Godly Heathens follows Gem Echols, a nonbinary Seminole teenager who has vivid, magical, terrifying dreams that feel completely real. With the arrival of Willa Mae Hardy, who somehow knows more about Gem than she should, they find themselves thrust into a world they could never have imagined, and it is only their trans best friend, Enzo, whom they want to speak to about it. Considering the fact that Gem finds out they are a reincarnated god, that can't really happen, so they are forced to work with Willa Mae in order the escape the wrath of the Goddess of Death and the other reincarnated gods who are (largely) extremely displeased with their current situation.

This book had everything, from a fast-moving plot to incredible character relationships, not to mention an excellent exploration of queerness, in terms of both gender and sexuality. Gem's Indigenous ancestry plays an important role in their story, and I felt that every topic touched on was done with mastery. As a point of view character, Gem is the perfect mix of funny and determined, making them a joy to follow, even through the darkest of pages. Humanity is explored in a viscerally honest way, and Edgmon asks questions of justice and duty in a way that I rarely see in fiction.

The twists in Godly Heathens didn't always take me by surprise, but that didn't detract from their impact. This is a book that so many people will need and, undoubtedly, treasure, and I cannot wait for the next installment to see where the story takes our favourite godly chaos teens.

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for approving my request to read an arc of this book

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book or more like I couldn’t start it. The author very kindly provided content warnings on the first page and after reading through them I decided to give this book a miss for my mental health. I don’t feel comfortable reading about sexual assault and definitely not to do with children. I wish that NetGalley would list the authors content warnings on the request page so that the reader knows what kind of book topics they’re getting into before requesting the book.
None of this is the author’s fault though so I’m marking it as four stars so that I don’t hinder the overall rating.