Reviews: Wicked Saints + Forward Me Back to You

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

pub 4/2/19 by Wednesday Books
Young Adult - Fantasy
Received ARC from pub

Wicked Saints is a solid introduction and debut to Emily Duncan’s trilogy, Something Dark and Holy. It’s a bit of a slow-starter but for me there was a turning point fairly early on where I found myself completely in it (probably somewhere between my love of Nadya’s spunky personality and a certain romance I started shipping hard). The world is set up in a fascinating way as Duncan gives her magical system a unique spin. Nadya is a cleric and considered divine amongst her people because she can speak to the gods. She was raised to believe she is a vessel for the gods’ magic and one day it’ll be up to her to save her kingdom from war. (No pressure or anything.)  When an attack is led by blood mage Prince Serefin against Nadya’s monastery, she’s forced to flee and align herself with rebels. It puts her on a path that opens her eyes to the different sides of this war, who to trust, and what to do with the power within herself. As I said earlier, what really stood out for me was the magic, Nadya’s journey to discover what her abilities mean to her and of course, the romance. It had some twists that I didn’t see coming and I can’t wait to see how the story continues.

Do I recommend? I do! I know some readers went in with specific expectations because of what they’d heard or the comparisons the book drew. Personally I went in just willing to see where the author would go and I think that worked in my favor. I enjoyed it a lot.

Forward Me Back To You by Mitali Perkins

pub 4/2/19 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Young Adult - Contemporary
Received ARC from pub

This is my second Mitali Perkins book and I am continuously impressed by her diverse, poignant stories and how she chooses to tell them. In Forward Me Back to You, we alternate between the perspectives of Katina King and Robin Thornton. Katina is a reigning teen jujitsu champion in Northern California but an incident at school isolates her  and leaves her with internal scars that she needs to face. Robin was adopted from an orphanage in Kolkata, India. He loves his adoptive family but more and more he’s working where he came from to help him figure out his future. These two meet on a summer service trip to India to work human trafficking survivors and become friends. Through this trip, they not only learn more about themselves but form an incredible bond with the people they meet and help along the way. The author does an amazing job of juggling a story that is both coming-of-age but also an educational one as it openly discusses human trafficking. It’s tough to read but a valuable one and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.

Do I recommend? I do! It’s not a book I see myself buying or rereading but I do think it’s worth checking out from the library. And if you feel like it might be too heavy, I’d recommend her other book, You Bring the Distant Near.