Wicked Saints: A Novel (Something Dark and Holy, #1)

by Emily A Duncan

When Nadya prays to the gods, they listen, and magic flows through her veins. For nearly a century the Kalyazi have been locked in a deadly holy war with Tranavian heretics, and her power is the only thing that is a match for the enemy’s blood magic. But when the Travanian High Prince, and his army invade the monastery she is hiding in, instead of saving her people, Nadya is forced to flee the only home she’s ever known, leaving it in flames behind her, and vengeance in her heart.

As night falls, she chooses to defy her gods and forge a dangerous alliance with a pair of refugees and their Tranavian blood mage leader, a beautiful, broken boy who deserted his homeland after witnessing his blood cult commit unthinkable monstrosities. The plan? Assassinate the king and stop the war.

But when they discover a nefarious conspiracy that goes beyond their two countries, everything Nadya believes is thrown into question, including her budding feelings for her new partner. Someone has been harvesting blood mages for a dark purpose, experimenting with combining Tranavian blood magic with the Kalyazi’s divine one. In order to save her people, Nadya must now decide whether to trust the High Prince - her country’s enemy - or the beautiful boy with powers that may ignite something far worse than the war they’re trying to end.

• ISBN10: 1250195667
• ISBN13: 9781250195661
• Publish Date: 1 May 2019 (first published 2 April 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 April 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Wednesday Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Inkslinger]

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04-09: These are kind of getting delayed again by deadlines. :( #determinedtoreadthisdamnseries

04-05: Since Ruthless Gods is literally hitting shelves this week and I've been trying to get to it for months, I dug back into Wicked Saints a little tonight. Progress!

03-23: I've been trying to fit this book and it's sequel in for months, but I've got myself so worked up over it.. now I'm kind of nervous. What if I'm not wowed? I neeeeeed to be wowed by Wicked Saints! I read just a few pages last night.. and it was very dry.. which I don't mind.. but following a very emotional read, I worry. *fingers crossed*

[paperbackjedi]

3.5

Maybe this is your style if you're looking for a remake of the Grisha Trilogy in After style. That is the vibe I got from it, and no, I have not read After, but I have watched paperbackdreams rant about it and I know enough. I got the same vibes from this main character. Oh, I also recommend this if you love Alina and the Darkling together. I didn't, but you will find a similar romance here.

This book had such a unique premise and I was so hopeful that it would be one of my new favorites. I think the book had a solid beginning, but after 80 pages, I got frustrated by the main character. What was she even thinking during this whole book? She keeps switching her opinion and plans every few pages. Side characters are just thrown away and never heard of again, and no not just a few, but literally all of them.
Also, can we talk about the fact that around the end of the book, she is kidnapped by the Vultures, saved by her lover, discovers that he is the leader of the Vultures, the prince randomly walks in and everyone starts plotting the murder of the king again? Afterward, she throws her lover against the wall, because she is apparently oh so again, oh no wait, she was just going to kiss him again. And then she asks him to see if her friends are okay after her kidnapping, which he orchestrated! What was she even thinking? She has stolen Alina's throne for the dumbest main character, easily. And don't forget that this happened in around 5 pages? Maximum 10.

It is a shame, the premise was really good, but it was just thrown away. Also, what even happened to the Selection-like process? Suddenly that was over.

Don't read this if you did not like After or the Grisha Trilogy. Just save your time for better books.

[Mad Soul Child]

Wow. Awesome.

[kalventure]

That was an interesting reading experience with a mediocre middle bookended by an interesting start and finish. Uneven pacing aside, I have a lot of questions. Full review to come!

🤝 Buddy read with This Mortal Squad!

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[Beth C.]

A fairy tale in the style of the old ways, where it's hard to tell who is the monster and who may be a god. Where affairs of the heart are tinged with blood - and everything else is too. Where betrayal is common, and darkness resides within...just waiting to be released.

This book is so good. Besides just the overall awesome of the tale, Duncan did an excellent job conveying the atmosphere. It is a dark story, where the hints of light are all the more important for their rarity. The characters are all well done, and even those least sympathetic manage to work their way into your thoughts. Because who is *really* the monster in this tale? Or is it everyone?

I will definitely be reading book two, and I look forward to finding out how this moves forward.

[leahrosereads]

This was a pretty solid debut novel. I loved the world, especially. I thought it was fantastically atmospheric and had a really strong foundation to what I hope will be a really spectacular series. The characters were a little lackluster, but I definitely think they have the building blocks to grow into something really special.

I cannot wait to see where this story goes next.

[katie]

Insert incoherent screaming here because I don't know what to do with myself now that I finally finished this book.

Full Review to be posted Friday at http://kaitplusbooks.com

[tweetybugshouse]

This is an amazing dark and rich fantasy story about two worlds that can not survive the battle they are fighting. The heart of this story is all about magic and which country is correct in their use of it and those that want to control everything. On one side of the battle we have blood mages who use blood and spell books to work their magic. On the other we have a cleric who has been blessed to speak with the Gods and control magic by that blessing. This is a dark fantasy in that it a bloody war and not always sure who can be trusted. It moves along at fantastic clip told from different view points as we travel the path the war takes. I am eager to see how the story plays out and how the battle of magic is finished..

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight .

My only issue with this book is one we're going to get out of the way really quickly: I was a little lost and/or overwhelmed at the start. It starts pretty intensely, and that is not necessarily a bad thing, I just didn't know if I cared, you know?

But it's okay, because as it turns out, I did care, yay! The chapters begin with little snippets of tales of the past (presumably potentially wicked) saints, whose stories are all brutal, dark, and utterly enticing. A good way to segue into each chapter, not only because they're awesome, but because it is almost like a tiny breather. You know, if by "breather", you mean "anecdote about how some poor bastard met their doom", but I digress.

Even though I definitely enjoyed the darkness and intensity of this book and world (and make no mistake, I did), the characters are ultimately what won me over. Nadya is just so... human. She doubts herself, she gets completely pissed at herself, she makes mistakes, she's strong, she's so damn relatable. Little morsels of her inner dialogue would have me practically yelling at her in agreement. I just understood her on some level, even though I am not exactly a magical cleric or what have you. And I loved the male characters, too. I couldn't (and maybe never will) decide where anyone stood with Malachiasz, only that I want to root for him, even when he makes it difficult. Serefin is also relatable, but in a humorous way- his antics are never dull.

Obviously this world is dark, as I have mentioned. And the author does a fabulous job setting it up as such. It's bleak, it's desperate, it's basically hopeless. And it's one of those extra-special morally gray situations where maybe everyone is the bad guy and no one deserves to come out a victor. OH! And there is a journey, and wow am I a sucker for a journey. Add to it some romance, friendships that I love (Parijahan for life), secrets, and betrayal and well, you have a recipe for a damn entertaining book.

Bottom Line: I can't decide which is better: The twisted, brutal world, or the twisted, brutal characters. Both are absolute wins.