What an easy read - I did not want to put it down. If I had not had to 'adult' I would have consumed this book in one sitting. And at 400 pages it's a little on the longer side for that to be doable. From the moment you pick it up there's action. I love a book that sucks you right in and there's not a lot of pages that are devoted to characters just 'sitting around and talking about what to do there was none of that here.

One of my favorite parts of the book is the fact that with different perspectives - it gives you a taste of (seemingly) opposing sides of the holy war that's taking place in the land. Duncan does a great job humanizing both sides and you realize fairly quickly that maybe the sides really aren't so opposing in many cases. I'm interested to see how she develops the characters further in the other books.

While I loved the magic/saint/god system Duncan put in place, my one (minor) complaint is that it was a little hard to follow at first. Especially with you being immediately thrown into action, and the fact that there's such Slavic/Russian(?) influence within the names of the gods, places, and characters it can be a little overwhelming to keep straight. By around 25% I was on track though and feeling confident in keeping things straight.

There's a little bit of a romance and tension going on and it's very reminiscent to Alina/Darkling from the Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse trilogy. I am Darkling trash so I'm 100% here for that and hope it continues into the other books. Gimme all the slow burn tension - I volunteer as tribute.

Definitely looking forward to the next book, and recommend this to anyone looking for a dark fantasy read and those who enjoyed the Grishaverse trilogy. You will love it!

Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan was one of the books on my most anticipated list for this year and I’m happy to say that I really enjoyed it! I do see where people are able to compare the story to the Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo but only slightly.

At the center of this story is a war that’s been going on for a while between Kalyazi and Tranavia. The division between these two countries has made it so that neither is willing to give up their cause and they have very different beliefs around what is and is not acceptable magic. The challenge for the Kalyazi is that their practice of magic has been wiped out by the Tranavians and they are losing the war.

Hidden away in a monastery is Nadya. One of our main characters and she just happens to be the only cleric in Kalyazi. Being a cleric means she is connected to the gods and the gods grant her the magic she uses which is rare. When the Tranavian prince hunts her down and attempts to take her, she is forced to run but Nadya knows she won’t be able to outrun him for long so when she runs into some questionable strangers, she takes a chance and decides to join them because as they’ve stated, they are looking for a way to end the war and the only way they can think to do that is to kill the Tranavian King.

I’ll come back to the characters here in a moment, but I have to say, I found the world that Duncan built in this book to be an interesting one. Countries in turmoil or fighting against each other’s beliefs is not new but the magic and the way it is done was definitely interesting. There is a lot of blood used by the Tranavians to access their magic and it must be tied to a spell book to complete the spell but to Nadya this is heretical and to use blood to cast a spell goes against everything they believe. I found this belief added a layer to the story for Nadya in that she had to figure out what she was really going to stand for and just how in the grey she was willing to go if she was going to work with those who used the blood magic.

Another key character in this story is the Tranavian Prince, Serefin. He has been at the front of the war for a while now and having found Nadya, wants to chase her down but he has other things to worry about. When he is directed by his father to return to Tranavia to participate in the ceremony to find him a wife, Serefin begins to think there is something more going on. He has never had a great relationship with his father but to force him to come back now, Serefin knows that the King is up to something and he is motivated to find out. Unfortunately for Serefin, he doesn’t really know who he can trust and that puts him in a very precarious situation.

As I mentioned earlier, when Nadya escapes the prince, she runs into some people in the woods. Two of them happen to be from Akolan (Parijahan and Rashid) but the third, a Kalyazi, has Nadya nervous because his magic feels even stronger than the prince and she doesn’t really know if she can trust him. He isn’t really forthcoming, and he keeps asking Nadya about her magic which puts her on edge but eventually he tells her some of his story…at least what he remembers and that includes his name, Malachiasz. When the Vultures, a cult that has formed within Tranavia that has a lot of power and autonomy from the King, is sent to retrieve Nadya, the group quickly works together to escape the attack and come to an agreement on how they are going to accomplish their goal of getting rid of the king.

As Nadya finds herself right in the middle of the people she needs to avoid, she begins to learn more about herself, her magic, the Vultures, and the magic of Tranavia. By getting both Nadya’s and Serefin’s points of view within this book, I was able to see both sides of what was going on and I was glad for that. I do love that as the story proceeds, there is a clear point at which the character’s stories come together and I loved it.

I can’t say much more about this book without ruining the story so that’s all you get from me on this one. Trust me when I say, if you enjoy fantasy stories with lots of magic, a lot of danger for the main characters, blood, and (of course) some kissing, definitely check this book out. I will absolutely be waiting anxiously to get my hands on the next book as the ending left me wanting more!

Thank you Wednesday Books for inviting me on to the Blog Tour, and for gifting me an E-ARC in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I saw this book come out during one of the Book Conventions, months ago, and I knew immediately that I had to have it. The tagline on the cover was yelling my name, and then reading the synopsis, I was sold. I contacted Wednesday Books, and shortly after I was invited on to the Blog Tour.

I was so excited to start this one, I even subscribed to a Book Subscription box, just because it’s going to be based on this book. So I went it with some serious high hopes.

First the bad, I really, really struggled with the first half of this book, I couldn’t keep the characters straight, and I couldn’t stay focused on what I was reading. I did know that the writing was very rich, and very intricate.

The good, Nadya, and Malachiasz, (who are being compared to Alina and The Darkling) These two are fire! Are they a warm you heart type of fire, or a dumpster fire? I’ll let you find that out. But these two are the characters that kept me reading the book. However, there is Serefin, and I sure liked his character too and towards the end, I may have even been leaning his way. There is no doubt that these three main characters are brilliant, and screwed up, and dark, and so delicious.

Also, this is a book that had secondary characters, that I enjoyed just as much as I did the MC’s. I think maybe my struggle had more to deal with the religious aspect, and the very hard to pronounce names. It took a way from the flow of the reading, for me (the names). However, I’d have to say, this is one of the best endings I’ve read in a YA book. And I am going to be impatiently waiting book two. I need more of this delicious threesome!

I was so excited about this book but it kind of fell flat for me. There were a lot of hard names. I'm all for different names.... Just not overly complicated ones. There was magical action but not enough to keep me very interested. I probably wouldn't continue with the series.

This book was amazing! I will be adding this book to my list that i will reread a million times!.This book gives everything from twists, danger, and love. I would recommend this book to everyone! Love it!

I was really looking forward to this. I saw people said it reminded them of the Grishaverse....but I haven't read those (but are up next!) so I went in with no expectations..not that you should judge a book on another authors series but just to explain where I was!!!

List format works for me here!

• I defo swooned for Malachiasz!
• Nadya and Malachiasz were fab to read together,
• Serefin was also very delish (to me!),
• Nadya annoyed me at times,
• The world building and the magic system was totally amazing,
• Loved that the Gods had actual personalities,
• It was on the darker side which I loved,
• The beginning had me sucked in,
• The ending was so action packed that I was on the edge of my seat,
• But the middle, it sort of sagged for me,
• The epilogue was defo oh yes.

Probably not for the first time ever, I am left feeling conflicted over a book and a rating. I'm going for 4 because I defo loved this more than I never .....

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
*Loved the writing style!
*Definitely a page turner for sure
*A must read for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Holly Black
*One of my new favorite and automatic buy author!!!
.....
What was that ending though?!?!?! I'm super excited for the sequel now! Fantastic job Emily this was such an amazing read! Thanl you so much Netgally and Wednesdaybooks for this review copy!

Anyone who has done more than a cursory study of the life of Joan of Arc will have some understanding of her essential strangeness. Joan, an illiterate teenaged peasant with visions of angels somehow made it into the French royal court, and then somehow met the heir to the throne, who then, for unknown/mystical reasons, sent this girl to war– which the French then started to win against superior English forces. Joan went on to lead the French army to numerous victories until she was betrayed by her king and burned as a witch by the English. Her biography is less “I’m not like other girls”, and closer to “I’m not like other human beings”. With her debut novel, Wicked Saints, Emily A. Duncan attempts to create a Joan-like figure in Nadezhda Lapteva, or Nadya, a teenaged peasant girl who has spent her life in a monastery. Her great gift comes from the fact that when she speaks to the gods, they talk back, granting her divine powers based upon the trait of the god she calls to.

This is a useful ability given that she is among the last clerics of her home country, Kalyazin, which is fighting a century-long war against the neighboring country of Tranavia, where blood mages rule. These blood mages are branded as heretics in Kalyazin, but the Tranavians’ lack of faith has not stopped them from making headway in the war. The Tranavian army is led by the crown prince, nineteen-year-old Serefin Maleski, a powerful blood mage tasked with winning the war and wiping out any of Kalyazin’s remaining clerics. As the story opens, Serefin’s forces attack Nadya’s monastery forcing her to leave behind her best friend and everything she has ever known. During her headlong flight into the forest, Nadya meets an enemy blood mage, Malachiasz Czechowicz, who is also fleeing from the Tranavians, but for very different reasons. Together, Nadya and Malachiasz decide to sneak into Tranavia and assassinate its king, thereby ending the war. At the same time, Serefin is summoned home to participate in the Rawalyk, a Travanian tradition designed to find the prince a suitable bride. Magic, faith, and treachery collide in a divine battle that will determine the futures of Kalyazin and Tranavia.

As a concept, Wicked Saints is compelling. What does war do to young leaders? How does it affect those who the world sees as monstrous? What role should the faithful play in war? Add in a Gothic tone with its attendant dark setting and brooding atmosphere, and you should have a strong story on your hands. Unfortunately, Wicked Saints retreads a literary ground that has long since been tramped down to mud and fails to stand up to basic questions regarding its own world. Case in point, “In a land where gods are real and active, what does it mean when a heretic army is victorious?”. I asked myself this question early on, and so predicted a major plot twist from the ending. And while Nadya is billed as a ‘Gothic Joan of Arc’, she has none of her real-world predecessor’s strangeness or ability to inspire armies. Instead, Nadya is set to be yet another entry in a long line of bland Strong Female Characters who can’t help but fall in love with the Bad Boy With a Dark Past, and who is willing to forgive the war criminals she associates with simply because they have a sad past and a cute haircut.

The world, too, is underdeveloped, as though Duncan was relying on the setting’s Polish roots and the book’s description as “Gothic” to complete the exposition for her. Sadly, that’s not enough to describe a world, and we’re told little more than that it is cold and wooded. We are given churches and cathedrals and little sense of what they look like, and dangerous lands the characters easily cross within a day or two. The morose atmosphere and realism edged by a looming supernatural threat- hallmarks of Gothic literature- are barely evident. But to give Duncan credit where credit is due, there are moments of truly creepy imagery. These are often spoiled in the next paragraph by stilted dialogue or yet another action scene designed to make the book action-packed without adding significantly to the story.

It’s a shame. Wicked Saints promised to be an incredible tale of dark and divine magics striving against each other in an eerie world of gloomy, wintry cathedrals. But in the end, it is little more than processed story product wrapped in a shiny black veneer. And so I’m left with this final impression: Wicked Saints– neither wicked nor saints. Discuss.

I am having a very hard time wrapping my mind around how I feel about this book. I loved it????? But it was also not perfect. Yes. It is also the first in a series so there is so much room to grow in these characters/plot/mysteries so that is also a factor to consider. I have a hard time rating series books when they’re not surrounded by their sequels. I feel like sometimes reading a sequel can change how you feel about the first in a series. Sometimes questions you have are answered and things that didn’t sit right all of a sudden are knocked into place. So. Know that I loved this, had some (minor) issues with certain parts, but those issues are not set in stone as my feelings on books are subject to change at any moment lmao.

The Faith

I think my favorite part of this book is its relationship with faith. I am not religious although I did grow up going to church, being confirmed etc. It was really interesting reading about a mc who is so passionate about her faith there is no room for question or deviation from what her Gods request of her. She gives them her whole devotion and they grant her with magical powers. Right? Not quite so simple. This book explores how it’s alright to question your beliefs and how you can want to have absolute faith in someone so much, but they don’t always measure up. I felt this not only with Nadya’s relationship with her Gods but also her relationship with Malachiasz. The push and pull of their relationship is so freaking tense and compelling. I think I could have used even more internal dissonance from Nadya about how she felt and what she was supposed to do. There’s obviously a divide within her and I think because we get her POV there could have been more room for her to voice the conflict. (this is really so minor though, but maybe I just love internal drama.)

<spoiler> I love how much she wants to believe in him up until the very end. She wants so badly to trust him that she decides to look beyond the evidence and put her faith in him just to find out she really shouldn’t have. I think their relationship allowed her to not only come in to her own person outside of her cleric duties, but also see that there is merit in making her own decisions and that maybe it is alright to question her Gods. Just because she realizes this though, does not mean that she with completely throw them away. Up until the end her goal is to remove the veil shielding the Gods from her neighboring country. She doesn’t turn away from them despite her questions. </spoiler>

The Conflict

I love how complicated this entire story is! Each character has their goals and they have their reasons. There is no black and white. Throughout the entire book I tried to decide who the villain was. Which side is wrong? Both countries have committed atrocities against the other, and each believe the other is at fault, but where does the conflict truly lie? This is so freaking real!!!! One country, Kalyazin, believes wholeheartedly in their Gods. They construct shrines and churches in dedication to each of them. They pray to them for multitudes of reasons, and in return clerics are granted powers from a deity that deems them worthy.

Their neighboring country, Tranavia, does not believe in the Gods. Not necessarily that they do not exist, but that they are not worthy of praise. They commit heresy by participating in blood magic of which the Gods do not approve. Each country believes the other to be completely wrong. Kalazi believe Tranavians should die because they do not believe in the Gods. Tranavians want nothing to do with the Gods and would rather see them banished. Is either country wrong for believing what they do?

It’s so easy to write a story with a clear line between good and wrong. People love a common enemy they can hate. This story does not make that so easy. <spoiler> even the king yearning for power in a world where he is seen weak because those lesser than him have a stronger hold on blood magic is understandable. Did he do some messed up stuff to obtain power? Yes. Do a lot of people do some messed up stuff to achieve their goals in this book? Double yes. </spoiler>

The romance

Oh, god did I jump on this ship the moment I saw it approaching. I cannot, I repeat CANNOT, refuse a misunderstood and broody male character. Like hello. Yes, please. Give me more. Malachiasz, in Emily Duncan’s words on twitter, is not merely the love interest. I feel like that is apparent after you’ve read the entire book. <spoiler> I know people voiced that his POV was lacking, but like if you read the book that’s how it has to be??? He’s hiding his entire goal the entire time. His POV wouldn’t work since he’s hiding so much the entire book. First, that he’s a vulture, then that he’s their king, and third that he’s going fucking hard on that blood magic. It’s obvious he is going to play a major role in the future (and probably get his own chapters), and as he cannot even remember his own name, it will involve more than him just pining over Nadya. </spoiler> I love me a good enemies to lovers romance, and this is what we get baby. They never wholly trust each other (even if they believe they do) and I think that serves only to increase the tension between them. It’s forbidden, it’s wrong (but actually so right!!) and I can’t wait to see where it’s headed.

The writing

Ughhh the writing in this story is so beautiful. There’s a specific scene near the end of the book that took lyrical writing to the max, and tbh I could have read an entire book that read like that.<spoiler> Serefin after he dies and he’s in the weird place with all the stars and moths? Yea, dude that was it. </spoiler> I know some people really don’t like overtly lyrical and twisting prose, but bitch it’s what I live for. I know this book was marketed as gruesome, and twisted and I definitely think it lives up to that description. It wasn’t quite and messed up as I was expecting, but I think it still did a great job at creating that dark gothic tone. If I were to get a perfect book, I would want even more cruel, even more gore in the future (I don’t know if that’s the vibe she’s going with for this series tho, so it’s possible this will never happen.)

Things I wish were included (not actual critique, I just got excited)

How could you tease a fun competition like that and not see it through???? When it was announced I was so freaking jazzed that I knew in that exact moment books involving competitions are my kryptonite. I love them and will always love them. I’m not going to say that would have increased my rating bc that is petty af and the competition has really nothing to do with the book, but ugh. I love competitions.

I received this arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan is the first novel in a new fantasy trilogy set in a pseudo-historical Eastern Europe/Russia world. It is perfect for fans on Leigh Bardugo or Kiersten White..

This book sent me on a ride. I couldn't tell until the end what rating it would get. There are parts that are so good and compelling and parts I was incredibly bored by.

I'll start with the good. I really enjoyed the ideas of religion/magic in the book. The way that these two countries had such vastly different ideas about it. One side believing that gods drove their lives and their magic. A sort of fate, one doesn't really have control over their lives without the gods will. Magic done with gods help. The other rejecting the gods. They believe in free will. They are viewed as heretics, when really they just want control over their own destinies. The beginning of the chapters and the stories of the saints was awesome. Nadya's halo. Really, all the illusions of Greek Orthodoxy in general. Good stuff It made it hard to view either side as the "bad" country/belief system.

Some of the characters. I loved all of Serefin's story line. His journey, his friends, his struggles etc. I found him compelling. I wanted his chapters to be longer. Mal, I couldn't stand at first but by the end I LOVED where the book went.

I really enjoyed when the protagonists made it to the capital and all the court politics. The fact that Serefin was called home to participate in a weird courting/arranged marriage ritual. The duel. The old witch in the tower. The tension between Serefin and his dad. Who would win in their machinations? etc. Good stuff

The Vultures. The idea of them. The culture around them. All of that was so cool.

The plot twists. There were quite a few. I loved all of them. I was reading the book and enjoying it but the super quick romance was killing me. I really wanted more from the book. I was ready to give this book a two or a three, but then all the plot twists happened. I was a huge fan. It went super dark and I was thrilled. So happy Duncan went there. It really elevated the book and made me go from thinking it was run of the mill to the start of a great new trilogy. I just hope the books don't lose that element!

The ending. I loved it. I loved that it went dark. I love that its a cliffhanger. I don't love waiting for book two.

The negatives I'll discuss are. I don't know if she really succeeded in creating a "Russian" like world. I didn't feel the cold.I didn't think the characters acted very Russian. The language was driving me nuts. It sounded like American teenagers of today not Eastern Europeans of yesterday. Also they pacing killed me. I like a slow book. That's not an issue. The problem with this book is that it felt all over the place. Fast in the beginning, slow in the middle, a little faster...then slow. Then a crazy ending. Also I wanted her to spend more time on individual events. I'd love another 50 to 100 pages for this book. I know that's a publishing issue and not really a big problem.

Overall, this book was highly enjoyable. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a dark YA fantasy like the And I Darken series or the Grisha verse. This book fits right in, while also not being a copycat. Can't wait for more.

One of my most anticipated YA releases of 2019 was definitely WICKED SAINTS by Emily A. Duncan, so THANK YOU NetGalley for approving me to be an early reader for this! Let's just say as you can see from my blog and Goodreads account, fantasy is my entire jam. So when I caught wind of a book that tells us of a girl who can speak to the gods, I was already all the way in. Now, I realize it sounds a little Percy Jackson-ish, but I assure you this is so deliciously dark and satisfying and wonderful, you would do well not to get them confused!

WICKED SAINTS follows a girl named Nadya who makes her home deep in the Baikkle Mountains of Kalyazin, in a monastary that sits seven thousand steps above the base. She has the special ability to talk to the Kalyazin gods through a necklace she wears faithfully every day. Its with this necklace she can communicate with the gods and use their powers using the different beads on it. Rather quickly, she is forced to flee the only home she's ever known when an army comes from Tranavia and completely raids their beloved monastery.

It's when she flees she is briefly introduced to Serafin, the high prince of Tranavia, and eventually she meets Malachiasz, Rashid, and Parijahan. Together, they set off to the most dangerous of tasks where they realize just how much people would go through to have all the power in the world.

Okay, so I loved this. It took me a while to get through (I originally started it back in February) due to school work and testing, but I'm so glad I finished and I loved the world and the plot so much. The one thing that confused me sometimes were the amount of characters and their crazy names that I sometimes forgot who the book was talking about. Malachiasz (I'm assuming is pronounced Mal-uh-kai?), Parijahan (I started off the book saying "Par-ee-juh-han", but then there was a part of the book where she's referenced as "Parj", so then I started saying "Par-zhen", but I don't know which is correct!). So it took me a while to get used to everything, but the world-building was crazy good so it all worked out in the end! What's a good fantasy novel without long names, right??

Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend this one if you are a fan of darkness, monsters, betrayal, blood magic, it has it all. Plus, THAT ENDING THO?? I am so very excited for this to come out next month that I've already preordered a copy for myself and one for my classroom library! Do yourself a favor and preorder this one, the final copy is so stunning!

Thanks again to NetGalley who allowed me an early read in exchange for an honest review!

In the midst of a decades-old war, a monastery is attacked. Rumors have it that there is a Kalyazin cleric within who has the rare power to call on any and all of the gods for magic. The Tranavian blood mages see this threat as a way the enemy could turn the tides of war.

A thin escape and Nadya is on the run. She has been hidden up on the hill, far from the front for her entire life. The abbot thought she was safe, but he is now dead and the monastery burns.

Serafin had tried to attack head on as powerful blood mages are apt to do, but he has found that this cleric is more adept than previously thought. He wants to hunt her down, but is called back home for his betrothal ceremony.

In an effort to help her cause, Nadya and her protector head for an outpost, but are cut off by a mysterious band of allies... one of whom is a special blood mage who has his eyes set on treason.

Can an unlikely pair head into enemy territory and cut off the head of the state?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Duncan's writing helped focus the story in the details of the magic system, the dueling cultures, and the political intrigue. By shifting the POV between Nadya and Serafin, the reader gets an intense view of each side of the conflict. One side gains magic from the gods, each deity specific to his/her strength. The other are called heretics for turning away from the religion, and derive power from their own blood to ignite spells. There are many fighting scenes that rely on a strong hand to guide the reader, and Duncan does just that for the most part. 

Curiously, the pacing in this one shifts regularly. Whether a traveling scene, a royal banquet, or a magician's duel, each scene varies as the internal monologue of the character can slow or ramp up the movement. This did not bother me most of the time; I thought it was important to see each character control the experience for the reader.

Lastly, I want to comment on the characters. Nadya and Serafin are required to be something they are not during the course of the novel. And in Tranavia it is common practice for the royals to wear masks...  a disguising that is fun and leads to some interesting close-quarters sleight of hand.

A couple criticisms: I felt some of the minor characters were not fleshed out enough and a couple of the main reveals were held off a little too long. This created an ending that seemed a but rushed... and some of the dialogue was lacking in authenticity at times. 

Overall, Wicked Saints is a dark tale infused with dueling magic systems. It's a book that I flew through and found uniqueness in its writing and voice.

3.5 out of 5 stars

*** Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for review purposes. Thank you so much!

Wicked Saints is one of the most anticipated reads of the year with good reason. It's been compared to Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse, but I feel like that's where the surface similarities end. The world in Wicked Saints is very eastern European inspired and also very dark, which is extremely fitting.

This book alternates between Nadya and Serefin, a cleric of Kalyazin and the High Prince of Tranavia, respectively. A religious war has been going on for centuries between Kalyazin and Tranavia for centuries and these two have a common goal to put an end to it.

Nadya has the now rare ability to be in contact with the gods of their polytheistic religion. While clerics were normally given communication with one god, she can communicate with all of them, asking for certain powers to help aid in particular ways.

In the beginning of the book, Serefin and his legion army attack the monastery where Nadya lives, making her flee and leave behind the only life she knows. During her escape she runs into some rebels, among them is Malachiasz. Malachiasz is a mysterious figure with questionable motives and a questionable past. Through their journey into Tranavia, Nadya is not only thrust into confronting Serefin, a heretic and her enemy, and ultimately with her own faith.

I enjoyed reading Nadya's part of the book a lot. It was interesting to witness each god she sent a prayer to in order to be granted the power she requested. I loved that the gods had different temperaments: some more aloof, some never speaking, and others quite direct to the point. Nadya was raised to know that the Tranavians were heretics because of their refusal to acknowledge the gods and their use of blood magic. Seeing a character struggle with having to work with those who did not share their is always interesting because of their internal struggle. Nadya is pretty unwavering, but there are noticeably heavy times where she questions everything she knows.

Reading Serefin's chapters was actually my favorite and I'm excited to see where the next book will take him. Overall his story was more engaging than Nadya's, but I think Serefin is more relatable and 3D. His struggles hit closer to home than something supernatural, but Nadya is still flat in her discovery of good versus evil. I think once she's able to explore that more and is given more of a reason to question the purpose of what and why, she'll be amazing.

I love how Duncan's secondary characters were given purpose. They weren't just along for the ride or to give some sort of diversity, but they were thrust into the narrative as well, being just as affected as the main characters. It was enjoyable to see that even though their part was smaller, the emotions that went through them were conveyed to me in an equal impact as Nadya or Serefin's. For me that makes it more realistic because it's not just the "hero" or the "villain" who is directly affected in a story: it's everyone.

I will say the last tenth of the book was really disappointing and slightly confusing for me with character motives, but I'm excited to see what the next book will bring and hopefully give answers and iron out the uncertainties.

I was excited to read this book when I first heard about and when I was invited to be a part of the blog tour I jumped on it. I really loved the magic system in this book. There are two ways to use magic in this novel. One way is based on using magic granted from the gods and the other was blood magic. Both are unique and I loved them both. I don't want to give too much away in this review but things are not always as they appear in this tale. I loved the romance between the heroine and the villain of this story.

This book had me hooked from the beginning and is a spectacular start to the Something Dark and Holy trilogy. I need book two now and I don't know how I'm gonna wait an entire year for it.

Rating: 4½ stars out of 5

Wow this is a lot better than I—never mind

I would like to thank Emily A. Duncan and Meghan Harrington at St. Martin’s Press for inviting me to participate in the blog tour. I received a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

SPOILERS!

Seriously, if you don’t want major twists spoiled for you, do not read on.

Last warning.

*sigh*

I avoided reading this book because I was afraid I wouldn’t like it; now I find myself avoiding writing the review because my initial instincts were correct.

The first two-thirds were a delight. It was more accessible to a non-high-fantasy-lover than I expected. Duncan has phenomenal talent as a writer. Every chapter, every scene, and every word had purpose. She handled religious thematic questions and internal conflict with great skill. Her characters were distinct and endearing, likable but flawed. The tone was deliciously dark without being cruel for shock value. The world building was thorough, impressive, enveloping. The writing glowed with intelligence. Nadya and Malachiasz’s tentative relationship with elements of Romeo and Juliet and Elizabeth and Darcy was beautifully crafted, and was of course my favorite aspect of the whole thing, romance junkie that I am.

And then.

The last third, beginning when Nadya woke up while being siphoned, spoiled so many of those things I loved about the book. Its concepts regarding magic and religion became obscure and ambiguous, and I got confused as to what exactly was happening. Were the gods gods or not? If not, what were they? What was happening with Nadya’s powers? What was all that about Serefin’s nondeath and the moths? I got so terribly lost and felt so stupid because I couldn’t make sense of any of it.

So much character and story background was hinted at, teased, or at least spoken of, then never explored. So many questions went unanswered. How did Malachiasz go from being the nephew of the king to being tortured into becoming a Vulture and finally achieving the status of Black Vulture at sixteen? Why was he taken away as a child? What new methods did they try on him?

And why did the Vultures call themselves Vultures? I mean, I can see that as a scathing nickname given to them by others, but why would they call themselves that? I get the creepy factor—boy do I—but you can’t tell me they want to be equated with ugly-ass birds who can’t or won’t hunt for themselves and so feast on sloppy seconds. Where’s the dignity in that?

If Serefin was such a powerful blood mage, was there really nothing he could do to fight back against his father, against the Vultures, to prevent himself being killed? He seemed rather impotent for someone who was supposedly legendary. Also, I found flipping through a book, tearing out a piece of paper, and pricking your finger to bleed on it…not silly…but an unintimidating and inconvenient way to cast magic.

What was the point of the characters Rashid and Parijahan? They didn’t seem to serve a whole lot of purpose, neither did Kacper. They were just—there. Ostyia seemed to have a little more to do.

What exactly was happening in the Salt Mines? They were spoken of so much, but we never went there. Just blood siphoning and DIY-god experiments? Did we ever find out who the “former success” in the god experiments was, the one who had too much of a mind of his or her own? I thought at first it was Malachiasz, but then it was revealed he was the Black Vulture and nothing more was said of the former success, so I’m not sure what I’m supposed to take away from that.

So wait, were the Vultures siphoning Nadya’s blood in the palace? That was pretty bold, wasn’t it? Why didn’t they take her to the mines? More importantly, did they discover no special properties to her blood? I think it’s implied that she’s some sort of divinity, or at least a power unto herself—how, why, no idea—yet King and Co. didn’t notice anything extraordinary about her blood? And don’t tell me it was just blood, because if blood was no big deal, then the entire premise falls apart. The king was gathering the blood of noble blood mages because they were more powerful, and little did he know, he got the blood of someone who was something more than a noble blood mage, who was something else entirely—and that fact never crossed anyone’s minds, much less came into play?

That entire captive passage was totally glanced over; I still don’t understand what was up with Kostya’s necklace and that ostracized god-but-not-a-god. What point did he—the non-god—ultimately serve? And wait, speaking of Kostya, what happened to him? Last we saw him, he was alive. I assume he was taken to the Salt Mines like the other prisoners of war. Does that mean we’ll be seeing him again later, or are we supposed to assume he’s dead and gone?

So many questions.

“Well of course you didn’t get all the answers, you’ll get them later in the series.”

Don’t even start with that crap, strawman. Someone who didn’t like what happened in the first book won’t be reading any that follow. It reminds me of a common complaint among movie critics these days: “Stop worrying so much about starting a franchise,” they say to the studios, “and just focus on delivering a solid movie.” Meaning if they put the work into the story the first time, movie-goers will want more, and they’ll have their franchise.

I’m not satisfied with Nadya’s journey as a character. After everything that happened, by the end she was still convinced that she was only a channel for power, that any magic she cast had to come from greater beings. And by that point I was so confused as to whose powers were coming from where and why and who was truly what that I stopped caring if Nadya believed in herself. She started out a faithful servant to her gods and ignorant because people made sure she understood little. I can respect that. But by the end she was still just a sniveling mess of who-am-I, what-have-I-done, someone-please-hold-my-hold-and-show-me-the-way. Nadya, if your cause is going to be something as great as saving a nation—potentially two—you need to get over yourself. “Let them fear her”? *snorts* Yeah, right. Not one person in the book was afraid of Nadya.

Finally, the thing that officially put X’s in the eyes of this story for me: Malachiasz and his betrayal. There’s so much I want to say about this, but first give me a minute to gather up all the pieces of my broken heart.

My interpretation of the character differed vastly from the character Duncan intended to portray. How? I don’t think she got the tone of his character right for what she wanted to do with him. She took the love between him and Nadya too far, to a point it shouldn’t have gotten to if he’d truly been the calculating, ruthless, selfish character she wanted him to be. His love for Nadya was portrayed as too pure, too innocent, too tentative and unexpected to belong to someone calculating, ruthless, and selfish. He should have come off like Hans from Frozen—saccharine, smooth, too good to be true—but instead he came off like Kristoff—guileless and adorkably unsure of himself. Can you imagine Kristoff having secret motives of obtaining great power by lying, stealing, and killing his way to the throne? No.

Malachiasz's motivation was never once clear; it seemed to be by the very end, but come on—if he was calculating and ruthless and secretly focused on becoming more powerful, would he have just left Nadya behind to be his downfall? With the power she supposedly unwittingly possessed—which I know he recognized because of his “the things you could do” comment in the closet—as naive and trusting and easily manipulated as she was, wouldn’t he have had more plans for her than to just have her kill the king? Couldn’t he or anyone else have done that? Wouldn’t he want her blood?

“He fell in love with her, that’s why he didn’t use her further.”

That makes zero sense. If he truly fell in love with her, he wouldn’t have been able to betray her trust and do what he did in the end. He wouldn’t have chosen his corrupt country over her. Besides, it couldn’t be that he was in love with her, because that was all a lie, from what I understood. None of it adds up.

So yeah. I don’t accept his betrayal. I refuse to choke down that the power-hungry, apathetic Malachiasz of the climax was the same Malachiasz from the rest of the book. It was such a 180 for his character that it’s absurd. It felt as wrong to me as blood magic felt to Nadya.

“But that’s the point,” argues someone who wants their teeth kicked in. “He totally pulled the wool over all their eyes and used each and every one of them. The seeds were planted in the things he said.”

I understand that intention, and that most others will probably be perfectly fine with that. I do. But that doesn’t mean I, myself, have to like it or appreciate it, or that I’m going to exalt over it as a some clever piece of storytelling. Because it was just dumb. It was a cheap twist at the expense of an otherwise strong, amazing, charming, endearing character. It undermined the Malachiasz who’d been a damn good hero up till then, the Malachiasz who was earnest and considerate and afraid and vulnerable, the Malachiasz who realized he was not only capable of love, but of loving someone whose ideals were so different from his own. It also undermined Nadya’s character, her self-respect and dignity, as well as our respect for her; it undermined the beautiful “two enemies shedding their prejudices for a greater good of love and peace” theme; it undermined the reader’s emotional attachment to Malachiasz.

It undermined the whole goddamn story.

And—the final nail in the coffin—it undermined the character of Kylo Ren, who provided inspiration for the character of Malachiasz. That pissed me off.

Overall, Wicked Saints turned out to be a fantasy too caught up in itself to realize it would be entirely ruined by the terrible misjudgment of a good character and of what would make a good plot twist. I would give it one star, but Duncan really is a great writer, prose-wise, so I’ll give it two. As a storyteller, she’s not to my taste, and I doubt I’ll be reading any more of her books.

Also, afterthought—I’m not sure why it’s called Wicked Saints. Other than the epigraphs at the beginnings of chapters—the purpose of which I’m also not sure about, aside from world building—and Anna’s warning to Nadya not to become a martyr, saints, wicked or otherwise, weren’t really present?

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How could you not love this forebroding dark fairytale?! This captivated me and held me hostage until the end! I cannot wait for the next book!

There were moments in this book that I loved - the world is interesting, the theology is interesting, the theory of magic is internally consistent and interesting, the characters are diverse, the alternating points of view are well done. And, I always appreciate it when fantasy isn't set in some pseudo medieval France - this is Russian(ish). However, there were unfortunately also a lot of moments where I was just confused - sometimes by the passage of time, sometimes by the sequence of events, but mostly by the character development and their motivations which felt a little rushed.

Some of this is admittedly my bias in reading fantasy - I always want more court politics and less wandering around in the mountains getting to court. I'm not narratively sure how you would shorten the first half of this book to get them to court earlier, but I feel like I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if someone had figured that out and then spent a lot more time at court doing politics and explaining the intersecting power struggles before the grand finale showdown. Your mileage may vary depending on your preferences in fantasy novels.

I assume that this is part of a series, because there are a lot of dangling plot threads at the end of the book and I have many many many questions some of which may be addressed in a sequel, and some of which I really feel like should have been answered in this novel. Overall though I'm curious enough about the characters and where we left them to want to read the theoretical sequel.

I gave this book a 4 star rating overall.

First can I just say that this book sucks in you right from the start, tears out your heart, and then stomps on said heart until there's nothing left.

Okay, with that being said....

The main character of our story is Nadezhda Lapteva or Nadya for short. She spent most of her life in a monastery being trained to use her powers granted to her by the gods. After said monastery is attacked, Nadya is in a race to save her life and her country- as her country as been in a century long war with the neighboring country.

She then joins up with a group of others who are plotting to kill the king of the other country. But not everyone is whom they seem to be and friendships are tested and ended and romances ensue.

I loved how fast paced this story is from start to finish. The characters always keep you guessing and you never know if you should love them or hate or possibly both. The world was a bit lacking, but the explanation of the magic was done very well.

I only had a couple of minor problems with the book. First, the names. I know this is a fantasy world and thus have some far out names, but I tend to get hung up on names that I can't pronounce and so it took a few chapters to actually get into the story. That is more on me and not the author, but just a heads up in case you are the same way. Also the author uses several words/phrases many times throughout the story, again not a major deal breaker, just a heads up.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. The only thing that's sad about it, is that I have to wait another year to find out how the story continues!

ARC provided by Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been having difficulty forming my thoughts after finishing this book. This is definitely a quiet, slow-burn of a story. There is a romance, gorgeous writing, a unique magic system, and lots of dark politics.

Wicked Saints mixes politics, royalty, and godly powers. There are two rival nations: Kalyazin and Tranavia. We follow Nadya, a cleric who has been trained to communicate with a plethora of gods, wielding their powers through the touch of prayer beads. Then there’s Serefin, the prince of Tranavia but also a powerful blood mage. And then there’s Malachiasz, who, in my opinion, stole the story. He’s a rebel blood mage who allies with Nadya as they both flee from Serefin’s army. He's the "dark and mysterious" type which immediately caught my attention.

While there are two POVs in this book (Nadya’s and Serefin’s) their stories cross early and soon Nadya, Serefin, and Malachiasz realize they all have the same goal: to dethrone the King of Tranavia (aka Serefin’s father.) Y’all, this is a very densely political book, where oftentimes I felt it overshadowed the magic system…

Which leads me to say that I wish Nadya played a bigger role. I expected Nadya to be the main character in this book, but instead she felt more like a side character to Malachiasz and Serefin’s motives. In fact, most of the time Nadya just went along with everything Malachiasz did, and I kept wanting her to unleash her fury. But instead, she dwindled into a naive love interest. She quickly went from being a character I admired to being one of my least favorite characters in the book.

I actually enjoyed Serefin’s chapters the best, because we really got to see and feel his horrible relationship with his father. The King of Tranavia is… how do I say this… a real piece of sh*t. He’s abusive and is totally fine with sacrificing his own family in order to possess the power of the gods. I also think Serefin had the most character development, and I loved his dynamic with his two guards, Kacper and Ostyia. I would read an entire book about this trio!

I wish I could say I liked Malachiasz. I did in the beginning, as he was low key reminding me of the Darkling from The Grisha Trilogy, but then I just stopped caring about him. He is supposed to be mysterious, so I am not going to say any spoilers, but I just didn’t like how his story played out. It felt really cheesy and there was no build-up to the finale.

I think I would’ve enjoyed this book more if we got to see more of Nadya communicating with the gods and seeing her use that power. She was a pawn in a man’s story, which just feels kind of bad. I was so frustrated during the last 10% of the book, but I am now high key needing the sequel ASAP!

I think the politics is super fascinating, and I adored how each of the gods Nadya communicated with all have their own personalities and quirks. The book starts out with a bang and while there may have been some issues with the characters for me, I felt like it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Duncan’s writing is incredibly beautiful and creative. I am still genuinely impressed with how she built this world, and how she created each of the gods. This was some high-fantasy level stuff that still tackled important themes for a young adult audience, and I think so many people are going to love this book.

I enjoyed Duncan’s action-packed world full of secrets, romance and darkness. The story drew me in from the beginning as Nadya is forced to be on the run. She has the ability to talk to the gods for help and she is her country’s only hope.
On the downside, I found this book to be a bit slow in parts and there were many names that I had difficulty pronouncing, which seemed to take away from the story for me. Overall it was enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy.