This book is perfect for any gothic soul. It's a second in a series and it does not disappoint what-so-ever. I loved the first one and so I had high expectations for this one too. It was a perfect read and honestly a bit better than the Wicked Saints. I'm somewhat at a loss for words because I have never read anything quite like this and I think that is also what makes this book absolutely fantastic. We learn so much more about these characters than what we were expecting. Originally, I had thought this was just going to be a duology, but after reading this one, it is quite clear that another book is needed and will be provided soon!
Ruthless Gods will take you on a ride like no other book has given you. It's dark, gothic, and downright amazing. This was one of my most anticipated for the year and it had made its way into my top for the year already. And this book comes out in APRIL! I'm not even halfway through the year yet and I already want to scream to people how awesome this book was.
Keep it up Girl, because these books are memorable and a complete HIT in the world of bookish media!
Plus they are stunning to look at, books that look gorgeous on shelves are always great to photograph!

I thought this was a solid sequel, and that ending 😱 I’m shook. I loved Kacper, especially, but the rep in this book. One thing I’m tired of in YA is when all the main characters pair off into straight couples or just a love triangle, and it seems like every single character is straight in the whole novel universe. I loved seeing such a mix of characters, and some not pairing off at all, and that yeah, there were relationships but it wasn’t all there was, and I liked that nothing was simple or black and white. Everyone was trying to do what they thought was right, but from the other character’s perspectives was evil or harmful.

I absolutely loved Wicked saints earlier this year, it wouldn’t surprise me if it will be one of my favourites of the year! So I was so excited that I got the ARC of the sequel! Unfortunately this one let me down a bit.. Not to say that it was bad, but after loving book one, this one just did not meet with my expectations!
I just really struggled focussing on this story, every time I was reading this book my mind just wandered off. While with book one I just could not stop reading!
I feel like there was just way less exciting action in this book. It contained more planning and stuff compared to book one. Even though book one also had some planning in there. It is also not like this book contained a lot of politics or anything. There are some royals in their group, but they are quite distant from their actual countries. Although I feel like this is going to be a bigger thing in the third book!
I’m still a big fan of the characters, Nadya and Serefin, and most of the side characters! Especially Ostyia and Parijahan! Not so much of Kostya. There is also some weird romance situation going on, which already starts in book one, not a big fan of that either.
There are definitely some things happening in this book that make me excited to read book three (which will release in at least another year I guess..)!
I feel like this book suffered a bit of middle book syndrome..
3 stars, because I still really enjoyed the characters, there were some interesting plot points, but there were also quite some boring (..?) parts were my mind just wondered off.

First of all, thank you Netgalley for giving the opportunity to receive a copy. But unfortunately I’m not sure how I feel about Ruthless Gods. I really enjoyed the first book but I really couldn’t get in to it. The plot had a much slower pace and it did not work for me. I still loved all the character but it was not enough for me. I will definitely be purchasing a copy for my class room so my students can enjoy it!

I was given this title in exchange for an honest review.

I KNEW IT!!! I KNEW IT!!!! I TELL YOU THAT I KNEW IT!!! I won't say what I knew because spoilers but I knew it! You'll see if you decide to read this book.

Now, let's dive into this one, shall we? It's just as dark, gritty and rather hopeless feeling as the first one. Which I'll admit made me more depressed with everything that is going on in the world right now. But something this book does well is it gives that tiny spark of hope so you'll keep going, just praying something comes along to break the darkness that gathers all around. It's perfectly gothic and chilling.

Now, it is longer than the first and can take a wee bit of time to get into it. At least it did for me, but once it does get going.... boy! It doesn't stop and that ending just has me feeling all sorts of stuff! I can't wait for the next one!

Will go live on the blog: 4/7/2020

I said this about the first book, Wicked Saints, when I posted on Instagram – the world-building is phenomenal. The world is full of rich cultures, customs, and people. The religious systems felt very real and one of my favorite parts was getting to explore the horrifying world with the characters.

Alright, y’all.

I really enjoyed Wicked Saints – it was out of my comfort zone and a really fascinating world to dive in to! The characters are really well-developed and unique. I’ll admit, I had a bit of a crush on Malachiasz from the first book.

This book, though, kinda confused and terrified me.

Let me start off by saying that in my opinion, Ruthless Gods was really well-written. I never once felt bored by the story and the pacing kept the book moving. Even while I was reading and was marking points to review, I knew I had to keep reading or I’d wonder about the ending for months. I still will probably read the third book despite my reservations because I need to find out what happens. The plot, however, is one monster of a chaotic beast and this almost kept the pacing too fast.

On that note, Ruthless Gods definitely came across as more of a gory and body-horror oriented book than its predecessor. I’m not a hugely squeamish person but there were moments within this book that made me uneasy to read.

The characters were the highlight of the story – Emily A. Duncan writes her characters so well and that definitely was the highlight for me. My favorite character changed with each chapter as we got to delve into more of their story.

A lot of the language was very repetitive – Nadya’s use of “boy” in describing Malachiasz was a little….excessive. “Boy” was used, according to a Kindle search of the book, one hundred and eighty-nine times – not an exaggeration in the slightest. “Onyx eyes” was used to describe Malachiasz ten times, and the phrase “the blood drained from her face” was scattered across the book like sprinkles.

Overall, while I very much enjoyed the world-building and the characters, the sequel couldn’t measure up to the first book for me. It dove into another level of graphic that I simply didn’t enjoy reading.

I really wanted to hope this would be better than the first but while it was just a smiggins better I still didn't like it. Which makes me sad because I was so excited to get this. It's just a lot of repetition. There is a time and place but it gets a little excessive. We get it you love him but he's done your wrong. *Eye roll* cut the cord or just deal with it.

The highlight of this and the first is the action ooo it gets so good but then she takes it away when it just stops to go see someone else's view of thing. Which is another issue with me there are like 6 people's views. Which is can get confusing and just put things that aren't even pertinent.

I don't know maybe I'm just being harsh because I had held it up so high and I had to make myself push through this book. I'll probably try and read again one more time to see if I feel the same way.

This was a great sequel to the series. Ruthless Gods picks up right after Wicked Saints and waste no time kicking the plot into gear. I felt like Wicked Saints created such a solid foundation for the series, and Ruthless Gods kept all the things I loved from before: complex characters, thought-provoking premise, and a gripping plot.

I completely fell in love with the characters in the first book, but the focus was really on Malachiasz, Nadya, and Serefin. In Ruthless Gods we really get to know all the secondary character so much better (which I totally loved).

We get to know to previous characters much better, but we are also introduced to a new character. But first things first, let's talk about the two returning characters: Parijahan and Kacper. Without giving anything away, I love that we were able to get more personal insights into their lives. While we were able to connect to their characters in the book one, they were still a little bit of a mystery. Ruthless Gods really helped close the gap on that and it made the story even better.

Yekaterina was a new addition to the vibrant cast of characters and I think she was such a fun, interesting addition. I think her laid-back personality and open mindedness made her fit in so seamlessly with Serefin and Nadya's group. I'm really hoping I'll get to see more of her in the future!

Another element that I enjoyed from Wicked Saints was the whole mystery around the origin of divinity. I loved all the debates between Nadya and Malachiasz, and we still get plenty of that. We definitely get more pieces added to the puzzle that had me floating my own theories throughout the story. Honestly, I was just so fully engaged in the story and I had so much fun!

Of course, I also wanna talk a little about my two favorite characters: Nadya and Malachiasz. I didn't think I could love them any more, but I was totally wrong. The relationship continued to be complex and strained, but I loved the romantic tension.

Lastly, I want to touch on the plot. I think it might've started out a little slow, but it took off quickly. I think it was Nadya and Malachiasz meeting again where the story turned around. Things got so much more emotional and complicated in this one. And when it comes to the ending I was totally on the edge of my seat and I was left desperately needing book 3 haha!

All in all, Ruthless Gods was a thrilling sequel to the series that will not disappoint! I highly recommend starting it if you haven't already.

This was a good sequel! It was much better than the first book, which ended up falling super short for me. This book made up for what was lacking in Wicked Saints. It was a solid read, with good plot structure and character development.

4.5 out of 5 stars
WOW! What a wild ride of a continuation from Wicked Saints! This book excels in expanding upon the relationship between our main characters and the Gods that began in book one. If you enjoyed Wicked Saints you will adore this book. If you were on the fence after book one, I highly suggest you pick up the sequel. Ruthless Gods has made many improvements in expanding upon the world building and history of magic. My only complaint is the romance, the relationship between Nadya and her love interest. It found it to be less than convincing. Nadya fell flat for me in this installment. Serafin really was the star of this book for me.
RTC on my YouTube channel. I will link it below once it's published!

Ruthless Gods is a fitting sequel to Wicked Saints, and an intense prequel to the third book in the series. Ruthless Gods follows the aftermath of Serefin, Nadya, and Malachiasz's battles, bringing in more gods and deeper machinations than the first book. Emily Duncan weaves together a vibrant, dangerous world with vibrant, dangerous characters (all of whom have deep flaws) that keep you coming back for more. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of Wicked Saints back when I was just getting into book blogging and despite some issues with the writing, I really enjoyed it, so I was hoping that Ruthless Gods would be a worthy sequel. Things I liked... how dark and gory it was, and I liked some of the side characters, Parijahan in particular. Unfortunately, I don’t know if this just suffered from second book syndrome or if there was some sort of time crunch that limited the editing process, but I’m sadly not a fan of this one.

Here’s my major problem (maybe). I’m reading this at the same time as House of Earth and Blood, and the juxtaposition in world building, character development and frankly quality of writing is so stark that it was almost unbearable to read this one.

Book two jumps right into the action and to be honest, I had a little trouble following it even though I read the first book only a year ago. Considering how much trouble the proper names gave me in the last book (and I say this as someone who deals with a lot of Georgian immigrants so I have a rudimentary knowledge of Eastern European languages), I would’ve liked a light refresher on who everyone was so that when a revelation was dropped fairly early in, I would’ve felt the significance of it more. Everything and everyone felt so unfamiliar that the affinity toward characters I had developed in the first book needed to be rebuilt from scratch, except without the context of an introduction like in the first book, and once it was, the characters didn’t have any ounce of charm or relatability that they had originally.

Packed full of repetitive modifiers, seemingly only to make the book’s word count longer, it read more like a creative writing project for a college class than an actual novel. I’m sorry to say that the writing style reminded me a bit of Fifty Shades of Grey. I never thought I’d get so sick of a word as innocuous as “boy”, and if I never hear the word onyx again, it’ll be too soon. It was like the author took a bunch of words and threw them at the page, like spaghetti thrown at a wall to see what stuck. One minute, the dialogue could be taken straight out of any contemporary novel, the next it’s Yoda-esque purple prose.

I had problems with the characters as well. We’re constantly told that characters are X but their behavior shows them to be Y, Nadya and Malachiasz in particular. They both might as well have dissociate identity disorder for all their lack of consistency. And the sheer stupidity of decisions over and over again... the character everyone describes as a monster suddenly appears, seemingly back to normal, and they’re all just like, “cool, welcome back” and we’re back to him being the poor, scared, lonely, cuticle-picking boy. Last minor issue... a random gay couple with no foreshadowing. I don’t mind romance side stories and I’m all for LGBTQ content but it felt just thrown in there haphazardly to check off a box rather than to have authentic inclusion. We’re inside one of these characters heads very often so why no hint of anything until it pops up out of the blue?

The story itself... the most apt words I can think of to describe it are shallow and aimless.

This is one of the harshest reviews I’ve ever written and I’ll probably feel badly about it later, but I think it just comes from a place of disappointment. So much potential coming off the first book and this is where we end up. I don’t think I care enough to read the third when it comes out.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵."⁣
⁣
Ruthless Gods is the second book in the Something Dark And Holy trilogy by Emily A. Duncan.  It starts off a few months after where Wicked Saints left off. The war behind the Travanians and the Kalyazins is still raging, and our main character Nadya is in hiding. She has grown up a bit, is less naive, and not as unbelievably lovestruck. However, this installment is still just as bloody, gory, gothic, and magic-filled as the first book. I personally enjoyed this second book much more than the first. I was more invested in the characters, more intrigued, and more entertained. ⁣

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review! Let me start by saying this is the prettiest ARC I’ve ever seen! There’s foil on the cover and a true spine design. ✨ TW: Much darker than the first, lots of gore, so much blood, and overall dark imagery and eye stuff.

Overall, somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4! I was super excited to start this book, as the first one left you on such a cliff hanger and I so badly wanted Malachiasz to be saveable. But we ended the book pretty much in the same position? My first impression on receiving this book was that it’s blessedly long. Always a promising start, but I realized about halfway through that it didn’t mean all the content was necessary. There’s soooo much inner-monologue filler. Not a lot actually happens in those pages, most of it consists of lengthy descriptions that don’t add to the plot and actually lend to confusion, and repeated sentiments/thoughts. For example, the will-they-won’t-they has been officially exhausted for me, as has the constant “what are the gods? Why am I chosen?” They travel about 90% of the time, but the interactions along the way are so repetitive.

The action that was written, was great. Super engaging and interesting. How the magic works is very complicated and could be better explained, but the author is great at building a scene. But then it gets bogged down with those tiresome descriptions of super similar scenes over and over. I seriously debated going back through and counting how many times “bloody” was used as an adjective. It was trying so hard to be like THIS IS A GOTHIC BOOK INVOLVING BLOOD AND GORE and it’s really the only flavor of the book.

Following that train of thought, I felt like Malachiasz is kind of too far into the evil person sphere even for me. I love Reylo as much as the next person, but Kylo never ate a heart for no apparent reason in front of Rey other than to drip blood and be gross. And Rey never made out with a literal demon who just ate said heart. His intentions are real obviously to gain power, and it goes too far past for me to consider it real love at this point. It would be one thing if that was the intention, and she learns and moves on, but she keeps being like I KNOW HE’S EVIL AND MANIPULATING ME BUT HE’S SUCH A WOUNDED BEAUTIFUL DARK BOY. Which is just too past Emo and into true abuse for me. Being me, I’m still hoping he is saved in the third book lol, and that maybe the final printed book will chill tf out.

That being said I did enjoy a lot of this book, Nadya is a good character (usually) who is believable. Serefin has some evil stuff going down inside him, and you root for him to overcome it. It gets really intense and interesting, but also can be confusing and makes you kind of glaze over. I also really like the new character Katya a lot. She’s using a kind of magic that is new to us, and I felt like it could be explained a lot better what is happening when she uses it.
The last 1/4th of this book is the star of the show. We get some twists in there, much needed answers, and you’re tugged back and forth about how it will end. But as I said, we end on a note that is all too similar to how we ended the first. Nadya is confused about her powers and abandoned, Serefin doesn’t know where to go and doesn’t understand the magic around him, and Malachiasz is on a precipice and playing with magic bigger than him. I’m still looking forward to the next book, and hopefully some of this will be addressed when it comes publishing time for this book.

The theme of betrayal continues in this sequel as well as the saga between Mal and Nadya. A few times I got a little lost trying to understand what was going on. Overall I enjoyed the journey and the new characters. It reminded me of Clash of the Titans as the Gods seemed to feel the humans were their playthings/puppets. I am no sure what happens next but I am looking forward to finding out.

*Tiny Spoilers Alert*

I was provided with an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Alright, so the sequel to Wicked Saints did not disappoint! Not only was it just as full of plot twists and turns as the first, but it was just as action packed and fast paced as the first. First, let's tackle the story aspect of it. In the first book we discover that not only is Malachiasz the infamous Black Vulture, but he is also the high prince Serefin's cousin. Ah, ah, ah... Nope. In this second installment the plot thickens and we find that he is actually Serefin's bastard brother! I loved that plot twit and it totally added to the anguish within Serefin knowing that he has to kill him. Then there is Nadya. Honestly, I think I understand what the whole situation is with her and her magic, but I'm still not quite sure. What is she? Also, and this is something that I had issue with in the first book, but you have this girl who has grown up in a monastery talking to gods, so you automatically picture her as a somewhat quiet, pious, young girl. However, we find that is not the case. However, we're not really ever told where she learned to fight and who taught her or why. Or if we were, it was so insignificant that I'd already forgotten it. I've honestly had the impression throughout both books that she was just hanging at the monastery, talking to her gods. I will say that the characters are multi-dimensional and their struggles are portrayed authentically. Duncan also does a superb job of world building, with one exception, and that is the language and names for things. This has really been my only problem with throughout the books. The names and different times she uses the languages in the book are so jarring that it actually brings the story to a halt trying to figure out how it is pronounced. I understand that it was probably done for authenticity, but it was just too much. I had no idea how to pronounce half of the names and words she used.
Overall, though, the book was an excellent follow-up and I can't wait to see where this story goes next!

Following Emily A. Duncan's bloody debut, Wicked Saints, Ruthless Gods is exactly that: ruthless. Picking up the story soon after the end of Wicked Saints, this book blurs the line between gods, monsters, and what makes us human. Duncan is the spider that spins the web connecting everyone and everything in her world, and does she do it well. She has a talent for keeping you intrigued by the world as she keeps her readers and her characters a step away from certain, disastrous consequences. If you loved Wicked Saints, you're going to love this because it gets even better. If you love dark characters like the Darkling or Kylo Ren, you're going to want to see what's next for Nadya and Malachiasz. I can't wait for the third installment of this world.

3.5 stars

I'm not sure how to talk about this book without spoiling the first in the series, but I can say this is a great continuation of the events that transpired in the first one. The characters are as morally grey and conflicted as ever, each one ready to stab another in the back. This series is definitely not for the faint of heart; we have some truly gory events take place, and the descriptions leave nothing to the imagination. I can't wait to see how these characters' stories all wrap up.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

Why so long? I'm still trying to understand, because almost I was at 50% of this book and there's no action, just narration and boring dialogues.

“A book filled with razor sharp teeth, drenched in blood, and monsters you’ve never dreamed of.”
Cecelia Beckman, Sheaf and Ink

The Story
Nadya Lapteva, Serefin Meleski, and Malachiasz Czechowicz are all dealing with the aftermath of their choices in the Black Vultures Cathedral. Nadya has lost her powers and her connection to the gods, Serefin is grappling with the voice inside his head and the fact that he is now king, and Malachiasz is scheming to take on setting his next piece in his grand puzzle.

But even as these characters deal with their inner failings and grow further apart, their fates are ultimately intertwined, stitched together with blood and a dark magic, a magic they don’t fully understand.

A prophecy is made, the girl, the prince, and the monster will each play a part, one that will either cost them their lives or the destruction of the world as they know it.

My Thoughts
Second novels are a rare beast. They take authors to another level because of expectations set by the original book: to push the story further, revealing new deceptions, plot twists, while maintaining a strong and fast pace, and also continuing to expand their world building and the depth of their characters.

After reading Wicked Saints I was ready for the next novel to sink its iron claws deep and take me on another mesmerizing journey that was equally as fast paced and intriguing as the first novel. I wanted the dark fairy tale, with a searing romance to keep pulling me under so that I wouldn’t want to ever come up for air.

But, in Ruthless Gods, I had a few concerns. What first stood out was the slow pace. I understood these characters had been through a lot. They kind of needed a break. Although, after three chapters in, with no major action happening, the characters and the story started to feel stagnant. I almost wished the book had started when the characters left Tranavia if only to get things moving.

The other concern I had was how disconnected the characters were with their objective. In Wicked Saints everyone knew what they were doing, it was clear to them as it was to the reader. In Ruthless Gods though the characters have no idea (at least Nadya and Serefin) what to do or what is expected of them until the end.

There is the prophecy that is referred to in Wicked Saints and is mentioned again in Ruthless Gods, but it’s vague in what’s supposed to be accomplished. I know prophecy's don't always make sense and they are obscure so that the characters can figure it out on their own, but it felt unmoored from the story Duncan had created in the first novel. And perhaps that was intentional, but it ultimately left me confused as to what was going to be attained in the end.

I absolutely loved the relationship between Nadya and Malachiascz that Duncan created in Wicked Saints. It’s not often the leading character falls for the monster. And even though the back and forth between these two in Ruthless Gods is a constant love and hate throughout the novel, it would have been more enticing and delicious if these two had been a tad bit more honest with each other and had a more seductively intimate moment thereafter.

Ruthless Gods does not disappoint in the plot reveals and twist or its ending. The last few chapters are where things really pick up and the stage is splattered in blood. The monsters are grotesque, the gods vengeful, and you’ll be sitting on the edge of your seat, quickly turning each page, wondering who exactly is going to make it to the very end.

Happy Reading Cece