Reviews

The Curse of Sins by Kate Dramis

piperkitty's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

 

 have thoroughly enjoyed my time reading "The Curse of Sins," which is the second book in the series. I had the pleasure of joining @Tandemcollective's #TandemReadalong of #TheCurseofSinsReadalong, and it was wonderful to connect with other participants. Each part of this book had me on the edge of my seat, eagerly anticipating what would happen next with Aya, Will, and Adion. The emotional rollercoaster this book took me on was incredible - I laughed, screamed, shouted, cursed, and even shed a few tears. One of the highlights for me was the dynamic between Adion and Josie. Their relationship is intricately woven and engaging to read. The tension between them added depth to the story and kept me captivated. The ending was a real shocker, and now I'm left yearning to know what happens next. The tension and the cliffhanger have left me craving more. This book has reignited my love for fantasy, and I can't wait to dive into more stories like this.

#thecurseofsins #TandemReadalong #TheCurseofSinsReadalong #books #AdPr #booksofinstagram

anna4's review

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Not counting the prologue, Curse of Sins picks up right where Curse of Saints left off. 

Due to my own stupidity, I accidentally spoiled myself with what happens on the last 20, maybe 30 pages, and I was somewhat worried that it wouldn’t have the effect on me that the author intended. Which yes, but also, no. It affected me even though I knew what was coming.

Don’t be like me. You don’t want to know what happens until it actually happens.

Compared to book one, this sequel had way more monologues from pretty much everyone who had their own pov. Which was nice, because we got a more in depth view in their minds.

Yet it also felt a bit too much at times, because those monologues might feel repetitive to a certain point. 

Especially when those feelings, thoughts and doubts often enough boil down to the same issue the character in question was facing from the beginning of the book/series. 

And it’s not like I can’t understand those emotions, it’s just from a reader pov you’re like ‘ok I think I got it now’.

One might argue that those parts could have been shortened or felt dragged out and I am inclined to agree.

I loved Aidon + Josie in Curse of Saints and was very happy to see that they played not only a bigger role, but we also got to see frequently through their povs what was happening in their lives and in Trahir, especially after the events in Curse of Saints. 

But I love them even more now!

An arguably important part of the book was Tova and her relationship with Aya. I would have loved to read some of their conversations through Tova’s pov, so we can understand her own frustration and general emotions better.

We were also (re)introduced to (some new) characters not only around Aya and Will, but also Aidon and Josie and I am very interested to see how these new relationships will develop in the next book.

Some of the cursing felt a bit off, and it’s not like I am against dropping the f-bomb or a curse in general (one might argue I am actually the opposite of being against it), but there were some moments where it did feel almost forced and not really necessary to convey whatever frustration the character was feeling. 

This is also something that I felt during Curse of Saints, but can easily look past.

I also felt like some of the revelations came way too quickly to Aya and Will. How are you not able to connect the dots and see through all of the issues and yet here you are suddenly understanding everything without a second thought?

With how Curse of Sins ended, I am VERY excited to read the next book and hope to explore even more of the world! I would also really love to read from some more characters point of view.

Thank you to Michael Joseph for providing this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

read in: May 2024

ashjreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I am too speechless rn to write a review. Ask me tomorrow. 

the_localbookworm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

4.75

victorias_library's review against another edition

5.0

THIS. BOOK. 

So good!! This is 10x better than Saints. 
The plot: THERE
The romance: THERE 
The disrespectful ending: THERE

nelliereadsalot's review

4.0

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! The last 30% is an absolute ride with a ton of unexpected twists and that cliffhanger. Omg. I am unwell.

Sins picks up right after Saints, and we see Aya and Will deal with the fallout of everything that happened. Lots of heartache and literal pain to be had by all. The first half was sort of a slow roll, but wow, did it ramp up. I definitely messaged Kate at one point because I was freaking out. Haha

I loved seeing so many of the characters come into their own and embrace their strengths. I will definitely have to read the next one because, again, that cliffhanger!

Thanks to Kate and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review. 

_allisom's review against another edition

5.0

“The cry of war in Tala stars with the howl of a lone wolf that sails into a harbor and the answering caw of a raven that settles on the mast of the ship, as if it knows carrion awaits.”

The Curse of Sins by Kate Dramis is available for pre-order and releases on June 25, 2024 (June 20,2024 for UK readers)!

WOWOWOW. What a stellar second book in The Curse of Saints trilogy! I am so grateful that I received an ARC for The Curse of Sins from NetGalley.

I didn’t know that I could love Kate Dramis’s writing more after The Curse of Saints, but this one really did it. We got tons of Will and Aya. We got their conflict. We got their resolution. We got beautiful declarations. Chef’s kiss. I loved that we got to see Will’s point of view more in this book as well. The way those chapters were written were so captivating and beautiful and gave us insight to how broken he is the back 20% of the book.

I don’t know if I could pick a favorite part. I don’t know if I could pick a favorite scene of Will and Aya they were just so great and iconic. I also appreciate that we weren’t starved for their interaction and struggle. That was something I was curious about seeing as they had to keep their relationship secret, but we got *plenty* of Will and Aya.

I think what I’m most curious to see play out in book 3 (yes already thinking about book 3

rebicon's review against another edition

4.0

I should have reread the first book because I believe my lack of understanding and flow could have contributed to not remembering things. I feel like it was slow in some parts and things didn’t truly pick up until the end but I really enjoyed the book and loved seeing Aya, Will, Aidon, and Josie again. I wish we had more time with all four of them because they are great characters and I love all of their interactions together. This book did start off directly after the first book ended which was mice that there wasn’t a jump in time or anything to disrupt the flow.
There were a lot of “well shit” moments, like chapter 56, and I thought the way Act I ended was done really well. I’m looking forward to the next book and what it entails.

I received an advanced copy for NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

emslitlibrary's review against another edition

adventurous challenging sad tense medium-paced

4.0

The Curse of Sins is a really solid and enjoyable sequel to The Curse of Saints. Aya and Will return home to face insurmountable odds and in doing so, must keep their newly blossoming relationship a secret. And man, did they really go through it in this book. 

I found the first half of this book to be a bit slow as you’re dealing with more questions than answers at that point. I struggled a bit with jumping to Aidon & Josie’s POVs but I do understand why we needed it. That said, the chapters are short enough that it still moves at a decent pace even if it feels like the plot does not move much in that first half. Aya was also kind of annoying with her mistrust but I think it was valid given her position and granted, she had a lot going on.

Now for all the good stuff. There was plenty of tension and angst between Will & Aya but we also got some really sweet, tender moments that I loved. Around the 55% mark things really started to pop off. I predicted one big reveal, but aside from that I was thoroughly surprised and delighted with where the story went in the end. I loved seeing all the key players come together, if only for a brief period of time. There were a lot of developments leading up to the final scenes that felt like all the puzzle pieces being positioned so that they can slide into their rightful places in the third and final installment. 

After that ending, I imagine the final book in this trilogy is going to put us through quite a bit of heartache, but I am really excited to see where this story goes and have my fingers crossed for a HEA. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an ARC to read and review!

zagfros's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Sins was a good continuation of Aya's story & I loved the expanded world building from Dramis. It's honestly my favourite part of the series as the world is so fleshed out and not overshadowed by the romance, personally I find this is where the story shines! Aya & Will's relationship is still front and centre though and despite certain struggles the relationship still grows over the course of the plot.

I did find the novel a tiny bit lengthy and occasionally wanting to rush through certain POVs to get back to Aya's. However, overall the book was still a great read and I loved learning more about the world and characters from Saints.

The wait for the next installment is going to be tough though... that cliffhanger!!!