Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy, #1) in We Always Read Book Club

Jun 25, 2019 Sarah H (Reckless.Reader) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Original review from 2019:
“Let them fear her” But like... I didn’t?

I wanted to love this book. I tried to love this book! I googled names and pronunciations in effort to connect with this book. Frankly, it fell a bit flat. (Concept could have been a 5, execution = 3) I wanted more darkness, I wanted more gore... I wanted to experience the fear and brutality the cover and synopsis promised!

I honestly love the concept, the magic systems are fascinating (blood magic is always an interesting touch Original review from 2019:
“Let them fear her” But like... I didn’t?

I wanted to love this book. I tried to love this book! I googled names and pronunciations in effort to connect with this book. Frankly, it fell a bit flat. (Concept could have been a 5, execution = 3) I wanted more darkness, I wanted more gore... I wanted to experience the fear and brutality the cover and synopsis promised!

I honestly love the concept, the magic systems are fascinating (blood magic is always an interesting touch, and then powers granted by Gods? I hope that’s explored more in later books), some of the characters are enduring, but it all just seems to get a bit muddled. What it comes down to, is a lack of development. I feel like had this book been a little longer, spent more time developing the characters and the world, it could have been fantastic! My main gripe with this book was how tropey and similar it felt to YA fantasy that was published 5 or so years ago. But hey, maybe I’m just too use to reading adult fantasy now?

I’m not hating on this book, I swear! I also want to express that I’m firmly against “cancel culture” and it’s growing popularity in the book community. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so no offense intended.

I think I was just too excited and hyped for this book, and that was my downfall.

What this book did have going for it: Interesting magic systems, some diversity, Vultures (no, not literally the bird), snippets of a Codex I’d actually read, and of course, the aesthetic.

I’m planning on listening to the audio version of this book before Ruthless Gods is released. Maybe then my thoughts will change and the audiobook will clear up the points where I just got lost? I still have hope that as the story develops through this trilogy, along with Emily’s writing, I will come to love it more...

*UPDATE: reread on audio finished 04/30/21. I enjoyed the audiobook because I finally got to hear pronunciations the way the author intended. However, lot of my thoughts are still the same about this book. Bumping my rating up to a 3.5/5 ⭐️

P.S. Let’s not use the word “heretic” in a sentence for a very long time, please and thank you. ...more

1 like · Like · see review