Whoa! I did not know what I was going into with this book. But fully on board once it started turning into a fantastically well written tale of an indigenous enby main character. Already started reading Edgmon's other works.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this opportunity to read rage and review this arc which is available November 28,2023.

The thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is an indigenous story with a non-binary Seminole teenager named Gem. It is a quite powerful story full of gods, queer teens, some hard hitting realism and monstrous fantasy. I enjoyed it. It was fast paced and well written.

I loved The Witch King duology and had high hopes for Godly Heathens as well. I was not disappointed! Edgmon does such a great job inserting humor into situations that are often quite heavy. Morally gray, reincarnated Gods who are also currently teenagers- this book was chaos in the best way!

If there’s one thing H.E. Edgmon does well it’s write morally grey, chaotic characters that I love rooting for, but also want to give a good shake! This book was bo exception to that!
I had a blast and absolutely loved the world building in this one!

Thank you netgalley for this arc!

Tbh, this was kinda wild. A engrossing ride from middle to end. The beginning felt a bit muddled, but it’s justifiable when I look at the bigger picture. I’m so happy to have read this but also I hope the wait until book 2 isn’t forever.

This book is a really wild ride and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I very much enjoyed the pantheon of Gods as well as their human counterparts. The history of what happened between them and their goals at the time the story is taking place. I also enjoyed the amount of queer rep, especially in relation to the Gods themselves. There was also a lot of native rep which I enjoyed at well. A solid 3.5/4 out of 5 for me.

Full review here:

https://theweatherwriter.wixsite.com/blog/post/book-review-godly-heathens-by-h-e-edgmon

I absolutely love dark ya and this definitely hit all the right notes for me. I really had a hard time putting it down. The queer representation was phenomenal, mental health representation was solid, all of it was honestly fantastic.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974


Trigger warnings: death, murder, derogatory remarks about mental health

This book is not for the faint at heart. Gem is a reincarnated god. Other gods want her dead. There's always a ram in the bush or a "friend" to help and that is Willa Mae. Enzo is having parallel experiences and wants to know, what's going on. The book will keep you on your toes and you may find yourself rereading passages for greater understanding.

I hate not finishing a book, but this one just wasn’t for me. It is more than I was expecting in regards to graphic violence and triggering content. The writing is great and the characters come across as very authentic and real and complex.
Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

This was one of my most anticipated reads and it did not disappoint. I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I loved the concept and darker elements of this book! Gem has been having nightmares that seem more and more real, nightmares in which they help a demon kill a girl that shines like the sun. Then one day a girl named Willa Mae claims to know them, Gem can’t recall meeting her. And shortly after they’re attacked by another girl named Poppy wanting to know where the knife is. Gem has no idea what’s going on, and then Willa Mae tells them they’re a god. Not just a god but a reincarnated god, and the other gods want Gem dead! Can Gem find the knife before the others gods? Can they keep themselves from being killed? I loved the world of the gods and how they all came to be on Earth! It’s dark but also humorous! Definitely shines a light on the shades of gray in the world, that things are rarely all good or all bad! They’re messy and I love it! And also the ending will leave you shocked and craving more! Can’t wait to read it again!

I DNFed at 25%. Its not a bad book, its just not one for me. Godly Heathens is dark ya, with amazing queer rep and deal with mental health. I could not handle the character view point switching, It occasionally switched more abruptly than I could handle. That being said its very well written and people who enjoy dark urban fantasy/dystopian books would really enjoy it. Godly Heathens has a dark iron druid mixed with portal fantasy feel to it. For the right reader this book would be amazing, though I 100% recommend checking out content warnings prior to reading.

I received a copy via netgalley and am leaving this review of my own volition.

3.5ish/5?

I loved Edgmon's novel The Witch King so as soon as I saw this one on NetGalley I immediately requested it. I have kind of mixed feelings about this one, so here's the breakdown:

-Edgmon creates a compelling small town gothic atmosphere. It felt very ya'llternative.
-I think it could definitely benefit from having a cast of characters list easily accessible, either at the front or back of the book. There are quite a few characters to keep track of and many of them have multiple aliases.
-That being said, Edgmon does a good job writing interesting, distinct characters so the further I got into it the easier it was to keep track of them, for the most part.
-The magic system and the backstory of the gods is pretty creative and interesting, although I didn't necessarily understand all of it (that could be a skill issue on my part).
-I like chapter titles in some books, but I didn't necessarily like them in this one. That's just a personal preference though, so it's really not a big deal.
-There are some pacing issues that could be improved. There were multiple moments where tension was built really high, but then it was released in kind of anti-climatic ways.

So yeah. I don't really have any major complaints with this one, but I don't have major love for it either. I think if this would've caught me in the right mood I could've liked it a lot more, but that's the unfortunate lot I have being a mood-reader. If any of this sounds compelling to you, I'd still definitely recommend giving it a try and I'd still like to read Edgmon's future books.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!**

~~ This review may contain mild spoilers~~

I enjoyed this novel, the first book by H.E. Edgmon I've read. My favorite part was the messy, likable/unlikable cast of queer teenagers/gods. I thought the concept was really cool and the queer rep was joyfully accurate and unabashed. The characters' interactions, whether they were fighting or making shaky alliances, while bantering in sharp dialogue filled with humor, were super fun to read. The representation of mental illness and how it can affect one's relationship with their loved ones was carefully written and made me curious to read more about Gem's parents and how they (hopefully, eventually) make up with their child. The burgeoning poly relationship between Gem, Rory, and Enzo was subtle and interesting and something I've never read in a YA book before.

The worldbuilding and magic were quite complex and you can tell there's a lot more to unpack (luckily, it's only the first book in a series). That complexity bled into the characterizations as well, which made Godly Heathens both a griping read and a somewhat messy one. The morally ambiguous internal monologue got a bit tedious at times. The book suffered from a few pacing issues (a few too many action scenes, characters going from one place to the other to the next with not much happening to progress the plot), and the very late introduction of seemingly crucial villains. Overall, Godly Heathens could have been a few chapters shorter without it impacting the story or my enjoyment of it.

A word of 'warning,' if you're not in the target age demographic for this book: the novel is written in a 'US teenager' voice that's both realistic and rather grating for an old fart like me. It makes me wonder how well the novel will age, as some of the pop culture references already feel dated. Then again, not a criticism of the book, just something to have in mind if teen speak annoys you.

Book CW: gore, body horror, torture, mentions of past self-harm, (management of) mental illness, family issues, unreality, animal death.

I want to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

DNF @ 26%

I wanted to read this book because of all the elements of queer representation, mental health representation etc. But as I was reading, I found myself thinking of what I was going to read next and I knew that was something I never do. I’m always engaged in what I’m reading. Yet I found myself just putting the book down a lot and having a hard time picking it up. I felt lost and where I thought I would catch up to what was happening, I didn’t know if I could. While I did not finish the book, I want to emphasize that the author did an excellent job of spiking my interest with their story and holding my attention for however long. An author's primary goal is to share their writings with readers, and for the time I shared with this book, I enjoyed getting to walk through the story/adventure. Even though I did not finish the book, I still want to leave a positive review because I believe that the author's work deserves recognition. The story is rich in diverse characters and queer representation, which is something that I truly appreciate. It's inspiring to see more and more authors creating stories that reflect the diversity of our world. The reason I did not finish the book was simply that my mind was not able to focus on what was going on. This does not reflect the quality of the book or the author's writing. I believe that this book could be a great fit for many readers who are looking for a unique and diverse story.Though it was not for me, I still would definitely recommend giving this book a try. I am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future and supporting their work.

Thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher and Author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall a great read. Fast-paced and funny/fun it had me reading quickly and was fulfilling. I also really like the cover! It made me want to jump right in.

Looking forward to more...a book 2!

Godly Heathens was so damn good. The non binary rep was chef kiss. I loved all the queer rep as well. This book definitely make this queer girl feel seen.

Oh, this one is raw and real and I am so happy that trans, non-binary, and indigenous teens will see themselves in this book. It's feral and queer as heck and full of complex emotions and situations that I feel are sometimes often overlooked in YA. Teens go through shit and sometimes that shit is dark and immoral. Gem is also an excellent narrator - I loved their voice - compelling and unique and not afraid to be outspoken and make unwise decisions.

H.E. Edgmon has built an awesome first book and that ending!! I loved reading about this found family stuck in a complex web of bad decisions, deceit, and yearning, and can't wait for the next installment!

What did I just finish reading?! Seriously, I wasn’t expecting this ending, and I will need a few days to get over how it ended. I also need November to come so that way others will have read it, and I can discuss it with them.

The book’s plot is fascinating, and why I wanted to read it. I love a good mythology story, and having an original mythology was captivating. Edgmon’s world-building is so well-done that I kept forgetting these weren’t a real pantheon of Gods. There is one tiny aspect of the book that was a bit frustrating, and that was mainly the middle. Once Gem finds out who/what he is, the middle of the book drags at points. It’s still good, and I still wanted to read it. But it didn’t feel like a lot was happening. However, the characters were fascinating enough to have a high rating for this book.

Ugh!! The characters are the greatest. I don’t even know how to describe my love for all of the characters in this book, which is definitely surprising for me. I would say the Mountain has incredible, naturalistic powers and is absolutely gorgeous, but then there’s Poppy, who just seems like a cinnamon roll that could kill me, and I would thank her for the privilege. But Buck is too adorable for words, and I want to befriend Gem and then wrap him up in a blanket to protect him from the world. I don’t know if I have ever come across a novel were not only do I like/love all the characters, but also where I can understand and sympathize with their motivations. Cheers to Edgmon for creating such wonderful characters!

I couldn’t not mention the diversity present in this review. Obviously, Gem is our nonbinary Seminole teen, but there’s representation of other indigenous peoples in Willa Mae and Enzo. Not only that, but all the gods are transgender. Willa Mae actually says the line, “there are no cis gods.” Yes, please! Because, let’s be honest, gods are too omnipotent for strict gender lines. With all of them as transgender gods, Godly Heathens fully embraces the hypocritical stereotype of queers as monsters. If you’re going to treat me like an abomination, then I’ll give you one.

What I loved about this book
-Reincarnated gods with complicated interpersonal history
-Trans main character
-Phenomenal pacing
-First in a duology so I get to look forward to more with these characters..
What Didn't work as well for me
-dialogue, especially during faster paced sections came across slightly stilted.
Who I would recommend this title for
Godly Heathens will be a wonderful fit for readers of YA fantasy looking for a story that combines the grad scale of epic myth with more down to earth struggles of identity and self acceptance.