This book had such an interesting magic system. The world-building was compelling, though there were definitely moments in the first few chapters where I could tell that the information being dumped was important, but i didn't have the context to make sense of it. I loved that Aya was a female spy master and unapologetically prickly. As often happens when the trope is named this was decidedly not enemies to lovers. I will admit i love this trope and it's rarely done well so this might be specific to me. They're literally allies from the beginning. It's clear from the start that they are rivals. The hatred was sold too hard. We don't need to know she hates him in every scene when her justifiable dislike is explained from very early on and while Aya is constantly talking about her need for temperance, she lets her anger cloud her mind way too often to be believable. If she's around him every day I just don't find it likely that she'd feel that constantly enraged. The romance was okay. I liked that we got Will's POV but he ended up being a more dynamic character than Aya the entire second half of the book. I was a little disappointed by that. All in all, it was an entertaining book and I will continue on to read book two. Thank you netgalley for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting fantasy book and I really loved Aya. The system of magic was different and I look forward to learning more about it and how Aya’s powers will grow and if she will use them for the betterment of her world or the worse. I cannot wait for the next installment and I hope Aya and Will get happy ending.

I really enjoyed this angsty, rivals-to-lovers slowburn fantasy romance novel. I liked the character dynamics, rather than the characters on their own. I think they really shined when they worked as a team. I found the pacing to be a bit off, the first half really gripping and then slowing down towards the middle. The ending was surprising and interesting, and overall I'm interested in seeing where the rest of the series goes!

Overall I enjoyed this book. The first bit did feel like a bit too much info dumping however you can tell how much research went into this world. I really enjoyed the first half of this book but it did drag a bit at the 2nd half. Overall this was a fun enjoyable read

Well, that was real rough overall. Started interesting, but unfortunately ended up real stale for me in the end.

<b>Pacing:</b>
The first ~20% was a whole lotta exposition and info-dumping. It's clear that the author has thought a fair amount about the religion and history and magic in the world. But it's not delivered in an organic way or at a pace that makes the details matter and become memorable.

The next ~30% was a lot of relationship building and setting up the major plot point in Aya's story.
From ~50-75% they were mostly in a different location (and introducing a potential love rival for Will).

The next ~10% was then a lot of stops and starts, undoing all the relationship and dynamics we spent the rest of the novel working on, miscommunication to unbuild the recently achieved progress, lather rinse repeat.

<b>Miscommunication:</b>
Given the Romantasy vibes and how much Will is built up to be the only possible love interest but also her enemy, <i>of course</i> all of the animosity would be built on miscommunication. And the trust feels so shaky because of it.

<b>Romance:</b>
And that really makes the romance feel very unrealistic to me. We don't see Will's feelings' progression, even though several chapters are from his POV (I think the author forgot he could be a POV part way through). And Aya's feelings go from 0 to 60 to 0 to 60 and it honestly gives me whiplash. As soon as attraction is felt, her feelings go straight to soulmates with no in-between.

Oh god, and even when they're "enemies" he constantly calls her "Aya love" and I hate it so much. Especially since the MC has no reaction to it at any point (either railing against it when they're enemies, or melting into it when they're lovers). Super blech for me.

<b>Politics:</b>
The politics are not the focus, but are necessary to the ~plot so they pop up from time to time. But they seem out of place, especially since it's not built slowly and organically so characters just have to constantly explain what's happening and its significance to the MC.

<b>Main POV:</b>
As much as Aya is supposed to be a plotter and gatherer of secrets... she's a real dummy.

She has trouble seeing things right in front of her face, often jumps to the wrong conclusions, is rooted in a childhood trauma (and unable to see that she's not responsible even though she's a full adult in her 20s), is easily misdirected, and just all around isn't able to impart a lot of clever observations or critical thinking.

<b>Overall:</b>
I'm not a Romantasy lover and books like this are why. I desperately want a plot and world-building, but too much of the focus is on the romance and it's not a romance that I can buy.

<b>Audiobook Notes:</b>
I quite liked the voice the narrator did for Will during the first half or so of the book. But I think the narrator's vocal quality shifted after they changed locations to the other kingdom. At first it was just a differentiation of the other potential love interest. Then Will's voice started to sound a lot like the prince's. And then all of the narration apart from Aya's dialogue started to sound more and more like that voice. Since the affectation was rather nasally and grating for me, I wasn't a fan of the shift and I'm not sure what caused it apart from possibly recording over multiple different days? Or with a cold?

A Curse of Saints was an enjoyable read.

The world was interesting and I liked that we got to see two very different countries as the story continue. I found the magic system intriguing and appreciated learning more about that as the narrative progressed.

The different POV characters gave us an insight into what we did and didn’t know, however I did find that there were times I would have preferred something to just be stated rather than hinted it. Similarly, while I wouldn’t say the relationships progressed unrealistically fast, a lot of their closeness did seem to develop off page and I kept having to remind myself that more time had passed than I was probably assuming.

I enjoyed the audiobook and thought the narrator did a good job of immersing me in the story.

Overall, I really liked the concept of A Curse of Saints and I may continue the series in the future.

The Curse of Saints is a new fantasy romance full of political intrigue and magic. I really enjoyed the first half of this story and the world building, however it began to drag for me about halfway through the book. Having ready many other works in this genre recently, this one didn’t have enough to stand out from the crowd in my personal opinion.

I also had some questions about logistics of the plot that didn’t quite make sense to me and took me out of the story a bit.

If you’re looking for an aged up version of Shadow and Bone, I do recommend this as I felt that it had many elements that were very similar to that series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this ALC.

Thank you Dreamscape Media, NetGalley, and Kate Dramis for the delightful audiobook advance readers copy of The Curse of Saints. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the narrator, Devon Sorvari was a joy to listen to and did a wonderful job of making everyone have their own voice. I admire that greatly in a good audiobook. This story is so richly layered and detailed that it makes me feel like I could have just stepped into the story. So many times I felt that this book is going to be an epic as Jay Kristoff’s Nevernight. If you love his books you will definitely love Curse of Saints. Can’t wait for the next book 🥰

The world building, history and magic system were absolutely brilliant, you can tell the author worked really hard on it. The political intrigues and magic system were so interesting and I was surprised more than once by the plot twists. It reminded me a bit of shadow and bone but done so much better in my opinion. I also loved how all the characters weren't completely black or white, you didn't really know who you could trust and that made the whole reading process so much more exciting.

Now, here comes what bothered me: this was almost exclusively promoted as an enemies to lovers fantasy, but the truth is, we barely had any romance until the last 100 pages. Now I'm not someone who absolutely needs romance to enjoy a book, I LOVE fantasy and political intrigues and could completely love a story that focuses on those only.

However, when you go into a story expecting one thing (again because that's how it was promoted) and then get something different, it is a bit annoying. What I got was the romance really being a subplot, like maybe 5% of the book and it was frustrating because truly there was time for more romantic scenes. I honestly found a big part of the book a bit slow, from around page 100 to page 240 because it felt like nothing much happened? Then the last like 100 pages were amazing but yeah I wish we had seen a bit more romantic moments before that.

I don't know if I can say that the plot and the political intrigues overshadowed the romance, but I feel like it came to a point where I don't even think the romance was necessary. It arrived at the very end and the two characters could have just forgotten their hatred and become best friends and it wouldn't have changed anything to the plot.

I also wasn't convinced by the whole enemies to lovers thing because the characters are supposed to be allies; they work together and have to protect the kingdom together, and besides some little stuff that happened in their childhoods, they didn't really have a valid reason to hate each other. I saw them as rivals who didn't really like each other (at least from Aya's pov) but they are supposed to be be working together for years now so..... I also didn't really feel any chemistry between them besides Aya saying that Will had "a darkness that answered to her own" and Will calling her "Aya, Love."

Then at the end we get Will's pov explaining why he had to pretend to be mean and blabla but that he had always wanted to be with her deep down and I'm just like... you didn't even know her? She hated you and never really talked to you so like what do you mean "you've wanted to be with her forever but accepted it wouldn't happen"??

I also had some issues with the character of Aya. I felt like she lacked personality, like she only did what a main character would do without having her own personal touch to it. Like besides hating Will and being confused about her powers, what did she do? Also she was supposed to be a spy but, we never really saw her work besides the first 30 pages? She was just a guest wearing pretty dresses and performing her magic but that was it. I believe Will even gives her info on the kingdom they are visiting and I'm like, aren't you supposed to know that? That's your job??

I also felt like sometimes the book suffered from too much telling but not enough showing. For example, there is a point where Aya has to travel somewhere to find some people, and during the whole book everyone talks about how dangerous, long and complicated the journey is. Then she got through the whole thing in like 10 pages and when she comes back home there is this character saying "no one usually survive this" and I was like... again she did it in less than ten pages but okay lol.

This all probably sounds like I didn't like the book but I truly did!! It's a really good debut novel, I loved following the author's journey and I'm so happy her book is getting published. It's just that, like I said, I've been waiting for this book for a while and had certain expectations. I guess it's just easier to sell an enemies to lovers book so that's what most of the promo focused on. I will probably re-read it when it comes out and this little feeling of disappointment has washed away and I'm sure I will love it for exactly what it is.

I will definitely read book 2 (after that epilogue, you bet!!), I'm dying to know more about the universe and the mythologie, and I can not wait to get a physical copy once it comes out <3

I feel a bit of disappointment in this title. It seemed like anything fresh in it was eschewed in favor of focusing on tropes. I know a lot of people live for a good trope, and I am not always against them, this just had potential that was ignored to build them up, and it made me frustrated. I had a hard time getting into the storyline because so much revolved around The Chosen One Prophecy and the Enemies to Lover/reverse harem triangle. This was maybe not entirely for me (I am not anti-romance but I like when it is more woven into plot), so I am trying to rate this based on what I think of it for people that it is for. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks

3.5/5 stars

The Curse of the Saints is such good and interesting start to this new series about Aya, the Queen’s spy, whose sudden power surge is like nothing that has been seen in recent centuries. On a quest for answers and to learn more about her powers, Aya must work along side Will, the Queen's second and Aya's rival, to find answers, all while questioning who she can really trust.

I really enjoyed this permis of the book and the magic. I also really liked the characters, particularly Will and Aya. I did however find that the plot and some details hard to follow, and that certain things were introduced briefly and never fully explored (what is up with the he wolves!?), but overall it was a good introduction to introduction to the series am I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!

Thank you NetGalley and to Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

typical fantasy novel and the narrator can only save it so much

there wasn’t too much depth or character arcs/plot to develop and that was highly disappointing

A world of magic, realms, kingdoms and Queens in command. Revolving around our protagonist Aya, manifesting strange abilities in stranger times. When no one can be trusted and each person is playing for their own benefit, Aya has to make a wise call and save this damned world from others and herself.

A high fantasy book that got me gripped because of those magical elements. It's been a while since I read a female protagonist who wasn't acting like a damsel in distress. Her strong character traits were impressionable. Though I am still looking out for some answers, around an ability to work in such a way (the healing parts), I am hoping them to be resolved in the coming parts - as this is a series. The good part, however, is that it does not end on a cliffhanger.

Thank you @netgalley @katedramis and @dreamscape_media for the digital ARC

Genre: #fantasy #romantasy
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

audio-arc provided by Netgalley

I enjoyed this, it did feel a bit long in parts but the enemies (were they really enemies or rivals?) to lovers really did it for me. Overall I liked this but I do think that it doesn't need a sequel it could have been great without the epilogue.

Thanks NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book.

Unfortunately, this fell really flat for me. It relied heavily on (beloved) tropes, love triangle, chosen one, good v evil power, enemies to lovers…. I just absolutely could not get into the characters. They seemed flat with little in the way of redeeming characteristics. At no point did I understand WHY anyone acted the way they did - it all felt really one dimensional.

. The plot also felt contrived and overly simplistic. To me this almost read as an AI spit out of common themes and tropes with small tweaks made. I really wanted to like it but it just did not hit the spot.

Another Fairyloot offering that really hit that fantasy romance sweet spot for me. At the heart of this book is an enemies to lovers story but it doesn't take over the political maneuvers or the magic at work here. I really enjoyed the characters. Even the side characters were great. I think that's why I enjoy fantasy romance so much because in order for the romance to be believable, you must delve into the characters. I am not a character driven reader for the simple fact that I don't care about the mundane actions that go along with it but for a romance there is so much emotion to sift through to get through to the heart of a character's story.

Now, for the plot, this book was fantastic. I enjoyed the twists and turns it took as motivations were revealed. There were a few I didn't see coming.

The only reason I'm holding back on a five star is that the writing style wasn't my favorite. It wasn't bad by any means but also pretty cut and dry. I do prefer a more eloquent writing style and I do feel like if it had that, this book would be a favorite as I couldn't seem to put it down.

The Curse of the Saints is a perfect read for the fans of ACOTAR – except with wolves instead of fae. An enemies to lovers tale thrown into a world built with care, dark magic, gods, goddesses, and royal court to boot checks all the boxes for a good fantasy romance, but the real superstar here is the narrator: Devon Sorvari.
She made this a fun listen and is the only reason I didn’t DNF the book. I will definitely seek out more of her narrations.

Don’t get me wrong, like I said, it is perfect for fans of ACOTAR, but I just couldn’t become vested in the characters’ quest. Also, it didn’t feel original, almost like Dramis pulled the plot and even some of the details straight from ACOTAR. It was obviously a huge influence in the writing of The Curse of the Saints.
Will I recommend it to others – maybe, for a select demographic of readers. Will I read the next chapter in the series? Probably not.

Thank you Netalley and to Dreamscape Media for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

As Spymaster to the Queen, Aya's blood oath ensures she protects those she fights alongside - including Will, the Queen's Enforcer, and Aya's bitter rival.

When rumors of dark magic rise in a nearby kingdom, both are sent to investigate.

But when Aya's power acts beyond her gods-given affinity, she risks being turned into a weapon in a war she doesn't know how to win.

I really enjoyed this book! It's a great start to a new series and I am excited to see where this goes. There were some issues. A few times it felt info-dumpy, and in the middle, there were a lot of characters to keep up with but I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters. I also enjoy a book that is heavy on politics.

I can't wait to read more from this author and more in this series

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! The worldbuilding was interesting and I liked that the magic system had its drawbacks. The characters were well developed, and I especially loved Wills journey and how other characters saw him. The narrators voice was really nice and she made it easy to follow the plot.

Can't wait for the sequel!

"No matter how far the fall."

Aya is a spy for the queen. She shares an antagonistic relationship with her colleague, Will, whose every breath annoys her, and who she is sworn to protect via her blood oath to the queen. They are both gifted with power from the gods, and pledged to protect their kingdom, but now a dark power is surfacing, and strange things are happening with Aya's own gift.

I really liked the character development in this story. Aya is so stubborn and caught up in her own demons that she fails to see that others may have them too. Will is a swaggering pot-stirrer, but it may be all for show. As the story progressed, I enjoyed the slow burn enemies to lovers that was clearly going on, but the lack of trust kept them apart for so long. The plot was well written and I am so keen for the next book after that teaser of an epilogue!

Fans of Sarah J Mass and Lynette Noni would like this one.