Thank you Netgalley for providing me an e-ARC of this sequel <3

I never thought that I would get an advance copy of this book and I'm so happy that I read it.

Be prepare y'all, this book gets even darker than the first one. I also think that the sequel was so much better than Wicked Saints. I've gotta say that I've read this book really slowly... it was not a book that I needed during this quarantine but it was what my dark heart needed. I'm glad that I took my time with it... even if it took me 2 months haha. I had to switch my readings in between or otherwise I would've ended up in a reading slump.

This sequel brings up a lot more world-building and even more POV's: yep we're constantly switching between Nadya & Serefin but there are some chapters following Malachiasz, Parijahan, Kacper and Yekaterina. There's also more twists and turns. It's filled with eye gore and blood. (LOTS OF BLOOD).
I really enjoyed seeing these characters coming together and following their journey. I was definitely intrigued by Nadya & Malachiasz relationship... at times it reminded me of Reylo (but darker). There's also a cute m/m romance in this book, I think it's my favorite romance in this book. The story starts off 4 months after the events of Wicked Saints and the stakes are even higher. We're figuring out how Nadya's power manifest... we're also following an iconic drunk and tired prince who's goal was to sleep. Poor guy. I hope he gets his 8 hours sleep in the final book.

Overall, I highly enjoyed my time with Ruthless Gods with its twisted turns and gory eyes. Its creepy atmosphere made me miss Halloween. It's the perfect spooky book! I'm excited to see how it's going to end for these characters.



Rating: 4 stars.




If you haven't liked Wicked Saints, give a chance to Ruthless Gods because it's highly better!

2.75 stars? It took me a long long time to read this book. I was admittedly distracted with everything else that's going on in the world right now, but I didn't think that I would struggle with it as much as I did. The fact that I wasn't enjoying it as much as I'd hoped to also contributed to the "endless" feeling--I was turning page after page with what felt like no end in sight. My thoughts are honestly quite jumbled and that's a little bit like how I felt about how everything in this boo was presented. So I'm going to try to write a coherent review but sorry in advance if it's all over the place!

First off, there were elements that I did enjoy. What this book really excels in delivering is a very dark, very twisted read that's full of blood and magic. If you're looking for a read with sinister vibes, I could recommend this. Even though all the characters are morally grey, I can't fault them for wanting the best for their country and doing what they think is the best thing to bring about the end of the endless war. We're fed more bits about the history between the two countries and in particular about the history of the gods in Kalyazin and we find out that there's much more that has been kept a secret from everyone. Without spoiling it, I really liked this element about these monsters people worshipped, it was a unique twist that I didn't see coming but I wanted MORE (backstory and explanation).

In terms of characters, my favourite was still Serefin. I loved watching his struggle and seeing him unravel with what's inside him. He may be an evil bastard and very morally grey, but I can't help but love his character. I mean, I honestly don't think he's *that* evil. I also loved that he got his own romance although we don't get to see that much of it (could've done with more of that one than the one we got tbh)! We still get the characters from book one with an additional member to the party, a Kalyazin royal, who I actually really liked. That said, there was little development for many of the characters...

Coming to the part about the bits I didn't like... I think it might be safe to say that this writing style is just not for me. I found myself confused more often than not (I was throwing questions left right and center to the person I was buddy reading this with). Maybe the reader is supposed to feel that way but sometimes the prose just became too convoluted that I ended up skimming large chunks (and it still took forever to read) to avoid feeling too disgruntled. In this book we also get multiple POVs in 'interludes' and I found that a bit... meh (a little bit like this spastic review)! There was not much consistency in the character and frequency of the POV which frustrated me at times. One character who gets a bit more revealed about her backstory is Parj, but it's in very minor bits and pieces. I'm very curious to see how it will tie in to everything that's happened in the next book.

Perhaps what I struggled with the most though was Nadya. I honestly would've been happy only getting Serefin's POV and following Serefin's parts in the book because... Oh man. I found Nadya to be insufferable! I could've (maybe) dealt with her pining after Malachiasz but what I found incredibly frustrating was how she continued to be surprised that he would betray her time and again when 1) he's done it before (I mean, hello book one), 2) he's made no secret of being willing to do it again because his loyalty is to Tranavia and not to her; and 3) girl, you woulda done the same to him, too! Like, please. Why are you torturing us like this? Because that's what this "romance" was--torture! I just wanted them to be done. Her chapters were a repeat of the same song and dance and I think a lot could've been cut out and we still wouldn't have missed anything...

Overall, I'm pretty disappointed (lets count how many times I used the word frustrated in this review lol). I was really hoping that I'd love Ruthless Gods more than I did Wicked Saints but in the end I guess this just wasn't for me. I feel like there was a big missed opportunity for character growth in this book. I'm really curious to see how this series is going to end especially with that ending (without spoiling anything it had me like "woah" but also like "ugh"). I don't know if I'll read the last book (even though I feel like I've already invested this much time so I should just finish it, right?) but I do want to know how the story resolves itself. Do Tranavia and Kalyazin get saved or will the world succumb to the ancient and ruthless gods?

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for granting my wish to read the e-ARC for Ruthless Gods! You can bet I was hella shook that I got my wish granted because that literally never happens, but I guess wishes can come true! I'm sad that I didn't love this one more though.

I personally love everything about this series! My one hang up as a high school teacher-librarian is that it is really intense and dark. This is the kind of book that needs disclaimers with the younger end of my students. For the upper grades, this series is perfect since so many come in looking for darker or "edgier" titles.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this second installment of Emily A Duncan’s Something Dark and Holy series, Ruthless Gods blew me away with all of the twists and turns. It lived up to the series name and was very dark and moody.

I strongly feel that the second book was better than the first book, but I'm really just not that big a fan of Nadya (don't kill me).

Wicked, tantalizing, and unpredictable.

EMILY!!! Why'd you wreck my heart like that?! What a dang rollercoaster ride. Emotions. Dusty as fuck.

This was even better than Wicked Saints! And I gave that 5 stars too! There was more background, more character development. A wider plot, a bigger picture. You don't know who to trust anymore.

Nadya & Malachiasz. Tragic love. An extreme of "opposites attract." Emily ups this trope to the MAX! And then sticks her dagger in your heart further.

I still don't like Marzenya. But then, you aren't supposed to.

Now I have to wait to find out what the conclusion is!

UGH

Emily A. Duncan takes us back to the Gothic fantasy setting of the Something Dark and Holy trilogy in this dark and fast-paced sequel full of dangerous gods, monsters, blood and magic.

Ruthless Gods picks up four months after the ending of Wicked Saints and we get so see the ramifications of the first book’s ending. Once again, we follow Nadya and Serefin, a cleric from Kalyarin and the High Prince of Tranavia. But in addition to their POVs, we get some interludes from Malachiasz, Parijahan, Kacper and a new character, Yekaterina, who turns out to be the tsarevna of Kalyarin.

I quite enjoyed this sequel and how it’s even darker than Wicked Saints. There is more blood and even eye gore. We also get to know some new monstrous creatures inspired by Slavic folklore, which is something I particularly enjoy in this trilogy. Another aspect I liked is how this book focuses a lot around the secrets hidden by the pantheon and the existence of older gods. I’m looking forward to seeing how this will play out in the third book.

The romance between certain cleric and certain monster keeps developing in a more twisted way than ever. I have to recognise I kind of enjoyed the interactions between these two, how they keep gravitating around each other in spite of knowing how toxic and dysfunctional their relationship is. Although the best romance is definitely the m/m relationship that arises in this sequel. I really can’t wait to read more scenes of those two.

Now, there is something that bothered me in this book and that is how it jumps around from scene to scene. I don’t know if it only happens in the ARC or if the final copy has the same problem, but I felt that scenes were missing. The characters are leaving a place and, in the next paragraph, they say they have been travelling using different ships without any further explanation from the author. Also, towards the end, there is a chapter that abruptly ends before the climax of a fight and, by the beginning of the next one, that scene is already over and the author just mentions what happened. Those jumps tarnished part of my enjoyment of the story.

Overall, Ruthless Gods was an enjoyable instalment, darker than its predecessor and with interesting twists. I just wish that the plot was more consistent and that it wasn’t so easy for the members of the royal families to go alone crossing enemy territory, something that I don’t consider believable. Nevertheless, I’m excited for the final book.

This is a rare sequel that deserves the world. There is A Lot going on, but everyone from Wicked Saints is back (everyone who made it out alive, at least) and ready for action and BOY is there action. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoilers, but some incredible things happen, including some things that I DID NOT SEE COMING AND REALLY WANT TO KNOW IF YOU DID!!

“Pray you never see those bones at work.”
“Oh, I think something was lost in translation. I’m a heretic. I don’t pray.”

“It was so exhausting feeling things all of the time.”

This book was okay. It wasn’t bad. I think it was just hard to get into during this quarantine. I think maybe I should have read at less stressful time.

I was impressed at the depth of further worldbuilding and additional characters in the sequel to Wicked Saints. Ruthless Gods is darker than its predecessor and ups the stakes in the kingdoms warring with each other. I liked the plot despite it being a little slow.

The characters, Nadya, Serefin and Malachiasz are now on their own adventures and I liked how the book also had lots of character development with themes of forgiveness, love and loyalty. In all, I really enjoyed Ruthless Gods and would recommend it to readers who were anxiously waiting for what followed after the shocking ending of Wicked Saints.

The hardest thing about this book was reading the first one a year ago! I spent the first part of my time reading this book very confused because I had forgotten what happened.

However, this book was even better than Wicked Saints for me and that was because of the eldritch horror element. We got a taste of it at the end of Wicked Saints, and it really really worked out so well. Reading this at night during a time where sleep has not come to me easily left me somewhat skittish in the best way possible. I really love the writing of Emily A. Duncan and I look forward to the next book!

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC. After reading the first book in this series, I was excited to see that the ARC was available and immediately requested it. Unfortunately, this book turned out to be a DNF for me. I could not get into it and found that it was very boring. Most of what I read was just refreshing the characters in what happened in the first book. Having several chapters catching everyone up is fine, but this was too long winded. I was very disappointed that I did not like Ruthless Gods.

This was a great follow-up to Wicked Saints. I really find this series to be creative and unique. In some instances YA can feel a bit repetitive and tropey, but Emily Duncan does a great job setting herself apart.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ultimately and intriguing second novel. While it didn't have the same heart-pounding experience as book one, this book was still eloquently written with vibrant and complex dialogue. Duncan's writing craft is amazing.

I found myself a bit more intrigued by the secondary characters in this installment, and I am curious to see further development of Serefin, Katya, Kacper, and Parijahan.

The last 5% of this book was interesting, but I didn't feel the rush I thought I would because when the epilogue came around, it was what I expected (which isn't a bad thing!).

In the long run, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Despite being a 550-page monster, but man was it quick. The development and physical imagery of Malachiasz was so vastly fascinating, and I am quite intrigued to see how this lovely bloody trilogy will end (literal blood...so much blood. More YA books need this amount of blood...am I evil?).

I did not get the chance to read this ARC prior to the book's publication, but we did end up buying it for our library collection.

”And she knelt at the edge of that place and contemplated just what it meant that she wanted to dip into that ocean of power and take it all for herself—that somehow she felt as if she already had.”

This book at times really and truly scared me, and it also grossed me out. Seriously. Wicked Saints in comparison was a baby’s book.

In Ruthless Gods the author plays with more and more darkness and weirdness. I was here for it 100%, but at times it was a little confusing. The book was really dark and I liked how it really played with how gray morality can be sometimes with every single character. Every character, especially our main ones, had to overcome obstacles and really face some darker challenges than they had to in the first book.

AND THEN THE FOREST.


“The things that dwell in this forest are not going to appreciate our trespassing.” She could feel it, too, something old and angry watching from the shadows.

I loved the whole forest section, which is luckily, about a fourth of the book. All of the characters end up through separate journeys, in a creepy forest that is just...not right.

And the forest, it hungered. It knew what had stepped inside it, knew those great powers that dwelt within and around and in-between and underneath its trees had great plans for the little insects that were scurrying around while it watched.

There’s blood.

There’s confessions.

There’s body horror.

There’s much more in the forest.

Overall, the book ends on after a crazy ride, with not a lot of questions answered, and a few minor cliff hangers. I really enjoyed this book overall. The beginning was slow, but it really starts picking up as all of the characters have to live with their actions of the first book and continue to build upon those actions.

Oh man! I love this world! I love the magic and everything in between! When we left off on the first one there was a little bit of uncertainty, like we couldn't believe what had happened and what would be next! This story is one that hits hard and its soo good in that fashion. Not all stories have the fairytale ending, and this one proves that sometimes no matter how hard you try or how determined you are that not all stories will be happy. I loved this story and all the development of the characters! All the gore, lies, betrayal, darkness and most of all the chaos. I also enjoyed all the aspects like about all the eyes, like those things are everywhere and its definitely like a creepy big brother sense because they are never truly alone. I absolutely loved this book and the magic and sorcery i am definitely going to read this one again and again because its that good! Its a beast like size wise but its sooo freaking good

The ending of Wicked Saints made be incredibly curious about Ruthless Gods and where the story would go next. And I'm here to say that Ruthless Gods is even better and exceeded my highest expectations. Emily A. Duncan has done it again.

Ruthless Gods continues shortly after the events of Wicked Saints. It immediately picks up the pace and we discover where our favorite troublemakers currenly are. Emily A. Duncan crafts an captivating and even darker story than she did in Wicked Saints. The stakes are higher and the suspense keeps you on your toes.

After the events of Wicked Saints, Ruthless Gods continues to make you question what is true. Are things really like they seem? Emily A. Duncan's writing truly pulls you into this world. The characters are so well-layered and we discover even more about them. But still not enough to know everything about them and that's what keeps you guessing. Even though most of them do some dark and despicable things, you can't resist to keep rooting for them or maybe even love them more? A few reveals absolutely made me swoon and many deceits and uncovered truths made me gasp. A perfect balance.

Once again the ending left me feeling shocked, surprised and heartbroken. I am so excited to see how this story will continue.

This book certainly lives up to its title because it is RUTHLESS. I just want to draw these characters a bath and give them some self care techniques because they need a break. Seriously, Serefin needs a nap.

Ruthless Gods picks up 4 months after the ending of Wicked Saints and everything is crumbling around our main characters. Nadya doesn't trust her magic and then there's the issue of a certain tall, dark, and handsome that completely betrayed her. Serefin has taken over the throne but his advisors are 10 seconds away from taking it away from him but that's the least of his concerns because his eye won't stop bleeding and there's a voice in his head. Malachiasz is barely keeping it together.

This book is almost 200 pages longer than the original and I loved that we get to see more character development in these pages. I also love that the secondary characters get more depth and we're introduced to some new characters as well.

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Writing: 4/5

Ruthless Gods, the sequel to Wicked Saints, was partly a road trip through a malevolent forest, partly an exploration of divinity and full of meddling ancient gods. The plot was a weak point for me in the first book and unfortunately it was just as weak for me in this one however I fell even more in love with the gothic vibes.

The dark atmosphere created by the nightmarish Salt Mines, the menacing forest, the monsters inspired by Slavic mythology and all the eyes and teeth and blood was deeply unsettling in the best way. I also loved how we got to learn more about the gods and their background and the way themes of divinity, humanity and monstrosity were entwined so thoroughly it was hard to tell them apart.

In this book, Serefin was struggling to come to terms with all that happened at the end of the previous book whilst trying to get the support of his court. And on top of all that, he had an eldritch god with mysterious motives trying to invade his mind. I liked him even more in this book, his point of view chapters were like a breath of fresh air sometimes. I also liked how his dynamics with both Kacper and Ostyia changed and developed.

Another character that I liked was Parijahan. We get to learn a lot more about the past she was running from and her motivations- she turned out to be a really interesting character. If anything, I would read the next book in the series just to find out how her path will be important to the overall story. And I have to mention Katya! As soon as she walked in she became one of my favourite characters. I don’t want to spoil anything about her but I’ll say this: she was brilliant.

However, Nadya and Malachiacz ended up being my main issue with Ruthless Gods. After the horrible, treacherous thing Malachiacz pulled at the end of Wicked Saints guess what Nadya wanted to do? She wanted to save him, she wanted to bring him back to humanity. But as far as I was concerned, he made his own choices and he had to live with them- why was it her job to fix him? And whilst she was telling herself she had secret plans and she needed his help, it was obvious that wasn’t her main motive. They had an interesting dynamic but I wished Nadya would act as if she’d learned something from all that happened to her in Wicked Saints aside from a few rare moments of self-reflection. Malachiacz knew what he wanted to achieve and no one and nothing would stand in his way.

The plot was too disjointed for me with lots of different things occurring and hinted at that didn’t connect together very well. I found it hard to care about their goals or understand why they were so important. I think I’d love this series much more if the plot was as gripping as the world it is set in and I’m still not sure if I’ll be reading the last book in the trilogy.

“Surely you can break it. Are you not so very powerful? Are you not a being of dark divinity?”
Ruthless Gods was everything I was expecting from book 2 in this trilogy and then some. There were so many moving parts throughout the book that at times I had absolutely no idea where we were going to next, only that wherever we ended up – it was definitely not going to be good news.

The storyline operates under so much grey that I struggled with knowing who I should be rooting for, a lot of the time I was just begging for more of the ‘enemies-with-benefits’ scenes with Nadya and Malachiasz regardless of if that ended up with blood on either of their hands. Even after finishing the book, I’m still unsure as to where I stand and who I’m behind.

It’s difficult to review much of this book without giving away big plotlines and reveals, as so much happens towards the end that just completely 180’s you. The world building and creation of an entire religion has been done so incredibly well and there has been so much depth added into it, lore within stories can sometimes come across as boring – however all it did in this one was intrigue me even further.

“His tone was a little bit chaotic monster, a little bit melancholy boy”
The body horror in this novel was horribly grotesque and I found myself cringing multiple times. Eyes and teeth are not meant to be where Emily A Duncan put them on poor Malachiasz and it definitely set off my trypophobia – it’s definitely times like this that I’m glad I can’t visualise when reading because I don’t know how I would have handled it.

This book is definitely a lot darker and a lot holier and I can’t wait to see where we go in book 3.

*thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.