I'll preface this by saying that I was not part of the initial crew supporting the writing process of this book on Tumblr -- until a few weeks ago, I had no idea what this book was about, but I thought the concept was divine (if you'll pardon the pun). But alas -- even gods are not infallible. <i>Wicked Saints</i> will unfortunately die a quiet death on my bookshelf.

Let's start with <b>what I liked</b>:

1. <b>The concept.</b> While not necessarily "original" (what really is, anyway?), I thought the idea of a girl who can commune with gods found a fresh life in this book. Quite heavy-handed in its Catholic parallels, the questions Duncan poses toward blind faith and dedication are ones that are often skipped over in YA. The gods themselves had a unique and at times hilarious dynamic, particularly toward the beginning of the book. Speaking of which...

2. <b> The beginning.</b> The start of this book has tonally exciting and did a fantastic job of starting <i> in media res</>. I do wish there was more development with (any of) the characters who lived in the monastery with her, particularly Kostya, who kind of seemed forgotten, especially considering the significance Nadya seemed to put on him early in the story. I almost expected it to be a love triangle (although future books might see -- not that I'll be tuning in).

2. <b>(One of) the characters.</b> Serefin was cool, honestly. This laissez-faire prince was genuinely interesting, and his friendship with Ostyia and Kacper (<i>Kack-per</i> or <i>Kass-per</i>?) was sweet. I found myself much more invested in his chapters, waiting anxiously to get to them.

Okay. That's all I got. Sorry.

Now to the <s>bad stuff</s> <b>stuff that could use <s>an editor<s> another draft</s> some improvement</b>.

1. <b>The writing.</b> I know how this sounds. <i>"But Cristina! That's the whole book!"</i> Well, yes. Way too frequently, I found myself going, "Huh, wait, where are we? Oh, we're somewhere else completely now? Cool." Or, "Oh, okay, I guess I missed that character's entire backstory." Unfortunately, this not only made me <i>very confused</i> as to where we were and what was happening, but ultimately resulted in a vague sense of overall character. Rashid and Parijahan, for example, were almost non-existent as characters, though I got the sense we were supposed to care for them -- but we never got the chance to actually <i>know</i> them beyond their occasional convenience to the plot. (Why were they helping Malachiasz to begin with? I'm sure it was mentioned but I forgot, and I <i>just</i> finished the story -- not a good sign.)

I'll be the last person to say "give me more description!" but this book really suffered a lack of it. I know I never shut up about "show don't tell," but... please, <i> show don't tell!</i> The sheer amount of times that Nadya straight up told us "He looked anxious" or "No words could describe how [this felt}..." I hate to say it, but there are definitely words to describe how it felt. You gotta give us something, sis.

Last thing on language -- I was openly cringing at the intended poignancy of certain lines, particularly those relating to madness and chaos. <i>*Prolonged groan*</i>. Trust your readers to pick up what you're throwing down. A general rule of comedy is that a joke isn't funny if you have to tell us it's funny. Duncan runs into a related problem: <i>A line isn't poignant if you have to tell us it's poignant.</i> "But this is YA!" you say. "Some things need to be more thoroughly explained!" And to this, I reply, <i>teenagers aren't stupid</i>.

2. <b>What actually happened? Like, in the plot?</b> This kind of ties into my previous point, but I frequently found myself going, "wait, what?" Like the vagueness in location, movement, and secondary characters, the plot also suffered from fuzziness. When the characters would come to seemingly simultaneous conclusions, I would be left scratching my head, wondering either how they came to that conclusion, or what conclusion they came to at all.

3. <b>The religious aspect is problematic</b>. I'm sure that's the point, but there's only so many religious parallels (particularly to Catholicism) you can take before you get <i>a little</i>... frustrated with the main character calling non-believers heretics and abominations, and saying they need to be wiped out. Especially when she's kinda positioned as right in the narrative. It's a yikes from me.

4. <b>The main character</b>. Nadya... oh, Nadya. This girl takes <i>holier-than-thou</i> to whole new levels. I could say... a lot about Nadya, but I'm tired just thinking about her. All I want is an emotionally intelligent heroine. Just once.

5. <b>Malachaisz</b>. I'm gonna stop it there.

***

Final thoughts (<i>*long sigh*</i>):

<i>Wicked Saints</i> is a clever approach to an interesting concept. Thematically, it's pretty great at bringing high-fantasy to YA readers. Ultimately, however, it flops on execution. I can see how followers from <i>Wicked Saints'</i> Tumblr days might thoroughly enjoy this book, especially if they're already familiar with the characters and plot from its conception. New readers, however, might find it muddy and unclear, and (if they're anything like me) wishing this story had gone through just one more set of eyes before its publishing debut.

This book surprised me in all the best ways. It's been a while since I've read a good fantasy book that just feels original, but Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan goes so far beyond the typical YA fantasy making it one of the most intriguing books I have read so far this year.

The book follows the intertwining stories of three characters: a prince, a divine girl who can talk to the gods and a monster (akin to Kylo Ren), set in a world at war. The characters and world come alive on the page as the reader is plunged into the harsh, icy world of a land ruled by gods and their enemy: the water-logged land of heretics who practice blood magic. Then there are the Vultures - twisted monstrosities who have given themselves over to blood magic completely becoming human-vulture hybrids with insane amounts of magic.

Despite this book having the potential to feel like just another dark fantasy about a "chosen" girl, the protagonist Nadya breaks from the pack and becomes the princess who saves herself by the end of the novel.

Full of twisted, dark romance, blood magic, betrayal and intriguing court politics set in a world uniquely its own - Wicked Saints is a wickedly good read for older teens looking for something a bit darker they can devour. .

Two countries are at war for a hundred years, over religion and magic. One culture, the Kalyazi, worships a pantheon of twenty gods, each of whom has a unique domain and power over people. The other, the Tranavians, have renounced the gods and practice "blood magic," casting magic by mingling their blood with spells written on paper. One girl may be the key to winning the war for Kalyazi--or, make things hideously worse. Nadya has hidden for years at a Kalyazi monastery as she trains and learns how to wield her magic as a rare "cleric"--she can speak to the gods and in return they bestow her with various magical abilities according to their areas of expertise. But the enemy attacks her sanctuary and Nadya is forced to flee into enemy territory, where she will meet a dreaded Tranavian Blood Mage who says he has forsworn his country: can she trust him with her life?

This is a really fun "dark fantasy" set in a rugged wild countryside; the Kalyazi and Tranavian languages have a nifty basis in Russian/eastern European-style culture. I really liked the magical systems, both the god-speak and the blood magic (I can picture cosplayers dressing up as Tranavian blood mages just to have a spell book holstered at their hip! Very cool!). There's a forbidden romance, light banter between characters, strong family ties--and complications, too--and great action/magic scenes. Good start to a series!

The writing was beautiful with lovely visuals but I just couldn’t get into the plot of this as much as I would have liked. The characters were well written but I also wasn’t attached to them. However, I’m sure many people will love this one!

This was such a dark and delicious read, with more than enough action to keep me on the edge of my seat, a questionable friendship with potential for a slow burn romance (admittedly something I am always a sucker for), and a wonderful cast of morally grey characters that I couldn't help but fall in love with (and, in some cases, love to hate).

I would absolutely recommend this title be added to my library's collection.

My more detailed - and slightly less formal - review is available on Goodreads.

First, I read this book in one day. Which, honestly, is a bit of a feat for me since I am at work for over nine hours of the day.

Second, I loved this book. It has been a while since I have picked up a YA series that hooked me like this one did.

The narration follows two main characters -- one that you know is inherently good and one that you feel you should instantly dislike. Each character was wonderfully written with an interesting backstory that draws you in. I felt that just enough information was given on each of the main characters. Plus, I found it easy to tell the characters apart and I found myself, in the end, wanting the best for each one.

The story line went at a great pace and kept me interested the entire time. I did not find any parts dull or overdone. Overall, it was dark and entrancing. Parts pulled at your heartstrings and parts made you want to punch someone in the throat. At the end of the day, I cannot wait to read the next book in the series! I highly, highly recommend giving this book a read.

Wicked Saints drops us almost immediately in the action and expects the reader to keep up with both the history of the world and the mythology. It's actually something I really liked, because the book has been inspired by archetypes from Dungeons & Dragons and other fantasy themes (I don't want to call them tropes exactly because they haven't been tropey so far). It's easy to understand Nadya's faith and powers without much explanation, and though I haven't read any other POV character yet, her views and language are accessible and interesting.

I noticed as the story continued, pacing did a you-go, no-you-go kind of dance. I noticed it most in the narration, like the jump from Nadya thinking killing the king was impossible to suddenly wanting to do it for revenge when in chapter one making her first kill almost blindsided her. Overall though, I really like the history between the countries and the differences evident between them from Nadya and Seferin's POVs.

(more details on my GR review; star rating may fluctuate)

This is a dark tale full of blood magic and monsters. When picking it up I immediately thought of The Grisha books. There is a similar Northern European vibe to the world as well as the lush infusion of magic but that is where the similarity ends. In this world there are Gods and Goddesses, terrible blood mages, and a protagonist who defies her own prejudices to achieve her goals. While I really enjoyed this there was also a lot of confusion. The story and action jumps a lot for instance in one scene the Prince is suddenly having a drink and assassin's appear out of nowhere and attack. The story seems so focused on moving the plot along that it leaves the reader in the dust wondering what just happened. But the magical structure and snippets of stories from the book of saints keep the story engaging.

I don't have enough words to convey how much I loved this book! The author not only develops the world and the characters fully without bogging the reader down, she makes the reader love the characters! Even the bad guys! I will be writing a more detailed review when I re-read prior to pub day.

I'll be leaving reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, IG, and my blog site, www.travelingthroughthepages.com

This book was really hyped for me and I was so glad when I was approved to read it!

Likes
First off, I’ve been reading a lot of books with dual POV lately and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. In this case, it really worked. I loved seeing Nadya’s views as well as Serefin’s and quickly learned that they were more similar than different. That being said, Serefin was easily my favorite character. His development throughout the story stood out to me and I felt he was the most relatable. He was one that you kinda hated in the beginning and soon learned there was more to him. I thought that the way the conversations with the saints and Nadya were illustrated definitely added something more to the story for me. The cover is also absolutely gorgeous and well-designed. The whole premise of the saints was incredibly interesting and I thought that it was unique. It reminded me a little of the Grishaverse with the saints but the take was completely different. The twists throughout the story also left me on the edge of my seat! I also thought the world-building was done well and I truly got into it.

Dislikes
I found myself slightly let down by this book. I enjoyed it enough to say that I liked it, but it wasn’t pushed over the edge into love for me. I think the hype made me expect more but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great book. While the characters were likable, I didn’t feel as much of a connection with Nadya as I expected and she was integral to the story. She is who I wanted to know more about and her background. The first chapter was absolutely riveting and I didn’t feel like the rest of the book was as riveting until the very last few chapters. I think that the ending certainly left a lot to be resolved and that is why I am interested in reading the next book in this series! Endings really matter to me and even if I didn’t love a book, if the ending hooks me, that is important to my picking up the sequel.

Emily A. Duncan has created a fascinating world of magic and religion. I found that the story went quickly, so I was able to read it in less than 24 hours, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, I hope the next title can live up to the first.

*Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc*
Trigger warning: Self harm, abusive parents

This completely blew me away. Absolutely everything I could ever want in a book: monsters, magic, swoony dark boys, WINGS, blood, power, did I mention MONSTERS(?), and of course all the Russian and Polish inspired aspects of the world. I'M IN LOVE.

This book was so good that I didn't want to read it. I just didn't want it to end so I greatly prolonged the process. This would be a world I would want to live in and a squad I desperately want to be a part of.

This is why I so rarely read series nowadays without all the books being published because I am terrible at waiting once I've started a series! How am I supposed to wait over a year for the next installment?! Emily A. Duncan is definitely a new favorite author for me just from reading this one book. I loved her writing style, luscious world, and heartbreaking characters. I am rooting for all of the characters at once when they all have completely different goals, how did Duncan do that?!

I HIGHLY recommend this book for fans of the Grishaverse and other deliciously dark stories.

3.5 stars

This book doesn't release for over a year, so obviously a lot of changes could happen between the ARC I read and the finished copy (like what happened with Furyborn). BUT that being said... this story is a really creative concept that so many people are going to love!

"You could be exactly what these countries need to stop their fighting... Or you could rip them apart at the seams."

I knowww everything is "for fans of Bardugo" right now to the point where that phrase is starting to lose all meaning of credibility, so when I say that fans of Leigh Bardugo will love this I mean it's a dark, gritty, magical world with Russian influences and complex, flawed characters. It's a bit violent at times, but you come to care about the characters. However, this story was a bit too dark, bleak, bitter, and violent for me personally. Usually I can roll with that if I care about the characters and am really invested, but that didn't happen here. I still think a lot of people will love this, though! A lot of parts reminded me of Ruin and Rising. Fans of And I Darken would probably love it too.

I'll say more closer to the release date, but just wanted to share some initial thoughts for now!

Very intricate and fascinating world-building in this book. The pacing in the final third of the story accelerates thrillingly for a near-cinematic set of final scenes. It's an exciting story, and I think readers will be especially drawn in by the intense love/hate chemistry of the central couple. This book reminded me of Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows, and although I found this one to be a compelling and page-turning read, I found myself longing for more of the humor and complexity of Bardugo's characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book!

This book had potential and has so much momentum about it in the YA community behind it but it fails to deliver. The cover is stunning, the title grabs at you but it is clearly written by a first time author and when compared to other YA debuts the deficits are clear.
It’s exciting to see an entry in YA with a fresh take on Eastern European mythology but the excitement ends there.
In synopsis you have snow, you have churches, you have gods and you have magic.
Sounds great but unfortunately, in readingitwas like post-holing through 3 ft of snow.
The book mostly suffers from lack of forward plot advancement or clear character goals, inconsistent characterizations and far too mich repetition.
The classic YA trope of entirely out of character decision making, (a weak device that reinforces the idea that YA is “bad” writing”) is used to such an effect in this book that the plot needs it to advance. Characters are introduced and then are dispatched with little fanfare, exposition or valid reason. Magical powers are vaguely described and most egregious to me, as an action fan, is the inconsistent fighting prowess of the lead.
If you’re looking for a strong female lead, well written action and romance or a weird, different take on the reluctant hero theme, than this book is not the one.

Wicked Saints started with an intriguing and unique concept, but I found it hard to keep interested as the story progressed. I did enjoy reading about the mix of religion, politics, and power and how the author intertwined them to create such a distinctive world. However, I found myself confused over aspects of the plot and the character development left something to be desired. Overall, I would recommend this book to people who like novels with rich world building and lore, but would tell those who enjoy character and relationship development to skip it.

First of all, thank you so much to the publishers, author, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Wicked Saints in exchange for an honest review!

4.5/5 rounded up only because it took me forever to read this and I was feeling a tad like okay, get to the good stuff already and I felt like some aspects of the book were too reminiscent of other YA fantasy novels I have read. It happens. Hah! However, overall, I loved the story and the uniqueness that was presented by the magic and the Gods. The writing was very impressive as well!

I would highly recommend this book to fans of the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. I’ve seen others say this brings back memories of those books and I would have to agree! Although, I hated the main character in that trilogy, it was still a fun series. I would have to say in Wicked Saints, I also wasn’t a huge fan of the main character. All that being said, I still enjoyed the book and may purchase it on the release date! I will definitely continue the series in the future. It’s a series with great potential for sure!

Wicked Saints has been on my radar ever since it was announced in 2018. It sounded so good - a heavy dose of fantasy with all the usual bravery of YA characters and let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

The world-building is wonderful; Duncan provides enough information on the history, magic system, the harsh world, and the variety of nations at war without being info-dumpy. At the same time, he also left some mystery for the future installments as well. This is truly how the world-building of the first book in a series should be presented. Accompanied with simple and engaging prose, even with the slow pacing, I found that there was always a sense of suspense while reading the book. I was addicted.

No pages were wasted; the book was utterly tension-packed and contained a very endearing cast.

I’m serious here. I’ve said countless times before that I prioritize characterizations over everything, and a crystal clear talent for characterizations was displayed from the first chapter. The main characters Nadya, Serefin, Malachiasz were extremely well-written; but what amazed me further was how in-depth the characterizations were for EVERY character in this book. The characters were flawed, and none of them stayed the same as they were at the beginning of the story.

The magic breathing off these pages is only enhanced by the beautiful cover candy. To say I am anticipating the sequel is an understatement.

Wicked Saints happens to be a deliciously dark and fantastical read for fans of The Cruel Prince and The Grisha series with a primary focus on these ships: Alarkling/Darklina and Cardan x Jude (I still don’t know what their ship name is). If you liked everything I just said, then this book is (probably) for you!

If you have been following me since the beginning, you know that I hardcore ship Alarkling. I mostly liked the power-play between Alina and the Darkling. Because of this, I’ve been looking for other young adult books with this type of aesthetic. Fortunately, Wicked Saints ticked the box for this requirement.

The world-building and magic system was rich and easy to understand. I found myself swept away by the story since the author immediately threw in some action at the beginning of the story. Characters were at war and readers get POVs from two characters in opposing sides. One of them is Nadya (and she reminded me so much of Alina Starkov) and the other is my problematic fave, Serefin. I liked Serefin because later on you realize that there really is more to his character than meets the eye. I know, it can sound cliché but he’s not just a good-looking & slightly evil but charming prince. It will make sense when you read the book!

I liked how religion, magic, and politics entwined in Wicked Saints. Nadya (Kalyazi) and her prayer beads (kind of like a rosary) vs. Tranavian’s blood magic. The Kalyazis and Tranavians were at war because of their differing beliefs. Additionally, the “volcras” or “vultures” (in this book) had some sort of political system that had been interesting to read about, albeit it was told in a “telling” (instead of “showing”) fashion. The only crucial information missing was about the gods/saints because I still have my doubts about Nadya’s magic and her connection to them.

The heroine, Nadya, was raised at a convent and has a narrow-minded view of the world. She reminded me of the qualities I like and disliked about Alina Starkov. For instance, she can seem passive. Nadya either follows the gods or people around her. It actually took 85% (Kindle app) for it to be obvious that Nadya is finally making decisions for herself. Her views/beliefs tends to waver, and so it was unclear what she wanted to do or what her motivations (and plans) were going to be especially by the end of the novel. This book was “kind of” a heist story that ended up being a story about self-discovery especially for its three main characters.

Overall, I felt pretty meh about Wicked Saints despite what I mentioned above (hence the 3 stars rating). A huge factor for this, I would say, was the character development and partially because of the romance.

There was a character in this book that went through a confusing and constant personality change. Even after finishing this book, I still felt like I don't know this character. I felt that the change in personality was sudden, not exactly character development. This was needed to forward the plot and to influence the decisions of certain characters. I just wasn't a fan of this aspect in the novel.

Like The Cruel Prince, I wasn't exactly a fan of the romance in Wicked Saints either. I just didn't feel any tension nor chemistry between two certain characters (just my opinion). Still, I am  curious about what the author has in store for these characters.

Finally, some trigger warnings in this book: self-harm, alcoholism, abuse, neglect, and violent imageries often with blood (just to name a few).



***This review will be published on the 2nd of April 2019 as part of a book tour.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this title for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Actual rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5.

This was a fantasy book that reminded me why I love fantasy books. It is sweeping; the world-building is immense; the magic is overwhelming and dark and beautiful and scary; the characters are flawed and intense and deeply convicted. I am so glad that I read this one and now can not wait to read the rest of the trilogy. Having to wait years seems vaguely unrealistic and unfair.

Nadya is the last remaining cleric, one who can commune with the gods. What makes her different though is that she is able to use the powers from all the gods, not just her patron goddess of Death. She has been raised to know that she has to use this power to help her country win the war agains the godless Tranavia and bring the gods back to the heretics of that country.

Serefin is one of the most powerful blood mages in his country and the crown prince. He has long suspected his father is going to kill him to take his power, but now his paranoia actually seems justified. He is called back to his home country of Tranavia to find a consort, although he fears the reason is something much darker.

Malachiasz is a defected Vulture, one of the deadliest groups of blood mages the country of Tranavia has to offer. He has joined Nadya and a group of rebels who are headed to the court to try to kill the king.

But none of these people have any reason to trust the others. And all are technically sworn to kill their enemies for the goodness of their cause and their deities.

This was fantastic. Highly recommend. Give this to readers of Holly Black, Leigh Bardugo, and Cassandra Clare.