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read_100_books 's review for:
Wicked Saints
by Emily A. Duncan
I am torn between leaving this book a two star review or a three star review. I felt that this book had so much potential and fell so so short of it. The main characters had no depth, the secondary characters were forgotten and overlooked, the writing was confusing and sloppy at times, and the pacing of the book was inconsistent.
The one saving grace of this book, and the reason I give it three stars is the magic. I liked the concept of blood mages vs. divine power vs. a complicated third option and how they were at war with each other. But even this aspect of the book was never explained. How does it work? What are the limitations? How did each faction come to be? Etc...
I do admit that I also liked the tone. The tone was cold and dark even in a place filled with color and opulence. But again, this paled in comparison to her use of Russian themes because it was not as well done as Katherine Arden’s Winternight Trilogy or as subtle as Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone Trilogy. I felt that her blatant reminder of how this is supposed to be like a mythical Russia detracted from the story rather than added to it.
Overall, I don’t know if I would recommend this book to other readers and it is too soon to tell if I am curious enough about the story to pick up the second one in the future.
The one saving grace of this book, and the reason I give it three stars is the magic. I liked the concept of blood mages vs. divine power vs. a complicated third option and how they were at war with each other. But even this aspect of the book was never explained. How does it work? What are the limitations? How did each faction come to be? Etc...
I do admit that I also liked the tone. The tone was cold and dark even in a place filled with color and opulence. But again, this paled in comparison to her use of Russian themes because it was not as well done as Katherine Arden’s Winternight Trilogy or as subtle as Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone Trilogy. I felt that her blatant reminder of how this is supposed to be like a mythical Russia detracted from the story rather than added to it.
Overall, I don’t know if I would recommend this book to other readers and it is too soon to tell if I am curious enough about the story to pick up the second one in the future.