I am regretting that it took me so long to pick this up. I enjoyed it so much!! It is right up there with the first one for being entertaining and the romance really drives it home for me.

I went into this sequel hoping it would improve on the strong foundations set by The Curse of Saints, especially since it’s considerably longer—but unfortunately, it only highlighted the issues I had with the first book. I reread The Curse of Saints to prep for this one, and it only deepened my disappointment. Everything that frustrated me in the first book was amplified here.

First, this book is long. And considering that not much happens other than endless brooding, it feels even longer. The pacing crawls, which made it hard to stay invested. But what really sank it for me was the characters. We’re dealing with the supposed best spy in the kingdom, two generals, and a torturer who somehow outshines the spy at actual spying (seriously?). And yet, none of them can see the plot that’s basically flashing in neon right in front of them. These are the people meant to protect a nation? It’s no wonder things fall apart—they’re just so frustratingly dense!

Another issue is the way the plot relies on events that only serve to push things forward temporarily, yet are conveniently never mentioned again, with no real consequences. It’s hard to stay engaged when so much seems to just...happen and then evaporate.

I think this might be where I leave this series. I’m simply not invested enough in these characters or this world to keep going.

2.5 stars.

I loved the first and the second was even better! The fantasy is immersive, the MCs are badass, and I like the overall vibe of the entire book. I can't wait for the 3rd!

The Curse of Sins was even BETTER than The Curse of Saints! I really enjoyed this so much! I was really anticipating this release and I am so glad it lived up to my expectations. The audiobook was superb and it really made my reading experience very enjoyable. Now for book 3!

A stunning follow-up novel that transported me to a rich world of fantasy romance with magic and untold powers.

Multiple POV, Spicy, Magical Affinities, Enforcer MMC, Touch Them and Perish, Angsty, Political Intrigue

Kate Dramis has come out swinging with The Curse of Sins picking up the action right where the previous book ended. Aya and Will's romance is one of my favorites as it starts out as true enemies to lovers but turns into so much more. Add in the drama of Aya having to deal with balancing the ingrained duty she feels towards her country versus what her heart is telling her as she realizes everything she's beliefs may not be the truth. Also the magic system in this series is so unique watching Aya's power bloom as she learns and masters her abilities is thrilling. The way Will is so soft for Aya putting her and her safety above everything else had me swooning not to mention every time he says 'Aya, love'. I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW, PLEASE HURRY KATE. I BEG YOU.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This book was absolutely fantastic. Kate Dramis has such a beautiful writing style that keeps you interested and engaged from start to finish. She has torn my heart out and patched it up and made me feel all the emotions. I love it and can’t wait to read the next book!!

The Curse of Sins is the second novel in The Curse of Saints series. It follows Aya and Will as they return home to serve their queen in the coming war against a rival kingdom.

Now let me start off by saying I finished this book in about 10 days. That is definitely not a normal occurrence for me when a book is about 600/700 pages long. I basically ate this up! I definitely liked this one more than the first and usually that’s not the case for me.

We jump in almost right where we leave off and it’s done so well! I loved how the world building didn’t just stop in the first book, but continued to expand in this one. I really enjoyed learning more about the magic system too.

Okay and that ending?! Um, excuse me Kate but HUH?! The scream I scrumpt was crazy. I am very anxiously awaiting the third book, because it’s a NEED.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is what romantasy should be like! The fantasy and characters are at the forefront and I love it! The romance is so developed in this book!

I would like to start this review by saying I didn't hate this book, I just didn't like it. I read the first book and I felt excited about there being a second book. I started and stopped Curse of Saints a few times, and then finally was able to get into it. Once I didn't, I was reminded of a number of YA book series: The Shadow and Bone Trilogy or The Red Queen series, for example. So I finished the first book and decided I wanted to see where the second book went. The first book spent a lot of time setting up the magic, the lore, the history, and the interconnected relationships. Which was time consuming an left not a lot of room for action and adventure (other than the journey to the Vaguer). I had hoped book two would stop toying with the silly nonsense and get down to the nitty gritty. Why does she have this power? What does she do with it? How is she going to manage it and use it? What about all these other loose ends and relationships? Will we get to see how they pan out or will there be a third book to wrap things up? Blah, blah, hopes and dreams, blah.

I am bored reading this book. I want to put it down SO BADLY. I WILL finish it, probably, because I feel it deserves my time. However, it is not lost on me that I have, on more than one occasion, thought of the sunk cost fallacy while reading this book. We shall see. I may later update my review and say I quit or, perhaps, the last 20% of this book will suddenly become amazing and I will eat my hat.

*light spoilers*
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing me with a digital arc of this book!

The Curse of Sins is book two in Kate Dramis' dynamic fantasy trilogy. It follows Aya, the Queen's second-hand warrior, and Aiden, who has just been coronated as King in a neighboring land. Following the first book's events, Aya and Will return to a land where they mistrust their queen, but someone close to them seems to be feeding her secrets. Aiden is grappling with his new position as King, especially in light of his uncle's treason and all of the people that he has harmed. Aya's and Aiden's paths cross again as war wages, but the stakes are higher than ever.

Going into this book, I expected not to enjoy it. I don't remember particularly loving Curse of Saints, and I know sophomore slump is real with most series. But this book came at me hard and really surprised me. I ended up listening to the last 3oo pages of the audiobook in one day because I was so invested. When it was over, I found myself craving it, which is always a sign of a great book.

That being said, I had a few gripes with this book. First of all, the readers were not told enough information from book one to follow what was happening in book two. I read the first book over 5o books ago, so it was really hard for me to remember where exactly we left off and the specifics of their situation, and the author didn't do a great job recalling that for the reader. I was also in a strange position where I felt the book could be 100-200 pages shorter, but the ending was rushed. The reader didn't get to properly enjoy Will's reaction at the very end when he discovered Aya was missing. I wanted anguish. I wanted my heart to be torn out of my chest. And all I got was one sentence and then the end of the book.

I don't know if I can even fully express what it was I loved about this book. Like I said, it sort of snuck up on me! I thought it was so much better than the first (and several other popular Romantasy series) in building a heavy fantasy world. I love how Visya can bond with an animal and that we learned more about Evie through Aya's experience as a Saint. I thought the romance was very well done, and the tension between Will and Aya was simply unmatched as they had to pretend nothing had changed in their relationship. I also love the trope of powerful evil woman, what can I say. Gianna's character made my blood boil, but I'm also in love with her?

All that I know is that this book had me cursing myself for reading the arc instead of waiting for the third book to be ready. One year is simply too much time to wait, and I will not stand for it. 5/5 stars.

Such a great follow up to the first book! I love these characters so much.
The author has learned how to lure readers in and keep us wanting more.

I love this series so much and this book was so easy for me to get into. I flew through it. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing and the world was amazing.

OMG, Dramis is a master storyweaver and worldbuilder. I cannot recommend this second installment enough.

I was so excited to get the second book, but it felt flat, I had the impression we were going into a circle. Nothing was really happening at first and I got bored with the relationship. The chemistry wasn’t working it felt force and I just couldn’t find in me to give more than 3 stars

This was a good second book in this series. I will say I feel like it could have been a bit shorter and packed a stronger punch. Nothing really happened until the last 1/3 I feel like.

Perhaps my biggest complaint of all is the overuse of muttered and drawled. I hope for book three the editors can use a thesaurus. For example when Will is telling Aya he loves her, WHY is he muttering?! The dictionary definition is that it’s in dissatisfaction or irritation and I don’t think that’s the intended context. Not only is it used at weird times, it’s overused, as is drawled. It got to the point it started to pull me out of the story. Please please fix this for book three! This story will be so much stronger with simple grammar changes.

Besides that, I really enjoyed this story. The cliffhanger is insane and I cannot wait to read the third book. I really love Anya and Will. Also Aidon is becoming an absolute favorite for me, and I love that we got some of his POV.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 🌶️ 🌶️

I knew Kate was going to grab me, pull me in, throw my emotions around like a rag doll, leave me wanting more; and she did! And then some! And I still loved this book and the journey she took me on. And I will still devour book 3 when it comes out because that ending?! That ending?! It is on par with “Where is my wife?!”!!!!! I cried, laughed, screamed (almost threw my book), but Kate’s sophomore novel delivered everything I was hoping for.

I have adored Will and Aya since first seeing teasers on Kate’s page. Will is an underrated book boyfriend that is up on my list with certain High Lords and hawk shifting faes. These two and their dynamic throughout the book just kept me reading page after page; determined to see what happened next before having to put the book down.

The character development and world building is on a whole other level with Kate! This is something she has always done beautifully. She has a way with words that just reels you into the pages; allowing you to get lost in her world, forgetting you are reading. She is also the queen of enemies to lovers in my book! What started out as ruthless, “I will kill you one day” is one of my favorite relationships ever!!! I will never have enough of Will and Aya.

The way these two feel for each other oozes off the pages and lives rent free in my head all the time! This is a series that I will always love and am so excited to see what happens next. You feel everything while reading this book and it leaves you scared for the next book, but needing the next book asap!

As always review trigger warnings before reading.

Tropes:
🔥Morally Grey MMC
⚔️Unique Magic System
🔥Bonded Wolves
⚔️Royal Courts
🔥Multiple POV
⚔️Power Grabs
🔥Twists You Never See Coming

✨ Publication date: June 25, 2024✨

The Curse of Sins is the second book in the Curse of Saints series by Kate Dramis. This book picks up directly after the first one.

Will and Aya are returning home to the Queen and the Kingdom they left behind. With war on the doorstep and everyone depending on Aya after being revealed as the Second Saint, they need to be discreet about their budding relationship.

As they immerse themselves back into court life, Aya and Will are constantly separated. Will is tasked with a variety of unspeakable tasks by the Queen while Aya is removed from all things war and protection and forced to study with the priestesses in an attempt to discover how her power will save the kingdom.

Things aren’t quite right though. Aya’s best friend is cold towards her and seems to have large gaps in her memory. As Will and Aya begin to suspect the Queen of tempting the gods and purposely bringing the war, she sends Will to assist one of their allies under attack.

When Will is presumed dead, Aya refuses to give up and puts together a band of misfits to join her in her search for Will. She must locate Will hopefully alive and then work together worth their friends to save their kingdom.

I really like this second book! Loved the development of Will and Aya’s relationship and further details on how the magic system works. This book ended on a cliffhanger so I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next one. This is a 4.5 rounded to 5 stars for me.

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

#NetGalley #katedramis #thecurseofsins

In this captivating sequel, Aya, the prophesied savior of the realm, returns home with her once-sworn enemy, Will. Their queen’s intentions remain suspect, and dark magic threatens all. As secrets and lies unravel, Aya questions whether the gods truly want her to save the realm or merely watch it burn. 🌟
If you enjoyed the first book, “The Curse of Saints,” you’ll find this emotional tale of love, betrayal, and sacrifice equally compelling! 😊📖