Wicked Saints (Something Dark & Holy Series, #1)
Author: Emily A. Duncan
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 400
Publication: April 2nd, 2019
Synopsis:
“Prepare
for a snow-frosted, blood-drenched fairy tale where the monsters steal your
heart and love ends up being the nightmare.” - Roshani Chokshi, New
York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen
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.
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:
Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for sending this one my way. I'm very excited to be part of the blog tour! This was 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, but, like, it better not end the same. Ahem, anyway, the magic system feels real and unique. I really enjoyed how Nadya accesses her powers and communes with her Saints.
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, but, like, it better not end the same. Ahem, anyway, the magic system feels real and unique. I really enjoyed how Nadya accesses her powers and communes with her Saints.
The opening scene really hooked me. It's action-packed and still manages to introduce the characters and give a good feel for their personalities. Yep, hooked.
I was a little sad when the pace slowed down. There was a lot of traveling, which is difficult as there's not much action. The story does build toward something, however, the thing we're promised does not materialize on the page, which, not going to lie, was disappointing. There were some unlikely alliances that seemed way too easy, cemented by a pivotal character who felt somewhat 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 left me scratching my head. I kind of got what the author was going for, but there wasn't enough on the page to for me to make complete sense of it. And, in my opinion, alas, there were too many nods to the Grisha series; so many that the story started to feel [insert cringing] quite derivative.
Mostly, I think my biggest complaint was that I didn't feel really immersed in the story. We're told stuff, but not really shown enough. There were plenty of moments when I wanted to see things fleshed out better. That said, there's plenty of room for 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.
Overall, I think this is a fantastic debut novel, and I expect great things from this series!
Rating: *** (3 stars)
* I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher. This in no way influenced my review.
* I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher. This in no way influenced my review.
Happy reading,
Chelly
No comments:
Post a Comment