Growing up in Eserene’s slums, Petra’s life is marred by unimaginable tragedy. Things finally begin to look up when she meets Calomyr, member of the Royal Guard and keeper of just as much heartache as Petra.
Once again, though, her life is upended when her mother remarries a Lord, forcing Petra to undergo a brutal initiation ceremony in order to ascend to the Royal Court.
As Petra prepares for initiation, news of a drug-fueled fanatical rebel regime reaches the high walls of Eserene. No one seems to panic, so Petra doesn’t either.
Until the city is smoldering before her.
Outside the city walls, Petra must untangle a smoke-shrouded web woven long before she was born. She finds her entire life has been orchestrated for one purpose, a purpose kept hidden from her until she unveils the secret that thrums through her veins. As everything she thought she knew unravels, Petra is forced to confront ghosts she didn’t know she had – and the monsters and demons that now join them…
From author Lauren M. Leasure comes the sexy, action-packed first installment of the Benevolence & Blood Series.
“’For the realm,’ I said, my breathe catching in my throat. “I will die.’”
The Sins of Saints is harsh and ruthless. Most of this story is set in cruelness of different forms. Even the “luxurious” parts have a sharp edge to them and honestly I could not put it down for a second… it was addicting.
Lauren flawlessly executes two timelines. You can always tell when a past and present are rotating it is leading up to something big, catastrophic even. And these are weaved so well until they come crashing into each other.
“If the Benevolent Saints are real, then they sure as hell don’t smile upon me.”
With our MC, Petra, we follow her in both timelines and both are equally as cruel to her. She is constantly so hurt whilst trying to still figure out the life around her. I really enjoyed following her and her thoughts and her strength.
We also have side characters like Wrena, Larka, Castemont, Calomyr, and even Miles who caught my attention. Each have their own story and their parts to play. Obviously, Calomyr has a big role in the book catching Petra’s interest and I really am curious to see what happens with them in the next book.
Now, I mentioned Miles… I don’t want to spoil anything however I have theories about him. If you read the book, let’s talk.
Overall, I was wowed by this world and the harshness that comes with it. Lauren blew me out of the water with the start of this series. So much comes crashing down in the end, and I cannot wait to see where she takes book two. It cannot come fast enough!
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