Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy #1)

Summary:

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. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com) 

Review:

This book was very confusing.  The world-building is a little inconsistent and I found it frustrating because it didn’t make it clear as to what the goal / outcome was of the story.  I was willing to believe that the story was more complex than initially presented, but then it wasn’t delivered.  Nadya consistently made poor decisions and then is shocked when they turn out poorly.   She doesn’t think and then, once she meets her insta-love, all her personality seems to disappear.

The villain doesn’t have his motivations explained and it leaves my interest for the sequel pretty low.  There are also certainly some striking similarities to other successful books, which is really just not cool.  I’d say the beginning of the book is intriguing, but ultimately just doesn’t deliver.

Warning: Contains repeated violence and concepts of self-harm.

Rating: 2 stars!

Who should read it? Folks interested in getting into a series.

Want to read the whole series?

• Ruthless Gods (Something Dark and Holy #2)

• Blessed Monsters (Something Dark and Holy #3)