Wow! Still thinking about the characters and this books after I’ve read it. The representation was amazing and the storyline was unique. I look forward to the next installment.

Thank you H.E. Edgmon & NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I love how much growth there has been in trans YA books in the past 5 years because it means we get to have books like this. Books with a cast of trans / non-binary Gods reincarnated over thousands of years and now inhabiting the bodies of a bunch of southern teenagers, who get to be rough and complicated and lean into their dark impulses. This book is the opposite of the quote “if they go low, we go high” and instead asks, what if we go even lower?

And I love that, honestly.

As a trans person in this country right now, sometimes the escape I need comes from a book of unabashed queer joy. And sometimes it comes from the joy of watching queers bash (anyone who gets in their way).

But seriously, for the queer / trans / indigenous/ abused / angry, etc etc etc teens and young people who see themselves in this book, I hope it shows them that they deserve a voice and a happy ending too. Can’t wait to read book 2!

I would watch so many seasons of this.

Gem is a nonbinary teen who has one friend in the world: Enzo, a trans boy from New York who they met online. At school, they feel like they don't fit in, despite a variety of acquaintances who clearly like them.

Gem has been having dreams. Vivid nightmares where they flirt with a demon and commit unspeakable acts. Then Gem meets a girl, Willa Mae, who knows them, though they don't know her. Or they just don't remember. Gem fights against their mental illness and whether or not to trust Willa Mae, but as their memories return they realize the truth: they are one of many reincarnated gods from another world. And the others aren't too happy with them.

This book, despite being less than 400 pages, did so much, so well. I am an Old, but Gem is what I imagine to be a typical teen, while also an essentially immortal being. Their mannerisms, relationships, fears, and insecurities are all so authentic. The other characters are three-dimensional, so I easily sympathized with the "bad guys." No one is perfect or right; everyone is morally grey. They struggle with mental health, generational trauma, identity, relationships, and morality, to name a few. All woven together beautifully into a dark, heartwarming story, at its heart about people with flaws.

Typically, the main character's denial of the fantasy situation into which they are thrown is over the top, cringey, and annoying. Gem's resistance is due to the fact that their father struggles severely with his mental health, and Gem worries they're following in his footsteps. Their issue is less that they don't think this could ever happen to them, and more that they don't know if they can trust their own mind not to be making it up. "Refreshing" is the wrong word, but it does bring a depth that other "chosen one" stories lack.

Stunning trans, nonbinary, and Indigenous rep, with openness and acceptance of anyone who's "different." If the teens in this book are any indication of real teens these days (and I think they are) I have so much hope for the future. I can't wait to add this to my physical shelf.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the DRC in exchange for my honest review.

What a gem of a book! Oh, the characters name is Gem 🥹 I didn't realize I did that.

All I saw was reincarnated gods before I was hitting that request button so fast. I squealed when I got the approval.

So thanks NetGalley!!

Anywho. This book is everything you want. The cast of queer characters is brilliant as is the story. The pacing is action packed and fast. You'll be sucked in front start to cliffhanger finish. Oh yah, I said cliffhanger. Enjoy each of the painstakingly slow days until the next book. But the pain is worth the read. I'm completely fine with this book hangover.

Holy hell, what a wild ride. What an absolutely fantastic book. I love the world building, the story, the characters. Very trans and queer. Absolutely an instant favourite. I can't wait for the next book!!

I was really excited to read this as soon as I saw it was available, as I loved The Witch King, and Godly Heathens sounded even better. And, no offense at all to The WItch King, it was. I am just so intrigued by the whole idea of this book, the gods and their realm, the gods and THIS realm, the magic system, their histories, everything. All the characters were so unique and intriguing, and I found myself invested in everyone. Everyone is a fucked up messy queer and I am so here for it.

Absolutely a must read!

I chose Ungodly Heathen because of the LGBT rep and I’m a big fantasy fan. The writing is good and the story is engaging and interesting. I had some trouble getting into the story and found it to be a bit slow tho. The characters did not feel relatable or likable to me. The trans and non-binary rep is great and I’m sure there are tons of teens who will love reading a book that has representation.

Wow! I'm still thinking about Godly heathens a week after finishing it. What a ride! I think this is going to be a best seller. There are so many cool unique elements, and I hope that we get more books with this kind of representation. And the ending! Students will be sure to snap this up.

4 1/2 stars

ARC provided by the publisher & NetGalley; opinions are my own.

Loved: the prose, the characters, the imagery, the cover, the inclusion of content warnings, all of the LGBTQ+ inclusiveness, particularly the Demiromantic rep

I have over 500 highlights, 20 notes, & 8 bookmarks of things that I either felt were important or just worded perfectly.

Issue: the pacing

I was sick while reading the first 30% & could not get hooked, but I wasn't sure if it was just me. I enjoyed reading while I was, but it felt very disconnected & difficult to find the drive to continue. After 30%, I just kept pushing myself to keep going, but the feeling of disconnect was still there. There were more than a few times where there was a build-up to action, & it fizzled off. It felt like the characters were circling each other & the problem, but also avoiding each other/it. & when they finally do face off, we get a cliffhanger. (I do love the final steps leading to the cliffhanger...)

I do think that the author has improved as a whole with descriptions & pacing since I read The Witch King, & I'm eager to continue reading his work

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC copy.

Whoa! Where do I begin? From the very beginning this book grabbed me and held on tightly to me. From the start, Gem is plagued by strange dreams that often turn into nightmares while they are participating in a grisly ritual with a creature they seems to know, but doesn't understand how, Then, while in school, she meets a girl named Willa Mae who tells them that the reason why they have these weird dreams and feel odd is because they are a god; both Willa Mae and Gem are. However, there are other gods who've also been reincarnated into this world that have a bone to pick with Gem, even if that means their death.

This book moves pretty fast and I found myself absorbed in it. I was pleasantly surprised to see not only a lot of LGBTQ+ representation but also a lot of trans representation which is so sorely needed during these times. While there were some places that felt a little repetitive and angsty (this is a book about teenagers, after all), there were several parts that had me like "whoa!"

There were a few times that I became confused because this book introduces way too many characters too early in the book and I often found myself confused by them. While there is a parthenon that needs to be explained, I think that a few of the characters could have been introduced within subsequent books or have less attention paid to them in this first book so that people can become attached to the current characters that are moving the plot. That lowered my score a little bit because I like getting to know the characters intimately and becoming attached to them (hence why GRRM gets me every time).

Other than that, if you're looking for BIPOC representation, gods with baggage, polycules, wonderful trans rep, and a serious cliffhanger ending, I would highly recommend it. However, fair warning: pay careful attention to the trigger warnings, they are there for a reason.

DNF 50%

Had a hard time connecting to and getting invested in the main characters. I like reading villian and unlikable character POVs, but something about Gem made me hating reading from their POV

I loved the witch king, but this one just did not connect for me

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ARC!
This book you guys—it’s incredible. Gods in Georgia trans teen bodies!? The banter, the talk of Colonization, so much queer love and (mostly) acceptance!? I adore this book so so so much 🥺
I’m not sure if it’s really YA—Gem & friends do discuss sex (often-ish) but the kids were all 17 or so, so maybe this is upper YA? Either way, I think this is really going to be so meaningful for trans & queer kids to read and find a home in.
Justice or fairness!? What will happen in the next book because I am on the edge of my seat waaaaaaiting oh my.

This is the first time I've read anything by Edgmon before and let me just say, I think it is one of my new favorites. The concept of the book had me hooked from the start. Reincarnated gods fighting an ages old battle? Yes please. The writing style had a way of flowing and creating strong imagery that really brought the magic to life.

I tried so hard and got so far... but in the end, I didn't even like it. 😔

I think I'll have to throw in the towel with HE Edgmon books. The characters are just so... unpalatable to me.

That's not to say the writing is bad or the story isn't interesting, because I wouldn't have kept reading if not, but I just cannot find it in myself to root for characters who are actucally, legitimately cruel and twisted and rotten. If that's your thing, more power to you. If you enjoy fucked up characters trying to find happiness and peace despite knowing in their hearts they don't really deserve to, then this is the book for you. Not me though. Not me. 🥲

<b>Plot Concept:</b> 5/5

<b>Plot Execution:</b> 4/5

<b>Pacing:</b> 4/5

<b>Writing:</b> 4/5

<b>Characters:</b> 1/5

<b>Romance:</b> 2/5

<b>Ending:</b> 1/5

<b>Overall Enjoyability:</b> n/a
would rather not rate this, since it's mostly a me problem that i didn't enjoy it

I received advanced access to this through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks.

Big fan of the concept, and I greatly enjoyed the book. The pacing was a little weird to me but I'm not sure how to explain why. Overall a great book, but it lost a star because of the ending. I'll do my best to avoid spoilers, but it seemed as if all the character growth went out the window. They solved the problem and then the main character ruined everything. I get that their rage was a main plot point but I'm a sucker for a happy ending and I didnt get it.

I'll start this off by saying that I absolutely adore this author's other work, and that a lot of criticism I see about dialog/character voice doesn't bother me and is actually my favorite part as it actually sounds like how a lot of my friends talk.
I'm not exactly sure what went wrong here for me. I loved the premise, but it never quite clicked enough to make me engaged. There were smaller character choices that I thought were done well, but they were overshadowed a bit by never fully believing the plot as it progressed.

I can't decide if this book has characters that pancake a little too much of if the characters are just sides on a rubiks cube. The book was great and the ending was the cherry on top.

I will start by saying the non-binary representation in this book is fantastic! Unfortunately, that's where the positives end. I DNF'd at 35% and just couldn't get through the rest of the story. Which is a bummer because the premise is really really good. The writing seemed a bit childish and unfinished. I hope to come back to this one and give it another try at a later date.

•4.75/5☆•

"Life is full of little surprises. Some days, you find out you're a reincarnated god embroiled in an anient war that's maybe you're fault. Others, you walk into homeroom at seven thirty in the morning and find the grl who tried to kill you flrting with your favorite football player."

Gem has never felt like they fit in anywhere. They couldn't make friends with anyone and was only good as a way for their small southern townie neighbors to try out someone non-heteronormative. That was until the day that their self-proclaimed soulmate strolled into their life and told them they are actually a reincarnated god from another world.

This book gave me everything I wanted out of a YA urban fantasy novel. I am beyond blessed that I was able to secure an ARC from Netgalley for this and am so hoping I can get the second one as well so I don't have to wait until April 2024 to finish this duology.

Godly Heathens is coming out later this year and I am gonna recommend the shit out of this duology to every one of my reader friends who likes urban fantasy.

Love the queer and transgender representation coupled with the mythologies. Gave me a blood of Zeus vibe that I loved.

What a book! I loved how the story is unique but also told in a way that makes it feel very relatable.

A group of gods reincarnate in our world. Each time they come back, they are drawn to each other, this time in a tiny town as a group of teenagers. In any other story, they could be outcasts, misfits, those who don't fit into the mould of social norms. In this story, they are gods! Many of the main characters don't fit into conservative gender & sexual orientation, and they are obviously at a higher level of consciousness.

For a story about gods, it was oddly relatable. Self realization is a struggle, especially if it comes with flashbacks and memories of multiple past lives. Though we may have been one thing in a past life, we might be something completely else in this new life. Yet, there are always some similarities.

Most of all, I think at some point we all seem to struggle with the doubt of whether our motivations are good or evil (or is that just me?)... am I the monster, or are they?