Wicked Saints is one of my favorite YA reads for this year. Darkly twisted with a protagonist that is struggles with a moral code on the regular. This book is what I’ve been craving to read for a long while and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I really liked this book. It was absolutely great. The writing, the characters, and everything is really great. You fell in love with these characters and the story and plot.

Although I highly anticipated this book, it just missed the mark for me. I gave it 3 stars out of 5 on Goodreads. By no means it was not a bad book, but I felt it just needed some work. The characters were a bit confusing, and the saints were hard to follow. I enjoyed the magic system a whole lot, which might be the unpopular opinion because blood magic is not a popular favorite in the community, but I really enjoyed the authors’ use of that. The story could have used a little bit more of an original story line. I felt myself bored at times, but like I said it was not an uninteresting story, just not my favorite. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in advance. The cover art is gorgeous and I did add a physical copy to my collection.

I was super excited for this book. I didn't know exactly what to expect but it hit all the check marks for me. I will say the first quarter of this book was a little blah for me. It took me a little bit to get into it but once I did I really liked it. I loved the gore and blood because I feel like sometimes due to being YA they skimp out. Overall good read!

This book is definitely going to be a fan favorite for those that like Sarah J. Maas or Leigh Bardugo. Great characters in a very interesting setting. Love the dark qualities of the book. This will be one of my new favorites to recommend.

Wicked Saints was a charm to read. It tells the story of two nations at war and three main characters trying to stop it – or do they? Duncan mixes religion, politics, and magic all in one and that makes the story entertaining. Her description of Tranavia, a place filled with many lakes and swamps, and Kalyazin, with its snowy winters and frigid temperatures, was breathtaking. Duncan’s use of Polish words was an unexpected, but pleasant, surprise, yet it did become irritating when she added Slavic or made-up words into the mix. This discrepancy bothered me and made each non-English word seem incongruous. I also felt annoyed with Nadya, the apparent cleric who can communicate with an entire pantheon of gods and who has been training her entire life to fight off the Tranavians, because she does things in the book that make absolutely no sense. For someone who is supposed to be the next mega fighter, she falls underwhelmingly flat. Even her relationship with Malachiasz was sudden, forced, and vexing. While the aforementioned details bothered me, I still enjoyed reading this book and know that my book club students would love it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Do you ever pick up a book really hoping you will like it? You’ve seen all the good reviews and all the beautiful pictures on social media declaring how brilliant it is. That’s how I felt about this book; expectations were high. Then I started to read it and that’s where it all went wrong.

I came really close to DNFing this book, instead I skim read about 60% of this book. Which, still took me far longer than I expected as I had completely lost interest in both the characters and the plot. For me, there were a few glaring issues with this book which prevented me from enjoying it:

The characters – especially the female protagonist

Nadya, was our heroine and the last cleric in her country. She is the only person able to channel the gods power and the only person in history with the ability to channel any of the gods power rather than just one she’s devoted to. She is also one of the three main characters in the book. I think? How can a character fade away in their own POV? For a character with so much potential and so much power she just ended up defaulting to the damsel in distress. She was an insipid hand wringer and completely forgettable. It was so disappointing, especially as half the book was told from her POV.

She was overshadowed by Malachiasz, the boy and the monster. However, Nadya wasn’t the only one, most the characters melted off the page when Malachiasz was on it; you know exactly where the author’s heart lies. However, for me his story line was overwrought. Emily A. Duncan got a mallet and hit you over the head with the boy vs monster battle going on with Malachiasz. It could have been an interesting aspect of the story, but I just got bored of Nadya’s repetitive and vapid commentary about it.

Now, let’s move on to the rest of the characters. They felt like a tick box exercise. Need a person of colour…yup add a brother sister team in the background but give the characters no bearing on the story. Need someone in the LGBT community…plonk in a lesbian best friend and let her take up page space but of course don’t let her effect the actual story. It was so strange. Maybe they will be vital in the next book, but the characters I’m referencing had very little characterisation and you could literally pluck them from the pages of this book and it wouldn’t make a difference.

The pacing and story

I dislike books where you slog through the first 90% as the author sets up the big confrontation and then, when you get to the last 10% where the action happens…it’s all a bit anti climatic. You expect a massive firework display, instead you get a sparkler and a soggy sandwich. Which is exactly what happened here. I already dislike books where nothing happens until the last 50 pages when suddenly all is revealed. A gradual build up of knowledge and action makes for a much better reading experience. It keeps the pace of the book steady rather than the battle through boredom I experienced with Wicked Saints.

Which brings me to the story itself. The blurb sounded really interesting. However, the book didn’t live up to it. I found the magic confusing, the story uninteresting and the climatic scene in the book fell flat.

So, this review turned into more of a rant. However, I know I am in the minority when it comes to this book, when you look there are plenty of people who read Wicked Saints and saw something fantastic. I am not one of those people. I thought it tried too hard to cater to what is currently popular and didn’t focus enough on creating good characters and a well paced and interesting story.

3.5 Stars

Mysterious. Intriguing. Anticlimactic.

This book held a lot of potential to be one of the best reads of 2019, but it fell a little flat for me. I was hooked from the beginning and the unique characters and plot were exciting, but as the book wore on the more confused I got. And after my confusion was cleared up, I expected a lot more from the end than I got.

Briefly, this book is told from the POV of two main characters, a girl named Nadya and a prince Serefin. Nadya is a cleric, or someone that communes with the gods, but unlike most other clerics, Nadya can communicate with more than one god. And the gods want her to end the war between her country and another. Serefin in the prince of the other country at war and has spent the last several years fighting it. However, he returns home with the hope of dethroning his father and stopping the war. Enemies with the same goal.

Like I mentioned previously, there was so much potential here. I thought from the beginning that it was a very unique concept. Nadya talking to a whole host of god was so interesting to me! The gods themselves were intriguing and I liked Nadya’s character.

I also enjoyed the character of and Nayda’s relationship with the character Malachiasz (which, I have to admit, I ended up calling Malachi the whole time, and if you speak any amount of Polish, you’d know that’s not right. But I don’t, so Malachi it is). Malachiasz is a runaway “vulture” or evil, powerful, warrior, monster guy. Basically Nadya’s archenemy, after the prince and king.

The dynamic was interesting between them, I think, because of the magic system of this world. That was one thing I did enjoy for the most part. Nadya’s magic is divine and therefore, she considers Malachiasz’s magic (blood magic) to be heresy. So there’s that. The whole blood magic thing in general was so cool to me. Even if it was a bit gruesome.

So while Nadya is running away from the prince and making plans to take down the other kingdom, the prince has his own stuff going on. Which, if I’m being honest, is not as interesting. The whole take down the king thing is a little overplayed. I mean, it happens a lot in fantasy for obvious reasons, but you have to put a really good spin on it. This almost had a good spin. The whole Nadya talking to the gods thing was cool, and the mystery with the king (which I won’t go into too much detail about) was cool. But it didn’t feel like enough for me.

There were a lot of elements of the plot that felt too quick. It was a fairly long book, but the plot felt a little all over the place and didn’t focus enough on one (or two) elements of the story. So by the time the climax happened, I didn’t really realize it until it was over a few pages later. It felt very anticlimactic to me and I’m still not sure exactly what happened. The elements that seemed really important at the beginning/middle seemed less important to the end? Maybe? It’s hard to say.

Overall, I think many people would enjoy this because it’s kind of similar to Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo and because of the initial intrigue. There were definitely plenty of parts that I was 100% on board with and I’d like to see where the series goes to see if some of the kinks get worked out in the future. I didn’t hate this book, but for me it was just okay. But I would definitely suggest making your own decisions. I don’t think it’s a cut and dry good or bad book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dual #Review of Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

Crystal's Thoughts:
Wicked Saints is a dark and seductive debut from Emily A. Duncan, brimming with magic and mayhem. Dark and light. Saints and sinners. You won't want to miss this spellbinding fantasy!

“We're all monsters, Nadya, some of us just hide it better than others."

Nadya, a rare cleric who can speak to all of the Gods, has spent her life hidden behind monastery walls. Always knowing that one day, her country would need her in their never-ending war. When that war arrives at the monastery's doorstep though, Nadya must flee in order to survive, and put her life in the hands of her country's enemies. The blood prince, Serefin, will stop at nothing to find her. But is it the enemy at her side that she should fear most? The boy with the haunted eyes, Malachiasz, pushes Nadya to reach beyond the saints, and explore her power to it's limits. Does he have his own agenda though in seeking to end this war?

“Are we so different, Nadya?” He lifted his hand, fingers tipped with long claws, and pressed his thumb against her lips. “We both long for freedom. For power. For a choice. We both want to see our kingdoms survive.”

Wicked Saints is a dark, entrancing young adult fantasy story with lush writing, unique world-building, and complex characters. It is also incredibly dark, and filled with blood and gore. It would fit in perfectly with one of the brother Grimm's' Fairy Tales. Nadya was an intriguing character with a rare and sought after gift. She is also young enough to question what to do with that gift. She has been taught all of her life to follow one path, and one path only, but when her world is suddenly upturned she soon learns that the world, and the Gods, is much more convoluted. Her character showed a lot of growth by the end, and is one that was forged in fire. The story itself had a great premise, and while some of the different countries and magical abilities were confusing at times, I enjoyed the Russian and Polish influences that they were built on. With alternating POV's, readers also see the world from Serefin's perspective. A prince and powerful blood mage who has been on the front lines of the war for most of his life. He's as exhausted with it as anyone else, but wants his country to prosper. This is one of those tales that you can understand each of the characters standpoints, which makes it hard to dislike the supposed enemies, but with the many twists and turns the story takes you on, you'll most likely change your view of the characters several times before the end. Malachiasz was a difficult character for me, and I'll only touch on him as I don't want to spoil anything. There is a very light romance between him and Nadya that will leave you breathless with the intrigue of it all. I am looking forward to the possibility of more passionate aspects blooming in future books.

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

Wicked Saints is aptly titled and carries heavy religious tones, so that, along with the war-strewn plot, may not be for all readers, but I certainly found it fiendishly good. All in all, Wicked Saints is a thrill ride that you won’t want to miss. The tale held me captive, beginning to end, with it's deep characters and the world that is built around them. Emily A. Duncan is definitely a dazzling new talent in the young adult fantasy world!

4.5 Stars

Lexi's Thoughts:
WICKED SAINTS is a very dark, gothic fantasy read. Duncan's writing was fantastic and you can practically feel the mood/setting, but you'd best have a strong stomach for blood and cutting before you dive in.

There were things I loved, obviously or I wouldn't have picked it up. The writing took me by surprise and was by far the best part of this book. Another plus was the plot, the story was structured very well and the world building was solid, the Slavic undertones fit in perfectly. Also, the epilogue was stellar.

But there were things that didn't work for this reader, the characters. Maybe I would've enjoyed them better in my teen years, but I didn't connect with them and when I put the book down, they weren't begging me to pick it back up. And it was dark, very dark. I enjoy a dark read every now and then, but for whatever reason, me/what's going on in my life, it was a bit much.

I'll be curious to see what else Duncan brings us in the future, she's got talent. And the hardcover edition has a beautiful cover, 'let them fear her' is stamped into it. But I don't think I'll be picking up book two of this series.

3 Stars

I didn't like this book at all. It was a very typical YA fantasy story, it wasn't different or unique in any way. The characters bored me. The world building was non-existent.

More reviews can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/
**3.5 Stars**

I feel like this was a slow start for me, there were interesting moments but I could not really say if I was interested or invested in the story really for at least the first half of the book. In my defense, there was A LOT going on here and I feel like I might need a spreadsheet to keep everything straight. The world was unique, with a war that was going on between people who believe in the power of the gods, and those who are heretics and use blood magic, full of court intrigue, conspiracy, hidden magic, and betrayal. There was a Russian feel to the world, be it with names, food, and clothing, but I have no knowledge if the legends or places mentioned are real to Russian history or pure fantasy. I could not really tell you more because the book was super complicated, the reader is thrown right into the middle of the action with no idea what is happening, and I spent a lot of the time being confused. Now that I finished the book, the story makes way more sense ( I see plot now, where as before it was a shady path into the darkness), but please do not ask me for details because I really do not think I could explain this story. One point that Emily brings home is that everyone is capable of good and evil- where does the line for evil really lay? And you are you to judge? I have no idea who has the correct side, who is righteous, who I want to win...

Holy plot twist, Batman! Wow, Emily way to keep me guessing! About 70% into the book, the story took a huge, surprising twist that ripped the rug out from under my feet- as well as from under the characters too. I appreciate when an author can surprise me and Emily pulled off an epic twist- whether I like how that twist plays out, I do not know. There is a 100% guarantee that I will need the next book to see what will happen next in this hot mess of a complicated war.

PS, I don't care if The Vulture King is shady or questionable (cough cough evil), I love him! Just thought it needed to be said.

This was a solid 4 star read for me. I need more in the series to really make a decision though. But I wanted to share a few thoughts. I loved the buildup of the read thought and the character that we did meet.

The thing that pulls you through the story is the plot itself. The magic is literally the magic of the read.

There is a debate in this book about he magic and it did feel a bit political at times for me, but at the end fo the day I eat up just about anything with magic.

I enjoyed the romance though I prefer a bit more angst in my reads. This felt like the romance aspect would appeal to a bit of a younger reader group than me. or at least what I expected with the basis of the rest of the book. All in all though a bit muddles, I enjoyed the book and cannot wait for the next one.

4-4,5/5

First of all, a huge apology to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for taking <i>so long<i> to read this. It had absolutely nothing to do with the book itself, and all with my terrible track record with ebooks and mental health. Still, a huge thank you for providing me with an ARC.

This book hooked me right from the get-go. I've always been a sucker for anything mythology inspired, and while I don't know if these gods are 'real' or made up, I loved the feel of it. I loved the two kingdoms and their differences, I loved the characters. I loved the twist at the end <spoiler>and felt just as betrayed as Nadya</spoiler>. I can't wait for the next one. There is still so much to explore!

The writing is very easy to follow and it sucks you right into the story, almost making you feel cold yourself. It's an experience in a whole new world I am growing to love, no matter how bleak and dangerous it is.

The only reason this isn't a full 5 stars is the (what felt to me) forced romance, and the really fast paced ending that left me confused a lot more than I wanted to be. I couldn't keep up. I knew there would be a star crossed lovers romance in this, but I had expected a different one. Still kind of hoping for it, to be honest, but the one we got just felt off to me. Though I do feel for them both. <spoiler>Currently my feelings about Malachiasz are very conflicted, especially as we seem to have lost him at the end, but I really liked him up until then and I am TORN.</spoiler>
Also, the usage of 'boy' when talking about 17/18 year old guys from the perspective of a 17 year old felt really weird and juvenile to me. Young man would have been better, I think, but who am I?

So yes, save for the romantic plotline that was completely unnecessary in my opinion, I loved everything about this book and cannot wait to own my own physical copy!

Overall this is a great Young Adult fantasy from a debut author; Duncan sets a part from other YA fantasy novels by creating a dark and gory atmosphere, and she builds interesting characters that must navigate through the rough political landscape and religious turmoil.

I really liked the premise of this book. It was very different than what I had expected. I love that he ended up the bad guy at the end. The only part I had trouble with is the names and languages, sometimes I had trouble following because of so many similar names.

This was book-cover love through and through. Sure, the description sounds good enough, but there were also some warning signs there (love triangle??) that would typically make me a bit wary. But I love the simplicity of this cover and the way the colorization is used. Alas, by the end of the book, the cover was still probably my favorite part.

Nadya can speak to the gods, an entire pantheon of them. But for most of her life, she has been hiding and training in a remote monastery, a secret weapon that hasn’t been used yet in a growing political war. One day, that war arrives on her doorstep, quite literally, and everything changes. Now caught up in events moving in ways she barely understands, Nadya finds herself working a boy she’s not sure she can trust but who might also be the key to it all.

Honestly, there wasn’t much I loved about this book. That’s not to say I hated a lot of it either, but more like, I felt like I had read much of it before and read it better. Russian-based fantasy stories have been the rage for a few years it seems, and as such, there have been a million and one entries into the sub-genre with a wide range of quality, as far as I’m concerned. There have definitely been worse ones than this, but when I just finished up the last book in the “Winternight” trilogy, it’s hard to look at this one and not be a bit disappointed.

Aside from that trilogy, the more direct comparison for this book would be Bardugo’s “Grisha” trilogy. I’m pretty sure there have been quite a few comparisons already floated around between the two and I can definitely see it.

The biggest similarity comes with the romance and the enemies-to-lovers trope that is at the heart of both (sort of). On its own, I think this is one of the harder love arcs to right and I would say its this aspect specifically that sunk Bardugo’s series for me as I could never buy this part of the story. So, here, too, I struggled. I could never understand the “whys” behind any emotion our two romantic interests had for each other. Why did they really hate each other in the first place? Patriotic prejudices can only go so far as an explanation. And then, worse, why do they fall for each other? The motivation behind either emotion wasn’t fully fleshed out in any way, and when you’re dealing with some of the strongest emotions out there, love and hate, you need a pretty darn good reason to have your character feel them, and even more so, change from one to another. Throughout the story, the male love interest lied repeatedly to Nadya, and yet somehow, we’re meant to buy her continued interest in him. By about halfway through the book, I started to give up on getting the strong character I wanted from Nadya and was resigned to the fact that she was mostly a love interest in her own story.

I also struggled with the magic system. Again, as it was incorporated in the story, it felt very similar to other Russian-based fantasies I’ve read, but here it only skimmed the surface. The end of the story in particular seemed to really highlight this struggle as aspects of the magic system seemed to come out of nowhere or operate in ways that didn’t really make sense all of a sudden.

On top of that all, I was just bored throughout most of this. Other than the frenetic last few chapters of the story, I just felt like I was following the predictable footsteps of a well-worn path. There wasn’t anything new here, and in a subgenre that has so many offerings, I’d say if you’re looking for Slavic fantasy, you can find better. Just this year there was the final book in the “Winternight” trilogy, “The Winter of the Witch” by Katherine Arden and “Spinning Silver” by Naomi Novik. And if you want a better “enemies to lovers” story, you can check out “Sherwood” by Meagan Spooner.

Rating 6: Nothing terribly bad, but also not really holding its own in a pretty packed subgenre of YA fantasy.

What an amazing breath of fresh air!!

I've been waiting so long for a book like this and I'm so grateful to the publisher for the privilege of receiving an electronic ARC.

Where do I start!? The characters are just so likable!!! The writing was executed perfectly. The setting and Russian/Polish language and cultural influence was low key the BEST. The entire book sets you up with this metal, medieval, magical feeling that lasts till the end. I did not see the twist at the end of the book coming and I still had hope for a certain someone even when you could feel the main character's heart breaking on page. I'm hungry for so much more from this story - I feel like there's so much more story to continue with these characters! I loved this book so much I am purchasing it when it comes out in April! I cannot wait for more stories by this author! <3

WICKED SAINTS is not the book I was expecting. This is not necessarily a negative thing; however, the marketing I saw promoted it as a dark political tale with a powerful and important woman at its center. But WICKED SAINTS isn't truly Nadya's story. It's arguably Malachiasz and Serefin's (the two potential love interests).

WICKED SAINTS has an interesting concept--a woman who can talk directly to the gods and must use her powers to save her people. The cover is brilliant and the story dark and twisting. However, Nadya, despite all her powers, is a frustratingly passive character who trusts Malachiasz blindly. The romance toes the line of instant love and because of the fast-paced narrative, the reader misses out on world building and development (both character and romantic). This book introduces a host of characters, but the only person who truly gets the space to develop is Malachiasz.

Despite its 400 pages, WICKED SAINTS is a quick read and ends with a good setup for the sequel, though the lack of development left me somewhat confused about certain plot elements. Readers who enjoy morally grey characters may be pleased with Malachiasz and Serefin's bloody hands, but the lack of remorse or emotional reaction to cold-blooded murder is problematic. I'm interested to see if the sequel will attempt more world building and development, how the narrative will deal with irredeemable characters (and are they meant to be redeemable?), and if Nadya will be given the space to devise her own plans and make her own decisions.

Disclaimer: I received an earc from Wednesday Books and Netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book Series: First in a Trilogy

Rating: 2.5/5

Publication Date: April 2, 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (Abuse, Self Harm TW, Language)

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 400

Amazon Link

Synopsis: A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy.

Review: Okay so the premise of this book is amazing and it’s pretty much unlike anything I’ve thought I would read in YA. The plot is sound by what the synopsis promises, but that’s as far as my compliments for this book go.

I was so confused reading this book. I had no idea what was going on and nothing was outright explained. You’re just thrown into this world without any explanation or idea of what’s up or down. The execution for this book was sorely lacking. There’s no world building. There’s no description of what this world is. The characters have miles of adjectives that are overused. The book, while it looked on the surface to not adhere to clichés, had some really big clichés in it. The main character was very under developed and she felt more like a side character in her own novel. It really feels like her development was sacrificed to make room for this romance that I don’t agree with at all. The book is just really disappointing to me overall and I feel that there should have been a prologue or another book before this one to help make this one better. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: a book that forces me to read a synopsis to understand what’s going on in the book really irks me. The synopsis is completely independent of the book and an author should be able to make the book work without one, because a lot of people will not read a synopsis before reading a book. I choose my books on covers mostly and almost never read a synopsis twice (or even once).

Verdict: If you can get into it and follow along, then you’ll have a great time.

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light.

Goodreads
I received an eARC of Wicked Saints from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Wicked Saints needs trigger warnings for a lot of self harm for magical purposes, alcohol use, torture, war, kidnapping, abuse by a parental figure and attempted ritual sacrifice.

Wicked Saints starts with a bang and then slows down immensely.
Once it picks up again, it never lets you go. It’s a little strange but it really worked for this story and left me desperate for the next book, which, unfortunately, is not out yet.

It has a lot of surface level similarities to the Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo, which I think led to a lot of unsatisfied readers. However, I think it stands out for its own many, many merits.

We have a wonderfully diverse main cast as well as our side characters, which was great. The characters we were supposed to keep track of got a little overwhelming at times, but Duncan always dialed it in just enough to keep me focused at all times. My advice: don’t trust anyone. They will all betray you and you will love it.

I also really loved the religious discussions between all of the characters. Duncan had clearly done her research on how to craft believable religions even with the addition of magic. It’s intense and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I honestly can’t wait to see how everything changes in the next book and where our favorite characters get to go from here. I highly recommend you pick up Wicked Saints and read it.