Wicked Saints

TW: Self harm, Parental abuse

This book was already on many bloggers' most anticipated lists because the author seems to have been famous on tumblr and all her followers have been with her on her journey of completing her debut novel. So, even though I wasn't one of them, learning that this book has some sort of Grisha Trilogy vibes, especially a romance between the heroine and (possibly) villain that we never got in the trilogy, I was very intrigued to read it. And I have to say, despite being very bloody and dark for my tastes, it's a compelling new fantasy world with fascinating characters who impressed me a lot.

This is a story of war, politics and religion - with a whole lot of blood involved. While we all have read many fantasy novels with kingdoms fighting each other and the female MC is destined to save her kingdom, I personally have never read a book whose foundation is a holy war and all the characters are very deeply religious in their own way. The author uses the conversations between the characters and their monologues to give us both the perspectives of the religious god fearing Kalyazin and the heretical blood magic using Tranavians - and the beauty of the writing is that we as readers see our loyalties shifting between both the sides until we are unsure who is worthy of our support. Emily is greatly skilled at writing action packed, violent and bloody sequences because I didn't feel turned off by them. The pacing can feel off at times, because it starts off with a great action sequence which then follows into a slower paced journey. However, the interactions between the characters, the political intrigue and the spectacular climax make up for any other issues.

Nadya is a very sheltered girl when we meet her in the beginning. She only knows that her power to wield magic by communicating with the pantheon of gods has made her a target and she needs to survive to save Kalyazin in the war. However, as she meets the rebel gang and especially the Tranavian blood mage Malachiasz, she starts questioning her own devotion to her gods and her hatred towards the enemy kingdom, if she is ruthless enough to follow the gods' orders and if they truly have the best intentions for her kingdom. She also fights her attraction to Malachiasz every step of the way, because he is the epitome of the monsters who were created to kill someone like her. I absolutely loved their push and pull, the constant tug between light and darkness, how they felt drawn towards each other despite knowing that it probably wouldn't end well for either of them. I can't wait to see what more the author has in store for them in the future.

Serefin is a very powerful blood mage and the High Prince of Tranavia, a general of the army who has seen too many horrors at a very young age and tries to drown his sorrows in alcohol. Being at war for too long has made him realize that it is destroying his country and he just wants to find a better way for his people. However, conspiracies abound back at the palace and he is constantly on the lookout for who is coming for him. I wanted to hate him because the book starts with him trying to kill Nadya but as the story progressed, I realized he was only doing what he thought was best and he wasn't the bad guy after all. His character arc is marred by betrayals at every step and I'm even more excited to know where the author takes his story next. The book also some excellent side characters in Rashid, Parijahan, Ostyia and Kacper who are loyal and steadfast and I definitely don't think the main characters would be so strong or survive their circumstances without these friends by their sides. I wish to see more of them in the sequel and hopefully, we'll get to know more of their backstories too.

Overall, this is a very strong debut and I highly recommend it if you don't mind your fantasy novels to be quite bloody and gory and violent. As promoted, it will definitely appeal to Leigh Bardugo fans with its Russian and Polish inspired world building and the Alina/Darkling vibes. This book also given me one of those ships whom I would die for with my whole heart and it'll probably only end in tears for me but I won't have it any other way. Such a great start to a series and I can't believe I have to wait for more than an year for the next one... Why do these books torture us so 😭😭😭