Series: Something Dark and Holy #1
Release Date: April 2nd 2019
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 385
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: I bought a copy of this book from Wordery.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis

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..

Review

Wicked Saints is a dark and wild ride of a book! The story follows two warring kingdoms, and the people who will do anything to make sure they are their kingdom are the victors. We follow two people – Nadya, a young woman with divine powers who has lived all her lives in a monastery, and Serefin, a powerful blood mage and High Prince of Tranavia. The two are on opposite sides but are fighting with everything they have for survival.

This book is a bit of a rollercoaster. It’s a dark dark story, full of magic and blood. There are a few trigger warnings for this book, particularly for self-harm so I’d definitely recommend checking that out before picking this up if you feel it might be a problem. The story is full to the brim with adventure, a quest for power and a determination to succeed. It makes for an incredibly intoxicating story, and I definitely didn’t want to put this one down.

I thought the story was really fascinating, and the world building well-constructed. The two kingdoms fighting over religion was really interesting and I thought Duncan breathed some new life into this idea that’s been done many times before. The magic system was really intriguing and I enjoyed learning more about the gods with each chapter.

The story is split into alternating viewpoints with Nadya and Serefin and I actually enjoyed both characters plot arcs equally. I liked Serefin’s back story – the high prince with an incredibly strained relationship with his father – who just wants the war to be over. I did feel like Nadya could have done with a bit more of a back story – it would have been interesting to see more of what life was like in the monastery for her.

Overall the story is well paced, growing more intense and quick as it reaches the climax. There were quite a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and that certainly made me enjoy the story all the more. I won’t say too much about the ending so that I don’t spoil it for anyone, but I did feel that it was over very quickly. I felt like we were building and building to this big moment and it was over very fast. I am however super excited to see what will happen in the next instalment of the series. There’s already been quite a bit of hype surrounding this book so I can definitely attest that it’s worth it!