I found it difficult to track all the strands running through this story. I am still trying to decipher the reason Tranavia rejected the gods the exact role the gods play in magic and why they want to return to Tranavia. At times the story was purely about magic & what I assume was the battle between good and evil and then bam, there was a romance angle thrown in. I can see students enjoying this book and would recommend it to fans of fantasy and dystopian fiction, but personally it is not a book I would have completed if I had not volunteered to read it on Net Galley.

This book is so original and pulls you in from the very beginning. This seemingly Russian-inspired world is fully realized, including a fully develop religion (I loved the text excerpts included at the beginning of each chapter. All of the characters are multi-faceted and go through some kind of growth arc throughout the novel. The romance is believable and will have readers clamoring for the next installment. I absolutely loved this title and can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.

This was super dark and super magical but also I was highly confused during the ending. I'm grateful to Wednesday Books for granting me an early copy of this book. I do think that the comparisons to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo were fair and I will be recommending this to people who say they like that series. I also like the different setting (Polish and Russia inspired fantasy) because it's not often something I've found in the genre.

I'll be recommending this to people in the future!

Ha ha ha ha..... I have been destroyed by a book. It's happened, I'm done.

So anyway,

IT WAS AMAZING. Gods, saints, magic, theological debates, sexual tension, adventure, war............ Like, a YA version of the Iliad, but Slavic. Ya girl is Slavic, so, you know, I LOOOOOOVE the representation. Can we talk about the plot? Ok, we can't, because I'll have to spoiler, so let's just say, one place is being attacked by another place, when the main girl Nadya (In this house we love and respect her bc she is a great YA heroine who is real and has feelings. AKA my fave type. Similar to Jude from The Cruel Prince, but less angry...ish) goes on the run, and shacks up with three other randoms. Two are from an Arabian/Indian style place, and the third is sex god, and yeah. They decide to go and infiltrate and enact a mission in the place at war with them, and shit goes Downnnnnnnnnnn. Read it. That's all I'm saying.

Wicked Saints is an epic new experience that's brutal and heartbreaking as much as it is divine and swoonworthy. (You will come to know the name Malachiasz on a spiritual level. Before too long that name will just roll off the tongue. Trust.) Packed with intrigue, religion, magic, gut punches, revelations, and an epilogue that will break and make you - if you're into that sort of thing (yes, please!). Do what needs to be done to prepare now because Y'ALL - welcome to your newest obsession!

Lately I've seen a lot of religious centric conflucts played out in fantasy - understandable since SFF reflects the time it's written in - but generally I'm not a fan because most authors only really give you one side. Wicked Saints is different with it's magic system and Byzanyine type churches, and where the MCs evocation of the gods leads to her character growing and adapting. Tjis was a dark, gritty and enjoable fantasy. My one complaint is that the paced sagged a bit in the middle. Otherwise I highly reccommend it.

3 1/2 stars - I did round up. After some debate, I settled mostly on this rating because while I loved some parts of this book, I felt that the pacing was rather slow at the start. Nadya is a Kalyazi cleric, who is gifted with the ability to communicate and channel the powers of ancient gods, including the fearsome and vicious Marzenya. However her homeland and the ordering country, Tranavia, are in the throes of a bloodthirsty war; that partly stems from differences in religion. The Tranavians have forsaken the gods and wield blood magic against the Kalyazi people. At the forefront is Prince Serefin, who is tasked with tracking Nadya, and is known to be a gifted blood mage.

At the start of the novel, Nadya is forced to flee the monastery when Serefin attacks and she suddenly finds herself in the company of a mysterious man named Malachiasz. He convinces her to assist in assassinating the Tranavian king and helping to end the war. Lead by her god-given talents, Nadya accepts and embarks on a journey into the heart of the Tranavian kingdom, where she encounters the prince and the savage Vultures, a cult of blood mages, who are nothing more than monsters, and answers to no one but their own king. As she ventures deeper and deeper into Tranavia, Nadya soon learns that cannot trust anyone and that some monsters pretend to be allies.

Now, I really loved the atmosphere that Duncan created with her byzantine-like churches, a war fueled by religious differences, and Nadya's doubt in her own gods. Religion was integral to the story and not a fancy superfluous detail. Instead, it took on a life of its own and I liked how Nadya's faith played a role in the story. At first, I did not like the interactions between Nadya and her various gods, but eventually, it served an important role in developing Nadya as a character, as well as, her own power. Furthermore, Duncan raises some important questions about the gods in her universe, and how these beings may not be what culture has made them out to be. She hints that these being's intentions may be rather nefarious with the introduction of Velyos and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next sequel. So overall, I really loved these details and felt that it was rather unique to the young adult genre.

(There are spoilers up ahead!) However, I would like to talk a little bit about why I chose to give the book only 3 1/2 stars. The book starts off with a bang quite literally since Serefin breaks into the monastery and attempts to take Nadya. For me, the book started off at an action-packed pace and then slowed down until Nadya and Malachiasz went to the Tranavian court. I loved this section detailing the Rawalyk and I am a little sad that we didn't see more of it. Additionally, we finally saw Serefin and Nadya interact, which was more interesting than Nadya's interest in Malachiasz in my opinion. We know from the perspectives presented and even the cultural differences between the two, that Serefin and Nadya are the most important characters. Therefore, I felt that Nadya running around in the woods with Malachiasz was mostly filler. It was also tedious because I am exasperated with storylines where the female character constantly thinks about how she can't be attracted to the dubious male character and honestly, Nadya is better than that.

I did raise my rating to the half point because there is a lot of interesting dynamics and environments created within this book. I am also keen to see where the narrative goes especially with the ending and Serefin's newfound friends: the moths, as well as, the relationship that will continue to develop between Nadya and Serefin in the next book. Therefore, I think this series is worth the read because it is filled with important questions about religion and creates characters, who will set out on their own paths, and find these difficult answers.

I don't usually read fantasy but I really enjoyed this and the way it was written. I don't think it's something I would look to read everyday, or even again, but it was readable enough that even though it's not my preferred genre it didn't feel heavy.

Just what I needed! Duncan has built a world that I need more of. Shades of Bardugo, Wicked Saints blends the mystical elements of fractured religions, countries at war, and the unlikely companions that must unite to survive. I will need merch, fan sites, and hopefully the promise of more books set in this world!

Wow..oh wow! Wicked Saints definatly lives up to it's title. It is a dark, gritty, fantasy novel that will take you into a magical world of Gods and monsters. It is the author's debut and she rocks this book! I am a huge fan of Holly Black and this series it right up there with her amazing writing. Emily A. Duncan has a darkly, delicious young adult novel that will appeal to adults as well. It is hard to put down and now I have to wait for the next one!

This is a fast paced novel set in a well crafted strange, dark, goth magic universe.
While I had some initial misgivings they were quickly (very quickly) swept away and I found myself heavily invested in the beautifully dark world Emily A. Duncan has created. I will note straight up that there are themes and scenes that need a trigger warning, most notably those of self harm. The book is told through the differing perspectives of Nadya and Serefin and I found that while I liked spending time with Serefin I enjoyed Nadya's chapters much more.
The relationship between Nadya and Malachaisz had me feeling both annoyed at the cliche 'good' girl, shitty bad boy thing but also falling for him and shipping them hard (I guess they are cliche for a reason!).
The fast pace, unique world/magic combined with likeable characters (even the shitty ones have some redeeming or charismatic quality) will make this an instant hit........in fact I can already see the movie adaptation.
Now if only I didn't have to wait so long for the sequel!

This book was incredible! I read it in one sitting, the story is amazing. I loved that this could have been a stand alone but is part of a series. It's great to see so many plots tied up in book one, it gives the rest of the series room to breathe and grow.

I've been anticipating this one for such a long time and I'm so happy it didn't disappoint in the slightest. It's dark and full of banter, theological discussion, and (mostly/probably) bad decisions. It made me laugh, made me scream, and made me hold it to my chest multiple times. I loved the characters and their complicated relationships. There are MULTIPLE "are they gonna kill each other or kiss" moments, which every book should always have, in my opinion. I've yelled about this to so many people already and I'm gonna keep yelling til I get the sequels (which is gonna be a while; I read this way too soon) and long after. There's a lot of action so the plot is super interesting, but it's the characters that really make this a favorite. I definitely recommend for fans of the Grishaverse.

TW: self harm, LOTS of blood, body horror, and parental abuse.

GUYS. GUYS. This is so good, oh man. I can’t wait to see the finished cover and preorder like 10 copies because it’s such an enthralling, dark, and gritty fantasy. I LOVED IT.

I’ve had the pleasure of being able to get my hands on an early copy of this book and let me just say that I wasn’t disappointed one bit. First, I just want to say that I had been hearing whispers about this book for what seemed like forever. I quickly found Emily Duncan and followed her on every social media page she had because I was completely in love with the idea of her book. As she started releasing little ‘sneak peaks’ about her characters and all the fanart started pouring in, I couldn’t help but having high expectations for this book. She met all of them and even more.

Wicked Saints is the kind of book that I’m glad I waited for, but at the same time I wish I would have gotten my hands on this years ago. The setting of this book has everything I love. Gods, blood magic, flawed characters, and that one character I would die for. I already knew some things about these characters just from following the author. ( I stalked her twitter people. Every time she posted, I fangirled) Of course while I thought I knew how this book was going to go, I was completely blown away once I actually started reading it. It was better than I hoped for. From the little snippets I thought I was going to be a total fan of Malachiasz and don’t get me wrong, I am. But Serefin is the reason why I live and breath.

This book is told in two different points of view. Jumping back and forth between Nadya and Serefin. It’s really interesting to see how these two characters who come from different worlds go about their journey. This book was beautifully dark and I honestly can’t wait for it to officially come out so i can own a physical copy of it. I honestly believe it should be on everyone's list of books to read. Magic, gods, and monsters. What more could a person ask for?

Prepare yourselves. WICKED SAINTS is a marvel of a debut that sinks its claws into you from the first page and continues to latch on long after finishing. It’s a book that draws blood, makes you fall in love with monsters in all their forms, and relish moral complexities. It’s a book for everyone that loves their fantasy narratives sharp, a little (well, okay, maybe very) bloody, and intricately layered as much as its characters. This is the spiritual successor to Leigh Bardugo and Holly Black that I have waited years for.