There might be a good book here but it is hidden by the poor editing.

This is a debut Speculative Fiction novel and as such is eligible for the Compton Crook Award for which I am a reader. ( )

The Curse of Saints is fantasy where the magic is called affinities, and each affinity has a patron deity. The story is told in dual POV with Aya and Will. Aya can persuade others to do what she wants, and her job as spymaster or Queen’s Eyes, is important. Her rival Will, has the ability to sense others feelings and pain, and he’s the Enforcer. A lot of the book centers around the magic and religious systems— and saving the world. There is some action, but it doesn’t encompass all the book. A pivotal event forces Aya to tap into some new powers, which is mainly light — (I thought of Alina, the Sun Summoner from Shadow and Bone). So now, Aya and Will travel to a distant land to learn all about her new powers. Could she be the long prophesied second saint who will save the world?

I listened to the audiobook, and I liked the narration. The premise itself is pretty good, but, for me, there were times of confusion as to what’s going on. I wanted some more background into the key characters like Queen Gianna, Tova, Aidon, and Josie, and what their motivations were. I really wanted to connect with Aya and Will, but there wasn’t a whole lot I could with either of them. The romance felt a little bit forced, and the spice was relatively mild. Overall, it’s an okay read, and maybe the sequel will kick it up a notch.

Some tropes include: rivals to lovers, some slow burn, political intrigue, betrayal, some magical elements. ( )

I received this book in exchange for my honest review. And I will be completely honest.

If you've been following Kate for a while, you would know that this book has been gaining popularity and hype on TikTok for a while because of her videos when she was in the process of writing this. I wanted to read this book so bad before she even completed it and then got excited when earlier this year I was selected to get an ARC.

But, in being honest, this does not live up to expectations unfortunately.

The enemies to lovers trope isn't exactly as it is here. Rivals to more possibly? Yes. But enemies? No. I should note that there isn't really enough romance to even complete the trope in this book. Or spice - for those wondering.

Now, for the characters themselves. Aya and Will are the mains. Aya is supposed to be a great spymaster who has people shaking in their boots and Will is the enforcer who everyone fears. But I didn't really get that. They come across as flat and one dimensional at times - like most of the characters in this book, actually. 😢

I'd love to say that the plot and world building at least made up for the flat characters, but unfortunately no. It took almost 40% of the book for a plot to really start to take form and even then you're still trying to figure out where this is supposed to go with almost 20% left.

There are a few more tropes that was thrown in that, honestly, did nothing to help this story. The love triangle was definitely not a triangle. We barely even know Aidon as readers before Aya has feelings? What? How? When? The other trope is miscommunication. It's a trope I wish authors would do away with, but le sigh. It's here. From the very beginning until nearly 95% in. Be prepared.

I wanted to love this story, like I had hyped myself up to do, but it just didn't hit for me. I'm not sure I'd continue this series right now. But I hope that you pick this up and give it a read yourself. We all see books differently and that's the beauty of reading. Enjoy. ( )