Book Title: Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy #1)
Author: Emily A. Duncan
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Description from Goodreads:

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…

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars 

Wooo my book slump is officially over thanks to Wicked Saints!

This one was an Owl Crate book that had been sitting on my shelf for awhile. Looking back, I might’ve been a little put off by the alternate cover design where the white and teal is replaced with black and red. I actually really like the alternate cover — it just has such a Gothic vibe that I was afraid the book might be a little too dark for me, especially as a summer read. Now having finished the book, I can say it was just the right amount of dark and thrilling, with non-stop action and a world unlike any other I’ve read about.

Wicked Saints switches perspectives between Nadya, a Kalyazin cleric with a direct line of communication to her Gods, and Serefin, High Prince of Tranavia and front-line general leading the army in an assault against Kalyazin. Nadya’s ability to speak with the Gods affords her a host of magical capabilities that the Kalyazin believe will ultimately save their country.

The book begins with Nadya waiting out the war in hiding. When the prince finds her deep in the mountains, she makes a harrowing escape that leads her to two Akolan sibling warriors and a dangerous blood mage, a group who also appears to be on the run. Serefin is called off his pursuit of Nadya by the King, who needs Serefin back at the palace for a traditional ceremony aimed to select an appropriate consort for the High Prince. As Serefin heads back to the capital city of Grazyk, so too do Nadya and her new group of friends, who decide to sneak into the country and topple the Tranavian government with Nadya’s powers. However, Nadya soon realizes just how difficult her mission will be when she finds the Gods have turned their backs on her, refusing to supply their spells and power to Nadya for protection.

This is the kind of book that really nails the dual-perspective. The chapters move quickly, driving the plot forward as our characters are pushed together. While Nadya and Serefin see each other as enemies, the reader gets to see each character for who they really are, which adds a ton of depth. And with a fully realized ensemble cast, we develop ties to characters on each side of the conflict, increasing the stakes as the plot develops. I didn’t intend to like the prince, given that he came off a little…murder-y, but after learning more of his backstory, I came to root for him and his changing morals. Nadya surprised me with her ability to hear out characters with conflicting views and challenge her own thoughts. She made some naive decisions, as powerful teenagers are wont to do, but she acknowledged the danger in trusting anyone and she logically decided that she’d rather be naive than lose her open heart.

Despite my and Nadya’s reservations, the brooding blood mage, Malachiasz, stole my heart. He clearly has a number of secrets that explain why he’s so inordinately powerful, but Nadia seemed to bring out a side of him that I wanted to trust so much, even as he continued to warn her away from himself.

Alas, my heart wanted what it couldn’t have and I found myself so invested in his character arc that I would read a whole separate book about the journey that led him to Nadya. A number of revelations surrounding Malachiasz come to light as the story progresses, each more surprising than the last. The twists and turns in this book had me unable to put it down for two straight days.

One of the aspects I most enjoyed while reading Wicked Saints was the author’s ability to provide ongoing comedic relief. The story could have headed in a more ominous, haunted direction. Instead Emily Duncan breaks dark moments up with light ones, giving the characters time to get to know each other, form bonds, develop platonic and romantic relationships. Serefin has one of the quickest wits and I loved his back-and-forth barbs with friends Ostyia and Kacper. For fans of The Magicians, Ostyia reminded me a lot of Margot, one of my favorite badasses.

In addition, this book is beautifully designed, one I’d recommend reading as a physical copy. While the cover design perfectly captures the sprit of the story, the interior is just as lovely, in particular the chapter openers. The whole book, cover to cover, contributes to such a beautiful and ethereal atmosphere. I can’t wait to pick back up with these characters in the next installment.