Weirder, darker, more deliciously disorienting, and full of more complicated, compelling romance, sequel Ruthless Gods is a treat for all fans of Wicked Saints. Duncan raises the stakes and torments her characters, and I for one cannot get enough of it. Looking forward desperately to the conclusion of the series.

4.5 Stars	

	I liked Wicked Saints, the first book in this trilogy. 

	On some level, I was always going to like Wicked Saints. With blood magic, questions of faith, wonderfully gothy atmosphere, and a main couple that’s basically the dark version of Howl and Sophie, how could it not? In a lot of ways, this series might as well have been written to pander to my highly-specific interests. It appealed to me on a level that only somebody who listened to lots and lots of symphonic metal from ages 12-16 could appreciate. But it was hindered by some choppy, repetitive prose, an over-reliance on common YA tropes, and Nadya coming across as, honestly, a little bit dense sometimes — not in a way that felt like a deliberate character choice, but more a byproduct of the prose issues re: the tendency of her internal monologue to regurgitate the obvious a lot. There was potential in the worldbuilding, but Book 1 seemed to barely scratch the surface of the setting and the religion that’s so vital to it. I never felt quite as connected to the characters as I’d hoped, even if I loved the ideas of them. Basically, while I liked what I saw, I wanted more than I got.

	But Ruthless Gods. Wow. 

	It absolutely delivered on the promise of “What if the very best parts of WS… were ALL of it?” If you, like me, liked the ending of Book 1 where things started getting trippy and cosmic, you’ll probably love this book. It’s darker, weirder, and more thought-provoking. We’re leaving traditional YA high fantasy territory behind and going full Lovecraftian horror. Not just surface-level horror with scary-looking monsters (though there are plenty of those): the full-on “reckoning with your own smallness and helplessness in the face of a vast, incomprehensible universe” kind. The horror of realizing that everything you thought you knew about the world is wrong. Compared to the first book, this one was more cerebral. The pace is slower. It’s less “action-y,” more focused on internal conflicts. Some readers will probably consider that a bug, and some will consider it a feature. I’m one of the latter. 

	As dark and tragic as this book gets, there’s still humor in it, with plenty of witty, engaging dialogue amongst the characters. I got to know the characters much better in this book, especially Nadya, whose internal conflict felt more visceral than ever. I’m attached to all of our leads now, and I’m rooting for all of them, even with their mutually-incompatible agendas that tend to involve betraying for each other. I want everything to work out okay for Nadya, Serefin, and Malachiasz, even though none of them are okay at any point throughout this story. No one in this book is a straightforwardly good person, but we can understand them, because they have to operate within a world where there are no good choices. But there’s hope in this story, which shows love existing in even the direst of circumstances.

	There are a few new faces, most notably Katya, the fabulous occultist princess who lives for the drama. She’s a great time. 

	Now to get the negative stuff out of the way. The prose is smoother, but still flawed. It still suffers from some of Wicked Saints’ repetitiveness issues, e.g. endlessly hammering in Malachiasz’s simultaneous monstrosity and humanity long after the point has been gotten across (I lost count of every variant of the phrase “anxious, broken boy”). I still found some of the secondary characters a bit flat (Rashid and Ostyia mostly stayed in the background, and as happy as I always am for queer rep, I struggled to muster up any real investment in Kacper beyond “aww, that’s cute”). 

	As a final note, I have to say I really disagree with all the reviews comparing this to the Grisha Trilogy. The commonalities are all surface aesthetic stuff, and I doubt the comparison would get made as often as it does if Eastern European-based fantasy wasn’t relatively uncommon compared to Western European-based fantasy. I like them both. I don't find them similar. The Grisha Trilogy was essentially a "good conquers evil" narrative, which allowed its heroine to flirt with darkness but ultimately remained firmly rooted in traditional Hero's Journey grounds. On tonal, story, and thematic levels, Something Dark & Holy is going to very different places: places that I really think are new territory for YA. There's really no other horror-fantasy like it out there in the market right now. Ruthless Gods is one of the rare books that genuinely is as dark as it says it is. I wish I could’ve read this when I was sixteen, because it would have blown my goth-kid mind.

This is such a hard review for me. 


I really loved Wicked Gods. I liked how different it was, the dynamics between the three main characters and the dark and shifting magic. And that ending almost killed me.


So why did I have such a hard time getting through this sequel?


The foundation is there, but I felt like it had problems. It was way too long and the beginning moved slowly for me. Nadya was harder for me to like this time around too. There was a lot of uncertainty and angst with Nadya which made her too whiny for me. 


The plot picked up when our favorite dark hero came back. I liked the dynamics between Nadya and her friends. And the ending was great and I do what to know what happened! 


Overall, I thought the sequel dragged for me and I wish it was shorter. I am also totally aware that I am in the minority there. But I'm still invested in the story and I can't wait to read the last one.

Holy crap! This book was so good! It is completely unpredictable. The character development is so incredible. I have fallen hard for these characters. They have etched themselves into my heart. Emily Duncan does an amazing job of putting so much emotion into their stories. So much so that they feel real. My heart was pulled in so many directions in this book. It is hard for me to even put into words how much I loved this story. I want to just start it over again. I cannot wait to read the next installment in the Something Dark and Holy series!

Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan is such a cool story! Dark, gritty, and awesome, totally recommend to others

Worthy sequel to one of my favorite books of 2018 Wicked Saints. I will come back and give a proper review from all the notes i made from the book. So excited to finally get my hands on the physical copy soon 😁

I feel so lucky to have recieved this ARC.  I'm a huge fan of Wicked Saints, and Ruthless Gods, the sequel, only made me want more ... again... and again I'm going to have to be patient.   
This book gave my brain whiplash looking at all the directions the characters could be going in and then finding out what they're actually going to do.  One thing was for certain though, and that is that none of the three main characters could be completely trusted.
This series is full of the ancient magic of Gods and Saints and the more modern blood magic.  It is fun, romantic, edgy and absolutely captivating.   Read these books and love them!

This is an amazing squeal to Wicked Saints, we learn a lot of things and go through a lot more , and absolutely none of it is predictable. This book was thrilling, intriguing and heart wrenching. The world-building was amazing, the characters were multi-dimensional and well thought out, I loved it and that ending!!! I can't wait for the next book.

The official book description is as follows: “Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who--and what--he’s become.

As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. They’re pieces on a board, being orchestrated by someone…or something. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet—those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer.

In her dramatic follow-up to Wicked Saints, the first book in her Something Dark and Holy trilogy, Emily A. Duncan paints a Gothic, icy world where shadows whisper, and no one is who they seem, with a shocking ending that will leave you breathless.”

With this description and the cover art, the need to read this book is incredible, and it does not disappoint. I highly recommend this series as you wont be able to put it down!

Thank you Net Galley and the Publisher for an ARC of this book! It is greatly appreciated!

<b>5 stars</b> 

Wow wow wow! This book started just as fast paced as its predecessor, however, in a way that was much more graspable. The story hooks you immediately, unfolding masterfully from the first chapter. <b>And I was in love with every minute of it</b>.
(spoilers for the first book will be included, so proceed with caution) 

Nadya is struck with the loss of no longer having the voices of the gods in her head as well as the betrayal that cut her deep just a few months before. Serefin is attempting to figure out who he is—<i>why</i> he is. Why was he saved from death? And what has he become? Malachiazs sits on his throne, not knowing who he truly is, and still communicating somehow with a girl who he can’t remember. 

<i>Ruthless Gods</i> was everything it needed to be. Some people might say it started to slow down in the second half, and though I do agree, I felt that the pace was perfect for the story. It didn’t particularly “slow down,” but instead allowed for all the rich details of the story to play out. I was truly enthralled every moment. The constant tension between Nadya and Malachiazs was angsty and romantic and chaotic and <i>bloody</i> brilliant.

If you thought <i>Wicked Saints</i> was dark, you’re in for a treat. <i>Ruthless Gods</i> was dark and enigmatic. The whole way through, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to be thrown for a loop. The characters are so diverse in personality and it makes for a fantastic read. The plot only thickens in this book. So many new revelations come to the surface, making you constantly question your loyalties. We also learn a lot more about Kacper as well as the Akolans, which I believe was much needed. 

Here’s the thing, I just <i>adore</i> Malachiazs. His anxious, brooding, passionate, emotional, borderline evil self just hits me hard. And I was so happy with the development we got on his part. I do wish that we got more in his perspective but I definitely think that’ll happen in book 3. 

I also adore Nadya and was thrilled with her personal development. Hopefully it goes even further in the third book.

I’m not terribly positive how I feel about Serefin’s story. I feel like it’s still a little jumbled up to me. That being said, I do feel like he grew in certain areas. 

All together, Ruthless Gods was a brilliant second novel in the Wicked Saints series and I can’t believe I have to wait over a year to get the next one!

I  received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nadya and the two boys return in this sequel, but nothing is easy. They are all forced far out of their comfort zones on individual quests that may or may not intersect with each other. On top of that the gods may be interfering…if there is such a thing as gods.

Second books are often duds for me. I find that they have trouble bridging gaps between book one and book three. I was scared with this book that would be the case. The stakes for the first book were ridiculously high. And going into the second I wondered if that would still be the case. Would it keep me interested or would I flame out part way through? My biggest fear was that – I had grown to love some of these characters and I worried that in this book I wouldn’t like them anymore. I was worried for absolutely nothing. 

If you liked Wicked Saints, if you liked the characters (even just some of them) then you are going to love this book. This book goes more and more depth into religion and heresy and action and relationships, and it is all bound together in a supremely well-paced story. The same themes from the first book come back in this one, except in some cases this book feels just a tad darker than the first. It does have some horror elements (eye related stuff which I had to skim because ICK) and yet it feels as if the book was just as concerned with developing these characters. 

Plot wise I enjoyed it. It was deftly paced, as in, it isn’t just action, there is a lot of introspection and a lot of thinking going on, so it is slow in that respect, but it is still interesting. I really don’t want to give too much away about the plot – suffice to say that Nadya, Serefin, and  Malachiasz are dealing with a lot of things at the moment. A LOT. Nadya is on her own journey and Serefin and Malachiasz are as well, and somehow they all keep coming back together. The gods are not happy is an understatement in this book. 

Serefin was my favorite character before and he remains my favorite in this book. He has his own delightful relationship arc, and I was so very happy with the way that it went. I will be so very glad to see more of it in the next book. His friends too, get a bit of their own little arcs as well, and more information about them is given to us throughout the book. 

And of course, we have Nadya and Malachiasz. One of the more intriguing relationships I’ve read about. Nadya constantly talks about how it is based on betrayal, and it is. Very much so. If you like will-they-won’t-they this relationship has it all. Also, lots of blood, anger, angst, pining and unresolved emotions. I cannot keep up with those two at all. 

We also get introduced to a new character in this book, and they help us with a balance in this odd group of theirs. There is a little section talking about some of the minor characters and their country as well. It felt a tiny bit out of place, but I do wonder if something is going to happen with it in the next book.

The plot and the writing and the events are all so twisted and confusing and good. This was a confusing book at times, and it wasn’t in a bad way. I felt that the confusion lent to the atmosphere of the book. Not only that you want to scream at the characters not to do the stupid thing they’re thinking of doing. Suffice to say I got really attached to the characters again. I dread to think of what Duncan is going to put them through next. 

And of course, I loved the writing. I think it was well written and overall, I enjoyed it. I couldn’t put it down for one minute.

4.5 stars. I’m so into this trilogy. The second book was a good continuation of the first for me. This was one of those books where I could point out a lot of the flaws, but I still loved it. It's the exact type of bloody and romantic romp that I want, with some of my favorite character archetypes. 

There should have been more character build up. I feel like I missed a chunk of characters getting closer to one another. It read like they were a lot closer friends than they were in the first book. Which, I guess they were. But when did it happen? This weirdly enough made me change my rating of the first book.
 
I still see very heavy Kylo Ren influence on Malachiasz, same as in the first book. If you read a lot of Reylo fanfic, you will definitely see the parallels. I don’t think that’s a bad thing per se, but I felt like it was too heavy handed in the first half of the book. 

This book has a decent plot, though the pacing in this book was slower than the first. Thinking back, I feel like not a lot happened in the beginning of the book. It seemed like a little bit of plot was pulled out for the whole book. BUT, I think the pacing was better. The first book for me alternated between fast and slow pacing, while this one was more steadily paced. I’m also partial to slow paced books, so I was enjoying myself. It was never slow enough to be boring, but it wasn’t quite a slow burn either. 

I liked that the characters were on this collision course that they couldn’t seem to stop. I liked Nadya more in this, too. Though I liked all the characters in the first book, Nadya was my least favorite then. I liked her more in this book. 

All in all, I liked the second book better than the first book, I think? It was slower, but I felt like the pacing was much more steady.

It disappoints me to no end given that I really did like Wicked Saints, but I just did not like Ruthless Gods. I wish I could chalk it up to a bad day clouding my judgment, but I can't. (I'm kind of a binge reader, so when it takes me almost two weeks to get through a book, it usually means something.)

Usually, I would provide a plot summary for my ARC reviews, but I actually kind of feel like I can't, in this case, say all that much. The gang from Wicked Saints (Nadya, Malachiasz, Serefin, and their crew of other secondary characters I remembered nothing about) work to deal with the fallout from the events at the end of the first book. Eventually, they all, for different reasons, begin a journey to a holy site. This journey takes them through a forest that tries to kill them.

Part of the reason I can't give much of a summary is that I don't want to spoil the end of Wicked Saints, but an equally significant reason is that I'm genuinely struggling with it. I'm not really sure how such a small amount of plot was stretched out to as long as this book was. A very good chunk of the beginning of the book just involves all of the characters...debriefing on the situation? and getting cryptic warnings from our resident ~creepy~ ~mysterious~ ~all-knowing~ character. And once! They left! And couldn't commune with her anymore! Duncan just threw in a new character! To fill the same role! Who somehow just knows a bunch of plot-driving information! Just...because, I guess!

The romances in this story continue to make absolutely no sense to me. Build up? Foundations? Don't know them. It's kind of like...Ruthless Gods took all of the parts of Wicked Saints that I didn't like but was willing to overlook and then...made those parts the entire book.

Overall, I'm disappointed. I'm sure people will like this book -- it's got a lot of cool elements, too. Duncan turns the horror and more grotesque elements up to 11, which I know will appeal to a lot of readers who've been looking for more horror YA. It just wasn't for me, I guess?

Oh, the eye trauma. I was at a panel over the weekend listening to Emily Duncan discuss dark fantasy with Holly Black and some other great authors, and she said one of the things she perhaps regretted in Ruthless Gods was the amount of eye popping up in various places (poor Malachiasz) and the kissing in blood (you’ll know it when you read it). But this story contains a ton of eyes in places eyes have no right to be, and it is a bit disconcerting at times. (She also says she loves writing about teenagers doing all the wrong things thinking that they are the right things and well, it’s true.)
When Wicked Saints ended, Malachiasz had just drank some strange potion and was on his way to becoming a dark god, Nadya was stuck in Tranavia, and Serefin became the king of a nation (and the host to some unknown god). 
It starts off slow. Nadya and Serefin are stuck in a strange situation in the palace, as no one can know what truly happened to the former king. Malachiasz is on the border of madness (okay, he is fully dark mad most of the time). And then they get kicked into action. They each go off on their own quests (some by accident) which takes them to the same place for the climax of the book. And then things get real and weird and wild, then it ends leaving the reader questioning what they just read. 
While I love it, and I adore Wicked Saints (which I’ve read twice this year), some things just don’t add up. Malachiasz and Nadya have a strange connection because she stole her power that always her to see him at times, but it isn’t very well written, since at times it is hard to tell if he is physically present or just mentally. Malachiasz in general is stranger in this, because of his monster god issues, but his personality and motivations change almost without explanation, which is confusing. In fact, the majority of his eldritch god scenes are confusing and not well explained, which is a pity because sometimes I would like to be told what is going on in the things I read. 
Wicked Saints, compared to Ruthless Gods, was light and fluffy. Ruthless Gods gets darker and darker, a cosmic horror fantasy where all the choices made are wrong ones and there is a lot of blood. I think my mind tried to shut that part out, as I enjoyed watching these teenagers walk down the path to hell, but I can’t even begin to imagine what havoc Emily Duncan will wreak on them in book 3.

This is an incredible book and well-worthy sequel to one of the best releases of last year. Dazzling, dark, romantic, fast-paced enough that you can't wait to turn the page, but with enough intention and thoughtfulness that you still have room to breathe. I would 100% recommend this series.

**Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review**

This is a continuation of Wicked Saints and left right where it left off. Nadya does not trust her magic anymore and the Prince, the monster have their fates intertwined. The Prince is hearing voices in the night, the voices Nadya thinks are her gods and Malachiasz want to meet. These voices want a stake and will not be silenced any longer. 

This is a bit of a middle book, I wasn't as into it as the first book. I did like how it kept how dark the first one was and felt like a natural continuation. I will say that I found it a bit forgettable, but that could be because I was reading it on my computer, not a physical book. I'm kind of worried if by the next novel, I will have forgotten everything that happened....

I liked how the characters aren't likeable and mess up in the novel. It makes them a lot more realistic and actually made me like them a lot more. They have some major flaws for sure, but it was very calculated and very well done. I'm really interested to see how this trilogy ends! The dark and gothic feel of the story just makes me so happy. 

But I still did enjoy what i read (and remember), I love the world. The mixture of gods, magic and war is really intriguing to me. 

4/5 
Anyone who's a fan of YA fantasy or the Darklings should read this one.

I started Ruthless Gods, then about a chapter in, I put it down to go back and reread Wicked Saints. I felt like I was missing some things in the beginning that I couldn't recall. I'm so glad I did this. It really helped me get further immersed in the story. Ruthless Gods is dark and bloodier than Wicked Saints. It's a perfect continuation of the story started in the book before it. In the end, I liked it even more than I liked the first book of this series. I already want to reread it too.

Nadya questions herself, her power, and her place in the world while Serefin tries to hold on to both his throne and his sanity. Malachiasz, lovely dark monster that he is descends deeper into the dark. While both Nadya and Malachiasz are drawn to each other, they also keenly aware of succeeding for the sake of their people. 

The bonds of the relationships of all the characters are simultaneously tested and strengthened. All while being stabbed in the back. And that altar scene! When you know, you'll know. We got immersed deeper into the woods, the legend, and the magic of the world Nadya, Malachiasz, and Serefin live in. I even got more of side characters I loved from Wicked Saints, including peeks into their points of view. I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters on a more detailed level and learning more about the struggle for power. 

This was a really strong sequel and I enjoyed it, a lot. Closer to the pub date, I will be sharing a spoiler free review on my blog especially after I dive back in for another read through.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I first picked this book up but it ended up being fantastic. 

The character development is great and it’s such a lush and wonderful book. I highly recommend it

Over a year ago, I wrote a review on WICKED SAINTS and gave it 4 stars. In that review, I made a comment about the comparison between it and the GRISHAVERSE series by saying the story was well enough to stand on its own. Well, here's a news update: I played myself big time. As I read RUTHLESS GODS, my brain kept drifting towards classifying this was a Darkling/Alina fanfiction story. I fought against it, but in the end, I couldn't deny it anymore. Nadya is Alina. Monster-boy Malachiasz is the Darkling. Serefin is Nikolai right down to "fighting against his own literal personal demon." 

Duncan knows how to build suspense and orchestrate a dark gothic atmosphere. I'll give her that. However, we as readers stumbled through the plot unsure of what exactly each character is trying to accomplish, but we also learn that the characters have no clue either. The author purposefully sacrificed story-things that gave readers a sense of clarity and direction. While I understand she did it to build suspense and a foreboding sense of mystery in this gothic cosmic horror fantasy, I was SO confused. 

Is there action? Yes. Is there romance? Yes. Is there worldbuilding? Sure.

But as I said in my previous review of WICKED SAINTS, the pacing was very sluggish. 

The last 30 pages of WICKED SAINTS punched me in the gut and left me wanting more. After reading RUTHLESS GODS, I now know that's Duncan's signature WWE move. She loves to make the last 30 or so pages absolutely amazing so you MUST pick up the next installment. However, after stumbling through this dark mess of a book, I'm honestly not sure if I want to.

Well that was a blood soaked experience. I’m kind of surprised how much I love this series, because it is weird and intense and horrifying and I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s soaked in blood (seriously I feel like I should ring out the pages from it). These kids all need showers - and naps! What I love is that we have a cast of enemies and allies: Warring countries and characters and their relationships are all so complicated. Everyone is in physical and mental pain and nothing is easy. But these characters also love each other in ridiculous ways and would do anything for each other - also while stabbing them in the back. It doesn’t make any sense, but it’s fantastic and addicting all the same. I’ve no clue what just happened or where this series is going. I cannot fathom any of them coming out on the other side. But I’m fully board for the rest of this blood soaked horror show. 

Love triangle factor: none. Trust me, these characters have enough obstacles to deal with. 
Cliffhanger Scale: medium? The end is pretty wild, a lot happens. None of it is good, or at least it will all have big consequences. We are definitely not done with this series.

Will post a real review on blog closer to release. And on Amazon. Also recommending to library.