Blog Tour Review: Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan

WICKED SAINTS by Emily Duncan

Wicked Saints

(Something Dark and Holy #1)

by 

Emily A. Duncan

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. 

What I thought (no spoilers): 

Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for sending this one my way. This is one of my most anticipated books of 2019 and I might have screamed when it landed in my in-box. I expect this book will be huge. I can absolutely see people going crazy over it, especially fans of the Grisha series. Which, yep, that's me.

I loved the world and the magic system and the monster boy. Speaking of the monster boy... This book reads like a love letter to the Darkling, and I'm totally on-board for that. I just wish the story didn't feel so familiar. Yes, the magic system is unique, and I really enjoy how Nadya accesses her powers and communes with her Saints, but, at times, the story started to feel somewhat derivative. And by somewhat, I mean a lot. The parallels... If this series ends the same, I'm gonna be mad, y'all. 

But, back to the beginning. The first scene is action-packed and still manages to introduce the characters and give a good feel for their personalities. I was totally hooked. I wanted that pace to continue, but, alas, things slowed down. Don't get me wrong. There are a few more action-y moments, but they're interspersed with some down time.

So the middle sags a bit. It does build toward something. However, the thing we are promised does not materialize on the page, which, not going to lie, was disappointing. Then there were unlikely alliances that seemed way too easy, cemented by a pivotal character who feels very cliche. The pacing at the end picks up speed a lot, so much so that I'm still not entirely sure about everything that happened. There were a few stream-of-consciousness sections that I legit skimmed. Sorry. I kind of got what the author was going for, but there wasn't enough on the page to really make sense of it. 

Mostly, I think my biggest complaint was that I didn't feel immersed in the story or the characters. We're told stuff, but not really shown that much. The author just sort of skims the surface and there were plenty of moments when I wanted to see things fleshed out better. That said, there's plenty of room for more development in the next installment. Yes, I will be reading it. I'm curious to see where this goes. Some of my favorite series started off slow for me, so I'm giving this one the benefit of the doubt. 

Rating: *** (3 stars)

* I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher. This in no way influenced my review. 

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RATING SCALE: 

 5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you. 

 4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book. 

 3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 

 2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect. Here, have a book.

 1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.

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Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recommendations in my comments. Comments make me smile. And if you review books too I'd love a link to your blog! :

You can find me on twitter: @ChellyPike and find more reviews here: https://chellywrites.blogspot.com.






And, if you want to, feel free to press that follow button. :D




Happy reading,

Chelly

THE DIRTY ONES by J.A. Huss

The Dirty Ones

by 

J.A. Huss

They said write what you know so that's what I did. I wrote dirty, I wrote erotic, I wrote the truth.
And then they called me a liar. But it's not me who's lying, it's them.
Our story isn't for everyone. It's not even for us.
So if you're looking for the fairy tale and the stupid prince on his dumb white horse, move along. You've got a hold of the wrong book. This is not your story, this is not your life, and this is not your opportunity to dip your frightened little toe into the dark pool of water and "try new things" and then pull it out and decide... #NotForMe.
When you go in with us you go all in. So make a decision before you turn this page.
Because I'm making one promise with this book.
Just one.
We are The Dirty Ones and this is our truth.

The Dirty Ones is a brand new, thrilling, standalone romance about the secret world of erotica authors by New York Times bestselling author, JA Huss.

What I thought: 

I love J.A. Huss and will read anything she writes. That said, this book wasn't my favorite. It started out really promising. The beginning had me hooked. I loved the mystery and the way the story started to unfold. But then... 

Everything slowed down. The middle felt very soggy. And the ending was a surprise, but the kind of surprise that's frustrating instead of exciting. First the mystery is who wrote the book. But then the focus switches up again and again. For a mystery to work for me, there have to be clues sprinkled throughout so that the answer is on the page, even if it's only able to be pieced together in hindsight. Here, the ending was so convoluted, it felt like a cheat. 

What saved this story for me was the romance element. And the reunion of old friends who share a dark past. I liked watching them seemingly fall back into their pasts and become their former selves. Some of those scenes were off-the-charts hot. But...but...but... 

It felt like the middle of the story was all sex. I'm all for sexy times but the timing here just didn't feel right, and the scenes dragged on for pages and pages of what started to feel like filler to shore up a weak plot. My biggest pet-peeve, I think, is that the last 75% of the book could've been resolved in act I, if they'd just kept reading instead of wandering off to have sex. 

I guess I wanted a little bit more out of this story, but I love J.A. Huss's writing and her voice does carry a story well. Overall a good read. And it is HOT, so if that's what you're looking for, then this one is for you.

Rating: *** (3 stars)

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RATING SCALE: 

 5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you. 

 4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book. 

 3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 

 2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect. Here, have a book.

 1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.

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Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recommendations in my comments. Comments make me smile. And if you review books too I'd love a link to your blog! :)



You can find me on twitter: @ChellyPike and find more reviews here: https://chellywrites.blogspot.com.




And, if you want to, feel free to press that follow button. :D



Happy reading,

Chelly

HUNGER MOON by Alexandra Sokoloff

Hunger Moon

(The Huntress/FBI Thrillers #5)

by 

Alexandra Sokoloff 

Revenge has no limits.

Special Agent Matthew Roarke has abandoned his rogue search for serial killer Cara Lindstrom. He’s returned to the FBI to head a task force with one mission: to rid society of its worst predators. But now in the new, highly polarized political landscape, the skeletal symbols of Santa Muerte, “Lady Death,” mysteriously appear at universities nationwide, threatening death to rapists, and Roarke’s team is pressured to investigate. When a frat boy goes missing in Santa Barbara, Roarke realizes a bloodbath is coming—desperate teenagers are about to mete out personal, cold-blooded justice.

Hiding from the law, avenging angel Cara Lindstrom is on her own ruthless quest. She plans to stay as far away from Roarke as possible—until an old enemy comes after both her and the FBI, forcing her back into Roarke’s orbit. This time, the huntress has become the hunted . . .

What I thought: 

First, let me say that this is book 5 in The Huntress series. Definitely read this book, but do not read this book first. HUNTRESS MOON is the first book in the series and this is a series where the books need to be read in order. 

Okay, on to HUNGER MOON...

Cara Lindstrom is a very different kind of hero. She might just be the best female anti-hero I've read to-date. I mean, it's hard to look at current events and not sympathize with her plight. She's a cold-blooded murderer... and yet she's still so damn sympathetic. Which is heartbreaking and empowering at once. 

The series has always taken a hard look at rape culture, but in this one, the scope of the story expands as more eyes are opened and groups band together on both sides of the moral divide. I, for one, am totally on-board for Roarke and Cara's story, but if it's resolved, then the series will end, and I don't want it to end. So I am all for their paths diverging, and I loved the twists and turns that the story took here.  

As an aside, I found the interjection of real-world politics into this installment jarring. Not because of the political view, but because it kept pulling me out of the fictional world I was completely immersed in (and dumping me into the one I'm currently trying to escape). I think I found the parallels more distracting because there was no hint of the same in any of the first four books in this series, and, with so many characters echoing the same sentiments, it did start to feel repetitive and a bit preachy. But, thankfully, the thrills kept coming and the pace kept roaring along. 

So an overall two-thumbs-up for vigilante justice and an amazing anti-hero. 

I love this series and can't wait to find out what happens next. 

Rating: **** (4.5 stars)

*I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher. This in no way influenced my review.

P.S. For writers: Check out Ms. Sokoloff's blog here: BLOG. It is full of super helpful resources on story structure.  

Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recommendations in my comments. Comments make me smile. And if you review books too I'd love a link to your blog! :) 

You can find me on twitter: @ChellyPike and find more reviews here: https://chellywrites.blogspot.com.

And, if you want to, feel free to press that follow button. :D

Happy reading,

Chelly

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RATING SCALE: 

 5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you. 

 4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book. 

 3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 

 2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect. Here, have a book.

 1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.

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THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden

The Bear and the Nightingale

(Winternight Trilogy #1)

by 

Katherine Arden 

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind--she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed--this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales. 

What I thought: 

I love fairy tales, and this one is dark and twisty, and there are so many stories within the story. This book is so immersive. The world is so well drawn and equally as fascinating. I loved, loved, loved Vasilisa. I adored her relationships, especially with her brother. 

There's a juxtaposition of the new Christian God against the old gods, which is first highlighted by Vasilisa's nurse's stories and her devout brother, and then amplified by her father's new wife and the priest against Vasilisa's wildness. There's a constant tension built in by the harsh wilderness, their remote location, and the bitter, killing cold. 

I loved the themes here and how the narrative brilliantly weaves together so many familiar tropes all the while making them seem fresh. 

I'm definitely a fan of this series and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a lushly rendered fantasy world. 


Rating: ***** (5 stars)

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RATING SCALE: 

 5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you. 

 4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book. 

 3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 

 2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect. Here, have a book.

 1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.

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Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recommendations in my comments. Comments make me smile. :) And if you review books too I'd love a link to your blog! 








You can find me on twitter: @ChellyPike and find more reviews  here: https://chellywrites.blogspot.com.








And, if you want to, feel free to press that follow button. :D














Happy reading,


Chelly

THE LOST SISTERS / PICTURE PERFECT COWBOY / TESS OF THE ROAD

The Lost Sisters

(The Folk of the Air #1.5)

by 

Holly Black

Sometimes the difference between a love story and a horror story is where the ending comes . . . 

While Jude fought for power in the Court of Elfhame against the cruel Prince Cardan, her sister Taryn began to fall in love with the trickster, Locke. 

Half-apology and half-explanation, it turns out that Taryn has some secrets of her own to reveal.

The Lost Sisters is a companion e-novella to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince by master writer Holly Black.

What I thought: 

First, if you haven't read THE CRUEL PRINCE, you must. Here is my review: THE CRUEL PRINCE 

This delightfully written novella is Taryn's story. Really just a part of it. 

I loved this story, mostly for the mastery of craft that Holly Black shows in everything she writes (or at least everything I've read so far). I want to love Taryn but I still kind of hate her. Maybe because I'm a twin and I'm bringing a whole lot of my own baggage to their relationship, but *shrugs* I'm okay with hating her. 

I will say, though, that when I got to the end of the story, I had a flicker of some other emotion for her. Not sure what it was. But I hate Locke with every fiber of my being. And I will always hate him. 

This series is amazing. Read it. That's an order. It will ruin you.    

Rating: ***** (5 brilliant stars)

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Picture Perfect Cowboy

(The Original Sinners #10)

by 

Tiffany Reisz 

Jason "Still" Waters' life looks perfect from the outside—money, fame, and the words "World Champion Bull-Rider" after his name. But Jason has a secret, one he never planned on telling anybody...until he meets Simone. She's the kinky girl of his dreams...and his conservative family's worst nightmare.

"Picture Perfect Cowboy" is a standalone erotic romance from Tiffany Reisz, set in her bestselling Original Sinners series.

What I thought: 

I really enjoyed the beginning. I love the way Tiffany Reisz creates such fleshed out, real-to-life characters. I wanted to love this story, but something was missing. 

The tension that kept me flipping pages in the beginning fizzled out. There wasn't enough conflict to keep the story moving forward and things started to feel repetitive for me. 

If you're in it for the steamy sex and the HEA, maybe this book is for you. If you're in it for the depth of story usually found in Ms. Reisz's books, maybe skip this one. 

Rating: *** (3 stars) 

*I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher. It in no way influenced my review.
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Tess of the Road

(Tess of the Road #1)

by 

Rachel Hartman 

Meet Tess, a brave new heroine from beloved epic fantasy author Rachel Hartman.

In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons get to be whomever they want. Tess, stubbornly, is a troublemaker. You can’t make a scene at your sister’s wedding and break a relative’s nose with one punch (no matter how pompous he is) and not suffer the consequences. As her family plans to send her to a nunnery, Tess yanks on her boots and sets out on a journey across the Southlands, alone and pretending to be a boy.

Where Tess is headed is a mystery, even to her. So when she runs into an old friend, it’s a stroke of luck. This friend is a quigutl—a subspecies of dragon—who gives her both a purpose and protection on the road. But Tess is guarding a troubling secret. Her tumultuous past is a heavy burden to carry, and the memories she’s tried to forget threaten to expose her to the world in more ways than one.

Returning to the fascinating world she created in the award-winning and New York Times bestselling Seraphina, Rachel Hartman introduces readers to a new character and a new quest, pushing the boundaries of genre once again in this wholly original fantasy.

What I thought: 

I really enjoyed the beginning. The story was a little slow but the voice carried me along. But then she ran away and the plot ceased to exist and I felt like I was being lectured with all the info-dumps and flashbacks. Not for me.

Rating: * (1 star) 

*I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher. It in no way influenced my review.

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RATING SCALE: 

 5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you. 

 4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book. 

 3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 

 2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect. Here, have a book.

 1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.

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Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recommendations in my comments. Comments make me smile. :) 






You can find me on twitter: @ChellyPike and find more reviews here: https://chellywrites.blogspot.com.



And, if you want to, feel free to press that follow button. :D




Happy reading,

Chelly

WONDERBLOOD by Julia Whicker

Wonderblood

by 

Julia Whicker

It's 500 years in the future, and a mad cow-like disease called "Bent Head" has killed off most of the U.S. population. Those remaining turn to magic and sacrifice to cleanse the Earth.

Wonderblood is Julia Whicker's fascinating literary debut, set in a barren United States, an apocalyptic wasteland where warring factions compete for control of the land in strange and dangerous carnivals. A mad cow-like disease called "Bent Head" has killed off millions. Those who remain worship the ruins of NASA's space shuttles, and Cape Canaveral is their Mecca. Medicine and science have been rejected in favor of magic, prophecy, and blood sacrifice.

When traveling marauders led by the bloodthirsty Mr. Capulatio invade her camp, a young girl named Aurora is taken captive as his bride and forced to join his band on their journey to Cape Canaveral. As war nears, she must decide if she is willing to become her captor's queen. But then other queens emerge, some grotesque and others aggrieved, and not all are pleased with the girl's ascent. Politics and survival are at the centre of this ravishing novel.

What I thought: 

Eerily disturbing. 

Gruesomely believable.  

This book is beautifully written and a little bit haunting. I love how much this story made me think. 

It definitely falls into the literary category, in that it's character driven, which made the action, at times, feel... I hesitate to say slow, so maybe just not fast. 

There was a lot of weird. In a good way. This was the most imaginative take on dystopian that I've read to date. Brilliant and evocative. 

I will be thinking about this one for a long time. 


TW: There are a few triggers throughout, but nothing really graphic on the page, so keep that in mind.

Rating: ***** (4.5 stars)

*I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher. It in no way influenced my review.

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RATING SCALE: 

 5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you. 

 4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book. 

 3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 

 2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect. Here, have a book.

 1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.

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Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recs in my comments. Comments make me smile. :) 



You can find me on twitter: @ChellyPike and find more reviews here: https://chellywrites.blogspot.com.





Happy reading,

Chelly