*light spoilers*
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing me with a digital arc of this book!

The Curse of Sins is book two in Kate Dramis' dynamic fantasy trilogy. It follows Aya, the Queen's second-hand warrior, and Aiden, who has just been coronated as King in a neighboring land. Following the first book's events, Aya and Will return to a land where they mistrust their queen, but someone close to them seems to be feeding her secrets. Aiden is grappling with his new position as King, especially in light of his uncle's treason and all of the people that he has harmed. Aya's and Aiden's paths cross again as war wages, but the stakes are higher than ever.

Going into this book, I expected not to enjoy it. I don't remember particularly loving Curse of Saints, and I know sophomore slump is real with most series. But this book came at me hard and really surprised me. I ended up listening to the last 3oo pages of the audiobook in one day because I was so invested. When it was over, I found myself craving it, which is always a sign of a great book.

That being said, I had a few gripes with this book. First of all, the readers were not told enough information from book one to follow what was happening in book two. I read the first book over 5o books ago, so it was really hard for me to remember where exactly we left off and the specifics of their situation, and the author didn't do a great job recalling that for the reader. I was also in a strange position where I felt the book could be 100-200 pages shorter, but the ending was rushed. The reader didn't get to properly enjoy Will's reaction at the very end when he discovered Aya was missing. I wanted anguish. I wanted my heart to be torn out of my chest. And all I got was one sentence and then the end of the book.

I don't know if I can even fully express what it was I loved about this book. Like I said, it sort of snuck up on me! I thought it was so much better than the first (and several other popular Romantasy series) in building a heavy fantasy world. I love how Visya can bond with an animal and that we learned more about Evie through Aya's experience as a Saint. I thought the romance was very well done, and the tension between Will and Aya was simply unmatched as they had to pretend nothing had changed in their relationship. I also love the trope of powerful evil woman, what can I say. Gianna's character made my blood boil, but I'm also in love with her?

All that I know is that this book had me cursing myself for reading the arc instead of waiting for the third book to be ready. One year is simply too much time to wait, and I will not stand for it. 5/5 stars.

Such a great follow up to the first book! I love these characters so much.
The author has learned how to lure readers in and keep us wanting more.

I love this series so much and this book was so easy for me to get into. I flew through it. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing and the world was amazing.

OMG, Dramis is a master storyweaver and worldbuilder. I cannot recommend this second installment enough.

I was so excited to get the second book, but it felt flat, I had the impression we were going into a circle. Nothing was really happening at first and I got bored with the relationship. The chemistry wasn’t working it felt force and I just couldn’t find in me to give more than 3 stars

This was a good second book in this series. I will say I feel like it could have been a bit shorter and packed a stronger punch. Nothing really happened until the last 1/3 I feel like.

Perhaps my biggest complaint of all is the overuse of muttered and drawled. I hope for book three the editors can use a thesaurus. For example when Will is telling Aya he loves her, WHY is he muttering?! The dictionary definition is that it’s in dissatisfaction or irritation and I don’t think that’s the intended context. Not only is it used at weird times, it’s overused, as is drawled. It got to the point it started to pull me out of the story. Please please fix this for book three! This story will be so much stronger with simple grammar changes.

Besides that, I really enjoyed this story. The cliffhanger is insane and I cannot wait to read the third book. I really love Anya and Will. Also Aidon is becoming an absolute favorite for me, and I love that we got some of his POV.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 🌶️ 🌶️

I knew Kate was going to grab me, pull me in, throw my emotions around like a rag doll, leave me wanting more; and she did! And then some! And I still loved this book and the journey she took me on. And I will still devour book 3 when it comes out because that ending?! That ending?! It is on par with “Where is my wife?!”!!!!! I cried, laughed, screamed (almost threw my book), but Kate’s sophomore novel delivered everything I was hoping for.

I have adored Will and Aya since first seeing teasers on Kate’s page. Will is an underrated book boyfriend that is up on my list with certain High Lords and hawk shifting faes. These two and their dynamic throughout the book just kept me reading page after page; determined to see what happened next before having to put the book down.

The character development and world building is on a whole other level with Kate! This is something she has always done beautifully. She has a way with words that just reels you into the pages; allowing you to get lost in her world, forgetting you are reading. She is also the queen of enemies to lovers in my book! What started out as ruthless, “I will kill you one day” is one of my favorite relationships ever!!! I will never have enough of Will and Aya.

The way these two feel for each other oozes off the pages and lives rent free in my head all the time! This is a series that I will always love and am so excited to see what happens next. You feel everything while reading this book and it leaves you scared for the next book, but needing the next book asap!

As always review trigger warnings before reading.

Tropes:
🔥Morally Grey MMC
⚔️Unique Magic System
🔥Bonded Wolves
⚔️Royal Courts
🔥Multiple POV
⚔️Power Grabs
🔥Twists You Never See Coming

✨ Publication date: June 25, 2024✨

The Curse of Sins is the second book in the Curse of Saints series by Kate Dramis. This book picks up directly after the first one.

Will and Aya are returning home to the Queen and the Kingdom they left behind. With war on the doorstep and everyone depending on Aya after being revealed as the Second Saint, they need to be discreet about their budding relationship.

As they immerse themselves back into court life, Aya and Will are constantly separated. Will is tasked with a variety of unspeakable tasks by the Queen while Aya is removed from all things war and protection and forced to study with the priestesses in an attempt to discover how her power will save the kingdom.

Things aren’t quite right though. Aya’s best friend is cold towards her and seems to have large gaps in her memory. As Will and Aya begin to suspect the Queen of tempting the gods and purposely bringing the war, she sends Will to assist one of their allies under attack.

When Will is presumed dead, Aya refuses to give up and puts together a band of misfits to join her in her search for Will. She must locate Will hopefully alive and then work together worth their friends to save their kingdom.

I really like this second book! Loved the development of Will and Aya’s relationship and further details on how the magic system works. This book ended on a cliffhanger so I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next one. This is a 4.5 rounded to 5 stars for me.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #katedramis #thecurseofsins

In this captivating sequel, Aya, the prophesied savior of the realm, returns home with her once-sworn enemy, Will. Their queen’s intentions remain suspect, and dark magic threatens all. As secrets and lies unravel, Aya questions whether the gods truly want her to save the realm or merely watch it burn. 🌟
If you enjoyed the first book, “The Curse of Saints,” you’ll find this emotional tale of love, betrayal, and sacrifice equally compelling! 😊📖

I'm obsessed with Aya and Will! I received book one from Fairyloot, and I'm so glad I was able to receive this Netgalley e-ARC because the plot is really good! This book was thicker than the first one, and some scenes were longer than necessary, but overall a great story!

I really, really enjoyed The Curse of Saints! The characters, the world, etc.

The Curse of Sins was also quite enjoyable, but it did feel unnecessarily long. There were definitely parts that dragged, and it could probably have been 200 pages shorter.

There was a cliffhanger ending, so I definitely want to read book 3, but I am hoping its not too much longer.

Great follow up book. I absolutely love this series it’s so unique and different! I would recommend this to all fantasy lovers out there!

This was an excellent follow up to Curse of Saints. The beginning was a bit slow, but once it picked up the were lots of twists and turns that were very satisfying. The continued character development kept me invested and got me through the slow parts.

It might have taken me a while to get into this story but once I did, there was no putting it down.
I really enjoyed this sequel. It was interesting with good characters. The writing was done well, too.
If you enjoy this genre, then I’d suggest you read it.

I have been waiting for this sequel anxiously since I finished the first book and boy did it deliver on all the things I wanted. Love stories! Betrayal! Political intrigue! Magic! Just genius. I had the best time diving back into this world on the brink of war and really enjoyed the writing and the back and forth between all the characters. Trust is so hard and the author's meditation on this theme lasted the whole book but never bored me. If you loved the first one, highly recommend this new book!

I was VERY excited for this sequel, and it did not disappoint. The beginning was a bit slow and the build up I think could have been better. But it had good twists, a good payoff, and I got to see and learn more about the characters that I love. The ending left me very hyped and scared for the final book, and I've overall been very happy with this series.

4 Stars

This book took me a little while to get into and entirely too long to read overall.

I liked the dynamic between Will and Aya, especially with Will’s relationship with Gianna. It was a very romantic, secret lovers plot line that I enjoyed.

Beyond that I wasn’t super invested in the story and though it picked up about half way through I didn’t feel like it was a satisfying read. The ending left me of two minds as to whether I’m keen to continue or not.

Aya was once in her queen's inner-circle but then her magic manifested and she became everything her kingdom had been taught to fear and despise. Now she has to discover who she really is and if everything she knows has been a lie all along. She must forge her own path and, in doing so, betray queen and country and those she holds dear.

I'm not going to say too much about the plot of the book (since it is the second book in a series), but the book was a great continuation to the first book. It did feel like it was a little slower at times, more so during the second half of the book. But overall the story was phenomenal and the characters were just as great as the first. The politics of the lands featured heavily throughout this and I adored the high stakes, the plotting, the scheming, the constant threat of discovery, and the consistent idea that all was not as it really seemed to be. I also adore Kate’s writing style, I think it perfectly delivers the emotional punches: I felt everything the characters were feeling.

The only thing I have a small gripe with in this second installment, is that I feel that it could've been slightly shorter. It feels like it drags in certain places, particularly in the second half of the book, which I previously mentioned.

Overall, I had so much fun reading this book and I will definitely be looking forward to the last installment in the series!

As with most second books in a series their are times when you feel it's a little slow. However that is to be expected so I did take that into account.
A unique and addictive fantasy series that is very different than a lot of fantasy out there.
Well developed characters, excellent world building, well thought out plot.
I am dying for book 3!!

A fantasy romance series that I want to live inside.

This is. Book 2 in a high stakes, highly captivating and soul changing series. Book 2 gave me the same feels as book 1 and kept me intrigued as always.

I loved the map & internal art! I will always be a sucker for maps and art.

Love your work!