that it is hard to ignore the temptation when you see it in media and this book centres around mages who use their own blood for magic. Please, be careful in your reading if you choose to read Wicked Saints.
Ms Duncan brings to life a rich and bloody world that is brimming with bits of Eastern European beauty. I took a bit longer than usual reading this simply because I wanted to be exact in my pronunciations of names and I have, like, next to zero experience with Slavic languages. I know maybe two words in Ukrainian and three in Russian and I learned them through osmosis. Consequently, I was refreshingly challenged with Wicked Saints. I knew very little about the language or how closely enmeshed religion is with everything. I got to have a little enlightenment with my entertainment, which I always welcome.
What we need to know first off is that Wicked Saints takes place amid a century-long holy war between Nadya’s country of Kalyazin and Serefin and Malachiasz’s country of Tranavia. Tranavia no longer worships the gods and practises bloodmagic which isn’t okay to Kalyazin or the edicts of their pantheon of deities. The Tranavians wanted to ‘eradicate’ the gods from Kalyazin like they had from their own country and the Kalyazi wanted to bring the gods back to the ‘lost’ Tranavians and stop the profaning of their deities (the practise of blood magic).
Wicked Saints has three principal characters. Nadezhda Lapteva, or Nadya, is a cleric residing at a secluded mountain monastery. The priests and priestesses of the monastery are trained in battle, but in the event of an actual battle, Nadya was to be protected at all costs. Because she could speak with the gods and work their magic. Serefin Meleski, the Tranavian High Prince and a powerful blood mage. Serefin has so much going on, as is the per usual with royals, I feel like somebody *cough* Ostiya *cough* needs to be there for him 24/7 to have his back because dude. I worry for his liver and I also want to hug him and bundle him up in a handknit afghan and give him some tea, dude needs some TLC in the worst way. Serefin rose to the rank of general, six months after going to battle at sixteen because his father sent him to the front and his mum is too worried about her ownself to worry about her son. Serefin’s hard and untrusting and scary and hurting and terrifyingly cruel and he is so tired of fighting, and, oh yeah, his battalion (is that the word?) just invaded Nadya’s monastery. And finally, Malachiasz Czechowicz is a Tranavian deserter and not just any deserter, but a Vulture. Malachiasz showed so much promise as a bloodmage that he was sent to become one of the elite Vultures who are sect of Tranavians with a grotesque amount of power and this guy defected. Malachiasz is wandering Kalyazin with his two Akolan companions, when they encounter Nadya fleeing the monastery battle. And the fate of their countries lie in their hands. 
Wicked Saints switches POVs between Serefin and Nadezhda throughout the story but is told primarily from Nadya’s view. Normally POV changes bother me because the transitions are so haphazard within chapters and the characters aren’t very distinguishable from each other. But not so with Ms Duncan. The transitions are well-timed and each chapter is labelled with the character whose POV it’s written in. That is so thoughtful! Ms Duncan pulls off differing POVs beautifully. Nadya’s POV and Serefin’s POV have vastly different ‘voices’, you won’t mistake whose POV you’re reading.
I enjoyed the interactions between Nadya and Malachiasz, there were the Kalyazi-Tranavian vibes where they butt heads over their beliefs but there’s also the friendship that slowly forms between them and the slow sparks that start showing up along the way. And then, you toss in their magics melding and working together as the book progresses and I squee. I don’t care if squee isn’t a word. It’s there. The end.
I sped through Wicked Saints because I had to know what was next in store for our principal triad and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. There was torture and there were battles and court deceptions and a betrothal battle because that’s a Tranavian custom that I am totally here for and there is a library that I would sacrifice my nephew for (the problem child one, he’d understand, he’s a bookworm), and a cathedral and I love cathedrals so much. They’re pretty and they’re spooky in the dark, okay? Anyways my heart was all over this book and I need to get my hands on the next book, like, yesterday because this is a trilogy and you cannot leave me like you did. I have feelings, y’know!
I’m not going to lie. None of these characters are going to be nominated for the Humanitarian of the Year or anything, but I’m going to fangirl over Nadya and Malachiasz and Serefin because they were written as flawed and they’re gritty and they are so fed up with the status quo and something has to change and they each have the ability to do something so why not try? Also, I was curious so I went and found out that ‘Nadezhda’ means hope. Excuse the tears but I am having emotions and I cannot control the feelings. NADEZHDA MEANS HOPE.
I’m giving Wicked Saints 5 stars because I loved this book so much and it tore me apart, glued all of my pieces back together, and I still asked for more at the end. I have so much more to say on this book but I’m closing in on the 1500 mark and I am not writing an essay on this book, dang it! I want to thank Meghan H. from Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Press who decided to include me in the bloggers approached about participating in the Wicked Saints launch tour, I’m truly over-the-moon ecstatic and honoured to have been included in this endeavour. I hope I’ve done justice to it.

This has already been posted to Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2374873309

I honestly am not sure what to rate this book.  While I thought that the premise was initially unique, I didn't end up connecting to the story line and the characters like I had wanted to at all.  Unfortunately in the end, Wicked Saints didn't work for me.

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan was a dark, magical ride that I enjoyed every minute of. Duncan took well-loved tropes and flipped them on their heads in refreshing and fun ways that made me love the characters, particularly the main three: Nadya, the “uptight” (with reason) girl who didn’t need a sword to be badass; Malachiasz, the dark and broody love interest with more under the surface; and Serefin, the sad, tired, and drunk boy who needs a nap and a hug.

I loved how ominous the atmosphere felt, and how it was balanced out with lust and humor, so the story wasn’t oversaturated with the darkness.

The magic systems were unique and interesting. I loved that Nadya was working with a different magic than Serefin and Malachiasz.

Each character had a slightly different morally gray point of view, and no one was made into more of a villain than the other. The contrasting opinions were handled very sensitively, while making the characters behind the opinions real, endearing, and people we could root for, even if we didn’t agree.

I enjoyed that Nadya’s character arc focused on questioning her faith and losing faith in the magic she’s known all her life. It made for a complex character considering she’s essentially been a vessel for the gods for as long as she can remember.

I highly recommend this soon-to-be staple in young adult fantasy.