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jmchivers 's review for:
Wicked Saints
by Emily A. Duncan
Well that was dreadful. I really, really wanted to like this book. Chapter 1 had me swept up and ready for an epic dark tale. Sadly, it was all downhill from there. A book that should have taken me two weeks to finish took months, because I couldn't read more than a few chapters at a time before becoming lost or bored. I am not even sure where to begin....
The plot was intriguing, but I felt that the author never fully flushed out the magic system in this world. The story crept along slowly so I found myself getting bored often and forcing myself to push through. I also never understood the specifics of how spells were used (other than the obvious mysterious divine speech and blood), any limitations on the power, or who was capable of doing what.
But the thing I struggled with the most while reading Wicked Saints was the writing style. For the first half of the book I couldn't quite put my finger on what was making this book so hard for me to read. Then it clicked. I felt as if the author only edited this book to a dull sheen rather than a polished shine. Some sentences were eloquently written and helpful in description. These sentences flowed effortlessly with the story. However, I felt the author forced unnecessary, superfluous descriptions into EVERYTHING. This book could have been half its current length. I can't tell you how many times in the last 10 chapters I read some iteration of the phrase "blood fell from the sky". It was raining blood. We get it. Move along. The writing told the story in a choppy, verbose manner that did not flow well and did not always make sense.
Lastly, the ending was very rushed and left me wanting. There was so much potential for an epic conclusion, but instead of fireworks, it was a short lived fizzle.
I did not hate the book, and I won't stop anyone from reading it, but the writing drove me crazy. I give this book 2 stars simply because the premise and the potential of this world was interesting and for the few well written sentences. But I would not recommend it.
The plot was intriguing, but I felt that the author never fully flushed out the magic system in this world. The story crept along slowly so I found myself getting bored often and forcing myself to push through. I also never understood the specifics of how spells were used (other than the obvious mysterious divine speech and blood), any limitations on the power, or who was capable of doing what.
But the thing I struggled with the most while reading Wicked Saints was the writing style. For the first half of the book I couldn't quite put my finger on what was making this book so hard for me to read. Then it clicked. I felt as if the author only edited this book to a dull sheen rather than a polished shine. Some sentences were eloquently written and helpful in description. These sentences flowed effortlessly with the story. However, I felt the author forced unnecessary, superfluous descriptions into EVERYTHING. This book could have been half its current length. I can't tell you how many times in the last 10 chapters I read some iteration of the phrase "blood fell from the sky". It was raining blood. We get it. Move along. The writing told the story in a choppy, verbose manner that did not flow well and did not always make sense.
Lastly, the ending was very rushed and left me wanting. There was so much potential for an epic conclusion, but instead of fireworks, it was a short lived fizzle.
I did not hate the book, and I won't stop anyone from reading it, but the writing drove me crazy. I give this book 2 stars simply because the premise and the potential of this world was interesting and for the few well written sentences. But I would not recommend it.