The Curse of Saints by Kate Dramis had a promising start with its intriguing magical world and enemies to lovers trope, but it struggled to deliver. The pacing felt uneven, with long stretches of exposition that slowed the story, and the characters lacked the depth needed to make their journey compelling. Despite some moments of tension and world-building potential, the plot twists were predictable, leaving the story feeling underwhelming overall.

I'm absolutely addicted to this series and I need all installments to be available IMMEDIATELY. I love a reluctant "chosen one" and I adore an enemies-to-lovers-except-he's-been-pining-this-whole-time even more.

I absolutely loved this book! Dark and magical, wonderful world building and characters. Beautifully written!

Oh wow did I enjoy this!
I do enjoy a good fantasy book, but when there is a sprinkle of romance in it as well, it is always a plus! The enemies - to - lovers and tension between the main characters Ava and Will was very drawing to me, and made me excited to read the sequel! The character Adion was interestingly written, but did not draw me in nor do anything impactful for me in the story.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read the sequel!

The premise snd storyline for this series is so different than a lot of the books out there. As the first book this sucks you in, gives yiu everything you need to immerse yourself in a new fantasy world.

Overall I enjoyed the world building and the rapport between the characters and I am highly looking forward to reading the next one!!

This was overall a fine fantasy novel, though I was frustrated by the characters and plot at several points. Things felt simultaneously underdeveloped and over-explained, which speaks to the not-so-great writing. I did find the worldbuilding compelling and I am interested enough to maybe pick up the sequel, but overall this was a bit of a disappointment.

This book had tons of potential and an interesting premise but for whatever reason I found myself having a hard time connecting to it. As a result, it took me way longer than usual to read. I wish we got more explanation of the magic system, the world and that there had been more depth to the characters. For an adult fantasy, this felt more YA, in writing but also in how characters interacted/acted other than their having high ranking positions. That being said, the ending was good and enough for me to want to read the sequel.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the ARC for review. All opinions are my own.

This is the first instalment in The Curse of Saints series.

The queen rules her kingdom with an iron fist and the aid of her elite. Aya is her spy, her third, and spends her days doing the queen's bidding and butting heads with the Queen's Enforcer, Will. One day she unwittingly turns herself into one of the Queen's enemies when a dark and forbidden magic erupts for her core, one which hasn't been seen in centuries and has turned into a legend that is told by candle light and in hushed whispers. Can she keep her identity a secret? And can she be trusted to aid the ruler if she has now become the one who undermines the queen's powers?

This was a thrilling and fast-paced read with immediately loveable characters and all the hightlights of a stellar fantasy read. The romantic sub-plot might have been a little obvious but I rooted for and gushed over it all the same and it did nothing to detract from the brilliant trajectory of the rest of the novel. Onto book two!

I absolutely LOVED this book! Aya is such a bad*ss and so inspiring, but the way Will softens her up had me sobbing, especially at the end. The one issue I had was the world-building, I'm a sucker for world-building and I felt like I didn't exactly understand the setting. It helps me get much more invested in the story when the setting is very well-established, and I didn't quite get there with this book. But the characters were amazing and multifaceted, and I can't wait for the next book!

fairly basic, lots of tropes and conventions that are very familiar and effective but. it doesn't do much new to make them feel fresh. easy to read. but ultimately very generic

The world building was overwhelming and the character development was underwhelming. I just wanted more from this story. It felt bogged down and the pace was much slower than preferred with a fantasy read.

The Curse of Saints wasn't bad but it also wasn't great. I often found myself rolling my eyes and feeling the dialogue to be rhetoric. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the story and will almost certainly read the second book.

The biggest annoyance I had is that I felt there were so many loose ends. I felt like there were even little things thought or said that went a bit unresolved, or, if they were resolved, it wasn't made obvious. So much of the book is people manipulating others, hiding their thoughts and feelings, or playing some twisted version of politics. Even with everything supposedly being revealed it seems like everyone is still hiding things and is untrustworthy. I don't know what to think and I'm not sure if that feeling will continue in the next book or not. If it does, the series is going to be a bit of a bust for me.

I will say though, this book made me think of the Grishaverse series and the Red Queen series. However, there were some strong adult themes that lead me more towards a Romance/Fantasy classification. The writing style was YA but there was content that I would hesitate to allow someone 12-14 to read.

Book Name: Curse of The Saint
Author: Kate Dramis

ARC
Thank you to NetGalley and **SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca** for an ARC of Curse of the Saints by Kate Dramis

I deeply apologize to the publishers for the lateness of the review

Stars: 4.0
Spice: 1.75 (YA)

Book 1 in the Curse of the Saints Series
Cliffhanger
Fast-Paced Plot with Slow Execution in the Middle
Dual POV
High Fantasy

- Thoughts.
- Knives 🔪
- Lots of World Building
- Rivals to….
- Forced Proximity
- Slooooooooooow Burn
- Trauma Exploration
- Fate
- Fast Plot (but a little bogged down in the world-building)
- Slow Middle
- Complex Political/rival kingdoms
- Morally Grey Everybody
- Twisty Ending
- Direwolf-like characters (❤️❤️❤️)
- You're hot when you are angry
- Got slow in the middle


This book had so much going for it Morally Grey Characters with unique motivations and trauma to overcome, A brilliant slow-burn romance, a fantastic magic system, complex political systems, and rival kingdoms… it has everything for a strong romance fantasy in the vein of TOG. So why didn’t I love it…. Well, I almost rated this in the 3’s because the middle was SLOW it wasn’t boring (please hear that) but it got bogged down in introducing another set of new characters and politics, and….. it honestly felt like a sophomore slump book in the middle of an otherwise GREAT first book. I think I’m going to chalk up this issue to a debut author working out the kinks in an ambitious story. I am excited to try book 2 to see how Kate develops both the story, the romance, and as an author. Overall this book was a great read if a little long.

"The Curse of Saints" by Kate Dramis is a wickedly entertaining romp through a world where curses, chaos, and quirky characters collide! With its clever plot twists and sharp humor, Dramis delivers a delightful tale that keeps readers guessing until the very end. From the eccentric cast of characters to the laugh-out-loud dialogue, every page is infused with charm and wit. If you're in the mood for a dose of supernatural hijinks and a good laugh, "The Curse of Saints" is the perfect read to brighten your day!

I’ve been following the author on social media and the build up to the book did NOT lead to disappointment. The world, the magic, the characters all worked together in such an epic and cohesive away and when I finished I just wanted more. Also love a good enemies to lovers and this was *chefs kiss*

I have read this book now 3-4 times and each time I can’t get enough! Such a great book, I can’t wait to read the second!

I loved this book! The world-building, the action, and the tension were all so captivating. I'm looking forward to the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good start to a new series. I enjoyed reading about Aya and Will. There was some good back and forth between the two. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the story plays out.

Romantasy is it's own genre and here to stay and I am living! This was dark, gritty and swoony! I loved how it just dumps you right in the book and goes from there!

I found the worldbuilding to be a bit much at times. It felt like too much of an information dump. Once you get past the beginning, it becomes a bit of an easier read. All in all, I found the book interesting