Book Review: Wicked Saints

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.

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of Wicked Saints from Wednesday Books, but this in no way affected my final rating.

The Good

I really enjoyed the gothic tone of this story and the magic systems introduced: clerics who can hone the powers of various gods and goddesses, and blood mages who use blood from their own wounds to cast spells from spell books. The blood magic was messy and gross and honestly metal af!

I also loved how each “main” character had a complex story, though we only read through the POVs of Nadya (a cleric who can speak to all the gods and goddesses) and Serefin (prince of the land of blood mages). Their storylines didn’t overlap how I thought they would, particularly where a shifty character named Malachiasz was involved, and I was really happy for it! There’s romance in this book, as well, and it definitely didn’t go how I thought it would, which is an even bigger bonus, because normally the predictability of romance just annoys me.

The Bad

I had a couple of issues with the writing: repetition in descriptions and sometimes confusing dialogue. The repetition really sprouted once the romance did; I found myself rolling my eyes at times, because, yes, I get it, the boy is dark and broody and broken and beautiful, lettuce move on!

The Verdict

Overall, I really enjoyed Wicked Saints and can’t wait for the sequel! I would recommend it to readers who like fantasy and magic that’s on the darker side.

Rating: ★★★★
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: April 2, 2019
Page Count: 385