Where do I begin? Duncan gave me EVERYTHING I wanted in the first book, Wicked Saints. Nadya, Serefin, and Malachiasz are just...everything. As soon as I finished Wicked Saints, I was CRAVING Ruthless Gods. Serefin, my sweet boy. Malchiasz, my disaster son. Nadya, my tired girl. The eyeballs. The forest.

There was so much character development in this book. This book sunk its teeth in me and didn't let go once!

Ruthless Gods by Emily A Duncan

2.5 out of 5 Stars (rounded down to 2)

***ARC received from Wednesday Books and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

I'm going to be honest here, while Wicked Saints was not my favorite book that I read last year, it did have some interesting parts to the original book. In particular the world and the magic system along with the gods, which was a lot of what made up the first book. Its a shame that Ruthless Gods doesn't seem to know what to do with it.

Ruthless Gods takes place a few months after the previous book, Serefin has a tentative hold over his throne and Nadya is mostly skulking around the castle because she is unable to safely leave. One of the biggest problems I had with the last book was the passage of time and this book doesn't start out on a positive note in that regard. Characters are having conversations that they should have logically had months ago and it never felt like it was a repeat conversation. Serefin seems to just now learn Nadya's goddess no longer speaks to her, Nadya asks about Zaneta for the first time. Its okay for these conversations to have happen off page and then loop the reader back into them, it helps to have already set the plot in motion. But with that information and to stave of a coup Serefin and Nadya set out to try and retrieve of Zaneta.

The bulk of this book is told again from Nadya and Serefin's perspectives. Serefin's chapters are infinitely more interesting than Nadya's chapters are. Serefin is still dealing with the voice in his head from the god that saved him from death in the previous book. It is also starting to slowly drive him mad, taking a toll on his both physically and mentally. I think I like Serefin's chapters better simply because there feels like the conflict he is facing is actually dangerous, both to him and the rest of the world. The decisions that he makes follow him, they have consequences and actually impact something bigger than just Serefin.

On the other hand, Nadya continues to be a character with so much potential that just continues to fall flat time and time again. The book wants her to be strong, weak, independent, love struck, betrayer and betrayed causing her to whiplash across the book so instead of being complex she just comes off as confused. The romance again just doesn't work, Nadya is very blunt in her opinions of Mal at times and by the next page its like it didn't happen. I can understand this happening while in another characters chapter, her trying to put on a strong front but since its happening in Nadya's perspectives its frustrating because we are in her pov as she completely forgets her words from a few minutes ago. She also continues to be shocked when people that she knows are lying to her lie to her. I wish the book could decide what character they want Nadya to be and settle on that.

In truth, thats a huge problem with the book overall. The narrative is messy, words are repeated over and over again, the plot is convoluted and gets dragged down trying to be too many things. In fact, it has to introduce a brand new characters that feels like she is nothing more that just someone there to reveal things that the plot can't come to naturally. Had the book cut out another hundred pages and tightened up the plot and character development it could have been a much better book.

I read an advance copy of this book through Netgalley. I chose this series because it was written by a youth services librarian. The story is a little dark and murky but it is suited to the genre of gothic fantasy. It is strongest in its character development, which drives the story rather than a solid plotline. This is not a drawback as the decisions of the characters seem weighty and not lightly made. The strength lies in their serious flaws and their warring allegiances and desires, which sometimes does descend into a morass, but that is often the nature of our emotions so the journey of the characters resonates. While the emotions of the characters are highly dramatic, they never descend into banal melodrama. My small disappointment is in the closing of the second book, which is steeped in an overabundance of blood and gore, is it seems a little contrived. This paved the way for a third book in the series so perhaps we can forgive the author if she writes a stunning ending for the third installment of the story.

The prologue is titled The Girl Caught In-Between and this seems to be the perpetual state of Nadezhda Lapteva. Her strongest attribute is that the manipulation and betrayal of those around her she accepts as inevitable and inescapable. She never attempts to change the flaws of other characters, but adjust her emotions and decisions to these betrayals. Her love extends to those seriously flawed and evil, which is not out of character with her almost saint-like role as THE cleric chosen to be an intermediary to the gods of her pantheon. This is a position that requires piety and allegiance that she with her flawed humanity is unable to maintain. If she is intended to maintain her chastity and abhor the allure of her purported enemy who is admittedly alternately evil and manipulatively vulnerable and needy--this is an impossible task for her.

See, it is all very, well, complicated. Nadya's quest is ultimately to champion her country against the magic and evil of their enemy Tranavia and Tranavians--unfortunately, she is at their mercy as their hostage and in love with one of their greatest and most powerful men (he is still little more than a boy) who is also attempting to accommodate having the power of an evil god. This makes him at times evil and revolting. This is something he chose--but is not completely his fault because he was sacrificed as a young child to this dark force, which makes him abused and somewhat sympathetic.

Poor Nadya! We've all figuratively "been there." I would read the first book Wicked Saints before embarking in the second in the Something Dark and Holy series Ruthless Gods. It is not really a stand-alone book

I am truly stunned by the dark and rich fantastical world which Emily has created. Ruthless Gods was (if it is possible) even more brilliant and clever than the first book in this series, and Nadya, Serefin and Malachiasz's journeys intertwined perfectly in this gem of a sequel. I found myself constantly surprised and excited to turn the page at each twist in the story, and character development truly took the front stage in this book. I feel as though I know each of her characters personally. Ultimately I am amazed by Emily's world building skills, having taken interest in Slavic folklore myself, I found her storytelling and drawing upon myths to be spot on. This is the perfect book for anyone interested in YA fantasy, and I do not believe that a better sequel could have followed Wicked Saints (already a wonderful book). I am eagerly waiting for the conclusion to this sensational trilogy.

Gruesome, grotesque and glorious is such a perfect way to describe this outstanding sequel to Wicked Saints, and Erin A Craig (author of House of Salt & Sorrows) couldn't have said it better! Wicked Saints set the scene perfectly and left you needing to know more, all while nursing a broken heart. I immediately started Ruthless Gods because I needed to know what happened to Nadya and Malachiasz, Serefin, and the rest of their unique group of travelers. Immediately I was drawn to the darkness surrounding Malachiasz, the leader of a Tranavian heretic cult known as the Vultures. His attempt to ascend from mortal to god was such an intriguing subplot, intertwined with Nadya's struggle with her duties as a cleric and her belief in faith vs what her heart desires. 

The character development was so intricate in Ruthless Gods, as we learned more about some of the secondary characters and met some new characters. The progress of the paths of the divine trio, which is what I like to call Serefin, Malachiasz, and Nadya, is so full of tension and action packed that it's nearly impossible to pick which one to root for, let alone pick a favorite. There is never a lull in the plot line which can sometimes happen in sequels, but not in this one! The scenes in the divine forrest were absolutely horrific in all the best ways! Remind me never to go walking in the woods and especially at night, even if I'm with a group of people or not. The folklore included in the story was spooky and created the perfect mood. I don't know about you, but monsters that scream and can impersonate those close to you with a single strand of hair are absolutely terrifying!!

I have so many questions after that ending, but I'm confident they will all be resolved in the third and final installment of the Trilogy. I hate that it's so far away for the third book to come out, but that's the downside to reading ARCs. It's really not a bad thing at all though! Ruthless Gods has definitely left me heart broken, or rather absolutely shattered, and I LOVE it!! Having the emotional reaction to fictional characters in this way is always a sign of an amazing book in my opinion. I highly recommend that everyone who has read Wicked Saints reads Ruthless Gods, I promise you'll like it more than the first book!! If you haven't read either of these books yet then chop, chop!!! Go on, get it now!!! These are the perfect YA Dark Fantasy books in a series built around Russian cultural influences, Gods and monsters.

I received a copy though NetGalley for review, and for that I am really grateful.

I was one of those people who loved Wicked Saints.
But let me tell you now, nobody will be prepared for this plot.
You cannot prepare your self for the level of betrayal that will occur, both by humans, magic and the gods. Everyone is just waiting to kill, everyone is lying.

The I love you, but I'll eventually level this knife into your gut- is back. And you'll never guess who actually goes through with it. A monstrous boy cannot help himself. The dejected Prince, now King is dealing with a new kind of pressure that isn't coming from his court. An angry, powerful girl, is realizing just how many things were kept from her, for her entire life.
Mad, hungry, vicious things are waking up and they will devour everyone and everything.
Blood, magic and darkness will reign, it's just a matter of who controls it, and who suffers.

I'll just leave you with this:
"“Dozleyena, sterevyani bolen,” she said quietly. “Czijow, towy dżimyka.” His eyes were closed and his lips tugged into a small half-smile."

These two are my favorite. If only they could stop trying to murder each other, literally.


But seriously, this plot is going to ruin you.

I’ll be honest, I struggled with what to actually say about the first book, Wicked Saints because it is UNLIKE anything that I’ve ever read. This book sucked me in from the very first chapter. There’s something so harrowing about blood magic, and I just couldn’t get enough!

This sequel is even more different but in a good way! When I first heard that this story was a dark fantasy, I don’t think I actually put a lot of stock into that. I was blown away at how dark this story was. From the very beginning, the story is covered in blood. The blood mages cut themselves and smear the blood on the pages of their spell books to activate whatever spells they are trying to cast. There were definitely some scenes that were intense and gruesome. I never thought anything in the plot felt misplaced considering how violent the story was.

I absolutely loved the characters in this book. Nadya is definitely naïve and only focuses the religion of the Kalyazin’s as true, but Malachaisz constantly questions everything she stands for and believes in. Watching the slow-burn romance unfold between these two was utterly addicting. I couldn’t get enough.

Overall, if you like your fairytales drenched in blood, deception and betrayal then this book is for you. This dark fantasy lures you into a heart-racing adventure filled with magic, gods, monsters, and rich Russian and Polish folklore. The plot if full of twists and turns that leave you questioning who you should trust. By the end, my heart was ripped out and spat back in my face.

The first book in the series... I went in thinking I'd love it. I did not. The second book, was just as painful, watching the characters work themselves into dark holes I saw no purpose for. I couldn't finish it. The detail is too thick, with too little action. I know, this sounds ridiculous. So much of this book is action, many would argue. No , I disagree. I am told of minute details, so boring I miss the action entirely due to my mind wandering off. I did not finish.

All that I can say after reading this book is that I am BLOWN AWAY! I absolutely loved this book, very rarely do I feel like the second book is better than the first in a series, but I think that this book blew the first one out of the water. This second book really stepped up, bringing readers a faster pasted and more emotional story than the first one. Another great part of this book is the characters, I love all of the characters in this series, but what I love the most is that they are all very flawed in their own ways and that is what makes them so great. This book will having you laughing, but then crying at parts, leaving you sitting speechless, not fully believing that you have finished the book. if you are looking for a book that has romance, adventure, humor, and fantasy then this is the book for you. In the end it will leave you wanting more and more!

I ended up DNFing this book. I rated the first book 3 stars, but I had hoped that the sequel would pull me into the story a bit more. I got about a third of the way through and felt myself feeling the exact same way. I decided to just drop it. Take this with a grain of salt.

Thanks to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy.

WOW! After reading Wicked Saints, I immediately wanted and needed the next one. This sequel did not disappoint!!! Full of darkness, magic, monsters, power, gore and just so heart wrenching!!!!

The gang is back - Nadya, Serefin, Malachiasz. , The main characters are all so messed up but in the greatest way possible. The twists and betrayals continue to haunt us from book one, and as I was reading this one, I identified with Nadya's suspicion and turmoil. I could not tell what each character was going to do next. (Why, Malachiasz?! WHY???!) And so much of the dialogue was tinged with suspicion. What was a lie and what was the truth?! I think that this book answered some of our questions from the first, but we are going to need some greater clarity and more answers in the next one...and I. Cannot. Wait.

While I love the romance, I am most intrigued by the relationship between Serefin and Malachiasz and I am hoping for further development. I also can't wait to find out more about Parijahan's decision regarding her past. And of course, poor Nadya. We see her relationship to the gods change in this book and I'm looking forward to see where it goes from here. Overall, this book is such an emotional rollercoaster full of dark, torturous twists.

That cliffhanger!!! Emily Duncan is trying to kill us all with the anticipation.

I enjoyed Wicked Saints, and loved Ruthless Gods. The continuation of Wicked Saints is everything I hoped it would be. Haunting, mesmerizing world, Excellent characters, wonderful dark fantasy.

I was pretty excited when I saw that SMP/Wednesday Books had granted my wish for this book on NetGalley. I hadn’t expected it, though. My wishes never get granted on that site. After my excitement died down, I realized that it was the 2nd book. I was still optimistic about the book, though. Lately, I have been reading books that are 2nd or 3rd in a series, and that was stand-alone. I figured that Ruthless Gods would be the same. Oh boy, was I wrong.

Ruthless Gods had a fast-moving plotline. The author was able to keep the pace up even with the book being split into numerous POVs. That I did like, she marked who’s chapter it was. I had zero issues following along with the book that way. It also worked well with the pacing. Some storylines were left open, and characters that were mentioned but never brought up again. But, considering that this is the 2nd book in the series, I have a feeling everything will be tied together in the 3rd book.

As I mentioned above, Ruthless Gods is NOT a stand-alone book. You do need to read Wicked Saints before reading Ruthless Gods. That way, the backstories/explanation of the different countries/explanation of the religions (which is essential!!) are fully disclosed. I was lost when reading Ruthless Gods because I didn’t read Wicked Saints first.

Another source of irritation for me was the lack of understanding of the different relationships between the character. Nadya and Malachiasz, I got right away. Serefin and Kacper’s was a little muddier. Ostiya, Parijahan, and Rashid’s relationships with each other, and the central 3 was even more mysterious. That is where reading Wicked Saints would have come in handy — now saying that I was impressed with the character growth that Serefin, Nadya, and Malachiasz had throughout the book.

Ruthless Gods had to have been one of the more darker, bloodier young adult books that I have read in a while. The amount of violence was terrific. The author doesn’t even bother to build-up to the first violent scene. It was bam, there you go. Now, that didn’t bother me. I figured by reading the synopsis that it was going to be bloody and violent. But it might bother other people.

I was fascinated by a couple of things in Ruthless Gods. I was fascinated that this book was based loosely in Russia. I do wish that there was some glossary that explained the different terms used in the book. I was also fascinated by the various religions portrayed. I do wish that there was a glossary dedicated to the different saints/terms that Nadya and her fellow monks used. Again, it would have gone a long way to helping me understand everything.

The storylines were well written also. There was almost too much going on in the book at one point, but the author did a fantastic job keeping everything separate. The Nadya/Malachiasz storyline broke my heart. Serefin’s broke my heart too. I couldn’t imagine living like he did and being forced to do the things he did.

The best part of the book was the last part of the book from when Katya was introduced onwards. Everything just snowballed once the group got into that forest. I expected what Serefin and Nadya did. The whole book was leading up to those two crucial things. But, I wasn’t expecting what happened to Malachiasz. That took me completely by surprise. The epilogue was fantastic. I cannot wait to read book three because of what was promised in that epilogue.

Loved this sequel! It’s was dark and sad and all the characters were just so sad and ugh so beautiful!
Loved this book so much. Thank you @netgalley

I loved this book! Ruthless Gods shows how much stronger Duncan's writing has gotten between her first and her second novel. It picks up right where we left off with Wicked Saints and leaves us wanting even more by the end. Duncan's characters need a nap and are unapologetic more than ever. I cannot wait for the finale to see how Duncan ties up the story of her nightmare children.

This book did not, under any circumstances, suffer from second book syndrome. Despite Emily A. Duncan saying it felt like a struggle at times, it was perfectly conveyed and well executed. When reading Wicked Saints, I was a little lost at the writing style that felt like much was left unsaid and gaps occurred between new paragraphs. However, in Ruthless Gods, Duncan’s writing goes to new, strong places. Her command of language excels and the reader is left feeling every bit of horror, of darkness the characters experience and exhibit. I physically cringed at times at the sheer creepiness of how characters were described and the dark things they had to do, but it was worth it and I found I wanted more as the book progressed and craved every new bit of darkness that kept being worked in. I cried, I mourned, I felt so much for these characters that the small bits of happiness they experienced was worth it, regardless of the consequences it would mean later on. Duncan is an evil puppet master, manipulating the characters and their experiences behind the scenes, guiding them to places they need to be while being horrifically cruel the entire time, but WE WANT IT. We as the reader crave every page of it, every word. I have no problems at all with this book and am anxiously awaiting the third which, will hopefully, refuse to end in happiness. While I want it more than anything, I can tell it isn’t in the cards for these characters and I am now wanting an honorable end for them. That’s all I can hope for now. I could read hundreds of more books like this and I am thankful to Duncan for doing what few authors are willing to do: forgo the happy ending for the road best traveled in darkness. Soul shuddering darkness. Bless you.

Do not let three stars fool you: this was a more enjoyable read than Wicked Saints. The editing of what book leaves much to be desired. While not perfect, Ruthless Gods is much better in that regard.

Also, I liked that the author listened to criticism re: drinking and unclear plot. Unlike book 1, Ruthless Gods does not portray drinking as something "cool", nor as a substitute for character traits/background. Similarly, the author made an effort to explain things (such as "what actually happened at the end of book 1"). These explanations are sometimes repetitive, but they show the author is ready to listen and respond to criticism. Also, she made LGBT representation clear in this one, which is also a plus.

It all made for a better book. Some people might dislike a somewhat slower first part, but it allowed for more character analysis, which was good. There is still a problem of treating Slavic-inspired folklore as too literal; the result is that of a very Western-feeling Gothic story that does not feel Slavic at all (more research would be nice), but the story finds more footing.

Ultimately, like book 1, the enjoyment (or lack thereof) rests on one character and the romance: if you like him (and his romance with the main character), you will probably enjoy Ruthless Gods. If not... Well, you probably won't be reading this one at all.

This may sound like a critical review, but I feel the craft has improved and the trilogy is getting stronger. A strong 3 star review from me.

I don't know what happened with this book. It's hard to believe that an author wrote a book were, for 500 pages, nothing happened. Only about 40 pages of this book actually mattered. Seriously; this book could have been cut in half and the story would have been so much stronger. I'm not sure why the author is celebrating writing such a long book when literally almost nothing happened.

Obviously, I have a lot of issues with this book. Again, no easy translation guide was provided for all of the phrases that are in a foreign language. About 20 pages in, I literally thought "Fuck it. If the author doesn't want to tell us what they mean, then they can't be that important." Some I could guess based upon context clues, but others? Forget it. I just read over them like they weren't there.

Things happen so quickly in this books that there were times I literally had no idea what was going on. The settings would change with almost no warning, characters would appear/disappear without warning, and after a while, I just kind of gave up. Gave up on every understanding (or caring) about what was going on.

The romances were a little ridiculous as well; especially the one with our protagonist, Nadya. Even though he keeps lying to me, I'm going to love him anyhow? Nadya, get yourself out of that emotionally abusive relationship and a find a new man/woman/non-binary.

Honestly, I found this book to be a bit ridiculous and way too long. I'm definitely done with the series here.

I want to start off by saying how blown away I am by this series so far. The writing is beautiful and the story line and plots (and twists!) are all woven together so intricately. I haven't been this taken with a series in ages. The lore and how it is shared and introduced is almost musical to me.

After reading the first one I was really hoping to learn more about some of the side characters and we got to see that this time. Especially with Parj.

Nadya and Malachiasz relationship stays as tumultuous and confusing as ever. I never knew who to believe or what was real with them.

A lot of the end I did not see coming which is always a big plus for me. This whole series is so creative and refreshing.

If I had any complaints is that I did feel like some of the details were over explained or that some of the journey drug out longer than it needed too. Could have been cut a smidge shorter in some parts of the story.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Serefin was dead, Malachiasz is the Black Vulture, and Nadya is scouring old texts, abandoned by her goddess. Her connection to the gods was already weak in enemy territory, but now, it is completely severed, and she should have killed Malachiasz when she had the chance.

Politicans are working to unseat Serefin fro mthe throne, Malachiasz is planning something terrible with the vultures, and balance of t all somehow rests on Nadya's shoulders. Abandoned, lost, and betrayed, Nadya must find a way back to her gods.

Wicked Saints was a highly hyped and excting dark YA Fantasy. Ruthless Gods, its sequel, has some mixed reviews. Ruthless Gods, much larger and more expansive than Wicked Saints, is working to set up a lot for the third book. Only problem, we didn't get answers. A lot happened at the end of Wicked Saints, leaving the readers with a sense of confusion and a list of questions, but almost all of these questions still remain at the end of Book 2 and more.

Malachiasz is a complex character, with an outwardly look of shyness, awkwardness, and lanky limbs. Nadya believe he is battlign with himself, but what we don't know is that he's got a lot of something up his sleeve, which unfortunately, we never find out in Ruthless Gods.

Serefin is having a hell of a time, his eye exploding into visions, only to find out that the god who brought him back has a request of him, otherwise, Serefin will continue to suffer the visions, and quite possibly kill himself. All the usual side characters are there, and unfortunately, we really don't learn much more about them, which is disappointing. And to be honest, Serefin's portion of the story was really lacking, and I found myself bored during his chapters.

All in all, this book was a bit more all over the place than the first, and the lack of answers and the wishy washy feelings of all involved was a tad annoying. I still enjoy it, and I'm curious to see where this series goes, but I missed the more light-hearted characters of the first book and the interactions there. NAdya was a bit too forgiving of Malachiasz, and it made the story harder to connect with.