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Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy #1) by Emily A. Duncan.

 

"Nadya has been raised her entire life to fight the Tranavian Blood Mages and finally bring an end to the war that has raged for centuries. She's gifted with the ability to speak to the pantheon of Kalayzian Gods and perform magic at their will. But life is never that simple and she's soon drawn into a dark and dangerous game of betrayal and bloodshed and it's all she can do to survive." 

5 Stars

Pros: All of the characters, Nadya, Malachiasz and Serefin are actually likable, though their beliefs are all incredibly different/The bonus scenes at the very end of the book made the absolute chaos that was the ending, make a bit more sense. 

Cons: So many Gods to remember, it was a bit overwhelming/Though the ending was a bit contrived, it left it open for a sequel, which made sense/The whole, forbidden love thing is a little overdone but for the most part it worked. 

Full Review: 

Nadezhda Lapteva (Nadya) is an oRphan raised in a monastery high in the mountains of Kalayzi, where a war has raged for centuries with the neighboring country of Tranavia. She is one of the only remaining Clerics, a person blessed with the ability to openly communicate with the pantheon of Kalayzian Gods. But when the monastery is attacked by none other than the High Prince of Tranavia itself, Serefin Meleski, Nadya flees for her life while everything she knows is destroyed. 

She runs into two Akolans (the country between Kalayzi and Tranavia) a girl, Parajihan and a boy Rashid and they also have a Tranavian in their company, a strange, dark, mysterious boy named Malachiasz. Nadys can tell right away that he's a blood mage, as all Tranavian soldiers are, and she is immediately on her guard. But what at first begins as distrust and tension, soon morphs into an uneasy friendship, Hell, even an attraction. 

They decide that they can use Nadya's powers to destroy the King of Tranavia and the end the war once and for all. So they decide to travel to the Capital where a Rawalyk, a competition between the daughters of the nobles to try and win the hand of the Prince and become the next Queen is being held. They'll sneak Nadya in and disguise her as a noble and plot a way to kill the King where he least expects it. 

The High Prince, Serefin, has been called back from the front. He's frustrated at the fact that the Cleric escaped but he knows that this call back to the Capital for the Rawalyk can't be for anything good. He knows it's just a ruse. That his father, who has always been a far less powerful blood mage than himself, has it out for him. And he knows the minute he steps into Court, his life will be at stake. But he goes back to the Capital and decides to play along, trying to see if he can figure out what exactly is going on with his Father. 

What none of them realize is how very dark the King's plans have become. 

It took a little bit for the book to hit its stride but once it did, it was page turner. Once everyone was gathered together in the Capital and you weren't sure who was going to find out what and there were so many plots within plots, it all became a blur but an entertaining one and I was eager to find out what happened. I'm glad I picked this book up from Bullmoose and once I make more of a dent in my "To Read" pile, I'll be getting the next one ASAP. 

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