4,5 / 5

Not counting the prologue, Curse of Sins picks up right where Curse of Saints left off.

Due to my own stupidity, I accidentally spoiled myself with what happens on the last 20, maybe 30 pages, and I was somewhat worried that it wouldn’t have the effect on me that the author intended. Which yes, but also, no. It affected me even though I knew what was coming.
Don’t be like me. You don’t want to know what happens until it actually happens.

Compared to book one, this sequel had way more monologues from pretty much everyone who had their own pov. Which was nice, because we got a more in depth view in their minds.
Yet it also felt a bit too much at times, because those monologues might feel repetitive to a certain point.
Especially when those feelings, thoughts and doubts often enough boil down to the same issue the character in question was facing from the beginning of the book/series.
And it’s not like I can’t understand those emotions, it’s just from a reader pov you’re like ‘ok I think I got it now’.
One might argue that those parts could have been shortened or felt dragged out and I am inclined to agree.

I loved Aidon + Josie in Curse of Saints and was very happy to see that they played not only a bigger role, but we also got to see frequently through their povs what was happening in their lives and in Trahir, especially after the events in Curse of Saints.
But I love them even more now!

An arguably important part of the book was Tova and her relationship with Aya. I would have loved to read some of their conversations through Tova’s pov, so we can understand her own frustration and general emotions better.

We were also (re)introduced to (some new) characters not only around Aya and Will, but also Aidon and Josie and I am very interested to see how these new relationships will develop in the next book.

Some of the cursing felt a bit off, and it’s not like I am against dropping the f-bomb or a curse in general (one might argue I am actually the opposite of being against it), but there were some moments where it did feel almost forced and not really necessary to convey whatever frustration the character was feeling.
This is also something that I felt during Curse of Saints, but can easily look past.

I also felt like some of the revelations came way too quickly to Aya and Will. How are you not able to connect the dots and see through all of the issues and yet here you are suddenly understanding everything without a second thought?

With how Curse of Sins ended, I am VERY excited to read the next book and hope to explore even more of the world! I would also really love to read from some more characters point of view.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬
Aya has returned home as the Second Saint, the saviour of the realm, but there are people willing to use her powers for their own gain and they are closer than she thinks. And there are those who see her as pawn and want to use her power for their own gain, Aya is about to learn that the real danger is closer to home than she could have imagined.

This book cleverly portrays the inner turmoil of the main characters as she begins her journey as the Second Saint. There is additional light being shed on other characters pasts and how far they are willing to go to protect the ones they love. There is something beautiful and telling about this book and it’s characters. This story is captivating and will leave you wanting more with very turn of the page. Any fantasy romance reader will swoon over the relationship between the charters; fantasy lovers will want to delve deeper into the world; and reader will enjoy the story as it unfolds.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘴

4.5 ⭐️ 2 🌶️
Multiple Pov in 3rd person

This story picks up immediately where the first book left off. I really enjoy Will and Aya together, the tension and chemistry between them is perfect. Cant wait to see where Aidon's story goes.

I can't wait for book 3 after that ending!!

Thank you for the eARC, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House & Netgallery

"The Curse of Sins" picks up right after " The Curse of Saints," and we follow Aya and Will as they navigate the aftermath of previous events. While the first half unfolds at a more leisurely pace, the story intensifies dramatically as it progresses.
The final 20% of this book is a whirlwind of unexpected twists, culminating in a jaw-dropping cliffhanger.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the characters evolve and embrace their strengths. The development was satisfying and compelling. Given that cliffhanger, there's no doubt I'll be diving into the next installment!

OH MY LORD

Before requesting this ARC, I hadn’t even read the first one (concerning for my feedback percent I know) but boy am I glad I requested this.
I immediately started this after the last one and was happy to find out that it continues straight on.
I am absolutely in love with Aya and Will, but miss author you’ve really done me dirty with that cliff hanger! And now I have to WAIT?? AFTER THAT?? Unacceptable

Thanks to NetGalley for providing 'Curse of Sins' by Kate Dramis in exchange for my honest review

I had such high hopes for this sequel, I really loved the first book Curse of Saints, however but this book just did not hit it for me the way the previous book did.. I really liked the first book, however I found this book too brooding and the pace was slow for me.

I must confess it was a big let down after the first book.

I struggled with this one a bit. I enjoyed the first one but perhaps the second suffered a little. I don't think it helped by being more than 600 pages long. I think the first half dragged a little but definitely picked up towards the end. I enjoyed the tension of the last couple chapters and that cliff hanger was really something.
This book deals a lot with not knowing who to trust and I think that was done well. I also enjoyed the characters coming together more in this than last time. knowing they have each other even if they don't know who else to trust.
I'm not sure if I want to continue the series. sometime cliff hangers are their just to push you onto the next book, but without it I'm not sure there is anything keeping me attached to this series.

This series so far are just been average? I hoped the second book would bring more to the table, but it still fell short for me. I really wanted to be invested cause I feel like it has soo much potential. Unfortunately there's just no spark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for this amazing opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available June 20,2024!

I enjoyed it. I was also highly annoyed with the repetitiveness in the dialogue and writing style. It is truly solid sequel. I love Aya. Will? Not so much. I felt like this book had a bit of a sequel slump but it is still very very good.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! The last 30% is an absolute ride with a ton of unexpected twists and that cliffhanger. Omg. I am unwell.

Sins picks up right after Saints, and we see Aya and Will deal with the fallout of everything that happened. Lots of heartache and literal pain to be had by all. The first half was sort of a slow roll, but wow, did it ramp up. I definitely messaged Kate at one point because I was freaking out. Haha

I loved seeing so many of the characters come into their own and embrace their strengths. I will definitely have to read the next one because, again, that cliffhanger!

Thanks to Kate and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

The Curse of Sins surpassed all expectations and not in the way I predicted at all.
The novel starts right where it left off in the first novel of the series, with an Aya and Will worried for what they will find in Tala. And they should be, as they do not know who can they trust, is the queen reliable? Can they trust Tova with the new found information they bring from Trahir?
This novels plays with themes like distrust and uncertainty, the struggle to find out a darker truth behind the hardest of betrayals. And Aya will be fighting to keep faith and hope while exploring her power and finding the answers to all her questions, can she save the realm? Can she continue to fight the darkness in her? Will her love prevail over all the trials? Or will the pressure of an upcoming war destroy all they have built during their time in Rinnia?
This book manages to masterfully portray the inner battle of Aya in this part of her journey as the second saint. It also sheds much wanted light into Will’s past and his present, showing us an introspective view of his fight against the shadows of the past and the lengths he will go to protect Aya from harm.
The story is captivating since the beginning, keeping you on the edge of your seat for the whole read. This is written in a way that makes you suffer alongside the characters and identify with their concerns and worries. The curse of Sins is the perfect continuation to an exhilarating story I cannot recommend enough.

DNF

I am going to have to dnf this one. After enjoying the first book in this series. It was such a great book! Unfortunately I am having a hard time getting into the sequel. I don't think the length is helping with this since it feels spread out with a lot of brooding in between when it comes to the plot twists. Some also don't have the impact that I was expecting. This could totally be me since I have been in a reading slump lately, but this book isn't helping with that. I may get back into this one eventually.

The Curse of Sins is the second book in the series and continues where book 1 left off with Aya and Will returning to their kingdom to unravel secrets and unleash Aya's true power.

I said this in my review of the first book and I'll say it again, I absolutely adore the relationship between Aya and Will. They're the absolute perfect main characters for a fantasy book of this degree. This book didn't focus heavily on the romance and I actually really enjoyed that. It had me eating up all the moments between them that we did get between the two. It also allowed for the reader to pay more attention to the plot and the little clues that were put throughout the book to unravel the plot.

Despite absolutely loving the first book in this series, I can't say that I enjoyed this book as much as I did The curse of saints. Maybe it was because the entire concept of the book was new in book 1, but I found myself loving book 1 so much more compared to this book. That's not to say I didn't enjoy this one because I did; I just feel like certain parts of this book acted kind of like a filler to make the book a longer one.

Despite not enjoying this book as much as the first one, the concept of this entire book was all was still extremely interesting and new to me. I've never read a fantasy book with the aspects that this book contained and I enjoyed that.

All in all, I think that book was definitely an enjoyable one. I can't wait for book 3 in this series - especially given how this book ended - and I'm already craving more Aya and Will.

So I enjoyed Book 1 by Kate Dramis. I will say maybe it was the time that passed or my preferences have changed but I wasn’t as in love with this book as I was in The Curse of Saints. I loved the action and loved the opportunity to read about Aya and Will again. Even after they go through they come back to one another. Love it!

4.75/5

Kate Dramis has done it again! I was hanging on to every word as I read The Curse of Sins. Aya is back on Tala and ready to take what is hers. My sweet angel Tova, you did not deserve that. My heart aches for Aya and Will. The only bad thing about early reviews is that I have to wait longer for the next installment.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the eARC of 'Curse of Sins' by Kate Dramis in exchange for my honest review 💫

I had such high hopes for this sequel, especially considering the length, but this book wasn't for me. I really liked the first book, Curse of Saints, but everything I didn't liked about the book, was ten times worse in the sequel. Most of the plot lines are just for the plot, but then that's that.
There wasn't a lot happening, besides brooding, moping and brooding about anything but useless things. Do you love the misunderstanding trope? Than this book is for you!

Anyway, 2⭐️ since I couldn't finish the book (DNF), but still liked it a bit.

"'𝑰𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓', 𝑱𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒍𝒚. '𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚'𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆'.

The Curse of Sins is the second book in the series and continues where Aya and Will have a new understanding. Together with her once-sworn enemy Will she returns to their kingdom, her mission clear, to serve their queen and help save the realm in the war looming.

But was it really that clear?
Once returned, they are met with numerous questions and incertainties. And questions unanswered, that are not narrowing down but instead building up. What is the part of their queen in all this? What is the true purpose of Aya's powers?

In the meantime King Aidon is trying to figure out what type of King he wishes to be, met with the first difficult choices he will have to make. The secret he carries with him, standing in his way of living his life.

𝑱𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒃𝒃𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕, 𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒇 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒎. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒑𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒅𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕.

𝑱𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒖𝒑 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒌. '𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒔,' 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅. '𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒔 𝒎𝒆'. 𝑨𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒌, 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒂𝒛𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒙𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓. '𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓,' 𝑱𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒆 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎. '𝑱𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒆__'

'𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓'

The book focuses a lot on the new dimentions of the relationship between Will and Aya and their romantic feelings towards another. Interestingly enough, it is not the main focus and they are still struggling here and there to figure out their feelings toward another. I think that was a pretty good take, as it would be way to easy to give them their "perfect ever after" straight away.

Next to that, it also focuses around Aya getting into the role of the saint and researching her powers. The tría is not as it's used to be and shifts in trust and allies. Tova doesn't remember a thing and is tortured in her questioning, her rage focused entirely on Will. It strains the friendship and trust between her and Aya, while they figure out where they stand together in all of this.

I usually don't mind a slower pace in books, as long as it builds up to something. Book one was definitely slow-paced aswell. But I think the pacing in book two was bordering on boredom for me at a few times. Not much was happening for say 35% of the book other than researching, preparing and training. In that regard, I'd definitely say this book seems more character focused than plot focused. I think the book would land better with most, if you'd take out the more dragging parts and didn't have to be as chunky as it is.

Another thing I was left confused by is the dynamic. We have a general, an enforcer and a spie known as our tría. They work well together, because they are good at their tasks. However, at times the enforcer was better at spying and finding answers than the one person who had the affinity for it. I feel like her and there the development for each character, carved out so well in book one, was starting to fade a bit in book two.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉. 𝑰𝒍 𝒔𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊 𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆, 𝒂𝒕𝒊 𝒍𝒊 𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒗𝒏𝒊 𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒊 𝒍𝒊 𝑷é𝒍𝒂. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅.

However, the concept of it all was still interesting and there is definitely plenty to work with. Who doesn't love a good prophecy come true, deception, forbidden romances, political intrigue and dark magic? Towards the end of the book, the clues all come together and the pacing suddenly takes off with a battle and revelation. Leaving us again with that cliffhanger ending we all love to hate. It does set up perfectly for the next installment of the book and with that, another challenge to be met, another battle entirely than we were led to believe we were in.

This book has:
- Multiple pov
- Written in third person
- Queer sidecharacter; so if they/thems aren't your thing, you might want to skip this series.
- Sexual content

I was provided with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you 😊

I love the world that Kate Dramis created. The first book was amazing and the tension between Will and Aya was incredibly strong. This is something I missed a little bit in thhe second book but still I really enoyed it!
I can't wait for this book to be available in my country so more people could read it.
Great story!

I really enjoyed this follow up to The Curse of Saints by Kate Dramis. All of our favorite characters are back and there's plenty of steam and surprises and war. I say the following with nothing but kindness: there's nothing overly unique about this story and characters. If you read a lot of romantasy, it'll probably feel familiar. But that's not a bad thing! This world and these characters have their own things, for better or worse, but I found myself drawn to them and not wanting to put the book down. For 20-something, best-of-their-kingdom warriors, I do wish they acted more mature and we saw why they were considered so *special*, especially Aya. At times she acted like a 16-year-old, and certainly not the Queen's best spy. It was frustrating in the first book and it was frustrating here. But I liked enough of story to get past it, but it's still there and I wish the author had taken more time to really figure out how to write Aya as more mature and more skilled, other than her raw power. The ending, while not overly surprising, was well done and makes me wish we were getting the third book sooner than later. 3.75 rounded up to 4.

This is a great sequel to a solid fantasy series. The pacing is good and I can't wait to see where else the story goes. This series is 100% worth it!