Okay I will admit, I have a personal bias here, but I can't understand why no one can write a decent spymaster in fantasy? Why is every spy getting caught or is surprised by a sudden twist in the political world? That is literally their job???

I loved this book!
I first saw some posts that the author made with snippets from the story on social media, and was immediately drawn in. I promptly added myself to her mailing list so that I could keep up with the news about this book.

It was stunning! I loved the relationships between the characters, who are deeply flawed and beautifully written. There were times I wanted to shake the FMC, Aya (and the MMC, Will as well). I found their relationship throughout the story to be filled with conflict and miscommunication in a believable way. I loved the storytelling, with multiple kingdoms who are poised on the brink of war, slow burn romance, and political intrigue.

I will be looking forward to buying this book when it is released and following this debut author in the future.

I. Am. FLOORED. I devoured this book SO fast because it was just that bingeable 🤌 Fantasy lovers everywhere, this book is for you.

What to expect:
🖤 rival kingdoms on the brink of war
🖤 political + religious intrigue
🖤 morally grey characters
🖤 FMC with untold power
🖤 Broody dangerous MMC with secrets
🖤 “Fine, make me your villain”
🖤 slow burn romantic tension
🖤 “I’ll burn the world down for you”

I loved the character development, the mystery of who’s on whose side, the magic, the romance, all of it 🤌 I’m going to need to own a copy of this one! I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens next!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

Aya's blood-oath as the Queen's Spy master may bind her to protect and fight alongside infuriating Will, but that doesn't mean she has to be nice while she does it. When the two are sent overseas to investigate rumors of dark magic, Aya and Will must negotiate their bitter rivalry in order to hunt down the truth — and Aya must hide the truth about her own gods-given affinity from Will and the Queendom at all costs. Fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas will love the excellent worldbuilding, stunning character dynamics, and exciting action that are all hallmarks of this remarkable fantasy novel. With a thrilling slow-burn enemies-to-allies-to-maybe-lovers that draws in and captivates readers, this is definitely a book you cannot put down until it's finished!

I received an ARC copy of the book from NetGalley, and was really keen to read!
I was intrigued by the premise of this book, especially the spymaster character and the idea of a female chosen one, which is not always easy to find. I think this book will be ideal for Young Adult/New Adult fantasy readers looking for enemies-to-lovers and a book with good world-building and lore. I scored this a 3.75 stars.

I enjoyed parts of the book and found there were some areas that I wish had been refined and improved. I thought the world-building was detailed, and that the author had clearly put a lot of thought into making the lore underpin the world, from its festivals to its governing system. The political tension was interesting, although I wish it had gone into more detail to make the final twist more impactful. I appreciated how the author laid out the opposing rebel groups and religious clashes, and wish we had seen more of this throughout the story. I thought it was interesting how the different gifts were used in service to the crown, although I would have liked to see more of this throughout the book itself. I also really, really appreciated that we have a character with unusual powers who is not shown to be drastically overpowered, which often takes the tension out of action scenes. Aya was shown to be powerful but not so much that I stopped caring. I think the enemies-to-lovers romance was handled well and the character development overall felt genuine and believable. I thought the book made some good steps towards including diverse characters.

I felt that the story had a few aspects that appeared and then disappeared when they were no longer plot relevant, for example the bonded wolves. There were many parts that I felt I was being told a lot about the world and about how the characters felt, and I had very little chance to see it. Aya is a spymaster, yet she is recognisable by face when walking around her city, and there seemed to be a lack of actual spying or a spy network for her to use. I felt that this was a bit of a missed opportunity: I would have loved to see Aya meet up with spies during her travels, and kept expecting her to try make contact with a servant or similar. At one point Will even briefs Aya on the trade situation: shouldn't this be something a spymaster is aware of?

The enemies-to-lovers worked well, and I think the author did a good job of showing when the tension increases and when their feelings change. However, the enemies section felt quite hollow to me and the reveal at the end made it even more so. Aya's hatred after he delivers news about her mother seemed a bit flimsy, and when she views him as wanting retribution for when she injured him it seems logical that he would have asked for her to be removed. I will say that for two people holding positions of power who have to work together daily, they don't seem to have much experience working together. Will's role as the royal torturer was unpleasant, and I think could have been explored more deeply in terms of how it impacts him as a person but honestly, nobody seemed to care. The relationships between characters could stand to be fleshed out. Every single interaction seems to end with somebody snarling at someone else. I wish there had been more character interactions outside of the main characters, which would have helped deepen the lore and solidify the characters who were there in name but had little to differentiate them, such as Vivian. I often felt like the city itself felt quite empty: we tended to be introduced to one plot-relevant character who would then disappear, and I could not tell you much about them, often not even their last names.

The beginning of the novel was littered with info-dumps and I think they could have been woven into the narrative more seamlessly.

A final qualm: the world seems to be medieval or thereabouts, yet the characters are wearing backless gowns and crop tops. I found this a bit jarring.

If it seems like I am being harsh on this book, it is because I feel that it has potential! The author has shown herself to be creative in her world-building, and I think that this series could easily become a rival for Throne of Glass, and is probably written far better in my opinion. The way the novel ends sets itself up for an interesting sequel.

Okay this book was fire!!!! Aya is strong but not annoying. Will is not overbearing or a complete moron. Feminists would love this novel. She is strong capable and even when her world gets put on its butt she still handles it like a boss. The way you are marketing it is great. The author needs to pay t themselves on the back. I have zero complaints. Zero. So so good

The Curse of Saints was a book that got my attention as soon as I read the synopsis. I knew I would love it and I wasn’t wrong!

Aya is part of the Queen’s trio as her spymaster. With her is Will, the enforcer, who also happens to be her rival/enemy. When there is rumor of dark magic, both are sent to another kingdom to investigate. But Aya’s powers seem stronger than they should be.

The way that the book was written made it seem so real. I could imagine the setting so well and understood every bit of it. Most know that I am not a fan of world building, I just don’t have enough imagination for it. But this book made it so interesting yet easy to comprehend that I really enjoyed it.

I am also sucker for enemies to lovers, especially in fantasy books. The reason for the rivalry, I will be honest, I didn’t completely understand. But the banter and the slowburn was so good, I’ll completely ignore that part. I love how their romance wasn’t just a one time confession and now they’re in love. I always found that weird for enemies to lovers. In this book, you can clearly see the trust between Aya and Will form.

This book had the right amount of romance, mystery, and action in it. This is an incredible debut to a series I’m really excited to continue. I’d highly recommend this to anyone getting into the fantasy-romance genre as it is really easy to understand and paced just right to keep your attention. If you’re looking for something a bit more complex, I think you’d still enjoy this just not as much.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the e-arc!

The Curse of Saints should have been the perfect book for me. A Spymaster, dark magic, an enemies to lovers romance - this sounded amazing. Sadly, that was not what I got.

I won't attempt to summarise the plot. It was pretty confusing at first and got slightly less confusing later, and there were a couple of plotholes. The overall vibe I got from the story was Shadow and Bone meets Throne of Glass, but not well written. The different scenes often felt like they had gotten cut off right in the middle of the action.

Now, let me talk about the characters.

First of all there's Aya, who is supposed to be this brilliant Spymaster to the queen. I'm writing "supposed to" because she is terrible at her job. From what I remember she gets caught by someone (usually Will) every time she does some spying. I found her unlikable overall and she did not seem like a fully fledged out character. Her main personality trait was disliking Will - at first at least. I'll get to their relationship later.

Now, about Will. I did not like him. He's the queen's enforcer and he seemed at least slightly more competent at his job than Aya was at hers. He had this "tortured hero" thing going on, but I mostly found him whiny and annoying. He kept saying how much he had done for Aya and how he was protecting her, but at the same time he refused to talk to her about what was actually going on. It was frustrating to read. Will, my dude, stop whining about Aya not trusting you if you don't tell her anything.

There's a third POV character, but I found it unnecessary to get scenes from his perspective, so I won't further discuss him.
There are a couple of side characters, neither of them had distinct personalities.

Now on to the relationship between Aya and Will. Was this the brilliant enemies to lovers romance I had been hoping for? No. Aya and Will lacked any chemistry between each other and were so hot, it wasn't possible for me to root for them to become a couple. I didn't understand what they saw in each other. They distrusted each other and Will's refusal to talk to Aya about his overall motives was just annoying. Their love(?) for each other came out of nowhere. They hated each other and suddenly they didn't, without any reason for that change of mind.

My last complaint is petty, but I'll still talk about it. Some of the characters (e.g. Aya) in this fantasy world have wolves they're bonded to. This could've been a cool plot element. Imagine this wolf companion following the characters around... Only it wasn't like that. The wolves only show up twice, if I remember correctly, and they were irrelevant to the story. To be fair, they're used as a plot device once, but they could've been replaced there. So what's their point? I think the author just thought they'd be a good element to make the book seem edgier.

So overall I didn't particularly enjoy this book. I would not recommend reading it.

A spymaster with a power that hasnt been seen for centuries. Her bitter enemy who may or may not be working against the very crown they have both pledged their loyalty to and a journey to discover themself and what they truly stand for.
Fantastic worldbuilding and a plot full of heart wrenching twists and turns. The slowest of slow burn enemies to lovers between 2 great MCs with high tension and forced proximity.
Magic - check
Rich history - check
Cliffhanger that left me wanting more - check
Ready for book 2 now!

The world building and the mythology/history development was really rich.

However, I found the romance to be a bit...startling? I've been following the author's insta reels for a while, and the enemies to lovers trope was highly promoted, which was one of the main reasons I picked up this book. I was not prepared for the amount of bitter hate Aya seemed to possess for Will - it was more of loathing than of passionate hate. For his part, all of Will's povs were sort of closed off, so not even the reader knows his true intentions and motivations until almost the very end. I don't necessarily mean that this is a bad thing in a book, it's just that I was expecting something else based on the way it was promoted. The emotions the MCs deal with are pretty heavy (esp the deep amount of self-loathing they each have), and if you're reading this review before picking up the book, I'd suggest you go into the book expecting the dark tone.

TWs - death of a parent (and a child who sub-consciously blames themselves for it), toxic parent, violence, mass violence during a public festival, torture + MC hearing the tortured screams of the character, death

--- ty to the author, the publisher, and to Netgalley for an advanced copy!

O my this is a great start to this series particularly when you consider it's a debut. Aya is a character you will love and Will whilst ostensibly cool and arrogant had my old romantic heart beating solely for him ! It's perhaps a little slow in the beginning as we discover what abilities characters have and how they are used. Plus it didn't seem particularly important to learn some are connected to wolves but that little titbit then led into what felt like the real meat of the story as Aya and Will travel to another kingdom searching for answers and hopefully allies.
This centres around God's who we never meet and events that led to certain people having powers . To summon the Gods would cause catastrophe but it appears not everyone agrees. Our protagonists are definitely enemies to lovers and wow was it pulsating with chemistry. I did occasionally find the world building confusing as yes it's fantasy with swords etc and no obvious modern technology such as guns or aircraft. However the way their clothes are described and the fact that they sit in armchairs not chairs gave it a more contemporary feel at times. The bottom line is the characters are fascinating and the second half of this book is amazing so I do recommend reading it and hopefully the second book will explain more about the Gods and just what their enemies have got planned.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I absolutely LOVED this book so much!

I was hooked from the beginning.

Kate is a master at creating vivid imagery. I haven't read an author who can describe a setting, a world, as clearly and beautifully as she did. The world felt so real and big and complex. It also felt very dark.

The romance was also written phenomenally! I am a sucker for an enemies to lovers. Most books fail at it though because with a single incident, a single heart felt confession, they suddenly trust each other and any hatred is gone. But not with Aya and Will. No it took a lot of time for them to finally trust each other and to recognize what they felt. And wow...when they finally did that was amazing! I love them so much together and individually. Their banter, the flirting, all of it was perfect.

The characters overall were just so well done. I usually don't enjoy reading from multiple POVs but Aya, Will, and Aidon were all so interesting to read from. Their voices were so distinct and complex. All of their traumas and emotions were so expertly explored and effected them in such large and realistic ways.

This book had me in my feels. ESPECIALLY in the last 30%! These characters were really tearing my heart to shreds. The scene with the Vaguer was so dark and intense and heartbreaking. And the climax HURT. But it was all so epic!

I am really so curious and intrigued by queen Gianna. I absolutely hate her (especially in that epilogue) but she's such an interesting character. I am SO ready to read more about her in book two!!!

Some spoilers feelings...

The scenes in the cave and then in the dungeons between Will and Aya are still so fresh in my mind. Goodness they are so amazing. I truly loved every heated interaction between them in this book! The slow burn was perfection.

Also, I didn't realize how much I loved Aidon until I thought he'd betrayed them all and was so heartbroken. (That was also done so great!)

I love how if Aya was pushing Will's buttons, he didn't just give in and let her. I love how he pushed back because it felt so REAL. That is how REAL people react. I loved reading that and I feel like that is missing from so many male love interests! It was so refreshing to read.

Overall, I can't get over this book and I want to read it all over again. I loved it so SO much and I need book two ASAP! 5+++/5 stars!

Thank you so much Kate Dramis and Sourcebooks Casablanca for approving me this ARC!

Been following this book on Instagram for a while now and it’s so exciting to finally get to read it!

Kate Dramis creates a world so easy to fall into, you won’t want to return to reality. It almost feels like whiplash coming back.

This book had the perfect amount of romance, mystery, angst and action. I’m one who likes to read for romance and spice and with this first book, although it isn't heavy on the spice, the incredible tension between characters absolutely makes up for it! You’re left wanting more of all the moments where the chemistry HITS. The banter, the longing and the swoon-worthy scenes had me breezing through the pages! The tropes in this one were 100% *chef's kiss*. Does our strong heroine, Aya, end up with her supposed enemy or the prince whose character is so unexpected?? Read to find out and fall in love too!

The romance is not the only thing I loved about this book. The twists will leave you in complete awe. I thought I had all the answers, but Kate proved me wrong and I’m not mad about it. Everything was carefully planned out and woven so seamlessly that it was hard for me to predict something that would come true. It made it all the more fun! The world itself is very interesting to learn about, and Kate did well explaining all the different beings and kingdoms. It might seem like a lot at first, but once you finally get the understanding of things, it definitely adds to the reading experience.

Each character has their own part to play, whether they're friends or foes. The lines do become blurry, so I definitely look forward to seeing what direction Kate takes us next, especially after reading that epilogue. This series is already starting to become one I'd love to read over and over again!

I'll admit, for a debut novel, this was much better than I expected. The story was pretty well laid out, and it kept me on my toes as a reader. Everything introduced in this story was resolved in a way that the story progressed smoothly while still leaving open ends and new beginnings for the next book. Aya was a good lead character, strong and willfull while still being humanly flawed. I don't know that Will was truly a sufficient "enemy" in this case, but he was a good counterpart to Aya. I'm really interested to see how they grow and where the author takes their relationship.
I didn't so much like how the author introduced us to the country of Tala and certain characters like Tova and Tyr only to pull us out and spend the entire book in a different kingdom. I don't know that it was entirely necessary to the story. Hopefully, we will see more of those things in the following books.
I enjoyed the characters we did get to spend time with, though, Josie and Aidon. Aidon has a depth to his character that at this point has only been hinted at and that I hope the author builds on. Same with Josie. There was a lot of talk about her prowess in combat or with a sword, but we got to see exactly none of that, so that was incredibly disappointing.
All in all, there is a TON that happens in this book, and as a reader, it really pulls you into this world and the religion of the Visya, setting up a very thorough world that I am very excited to return to in future books.

Wow, wow, wow. This was a stunning debut from Kate Dramis.

Unique magic, beautiful world building, an incredibly strong female main character, political intrigue, action, friendships full of snark, love, and loyalty, an intriguing plot, and a slow burn enemies to lovers romance, I'm talking SLOW BURN but so worth the wait, this may be my favorite slow burn ever. This book has it all!

Aya and Will are two complex and loveable characters. The journey they go through how and how it all ends up was done so well. Enough suspense to keep you wanting to read more to know what will happen to them and between them. I can't even pick my favorite between the two because their growth throughout the book was emotional and enjoyable to read. Aya is headstrong and brave but she has a vulnerability with Will that I loved. Will comes into his own as well and I loved learning his whole backstory. Both characters learn that the "dark" is okay and we all have that in us but what we do with it, is what matters. A good message! Also I don't want to leave out my love for the supporting characters because they all had growth as well and all are key parts in the story!
World building is SO important in fantasy books and Dramis did it right. She explained the settings thoroughly and so descriptive that I could picture it in my mind. I was never confused with names and places because it was all explained properly. It's amazing to me that authors can just make these places up off the top of their head and do it so well!
The ending was great, a bit quick, but we have A LOT left to watch unfold in Will and Aya's lives and I cannot wait for the second book!

I loved this book so much and am already looking forward to the next one!! This was the PERFECT enemies to lovers that I didn’t know I needed. I loved how the FMC, Aya, is a total badass! The entire plot was phenomenal and kept me interested the ENTIRE time. I don’t want to spoil anything, so i’ll just leave it at- this book was amazing! It had the plot, it had the romance, and it had alll the tropes!!! I couldn’t put this book down!

I don't know. I think I'm just glad (relieved?) that I finally finished it. Is that bad?

The start was a bit rocky for me. For some reason "Aya love" just came across as irritating. I think it would have been fine if Will said it during times of like, sassy banter or something? But he just threw it around like whatever. (Look at me discovering a new pet peeve?)

The book definitely hit its stride in the middle. By this point, I was also slightly more invested with the story. Unfortunately, I didn't become as attached with the characters as I would have liked. And I wasn't as on board with the romance for some reason. (Any other time I would have fallen head over heels for the secret pining.)

This was one of my highly anticipated reads and I wanted so much to love it with the fire of a thousand burning suns. But I just ended up having mediocre feelings at best. And really, I've forgotten most of what I read after putting finishing this on hold for a few days.

Right now, I feel content with the book's conclusion. I don't think I'll be reading the sequel.

I don't know. I think I'm just glad (relieved?) that I finally finished it. Is that bad?

The start was a bit rocky for me. For some reason "Aya love" just came across as irritating. I think it would have been fine if Will said it during times of like, sassy banter or something? But he just threw it around like whatever. (Look at me discovering a new pet peeve?)

The book definitely hit its stride in the middle. By this point, I was also slightly more invested with the story. Unfortunately, I didn't become as attached with the characters as I would have liked. And I wasn't as on board with the romance for some reason. (Any other time I would have fallen head over heels for the secret pining.)

This was one of my highly anticipated reads and I wanted so much to love it with the fire of a thousand burning suns. But I just ended up having mediocre feelings at best. And really, I've forgotten most of what I read after putting finishing this on hold for a few days.

Right now, I feel content with the book's conclusion. I don't think I'll be reading the sequel.

I was so excited for this book, and I am not disappointed! This enemy to lovers tale includes deep friendship, betrayal, and a fierce sense of loyalty. Though the tropes are familiar, the story is unique, full of excitement and delightful world building. Kate Dramis' writing pulls you in from the start and refuses to let go, even once you've finished. This book explores the thin line between Saints and Monsters while capturing the internal struggles we face in grief and regret in a beautiful way. I am so happy I pre ordered this book and am already itching for the return of Aya and Will.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I have followed Kate's writer journey on her tiktok and couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. I received an ARC through NetGally.

This book has some great world building that isn't overly explained. I really wanted to try and take the story slow to savor it but once I got past 30% I had a hard time putting it down. There were twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I loved that it kept me on my toes. The banter and the tension between the main love interests was top tier. It had some of my favorite tropes such as "touch her and you'll die", "burn the world for you" and a smidge of "enemies to lovers". I cannot wait to add it to my shelves once it is fully out. I also cannot wait for the sequel.