Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan- Review

Hello everyone!! I'm very excited for my October readathon I have planned, with a theme of spooky and dark books! I'm going to try to get through them all, so my reviews might be shorter than usual. But, let's get into it!! First off, this book was INCREDIBLE, it had all the dark, gory, creepy goodness I was searching for. I immediately went to B&N after I finished this to pick up the second one LOL!

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.

SPOILERS

This BOOK!! I loved it, and I devoured it in about two sittings, it's the type of read that you can get through very easily! I enjoyed the Russian (Kalyazin) and Polish (Tranavia) feelings and folklore that were heavily present throughout the book. You guys already know how I feel about Gods and pantheons in fiction and this was another one executed BEAUTIFULLY. I wanted to read this in October because I knew it had a gothic/dark theme to it, which is exactly why I waited to read. There was an ominous, eerie feeling throughout the book, that was almost like a foreboding to what was ahead, something very sinister.

Okay, Nadezhda Lapteva, Malachiasz Czechowicz, and Serefin Meleski...I WILL PROTECT THEM WITH MY LIFE. I had to keep referencing to the pronunciation guide because these names were hard for my white ass to say correctly and remember, but I'm here for it.

Nadya is just such an interesting character, she is not my favorite, but I found her incredibly relatable. Her falling for someone she shouldn't? Love that. Her questioning everything she's ever been taught? Growth. Her having to put her heart aside to save her country? A woman.

SEREFIN. My love. My husband. My blood mage. My beautiful prince. He was my favorite, although in the beginning I didn't appreciate him enough, he quickly grew on me. A man who uses sarcasm as a coping mechanism? You already know that's my shit. But, he was also a very brooding and harsh soldier and I was lowkey scared of him at first. But, once more is revealed about him and his past you can’t help yourself. He has had no semblance of love or affection in his life outside of Kacper and Ostyia, who I also adored. And I just want to hold him. THE SCENE WHERE HE BASICALLY DIES AND COMES BACK TO LIFE AND HE‘S JUST LIKE REALLY BITCH??!! “Oh, is this how it goes? I’m murdered and everyone has orders to kill on sight? Just to rub it in?” KING SHIT!! I am very curious to see what happens with his character and what this coming back to life with a mysterious power will mean for my mans... I already miss him, thankfully I have Ruthless Gods sitting right next to me.

Malachiasz, UGH!!! I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FEEL. He had me straight from the beginning, with his mysterious, powerful blood magic, and him being a dark, anti-hero??? And handsome af?? I’m INTRUIGED. Also, he introduced the gang, I will NOT forget Rashid and Parijahan, who I just loved, and their dynamic was so sweet!! But, can we look over the fact that he is a monster, and actually the Black Vulture, so king of the monsters? And, that he absolutely played Nadya.. MY HEART IS BROKEN. It was easy to sympathize with him though, and honestly him and Nadya are not much different. They both want better for their country and their people, and would do anything to achieve this. Which I can understand and respect, but the way he did it.. I WAS ROOTING FOR THEM. Although their relationship was strange, and had a blurred line between feelings of hatred and love... I wanted it, NEEDED IT!! He made her question her beliefs, and she made him want to change for the better... but it wasn’t enough. And now he’s too far gone, to a point where he can’t be brought back from easily.. WHEN HE COULDN’T REMEMBER HIS NAME....... THE PAIN!

THE BETRAYAL. The ending of this book, and the final undoing of Malachiasz... FUCK. I was hoping so much that it wouldn't come to this, to his ultimate MASSIVE betrayal. I mean he kind of already had lied to her about who he really was and his involvement in this whole scheme with the King becoming a God... but damn that second time hurted. The way that Rashid, Parijahan, Nadya, and Serefin were just all so SHOCKED by his actions?? Him almost letting Parijahan die? Watching Serefin almost die? Not even attempting to help Nadya as she almost died? Threatening Rashid? Killing Ostyia? Their realization as to what was happening, how he played them, and they fell right into it, was written so atmospherically that I felt I was right there with them. I'm very excited to see where his character goes from here and who/what he begins to turn into.

The only problem I had was the pacing at some points felt off, the beginning felt a little slow, and then the ending felt SO rushed. That led to some confusion, where a lot of things were happening and I was just like but why? Serefin and the stars and moths? The veil all of a sudden breaking? I don’t know if she plans for them to be answered in the next book or if I just missed it lol. Also motivations for certain actions were also not clarified, especially regarding Malachiasz.

Overall, I loved watching them all meet each other, grow in their friendships, plan the scheming, and eventually all working towards the same goal (somewhat lol). I cannot wait to start Ruthless Gods!!!