This book gives you the romance you were missing in those books, and definitely feels like a mix of all of those stories. I will say if you were one of those people who shipped Alina and the Darkling in the Shadow and Bone series, or if you were obsessed with maven from Red Queen, this book will answer all your prayers. Hopefully in book 2 that gets fleshed out a bit more. I just felt like we dove headfirst into the action and there was not enough foundation of the world and the politics for me to really get a grasp on it. The fact that the two nations were supposed to be at war, and that this war was basically the whole motivation for the plot was a little lost in the fantasy/magic elements of the story.

In short, the world building was really lacking.

I have heard this complain about this book from several other reviewers, so I’m glad I wasn’t the only one. As a fantasy obsessed reader I have read my fair share of terrible world building, and also some truly exceptional ones (Priory of the Orange Tree anyone?). Why did I give it only 4 stars if it was so amazing? well that would be the world building. The characters were the stars of this book, they were really interesting and I can definitely see the growth and twists headed their way in the next two books. I wish it had been a triple POV but honestly I think the mystery of not knowing all the characters’ secrets did actually add to the story. They book is beautifully written, it has almost a lyrical quality to the story, with a seamless dual POV that gives us two very different perspectives. I wish I had waited until October to read it because I think it really screams the spooky season!

I finally got my hands on this book after a year of hearing so many amazing things about it! As soon as I heard about it’s cold atmosphere and unique fantasy plot I was already hooked! I adore dark fantasies, and this one really delivered. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy. 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. Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war. A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.Ī prince in danger must decide who to trust.Ī boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.

Wicked saints review