I’ve discussed before on this blog how the Gothic literary genre takes its name from the Gothic style of architecture. Appropriately, the medieval structures that typify this architectural style are often used as the backdrop to Gothic stories. The obvious example, and the very first structure I discussed in this series on Gothic settings, is the castle. But another place we see Gothic architecture from the Middle Ages is in religious buildings, such as monasteries and abbeys.
A battle-hardened blood mage, a girl touched by the gods, and a monster forged by magic each have one goal: to overthrow the king. Delicate alliances, heartbreaking betrayals, and devious machinations fill the pages of Wicked Saints, the first book in Emily A. Duncan’s young adult fantasy series Something Dark and Holy. I picked up a copy of this book back when it first came out in 2019, but only just now got around to reading it—right in time for the trilogy’s conclusion! Book 2, Ruthless Gods came out last year and now the final book, Blessed Monsters, comes out tomorrow, April 6. If you haven’t hopped on this bandwagon yet, you’ll want to dive right in with Wicked Saints and then keep on reading the next two books. Just brace yourself to fall in love with some monsters! Continue reading Review of Wicked Saints—Holiness and Heresy in a Fantasy World
