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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Happy reading,
Chelly
