I received this book in exchange for my honest review. And I will be completely honest.

If you've been following Kate for a while, you would know that this book has been gaining popularity and hype on TikTok for a while because of her videos when she was in the process of writing this. I wanted to read this book so bad before she even completed it and then got excited when earlier this year I was selected to get an ARC.

But, in being honest, this does not live up to expectations unfortunately.

The enemies to lovers trope isn't exactly as it is here. Rivals to more possibly? Yes. But enemies? No. I should note that there isn't really enough romance to even complete the trope in this book. Or spice - for those wondering.

Now, for the characters themselves. Aya and Will are the mains. Aya is supposed to be a great spymaster who has people shaking in their boots and Will is the enforcer who everyone fears. But I didn't really get that. They come across as flat and one dimensional at times - like most of the characters in this book, actually. 😢

I'd love to say that the plot and world building at least made up for the flat characters, but unfortunately no. It took almost 40% of the book for a plot to really start to take form and even then you're still trying to figure out where this is supposed to go with almost 20% left.

There are a few more tropes that was thrown in that, honestly, did nothing to help this story. The love triangle was definitely not a triangle. We barely even know Aidon as readers before Aya has feelings? What? How? When? The other trope is miscommunication. It's a trope I wish authors would do away with, but le sigh. It's here. From the very beginning until nearly 95% in. Be prepared.

I wanted to love this story, like I had hyped myself up to do, but it just didn't hit for me. I'm not sure I'd continue this series right now. But I hope that you pick this up and give it a read yourself. We all see books differently and that's the beauty of reading. Enjoy.

A Curse of Saints is a darkly atmospheric tale of secrets, political intrigue, foreboding prophecies, and mysterious magics. The world-building gives the perfect dark fantasy vibes to capture your attention. But for fans of enemies-to-lovers, the truly angst-filled hate-to-love relationship between Will and Aya will have you hooked. Aya loathes Will, but as they say, there’s a fine line between love and hate. You will adore Will because he has all the makings of a delicious book boyfriend 😂. And the payoff is soooo worth it. I was glued to the book because I simply had to witness Aya’s disdain transform into passionate love.

The plot is filled with the maneuverings of ruthless queens and villainous kings. The charming prince and his feisty sister might just steal your heart as well. And rest assured, I do not consider the ending a cliffhanger 🙏🏽. But I’m still excited for the next one, as there are so many unanswered questions and curiosities to be explored.

The Curse of Saints is a captivating book that truly kept me on the edge of my seat with its intriguing twists and turns. The protagonist, Aya, a formidable spymaster, is a character that I deeply admired, and her journey throughout the story was thoroughly enjoyable. It is important to note that this novel is not a standalone; it concludes with a thrilling cliffhanger that left me yearning for more. This enthralling fantasy tale has left me eagerly anticipating the release of its sequel.

I thought this was a solid debut, with many well-loved fantasy tropes and well-timed reveals to keep the plot interesting.

Aya and Will have a good hate-to-love, slow-burn relationship. Both struggle with keeping secrets, past hurts and uncertain futures, but I loved their ultimate fierce loyalty to one another. I am very excited to see how their connection further develops in the rest of the series.

This story has a lot of political intrigue, all tied to magical affinities and devotion to gods and loyalties to kingdoms. I felt a little lost with the world building at times, but it wasn't so much to turn me off from the story.

The ending has a perfect set-up for the next book (without a massive cliffhanger), so I will definitely be continuing this series!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: New Adult
Content: language, brief open-door

The Curse of Saints is a pretty solid fantasy debut, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.

This is a great book if you love court intrigue/politics and gods-based magic systems. While at times it felt like the world-building was lacking, I felt like I had pieces together a pretty good picture of the world by the end of the story. My biggest points of confusion were around the historic elements that shaped the magic system and the world’s major religion, and what that conflict actually was. Some extra elements get thrown in at the end that don’t exactly clear it up.

I loved Aya as a character, because she was strong and she earned it, and she was always subverting expectations in the best way. I’d expect nothing less from a spymaster. One of my favorite elements of the book was how scenes would take on new meaning just a few chapters later when all was revealed. You really got a sense of the characters playing “chess” with one another. (Though occasionally I felt like chapters did a bit of head hopping, which was annoying.)

The book is also a bit slower paced, which I’m cool with, but I know is not a lot of peoples pace. There are large swaths of time where the plot is inching forward. That being said, I feel like it lays groundwork for a lot of the really wild stuff that happens in the last 100 pages or so. I think the book could have been trimmed up a bit, but ultimately I see how and why it all matters.

And that ending though…. I need book two STAT.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

dnf

This book just wasn't for me y'all. I found it very perplexing in terms of world building. Not much of it was explained in terms of how the world worked, and on the other side, too much was explained at once. The pacing was weird and I didn't find myself particularly invested in the story or the characters. Finally, the writing threw me off. It was very long winded and flowery with a little too much telling instead of showing.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for sending me this book early in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

I loved this book! Talk about a well done slow burn enemies to lovers romantasy. The pacing was perfect. Dramis does a great job of building the world and characters while also moving the plot forward and delivering plenty of action and conflict.

I love how complex the FMC and MMC are. All of the characters were great! I loved Aya, she is so dangerous, strong, and good, but also broken, dark, and twisty. Aya has a great character arc and I loved her every step of the way. William is the perfect morally gray dark broody prince. I love how Dramis slowly pulls back his layers through the book and how our opinion of him shifts as we learn more and more.

What a stunning debut! I can’t wait for book 2.

Tropes:
⚔️Enemies to lovers
💖He Falls First
🦸🏻‍♀️Strong FMC
🤴🏼Morally Gray MMC
🔥Slow Burn
🧙‍♀️ Hidden Powers


Spice:
🌶️🌶️

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! The worldbuilding was interesting and I liked that the magic system had its drawbacks. The characters were well developed, and I especially loved Wills journey and how other characters saw him.

Can't wait for the sequel!

Two rivals with secrets that could destroy each other find themselves forced to work together if they want to save their kingdom, if only they could trust each other.... Aya is the elite spymaster for the Queen, becoming the Third-in-Command and spending her days trying to use her abilities to keep dark magic from returning to the realm. Aya's only real issue: Will, the Queen's enforcer and second in command who is her bitter rival and constantly goes out of his way to get under her skin. Aya and Will have a complicated relationship only made more complicated by their attraction to one another and the fact that Will is hiding so many secrets but demands Aya's trust, but refuses to tell her why she should trust him. When both Will and Aya are forced to work together to make an alliance with a prince from another area, and the fact that Will has learned Aya's deep dark secret and has chosen to keep for some reason... things are complicated. Aya and Will will have to figure out to trust each other if they want to make it out alive. This was an interesting first novel in the series, it started out rough definitely picked up by the halfway mark and definitely improved by the end. Will was an okay love interest I really did not like him at all until about 60% into the book (which is so unfortunate) and the romance between them kind of felt out of nowhere. Will constantly demanding trust from Aya and going on about all the things he's done for her yet never telling her, like sir, please, work on your communication please. Thankfully it all worked out in the end but jeez. I am interested to see where the second book goes and what happens with Aya's and Will's journey. If you enjoy fantasy romance with a rivals to lovers trope, give this one a try!

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

WOW! I just finished TCOS, and I am overwhelmed with how much I loved how this story unfolded. I will admit it took me a while to get into the story, it was very slow for a long time, and the characters were frustrating. Aya discovers she has more power than what is allowed in their kingdom, which is very devout in their religious adherence. She is one of the three closest advisors to the queen, being the spy, her best friend, Tova, the general of the armies, and Will, her believed nemesis, the Queen's enforcer. Much is going on at the novel's beginning as Dramis builds her world, its theology, political maneuverings, legends, and history. Be prepared; it's not necessarily dry, but it does detract from the story arcs, and, along with the frustrating interactions between characters, it can drag. But the payoff is so worth it. When it happens, not only does the pace quicken, the characters hit it right, the story gels, and the setup for the second novel is perfect. All the characters are far too complex to try to sketch them out for a review, but I feel I know them all well, and I am sure they all will have significant parts to play in the next two installments of this trilogy. Kate has built a solid foundation on which to build her next two novels, and I look forward to seeing relationships deepen, friendships grow, and enemies destroyed as Aya, Will, and all the rest go to war. You see, I am more than willing to overlook the long walk to get to more of Will saying, "Aya, love." So. Worth. It.

This is an interesting romantasy with layered world-building, a slow-burning enemies-to-lovers romance, and an intriguing plot. There’s a bit of info dumping, and the pacing and point of view didn’t always work for me, but it included a lot of my favorite tropes, and I liked the overall premise of the story.

The world-building is intricate, and the history of the world is dynamically developed. Though I was intrigued, there were points where it was a slog to get through. I feel like the beginning was slow because of the incredible amount of detail and background, and it took me a while to get into the story. Once I did, I became more invested in Aya, Will, their enemies-to-lovers romance, and the epic journey they go on.

The story is mainly told from Aya and Will’s perspectives, though some chapters are from a third point of view, which I didn’t love. Maybe if it had been introduced earlier in the story, I would have liked it more, but I didn’t really see the need for that specific perspective, and I felt it took away from Aya and Will’s story a little.

The story definitely picks up about halfway through, and the end left me curious to find out what will happen next. But overall, this was just an ok read for me. I think it’s a good set-up for the next book in the series, even though the read fell a bit flat for me.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

The promise of enemies to lovers and a unique and fun magic system had me so excited for this one! But, the first in a new fantasy trilogy, Dramis still left a lot of the world-building out in favor of fleshing out the romance. Given the current audience for “romantasy”, I can see why she thought this a good move. Unfortunately, it left me wanting. I would have liked to see aspects explored more in place of some romance — information about the binding, affinities, even the queen.

That said, I’ll still give the second book a chance when it comes out.

Imagine being the Queen’s spy and getting caught literally every time you try do sneak around? That’s this book in a nutshell.

I had a hard time with this book, it relies very heavily on tropes and throws you into the world without a whole lot of explanation. I actually had to check to see if it was the second book in a series because so much of the magic and lore is just assumed that you know it.

There’s a lot of unnecessary back and forth trust issues between our main characters that got really old, really fast. As well as a love triangle and chosen one.

Also there’s animal companions but they never show up? Are they fed? Is someone taking care of them? I was honestly concerned.

It had every fantasy element you could think of but nothing was cohesive.

The Curse of Saints explores many of my favorite romance fantasy elements but lacked the novelty to hold my attention. I think this has potential as the start of a series and I hope that future books take the time to develop and clarify many of the ideas that are introduced in this book.

None of the characters are properly fleshed out, including the two main characters Aya and Will. Aya is the standard knife-wielding, badass female main character that appears in many fantasy books. I usually love these characters, but I found her incredibly irritating and laughably bad at her job. Will was dark and brooding, once again typical for the genre, but his inconsistent motivations and borderline whiny interactions with Aya grew old fast. Neither of them had any personality outside of their fantasy character stereotype. The third POV character, Aidon, felt completely unnecessary.

The "enemies to lovers" romance really didn't work for me in this one. The setup for their rivalry was really vague and nonsensical. There was almost no tension between them which made the abrupt shift to romance at the end feel incredibly unrealistic.

The world-building was severely underdeveloped. If there were explanations they were done through info-dumping. I never had any real sense of the setting and there were quite a few plot moments that went completely unexplained. Without any unique world-building to set it apart, The Curse of Saints fades into obscurity in the fantasy romance genre.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing both an eARC and advance audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Really really really cool concept, I really wanted to love.

The Curse of Saints by Kate Dramis is a fantasy novel that follows the tumultuous life of Aya. As an elite spy, and third in command to the Queen herself, Aya's life is filled with tracking down criminals and making sure justice is served, while also making sure that the kingdom isn't flooded with the dark magic of old. But when she is forced to work with her rival, Will, things get complicated as a mission goes wrong and she discovers she had a magic that is older than the kingdom itself.

I really really really wanted to love this book. Considering how mysterious the cover is, and how alluring Will was in the first few chapters. But I found the world building to be a bit too confusing. And the scenes tended to drag on for a little too long. And when you actually got to the action, there was so many moving parts that it was hard to keep track of who was who and where.

But don't let me rule your life. Try this one if you really want to.

This book is separated into three parts and while I did find part one a bit on the slower side, once we got to part two I was definitely hooked!

I loved Aya, she was definitely badass from the first moment we meet her, and she hides her vulnerabilities well, at least until she and Will are in the same room. He brings out all the feelings in her and most of them are of a homicidal nature, and they had some great enemies-to-lovers energy and banter, The magic system and politics did get a bit confusing at times, but it did become clearer as the story progressed, and I think it will become even clearer once we get into the next book.

This story went to some great places and I can't wait to see where it will go next, especially with where we left off!

The Curse of Saints by Kate Dramis feels very similar in style to books like Claire Legrand’s Legendborn or Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone, but with a more adult fantasy feel reminiscent of the latter half of Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series.

In the world of The Curse of Saints there are humans who possess no magical affinities, and then there are the Visya, humans possessing powerful affinities handed down by the Gods many centuries ago. In the kingdom of Tala, where this tale begins, the Visya are recruited into the military and use their powers to protect regular humans.

Our female main character, Aya, through whose POV most of the book is told, is a powerful Visya serving as one of the Queen’s three most trusted and powerful guards. Her only desire is to serve her Queen and her people well, even if the violence she inflicts daily in service to the Crown feels like it is eroding the foundations of her soul. Aya has always felt like she was different, even from her Visya peers – that her brand of darkness goes far beyond the ordinary. When an unexpected attack brings Aya’s true powers to light she is forced to either believe she could be the foretold Saint destined to save her world or give in to the fear that she may be the key to her people’s destruction.

When her greatest rival and fellow member of the Queen’s Tria, Will, convinces their Queen to send Aya with him on a diplomatic mission to a neighboring kingdom to secure Tala allies in the war that seems to be brewing, Aya is forced to reckon with her powers – and her demons. And, while working so closely with Will, rumored to be much more than just the Queen’s Guard, should have her wishing to be anywhere else but by his side, she instead finds herself forming her own new alliances – and questioning old ones.

Full of political intrigue, interesting world-building, morally gray characters, possible love triangles and PLENTY of romantic tension, this is a fantasy romance debut you’ll want the next installment of before you’ve even finished the last page. And, for those wanting to know about the spice levels in this book, know that there ARE steamy scenes in this first installment, and the author has mentioned that the spice levels are only set to get hotter from here. The Curse of Saints is full of the sexual and competitive tension between Aya and Will, with strong enemies/rivals-to-lovers and touch-her-and-I’ll-hurt-you vibes. If you’ve enjoyed reading about morally gray main male characters, you’ll love Will. And, while the tension, banter, and relationship between Aya and Will are what absolutely made this an amazing read for me, the added bonus of a potentially strong found family has me excited to see what Kate has in store for the entire cast of characters.

I liked this book so much that I’ve already pre-ordered my physical copy, and I’m excited to see where Kate takes Aya and Will next!

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the e-ARC of this title in exchange for an honest and unbiased review!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Publication date: July 11, 2023

The Curse of Saints is the first book in a new fantasy series and also is the authors debut novel. This was really quite good for a debut and I’m looking forward to continuing the story!

Aya is the Queen’s third, also known as the Queen’s eyes. She is a spy and has to work closely with Will, the Queen’s second also known as the enforcer. Aya and Will do not get along but have both sworn an oath to protect their kingdom and Queen so often need to work together.

Will and Aya are both Visya with Gods given abilities that are meant for protection of themselves and the humans that live amongst them.

Aya has always felt the darkness within her but has fought to keep it hidden. One night while under attack, Aya unleashes a power that hasn’t been seen in centuries to save her and Will from certain death.

To hide Aya’s growing powers and find some answers, the pair travel to another Kingdom under the guise of strengthening their alliances. While searching for the knowledge they need to control the power, they are dragged into the political unrest of the Kingdom they are visiting.

I really enjoyed this book. The angst between Aya and Will was a slow burning, enemies to lovers trope worth the wait. I enjoyed their dialogue and was equally frustrated with their miscommunications and lack of trust. I struggled a bit with the world building and magic system. The author didn’t do a great job explaining up front so I felt lost a few times at pinnacle moments.

This is a 4 star read for me. I recommend for fans of The Throne Glass series or similar fantasy series.

#NetGalley #katedramis #thecurseofsaints

OMG I never in my wildest dream woukd I have seen that ending coming. I can’t believe it ended there. Cliffhanger is brutal. And the epilogue.. can’t wait to know what happens next in the series

This book is ADDICTING. I literally could not put it down. The only bad thing I have to say is that I now have to wait close to a year for book two!!

Kate Dramis does a wonderful job of world building from the beginning - she doesn't overdo it and leave your mind reeling with too much information, and her descriptive imagery paints a vivid picture of each part of the world she takes you to. I also loved the unique and intriguing magic system and hierarchy of gods, magic-wielders, and humans.

The plot keeps you on your toes as it twists and turns and introduces new characters into the mix. Some of these characters were incredibly endearing and I can only hope that this group turns into a "found family". Others were a question mark and I was genuinely unsure of what role they would play right up to the very end.

Now - the main characters. Holy guacamole... I LOVE Aya and Will - mega swoon. The enemies to lovers tension is high and heated from the beginning and only builds from there. The intensity of the chemistry between those two is excruciating while it builds and you wait for it to come to a head. They're both so stubborn and passionate and fiery and strong-willed, which also makes for some amazing banter.

This book ends on a very mild cliffhanger, but sets up the story for the next two books in this trilogy perfectly. The only downside is having to wait so long for the next to come out!