Jill's Book Blog

Title: Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy #1)
Author: Emily A. Duncan
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings. 

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy.. 

Review:

This book definitely lived up to the hype. It had lots of emotional ups and downs. I loved it.

While I was reading it, I kept thinking of the Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. They both have a strong presence of saints in the world. There are monsters masquerading as humans in both worlds. Also, the main character has special powers that she is just learning how to use to the fullest.

I became so emotionally invested in the story by the end. Some characters were not who they appeared to be at first, so I didn’t know who to trust. I loved that both Nadya and Serefin had separate narratives, so two sides of the story were told.

The final scenes were some of the most intense scenes I’ve ever read. There was tons of action and there were revelations that I wasn’t expecting. I never could have guessed how the story ended!

I loved this book. I’m excited to see what happens in the rest of the series!

What to read next:

About the Author:

Author Links:

Website: https://eaduncan.com/
Twitter: @glitzandshadows
Instagram: @glitzandshadows
Tumblr: http://glitzandshadows.tumblr.com/

Buy the book:

https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/wicked-saints/

Thank you to Wednesday Books for letting me participate in this blog tour.

Title: The Last Namsara (Iskari #1)
Author: Kristen Ciccarelli
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: October 3, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be darkness—and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death-bringer.

These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up learning in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn’t until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari—a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl.

Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm. When she’s offered the chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the life of the most powerful dragon in Firgaard, she finds that there may be more truth to the ancient stories than she ever could have expected. With the help of a secret friend—a slave boy from her betrothed’s household—Asha must shed the layers of her Iskari bondage and open her heart to love, light, and a truth that has been kept from her. 

Review:

I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for so long, and I regret not reading it sooner. It’s an amazing story!

I loved the power of stories in this book. Stories have the ability to attract dragons and give them the power to breathe fire. However, they are also believed to steal life from the person who tells them. Words and stories are very powerful because they represent our histories and dreams. I appreciated the way stories played a small part in this narrative, as a weapon, but didn’t take over from the main narrative.

There was a strong hierarchy of power in this story. The people in positions of power own the skral people, who work as their slaves. The skral aren’t even allowed to touch or look at their masters or anyone above them on the social hierarchy. Though Asha has the power to kill dragons, she doesn’t have any power over her own life. Her father controls the decision of who she will marry, and once she marries, her husband will control her choices. Though Asha is at a disadvantage in her position, she is very strong willed, which encourages her to fight for her life.

I loved this story! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

What to read next:

Have you read The Last Namsara? What did you think of it?