Started : 24/08/19
Finsihed : 08/09/19
Spoliers : No
4.5*
Man, oh man. That was enjoyable. Good old fashion YA fun with lots of blood and total goth vibes.
I was hyped and I wasn't disappointed.
Chracters
I fell for the characters pretty early on. Not as much Nadya but definitely Serefin and Malachiasz.
Don't get me wrong, Nadya was good. I didn't dislike her which was a huge plus, but at the same time, I didn't feel like there was anything that made her unique from any other chosen one YA herione. There's a pretty formulaic makeup for this kind of character outline and she fell a little into the category of generic, but all the same I liked her, which is more than i can say for most YA female MCs, so I think Emily A Duncan has done something right for sure.
Now, Serefin. I think I fell in love with him after his first chapter. I'd find myself excited to continue reading because I just wanted more Serefin.
I don't know what it was about him, especially considering his chapters are much shorter so we see a lot less of him than Malachiasz, but I just loved him. I was fully invested in him.
But that doesn't mean I didn't also fall a little bit for Malachiasz too. He was so dark and mysterious and gothic and my emo soul absolutely devoured him. I think the appeal of Malachiasz for me was more a sense of nostalgia; the kind of guy that would've driven me wild in my teen years, (plus who doesn't enjoy the bad boy trope?), whereas Serefin is more my book crush choice as an adult.
The dynamic between Nadya and the two guys was very different and invoked different feelings, but both were wonderful and delicious.
Plot
If you want a fast paced, action packed story then this probably isn't the book for you. It's a slow burner, but personally I love books that spend a long time building tension.
This is a story about war, gods, prejudice, judgement, espionage, love, betrayal and unlikely friendships.
It's dark and gothic and deliciously mysterious. This is a seriously atmospheric novel and it made my inner witchy occultist giddy with glee.
I thought this book would heavily feature a love triangle, but it didn't. Normally I don't like love triangles, but in this case, I wanted it so badly. I think because I loved both of the guys in this book, I wanted Nadya to love both too. They were equal in my eyes. And though there was no triangle in this book, I believe there will be one in the next book, and I'm so ready for it.
The slow burning plot built the atmosphere as well as character relationships and tension. I know a lot of readers found the plot boring, but I enjoyed every second of it.
My only critique is I found the ending a little confusing. I found it hard the visualize the final fight, I think because it all happened so fast. I'm left with so many questions regarding certain characters's motives and where their loyalty lies. And I get the feeling these questions I'm left with aren't intentional, like it should've been clear but I'm just not fully understanding. But I'm fairly confident I'll get these answers in the sequel.
Also there's a lot of chin lifting going on. Both Malachiasz and Serefin are constantly taking Nadya's chin in their hand and lifting her face up.
Just saying.
Regardingsimilarities to the Grisha trilogy, yes it's got a lot of similar ideas amd tropes, but tbh, I enjoyed it im the Grisha trilogy so why would I not enjoy it here?
I was able to overlook a lot that I might ordinarily have seen as a flaw. I know I can be quite critical in my reviews, but tbh, I just enjoyed it, so tropes and comparisons didn't bother me.
Setting
I really loved the world. I loved that it was inspired by Poland as well as Russia.
So judging by the names and the alphabet I'm saying Tranavia was Poland amd Kalyazin was Russia.
The two counrties are at war and there's a lot of animosity between them (much like poland and russia)
But in an interesting twist - that I really appreciated - its the Polish inspired country, Tranavia, that is winning the war and doing the invading.
Poland has taken a lot of shit, so it's nice to see Poland kick ass back for a change, even if it is just a fantasy version.
I really liked the map and reffered to it often, as so much of it was explored. There's nothing I dislike more then a rich world that isn't explored because the charters are written into one corner of it. Not the case for Wicked Saints.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Writing Style
This was so fun for me to read. Being part Polish, I had no problem with pronunciation. It was actually fucking amazing for me to read a fantasy book that leans so heavily on Polish inspired language. It felt almost like a special secret between me and the book, as I know from so many reviews that readers struggled with the names. The fact that I understood everything makes me feel even more connected to the book, like it was written for me. I appreciate so much the author's refusal to shorten the names or dumb them down.
The writing itself was fluid and easy to read and I was engaged throughout. The fact that I stayed up late each night reading should hopefully demonstrate my devotion.
And I'll just leave this here.
"I am here now mostly unscathed." He tapped his temple. "Some scars aren't so visible."
APPRECIATION
Final Impression I'm in deep. I'm invested. I'm ready for the sequel. And I'm excited to see where this goes. I may even need to preorder.
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