Review | Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

Looking at the GoodReads reviews, Wicked Saints seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it books. Myself? I’m on the love-it side of things.

… “love-it” to the point where, four chapters in, I picked up my phone, called my local bookstore, and placed an order. Because — as awesome as libraries are — I need a copy of this book on my shelf.

Apparently, I’m a sucker for Russian-inspired fantasy.

Wicked Saints is the first book of a trilogy, released last year to much hype. (Moody cover and gothic aesthetic for the win!) Book #2 comes out on April 7 … so, ready yourself for much Ruthless Gods excitement.

The story takes place in , which has been at war with for the past century. The primary reason for the conflict — as one might expect — is differences in religious-magic systems. Whereas worships a pantheon and received it’s magic from the gods, denies the gods and relies on blood magic.

The story primarily focuses on Nadya: a young woman with the rare ability to commune with the gods. After her home is attacked, she bumps into a blood mage deserter. Though mistrusting, the two decide to travel to the capital and kill the king. The enemy of my enemy, and all that jazz.

And, of course, things don’t go exactly as planned …

… which is why we have Book #2.

One of the common critiques of Wicked Saints is that it’s a watered-down version of The Grishaverse. As someone who literally had both these books on the go at the exact same time … I don’t see it. Sure, the books do have some superficial commonalities: both featured a Slavic-inspired culture. a female lead, and a elemental-ish magic system. But, the stories diverge from there. To call Wicked Saints a copy of The Grishaverse would be like calling Harry Potter (British, magic, chosen one) a copy of Narnia (British, magic, chosen ones).

I will say that this is a very plot-driven book. Though the characters are great, — and very morally grey — the emphasis is largely paced on the action and twists. I found this style worked for me — though, if you’re used to slower and more-introspective books, definitely look elsewhere.

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Things I liked:

The alternating perspectives. I recently posted a review for Soul of the Sword where I bemoaned the alternating perspectives. Wicked Saints does alternating perspectives right. Not only do the two characters read differently, but the alternating chapters actually serve a distinct purpose …

The not-so-bad-guy. One of the functions of the alternating perspectives is to humanize the central antagonist, Serefin. From a single limited perspective — that of Nadya — Serefin would have been your typical evil dude: a nameless figure bent on destruction. The book’s structure gives us insight into his motives, history, insecurities, and personality; turning what could have been a rather-boring conqueror into an actual person. (Imagine that?!)

The banter. It’s really quite wonderful. Like, really.

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Things I disliked:

The enemies-to-lovers plot … Which was about as subtle as a jackhammer on Sunday morning.

Nadya’s teen romance angst. Good gods, girl. You have a world to save. Stop agonizing over “the damaged boy”! Pull yourself together!

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Favourite Quote:

“Is she powerful enough to take the stars out of the sky?”

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Final Thoughts:

Wicked Saints is a moody and dark — but surprisingly fun — fantasy adventure, featuring a unique magic system and human mains. It’s an easy read that nicely sets up the trilogy.

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The Details:

• The Book: Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan
• Published: 2019, Wednesday Books
• My Copy: KFPL
• Read date: February 8-20, 2020
• Rating/5: 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
• You should read this if you like … anti-heroes
• Avoid this if you dislike … blood