The Curse of Saints: The Spellbinding No 2 Sunday Times Bestseller

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But to be honest, it always seemed like this distant dream… until I started writing The Curse of Saints. But when rumors of a dark magic in a nearby kingdom begin to spread, the two of them are sent to investigate. This mirrors Feyre’s acquirement of all the high lords’ powers, except in that case, there was a reason she got those abilities (their kernels of power were bestowed upon her to bring her back to life), while here, there is no such justification. This was an issue for all the characters; there were points where several had their lives threatened or were in danger and I didn’t bat an eye. I’m sure it’s possible that there’s a lack of follow-through in the writing, but most of these moments feel much more like plot points to be further developed in future.

Will is also just generally a knock-off Rhysand: Aya constantly questions whether he’s a villain or an ally; Will is similarly inconsistent with his treatment of Aya as Rhys is with Feyre—except in this case, it comes across awkwardly with Will oscillating between emotional extremes too quickly where Rhys was more subtle to hide his allegiances. It is on this journey that Aya discovers that her affinity is one that spills over the bounds that restrict the Visya, placing her at risk of becoming a weapon in a war she does not know how to win, or might not necessarily want to.This had all the trappings of fantasy-lite that I usually don’t mind in the romantasy (romance/fantasy) genre. This was one of my highly anticipated reads and I wanted so much to love it with the fire of a thousand burning suns. Now I'm not someone who absolutely needs romance to enjoy a book, I LOVE fantasy and political intrigues and could completely love a story that focuses on those only. I also disliked how many times the characters remembered something someone had previously said verbatim– this sounds like a small quibble, but the number of times lines (often the exact same ones) were repeated in this book became cumbersome. The Curse of Saints uses a lot of familiar and well-loved tropes, but overall is missing something to make it stand out from other books in the genre.

We at Penguin Random House Australia acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the Traditional Custodians and the first storytellers of the lands on which we live and work.As Spymaster to the Queen, Aya's blood oath ensures she protects those she fights alongside - including Will, the Queen's Enforcer and Aya's bitter rival.

I have devoured every reel she posted, every tidbit of dialogue she teased at and every step of this book being published. This one was one hell of a painful slow burn filled with tension, threats (a lot), knife to the throat, mfc being pushed against a wall by the mmc and fight scenes ending up with one of the characters on the ground and the other on top. I’m extremely disappointed because this sounded like exactly my cup of tea: a rivals to lovers romantasy with fiery passion, the likes of which birthed the quote, “I wanted you so badly that I thought I might set this whole godsforsaken world on fire just to have you. They are embarking on their own paths and trying to find a way to save not only themselves, but the Truth. The world building was original and expertly done, and I had a clear view of where the characters were the entire time.I think I read this too soon after reading the Crown of Nyaxia books, so it’s difficult not to compare the two. Unfortunately, because it aims for all of these things but doesn't flesh any of them out, the book mostly feels flat: like the bare bones of a world are created, but nothing feels lived in or completely real. But when Aya’s power acts beyond her gods-given affinity, she risks being turned into a weapon in a war she doesn’t know how to win. And I really have nothing to say about Aya other than that she was not a compelling protagonist and was poorly written. We’re told time and time again how “dark,” “edgy,” and “dangerous” Will is, but aside from growling or literally just doing something “darkly,” there was no real grit, danger, or strength to him.